Roger Federer might have missed a lot of tennis tournaments thanks to injury over the last two years, but he’s by no means been idle – he’s been all around the world, travelling to Malawi to support his charitable endeavours, fronting Switzerland’s latest tourism campaign, and most recently, getting a backstage pass to Mercedes’ garage for the 2022 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner was seen hanging out with 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, his talented co-driver George Russell and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff in the Mercedes garage at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya over the weekend – an exciting sight for tennis and F1 fans alike.
But something most people missed was the watch on Federer’s wrist: a new Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Sprite’ (ref. 126720VTNR), one of the most hyped timepieces to emerge from Watches & Wonders 2022 and perhaps the most bizarre watch Rolex has ever released.
Also called the ‘Destro’ or ‘Starbucks’, the Rolex ‘Sprite’ is a left-handed take on the classic GMT watch – that is, it’s designed to be worn on your right hand (confusing I know). Not only does it have its crown on the left-hand side, but its date window is rather unusually on the left-hand side, too. Its bezel also features a novel colour combination: black and green.
Back when the Sprite came out, we predicted that many owners would still choose to wear the watch on their left hand – and that’s exactly what Roger’s done with his.
While the Rolex Sprite officially retails for AU$15,500, aftermarket listings on sites like Chrono24 are already asking six figures for the damn thing. That’s hype for you.
RELATED: Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Sprite’ Now Selling For Over $100,000
As for the F1, both Mercedes drivers had a rather impressive drive. George Russell finished 3rd and Lewis Hamilton worked his way back to 5th after finding himself at the back of the grid early in the race.
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