It all started with a picture of one of my idols, the greatest boxer of all time, wearing an unidentified watch, and shaking hands with an unidentified guy … The identity search was simple, other guys had already done the heavy lifting!

In May 1976, during his visit to Munich for a fight, Muhammad Ali was chosen to be a Certina Ambassador and received a Diamaster, from Mr Herr, commercial director at the time (at Bayerischer Hof Hotel, one of the most legendary hotels in Munich).

This watch was the result of a collaboration between Certina and Rado, hence the co-branding. Rado participated in particular in the design of the tungsten carbide case, ground and polished with diamonds. The sapphire crystal was also revolutionary for the time. The watch is relatively heavy on the wrist, with a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 14 mm. The bracelet is very pleasant to wear, buckle system with elastic adjustment. The caliber is an automatic “house” self-winding movement, called 919-1.

It finally remained for me to find the rare pearl, and patience always pays or so it is said…

Certina Diamasters are relatively rare on the market, and different dial colors exist, but I needed “the eye of the tiger”. A reference to boxing (although I’m not sure he really wore this model in particular) was obvious.

I ended up finding the model I so much desired online, and strangely (and to my great pleasure), I was the only bidder, with a more than reasonable starting price … proof that this watch is perhaps a little too atypical (in its shape, its thickness, its exotic dial colors) to be desired by many.

The fact remains that I have the chance to wear from time to time a watch worn by one of my heroes, a true prophet in my humble opinion, the late Muhammad Ali.