As the new season of the professional tennis tour gets underway in Australia, Maurice de Mauriac and Racquet are proud to introduce the fourth edition of the Rallymaster — a tennis-themed wristwatch collaboration that is being launched in Melbourne on January 15th. After a first installment in 2022, a follow-up in 2023 and a third chapter in 2024, this year’s iteration explores darker and electrifying night sessions of modern championship tennis.
Each timepiece of the series evokes one of the major tournaments and, following the dusty Parisian terre battue, blue American hardcourts and green British grass, the Rallymaster IV features an all-black outlook — combining a black PVD steel case and a grained black dial with a kaleidoscopic small seconds subdial in three neon hues present in previous Rallymaster timepieces.
Australia has a longstanding tennis tradition and hosts one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. And it is on the eve of the first major of the year that the new Maurice de Mauriac x Racquet Rallymaster IV collaborative timepiece is being unveiled — with a launch party at the Watch Discovery Studio in Melbourne attended by players, coaches, media and many other personalities from both the tennis and watches scene.
Just like its predecessors, the Rallymaster IV‘s design frames classic vintage details within a modern tennis-world lens. Drawing inspiration from the uniquely graphic dials of chronographs from the ‘60s & ‘70s, the fourth edition however feels more ‘rebellious’ in its black outfit and the Australian courts are a perfect setting to showcase contemporary tennis outerwear.
Far from the strict all-white-properness of lawn tennis, brands and players embrace bright colored kits to celebrate individuality. The colorway also feels more surf inspired and leans into the parallel with other sun sports prevalent in Australia and around the world. The pops of neon and intricate white linework offset the black and even the white pinstripe in the stretchy fabric strap glows in the dark. The Australian Open is famous for its memorable evening sessions and Melbourne is also known for its vibrant nightlife; the Rallymaster IV is a perfect companion for both.
The Rallymaster series is authored by Carlton DeWoody, a California-based designer and avid watch collector.
"For the final edition, we really wanted to flex the versatility of the platform
and show how different the watch could look and feel. The black and neon challenges traditional tennis archetype in much of the same way that Maurice de Mauriac and Racquet challenge the status quo," he says.
Maurice de Mauriac and Racquet connected with DeWoody because the designer’s passion for tennis and knowledge of vintage timepieces made him the ideal collaborator for the project.
"I aimed to bridge past and present, reinterpreting classic design with a
contemporary lens," DeWoody explains. "I have an affinity for vintage chronographs, often seeking out references with unusual patterns, typefaces and other graphic details. The colorful subdials and patterning of yachting and racing dials were the perfect inspiration for the partnership."
Perfect Match Zurich-based company Maurice de Mauriac is known for its highly original mechanical watch designs. Their collections have set themselves apart by blending sportiness and luxury with quality Swiss craftsmanship. Run by the Dreifuss family, who operate the brand with an independent spirit, their colorful personalities and unique styles come through vividly at their picturesque atelier — whose decoration notably includes tennis memorabilia.
"The founder of the company, our late father Daniel Dreifuss, was a die-hard tennis aficionado and was always keen to associate our brand to the sport," states the brand’s CEO Massimo Dreifuss. "Maurice de Mauriac was once the official timekeeper of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, supported three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka when he was still a promising junior and Olympic champion Matt Ebden prior to becoming world number one in doubles. Since then, we’ve had several other players as friends of the brand, partnered with various tournaments, launched a signature watch with legendary champion Stan Smith of sneakers fame and the tennis universe is a permanent source of inspiration for us."
Leonard Dreifuss, Maurice de Mauriac’s Creative Director, also adds that "just like the Stan Smith Signature Watch, the Rallymaster series embody our deep passion for the sport and its culture, plus represent the various ecosystems associated with the four major tennis tournaments; boasting dark urban looks coupled with a tripartite subdial, the fourth and last iteration elicits high-voltage matches under the floodlights and the electric Melburnian night life with its inverted luminescence. For the Rallymaster project, we could not have had better doubles partners than Racquet and Carlton DeWoody!"
"The rise of watch culture parallels that of tennis in many ways. Both are growing a much wider audience. Maurice de Mauriac is the perfect partner for Racquet because they have a similar philosophy. Their timepieces and Racquet’s magazine speak to a new generation of sporty sophisticates," says Carlton DeWoody.
Racquet, a cult tennis quarterly and media company founded in 2016 by Caitlin
Thompson, is a premium lifestyle platform and the voice of a new tennis boom. Tired of seeing tennis portrayed as a country club sport for elites, Racquet has been building a community of tastemakers and creators in cities around the world. They have reclaimed the sports narrative on and off the court and are excited to replicate it in the watch space as well.
The Rallymaster IV is a limited edition of 100 pieces and pre-orders are live now on both Racquet and Maurice de Mauriac’s websites. The first three editions sold out quickly.
About the Watch: Maurice de Mauriac x Racquet Rallymaster III
Case: brushed stainless steel blackened with PVD; screw-in crown with embossed Racquet logo; anti-reflective sapphire crystal with date magnifier; sapphire exhibition case-back with printed Racquet logo; water resistant to 100 meters
Diameter: 39 mm
Lug-to-lug: 47mm
Height: 12 mm
Movement: Landeron 24 automatic Swiss movement; 25 jewels; 25,5 mm diameter; frequency: 28,800 a/h (4 Hz); 40 hours power reserve
Functions: hour, minute, small seconds, date
Dial: black dial with applied indices and ‘rally’ réhaut, tennis ball applied indexes outlined with custom Swiss Super-LumiNova® BL-X1; small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock with three 20 second increments (tennis serve time limit until recent rule change); steel hour and minute hands and lollipop small seconds hand outlined with Super-LumiNova®; luminescent tennis net horizontal decoration; watch-inspired font Decimal used on the custom date disc and dial text; ‘Swiss Made With Love’ inscription
Straps: a black calf leather rally strap and a black two-piece stretch fabric bracelet designed
for sports activities with a glowing stripe; both with quick-release system
Buckle: brushed stainless steel blackened with PVD
Box: dedicated watch box includes a custom black tennis ball
Limited Production: 100 pieces
Price: 2,750 USD; 2,400 CHF; 2,400 EURO; 4.200 AUSD
Availability: at the MdM atelier in Zurich and the Watch Discovery Studio in Melbourne (only during the Australian Open fortnight); online at mdm-watches.com and www.racquetmag.com
About the Brands
Maurice de Mauriac is a boutique brand founded by Daniel Dreifuss in 1997 and its atelier became a Zurich attraction at 48 Tödistrasse, but new headquarters will be inaugurated soon. Daniel’s sons Massimo and Leonard have led the family-owned company since 2020 and were recently joined by their sister Masha. The Zurich independent watchmaker is famous for its exclusive series of off-beat timepieces featuring a customizable approach, unique designs, straps of the highest quality and not only robust Swiss-made movements tested by generations but also mechanical specialties. Since its inception, Maurice de Mauriac watches have interested collectors and watch lovers from around the world and have been featured globally in watch, design, and news media.
Racquet: Founded in 2016, Racquet began as a quarterly publication, and has quickly grown to a media company venture across several digital mediums including: podcasting, branded content studio, e-commerce business, social editorial, and a digital content hub. Racquet fondly remembers the swashbuckling days of the tennis boom in the ‘70s and ‘80s, when
the game’s fashion permeated popular culture and public courts were packed with players.
Now, in the midst of another golden age, there has been no other platform to tell the story of the second tennis boom. Racquet created a modern lifestyle brand ushering in the new tennis renaissance.
About the Designer: Carlton DeWoody is an artist and designer from New York City. He is co-founder of Reunion Goods & Services, a multi-disciplinary design studio focused on interiors and branding. He applies a narrative lens to architecture and elevates experiences with cultural relevance. In addition to his foray into watch design, he is also a watch consultant on films. He sits on the board of several foundations and lends creative direction to various non-profit organizations including UNICEF and Desert X.
