Michael Jordan's Watch Collection - Rolex, Panerai, Urwerk and More

I previously looked at the watch collection of the best basketball players of the current generation (and all time), Lebron James. It turns out that NBA legend and probably the greatest basketball player of all time Michael Jordan also has a pretty nice watch collection. Unlike some of the other collections we’ve featured, Jordan’s collection includes a wide array of brands, from Rolex and Panerai to Urwerk and Richard Mille.

Michael Jordan’s Rolex Watches

Michael Jordan may have been drafted third overall in the 1984 NBA draft, but he is now widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time. MJ has also apparently been collecting Rolexes since his playing days with Chicago Bulls. As early as 1991 Jordan could be spotted wearing a classic Rolex, an all gold Day-Date with black dial. A gold Day-Date from the late 1980s/early 1990s is still relatively affordable from an all gold Rolex standpoint. It will set you back around $20,000 USD to pick one up on the secondary market.

Jordan’s collection of Rolexes has only grown since his playing days. The owner of the Charlotte Hornets can often be seen sitting courtside at games wearing one of his prized timepieces. One of these watches is the stainless steel Rolex Sky-Dweller Ref. 326934 with black dial. This piece retails for $15,200 USD but is currently selling on the secondary market for around $30,000 USD.

Jordan has also been spotted wearing a yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116758-SANR. However, this isn’t your ordinary gold Rolex. This piece has diamonds adorning both the bezel, lugs and crown guard. This discontinued piece is fairly rare, but you can pick one up for around $140,000 USD on the secondary market.

Jordan has also been spotted wearing what many consider the holy grail of modern Rolex Daytonas, the platinum Daytona with blue dial or “Platona” Ref. 116506. This piece not only has a unique “ice blue” dial (that you’ll only find on the platinum model), but also a brown ceramic bezel. The platinum Daytona retails for $75,650 USD but is currently selling on the grey market for around $200,000 USD.

Jordan apparently doesn’t go only go for the classic Rolexes. He has been spotted wearing a custom Bamford Rolex Daytona “Polar Edition”. Bamford, one of the original watch customizers, used a steel Daytona Ref. 116520 as its base and layered it with a proprietary Graphite Particle Coating and a custom dial featuring the Bamford logo. You will be hard-pressed to find one of these watches on the secondary market, as Bamford is now part of LVMH and only works with LVMH brand watches (Zenith for example). But there are plenty of other options if you are looking to have your Rolex customized, like Artisans de Geneve and DIW Watches.

Jordan’s Rolex collection also includes vintage pieces. MJ has been spotted wearing the very rare stainless steel Rolex Daytona reference 6241 with a black Paul Newman dial. Paul Newman dial Daytonas have become very popular in recent years (especially since the sale of Paul Newman’s own Daytona), but prices can still be hard to come by. This watch will likely cost you $250,000 USD or more if you were to pick on up at auction (or on the secondary market).

Michael Jordan’s Panerai Watches

Jordan also has at least a few Panerais in his collection. Panerais are known for being on the larger side as most of them come in at a case size of at least 44mm. This is actually perfect for a 6’6” former NBA star. Jordan has been spotted wearing the 47mm Panerai PAM 425 Radiomir. While this watch is 47mm it doesn’t look too large on Jordan’s wrist. The PAM 425 features a vintage field watch look with domed crystal. This piece will cost you around $7,000 USD on the secondary market.

Jordan also has been seen wearing the 44mm Panerai PAM 172 Luminor Marina with tantalum case. Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray metal that is highly corrosion-resistant. Very few brands besides Panerai make watches from tantalum because it is so expensive to work with (since very few factories do it). Because of this, these discontinued pieces can be hard to find and cost around $16,000 USD on the secondary market.

Michael Jordan’s Urwerk Watches

Michael Jordan may not be Tony Stark but he has the same taste in watches as Iron Man. MJ has been spotted wearing a couple very cool and very complicated pieces produced by avant-garde watchmaker Urwerk. Urwerk is known for their creative case designs as well as extremely novel and creative ways of displaying the time. One of the Urwerks Jordan has been seen wearing is the Urwerk UR-202. The Urwerk 202 displays the time through 3 rotating cubes, one of which displays the current hour while also pointing to the minutes. This piece is currently available for sale for around $80,000 USD.

Just a few weeks ago at the 2022 All-Star Game/NBA 75th Anniversary Team Jordan was spotted wearing another Urwerk, the Urwerk UR-210 Royal Hawk. This piece tells the time in the same manner as the UR-202 but looks a little more mature and sophisticated in its design (it is a newer model). The Urwerk UR-210 Royal Hawk retails for $167,882 USD

Update: June 28, 2022

Michael Jordan keeps adding to his Urwerk collection. He was was spotted at this past weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Alley 400 in Nashville wearing the newly released Urwerk 220 in rose gold. This watch is limited to just 10 pieces and retails for around $156,000 USD

Michael Jordan’s Richard Mille RM032 Diver Flyback Chronograph

While Jordan doesn’t seem to have gone all in on the Richard Mille hype, he does apparently own one piece, the RM032 Diver Flyback Chronograph. Interestingly, this piece has a round case as opposed to Richard Mille’s iconic tonneau case shape. The RM032 does, however, have other details often associated with Richard Mille watches such as its skeleton dial. The Richard Mille RM032 will set you back around $170,000 USD on the secondary market.

Michael JOrdan’s Ulysse Nardin Royal Blue Mystery Tourbillon

Who would’ve guessed that Jordan’s most expensive watch would be a Ulysse Nardin? Well, Jordan has been spotted wearing the Ulysse Nardin Royal Blue Mystery Tourbillon. This $1.1 million USD watch not only features a tourbillon complication, but also is adorned with over 500 diamonds and a platinum case.

Michael Jordan’s A. Lange & Söhne Datograph

Jordan has also been spotted wearing a piece produced by one of the most respected watchmakers on the planet, A. Lange & Söhne. The German watch brand has widespread adulation, and is considered one of the preeminent watchmakers, right up there with Patek Philippe. Jordan was spotted wearing the platinum A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Flyback. This piece is fetching close to $100,000 USD on the grey market.

Michael Jordan’s Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli

As I have shown, Jordan’s collection of watches includes brands only really recognized by true collectors (see his Urwerk pieces). Another such piece is his Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli. Similar to his Richard Mille, this piece features a round, fully skeletonized dial. If you are looking to get your hands on this Roger Dubuis, be prepared to pay $78,000 USD.

Michael JOrdan’s IWC Big Pilot “Le Petit Prince”

The final watch from Jordan’s collection that I will feature is another classic. Jordan has been spotted wearing the 46mm IWC Big Pilot “Le Petit Prince.” The watch was named after the the novella of the same name by French aristocrat, writer, and military aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Instead of the typical black dial available on most Big Pilots, the “Le Petit Prince” models feature a stunning sunburst blue dial. Jordan’s watch also features a 7 day power reserve. The IWC Big Pilot “Le Petit Prince” is currently available for sale on the secondary market for around $10,000 USD.