Tennis is having a bit of a moment. From the tennis-core revival Zendaya seems to have inspired to the hordes of people (and celebrities, who we all know aren’t people) who descended on Flushing Meadows earlier this fall for what turned out to be the most attended tennis tournament ever, tennis has taken center stage in a way few might have expected even a few years ago. And for all those looking to lean into the undeniably great looks of the tennis world, Maurice de Mauriac has you covered with the latest iteration of their Rallymaster tennis watch, produced in collaboration with Racquet Magazine.

Historically, tennis players don’t wear watches and, yet, tennis and watches have long been visibly connected. Pretty much every top-flight player on the WTA at ATP tours has some sort of watch deal, and post-match pressers have become ripe material for watch-spotting. Despite this link, the concept of a ‘tennis watch’ remains somewhat nebulous. Tennis-themed watches have been around for a while (Timex made tennis-themed Snoopy watches as far back as the early ‘70s, or even late ‘60s), but the idea of the on-court tennis watch — like the highly technical pieces worn by players like Rafa Nadal or Jess Pegula — is relatively new.

In the context of the Maurice de Mauriac Rallymaster series, what we have is a tennis watch in the more traditional sense. By this, I mean to say that the Rallymaster line falls more in line with the Snoopy tennis watches of old (or of earlier this year) — one could see the Rallymaster III popping up in an old Ralph Lauren ad, a theoretical hallmark of the fantasticized country clubs the designer likes to evoke. It’s a watch meant to be worn with great sweaters, worn Barbour jackets, and faded khakis.

To that end, the Rallymaster III isn’t a dress watch, but it isn’t quite a sports watch either. If I had to describe it (which I suppose I sort of do), it’s the sort of well-put-together, thoughtfully considered watch that just… exists; the kind of watch so many of us really enjoy, even if we can’t quite articulate why. In spirit, the experience of the Rallymaster III is not unlike a great vintage piece. In my time with the watch, I find myself reaching for it when I might otherwise wear my two-tone Datejust or a vintage dress watch.

Funnily, when I first saw this piece released, the Rallymaster III didn’t do much to draw my attention. It’s easy to dismiss the third in a series as derivative by nature, and (at least in theory) I was far more intrigued by either of the two previous releases. The Rallymasters I and II each used a really fun combo of pink and pale blue. They stood out on Instagram and in glossy print ads, but in practice, the muted green and cream colorway of the Rallymaster III is an improvement. Well, maybe not an improvement, but the new colorway certainly hews closer to my own taste, and I think will be a better fit in most wardrobes.

The dial itself is a masterstroke of design. While clearly inspired by tennis — the net motif across the center of the dial and the tennis ball–green lume on the small seconds subdial and hand leave no doubt as to the watch’s origin — nothing about the watch feels limiting. The green used is of a slightly desaturated hue and is nicely complemented by the creams and browns (and yes, pink) used elsewhere on the dial. The matte dial is textured and almost looks like tightly drawn leather. It’s an effect I’m not sure I’ve encountered before, and it’s striking in person.

A color-matched date wheel with cream text on a green backing is a welcome choice, while a steeply raked chapter ring with racing-style minute track surrounds the dial and climbs toward the stepped bezel, bringing some welcome depth to the Rallymaster. The 18k rose gold markers and hands add a touch of elegance to the now-familiar layout and are emphasized by a matching 18k gold crown. I’ve gone back and forth on the use of non-matching crowns on watch cases, but it works here, so I’m not going to overthink it.

On the wrist, the Rallymaster III is exactly what you would want it to be. The watch sits squarely in the heart of what I would call “enthusiast spec” with the surprisingly complex stainless steel case measuring 39mm across, 47.2mm lug-to-lug, and (by my measure) just under 12mm thick, excluding the cyclops. It’s a great general appeal size, and the proportions and sculpted shape of the case help the watch feel expansive and thin without taking up too much footprint or requiring an expensive ultra-thin movement. The watch should suit most wrists without too much fuss.

The Maurice de Mauriac Rallymaster III comes packaged with two straps, each in a shade of taupe-y beige. The primary strap that comes on the watch is a wonderful calfskin number from DeLugs, with a slightly pebbled finish, cream stitching, and an engraved buckle. I’m a huge fan of DeLugs straps, and it’s always a pleasure when a sample watch comes with one equipped. I’m honestly not sure why most brands don’t outsource their straps, considering how often first-party leather straps are terrible, but I digress.

The Rallymaster III also comes with a two-part elastic strap, also in beige, but this time in a darker tone. I’m not a huge fan of elastic straps, but the one used here is nicely made, and extremely comfortable. I’m not in love with the color, though. While it’s relatively unobjectionable, it looks a little dirty to my eye and does nothing for the watch from a color perspective that the far nicer DeLugs strap doesn’t already. Had I been in the room when they were choosing strap colors, I might have suggested a color-matched green, possibly with a pink stripe down the center. Either way, the strap is perfectly fine and a welcome addition.

At this point, I want to be very clear that I came away from my time with the Rallymaster III thoroughly convinced by the watch. From a design perspective, Maurice de Mauriac knocked it out of the park, and as a limited edition (only 100 of these will be made), it feels special and unique, even amongst its Rallymaster siblings. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t one or two things off with the watch, at least with the example I got.

The Rallymaster III uses a Landeron 24 movement, a popular clone of the ETA 2824. It’s a fine choice and a perfectly good movement. Here it has some decoration, with perlage on the plates and blued screws visible through a sapphire display caseback — though the view is slightly obscured by the Racquet Magazine logo (here rendered in green with a pink tennis ball). Where the watch falls slightly short is in interacting with this movement. Specifically, finding the various setting and winding positions can be somewhat fiddly.

Moving the crown into the main setting position actually feels great, with a solid positive lock into place and nice audible feedback, but navigating between the winding and date-set positions can be somewhat vague, and several times I found myself setting the watch, going to give it a few more winds before screwing down the crown and accidentally advancing the date. Also, while the crown stem itself feels solid, the connection between the crown and the crown stem feels a little tenuous, and there is some clear play in the crown. Fortunately, the watch’s crown screws down, so this won’t be an issue most of the time, but it is something to be aware of.

My other complaint comes with the crystal, or more specifically, the cyclops. It’s in the wrong spot, only slightly, but noticeably. Relative to renders on Maurice de Mauriac’s site and other examples from this series I’ve seen, the cyclops on my watch seems to be ever so slightly up and to the left — it may even be ever-so-slightly crooked. If I had to guess, the crystal was turned just barely counterclockwise when it was attached to the watch, but that’s truly just conjecture. I don’t know if this is a general manufacturing issue or a flaw with just my particular example, but it is noticeable, at least to my eye.

But even with those issues, I found myself absolutely loving the Rallymaster III. Over the last few years, Maurice de Mauriac has done an excellent job of reading the room. They’ve placed themselves at the intersection of design, culture, and watchmaking, and the Rallymaster III is an excellent reminder of that. Throughout my time with the watch, I just found myself wanting to have it on, and enjoying how it made me feel when I did. Honestly, it’s rare for a watch to do that. So as I sit here with the Rallymaster III on my wrist, a bag of racquets behind me, and an open evening ahead of me, I find myself needing to ask a very simple question: Anyone for tennis? Maurice de Mauriac