Green Jackets And Great Watches: Celebrating Masters Week
In honor of Masters Week, we’ve compiled some of our golf-themed stories from over the years. It’s early April, and those sweet, dulcet tones of Dave Loggins followed by a “Hello, friends” from Mr. Jim Nantz can only mean one thing: it’s time to head down to Augusta. It’s one of the best weeks of the year, in my opinion, and I’ll be glued to the television starting with the close of business on Friday evening and going all the way through to Sunday when the final putt drops. Masters week officially ends, however, when Hodinkee posts our Watch Spotting article from the Masters champion from the Awards Ceremony, so stay tuned for that. And then, the countdown to the 2026 Masters will begin.
Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of speaking with some of the greatest names in golf history, including a few former Masters champions. So we thought, to enhance your Masters coverage this weekend, we’ve curated a selection of articles, including episodes of Talking Watches and Hodinkee Radio featuring these legends. Might I humbly suggest that it’s the best way to spend the mornings for the next few days or next week when the post-Masters sadness sets in.
Talking Watches With Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus, widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time. He captured a record 18 major championships, including six Masters Tournament victories during his illustrious career spanning from the 1960s to the 1980s. Known as “The Golden Bear,” he dominated the sport for over two decades. He famously only wore one watch, his trusty Rolex Day-Date reference 1803 in yellow gold, which had been on his wrist every day of his life since he received it all the way back in 1967. Jack sat down with Ben Clymer back in 2017 to go in-depth on what has to be one of the most famous Day-Dates in history.
Check out the full story here.
Talking Watches With Greg Norman
Despite his remarkable career, which included 89 professional wins and 331 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player, Greg Norman is often remembered for his heartbreaking near-misses at the Masters Tournament. He finished runner-up three times (1986, 1987, and 1996) but never claimed the coveted green jacket.
Watches played a big role in Mr. Norman’s life on and off the course. During his career, he inked endorsement deals with Rolex, Omega, and Ebel, here about this, and much more, in this fantastic episode of Talking Watches from 2018.
Check out the full story here.
Hodinkee Radio With Adam Scott
Adam Scott made history as the first Australian to win the Masters Tournament in 2013, dramatically capturing the green jacket in a sudden-death playoff after sinking a clutch birdie putt on the 72nd hole. Known for his picture-perfect swing and sophisticated demeanor, Scott has amassed 31 professional victories worldwide, including the 2004 Players Championship and a brief stint as world number one in 2014.
Adam Scott is also a true watch guy (in addition to being a longtime Rolex ambassador). In this early episode of Hodinkee Radio, he started rattling off reference numbers, talking about different Paul Newman dial combinations and his love of the often-passed-over Sea-Dweller like a Hodinkee Editor. This dude knows his stuff and then some, plus you can hear the excitement in his voice as he talks about it. It’s the perfect episode for Masters Weekend.
Hodinkee Radio With Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion from Northern Ireland, enters this weekend searching for the ever-elusive Masters title to complete his career Grand Slam. Like many, he has had a couple of near-misses, including a heartbreaking final-round collapse in 2011 when he lost a four-shot lead. Beyond his playing achievements, McIlroy has emerged as one of golf’s most influential voices and is, as you might expect, a watch guy. Hear more on this episode of Hodinkee Radio.
Watch Spotting At The Masters
Image provided by Getty Images.
Over the last few years, we’ve done a few watch-spotting articles from golfers from the Masters and beyond. Here’s a recap:
Watch Spotting from 2023 Champion Scottie Scheffler — view here.
Seven of our Favorite Watches From Past Masters Winners — view here.
Viktor Hovland from last year’s BMW championship — view here.
A guest post from none other than Mr. Sid Mashburn about the nine most stylish golfers of all time and their watches —view here.
It’s set to be another amazing weekend in Augusta, so for you golf fans out there, enjoy it!
Header images by Getty Images.
Hodinkee