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Nikola Jokic’s Watch Collection
Born in Sombor, Serbia, in 1995, in the middle of the Yugoslav conflict, Denver Nugget center Nikola Jokić has come a long way from his war-torn beginnings.
Growing up in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment shared with his parents, grandmother and two brothers, he developed a love of basketball from a young age. Both of his brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, each a decade older than Nikola, played ball in Serbia, the latter going on to join Detroit Mercy and C.W. Post in the NCAA, before moving to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Steamers in the PBL.
Nikola inherited a prowess for the game, and also for horse racing in which he still competes as an amateur today. And standing at 6’11”, you have to feel for the horse.
At age 17, Jokić joined Serbia’s leading basketball team, Mega Vizura, signing a 4-year contract in 2013. Playing in the Adriatic and Serbian leagues, he quickly drew attention further afield and in 2014 he was selected by the Denver Nuggets as the 41st overall pick.
His career since then has been highly impressive. His first season he would finish third in the Rookie of the Year award as well as earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. In 2017 he finished second in Most Improved Player Award voting and Assist of the Year, while most recently, he has won back-to-back MVP’s in 2021 and 2022.
Jokić’s Watch Box
The man they call the Joker isn’t really like the stereotypical NBA superstar. There’s no bombastic swaggering or exaggerated peacocking. Instead, he’s recognized as a quiet, reserved man, dedicated to his young family and with a mature head on his shoulders.
Much of that is demonstrated through his watch collection. Firstly, it is extremely modest, certainly for someone who has just signed a 5-year, $276m contract.
Comprising of just three pieces, those Jokić has chosen show a man with excellent taste.
Caliber de Cartier Chronograph
Released in 2010, the Caliber de Cartier collection showcased the brand’s first automatic in-house movement, the 1904 MC. Three years later, Cartier strengthened the series with the first of the Chronograph variants, the W7100042, a two-tone piece in steel and pink gold. That was followed by models in all-steel and full 18k rose gold, each measuring 42mm and with a selection of dial colors.
Jokić’s watch is the all gold example with white face, sitting on a brown leather strap.
It is an interesting model, and one no longer in production, having been discontinued in 2018. Ostensibly a sports watch, from a manufacture not well-versed in the type, and unusually large for a Cartier, it is nevertheless shot through with the styling touches we have come to expect. So the sword-shaped hands are present and correct, as is the blue synthetic spinel topping the winding crown.
But departing from the accepted, the numerals are a mix of Roman numerals on the top half and batons on the bottom, in a sort of more sophisticated take on the California dial, with an expanded date window above the six o’clock and a pair of chrono totalizers at the three and nine.
In all, the Caliber de Cartier Chronograph is something of a mixed bag. Relatively big and robust, with thick lugs and wide bezel, but undeniably elegant and ideal as a dress piece, it stands out as a bit of an oddity in Cartier’s history.
Rolex Day-Date 40
Once the reserve of the soberest of bureaucrats, these days the Rolex President is typically among the first ports of call for anyone who has reached the top of their game in any arena. And Jokić has certainly done that.
The Day-Date can trace its roots back to the 1950s, during that heady period in Rolex’s past when the marque introduced a whole hatful of horological icons in the space of five or six years. Debuting in 1956, the model has only ever been made in precious metal versions and, until 2015, was available solely as a 36mm model.
That was the year the brand released the first ever 40mm examples, and they have proved just as, if not more, popular than the originals.
Jokić’s piece is again in rose gold, or Everose in Rolex-ese, a beautifully warm-toned metal, complemented perfectly by its chocolate dial.
Although produced with a gem-set bezel, Nikola has opted for the less showy fluted surround as you might expect from the softly-spoken Serb.
Powered by the latest Cal. 3255, the Day-Date is as reliable and precise as always and secured by the seamless President bracelet, complete with Crownclasp.
One thing which might have disappointed Jokić however is the day of the week window above the 12 o’clock index. Although issued with a choice of 26 languages, Serbian is not one of them. There’s no word on which dialect he chose instead.
The Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 126710BLNR
Well, what did you expect?! It only makes sense for the Joker to want to keep his archnemesis where he can see him, and so he carries the Batman on his wrist.
The Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 126710BLNR was released in 2021 and is the second iteration of the watch that was initially launched in 2013. The original was the first piece sporting a Cerachrom bezel onto which Rolex had managed to add two colors; very much the GMT-Master’s calling card since its introduction in 1954. For its debut, the brand opted for a black/blue split, signifying night and day on its 24-hour surround and immediately garnering the watch its Dark Knight moniker from fans.
These days, the Batman is available on either the three-link Oyster bracelet or, in Jokić’s case, the more intricate five-link Jubilee (sometimes unfairly dubbed the Batgirl).
Regardless, both are driven by the next generation Rolex dual time movement, the Cal. 3285, incorporating their latest proprietary Chronergy escapement and antimagnetic Parachrom hairspring technology.
Nikola Jokić seems like something of an outlier in basketball terms. No showboating, no controversies on or off court and, by the standards of the game, a man who lives his life discreetly. Now 28, he has reached his absolute peak in the sport, as demonstrated by his recent sequential MVP’s.
That has, of course, brought him riches mere mortals can but dream of, and so we can expect his humble three watch collection will be added to soon.
We’ll keep you updated on his new pieces.
Featured Photo: Oriol Mendivil (cc) for BeckerTime’s Archive.
