With the possible exception of motorsports, perhaps no other sport has as deep a connection with the modern luxury watch industry as professional tennis. Brands from across the industry have forged relationships with high-profile tennis stars for decades, and top-ranked Japanese player Naomi Osaka is no exception. As her partnership with TAG Heuer enters its second year in 2022, the brand has announced a special limited edition model designed in collaboration with Osaka herself. The new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition shines a new light on the recently redesigned 36mm Aquaracer series, pairing robust capability with a softer, more verdant take on the brand’s cornerstone dive watch.

Measuring in at a compact 36mm, the stainless steel case of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition builds on the smaller of the two standard Aquaracer models. Although the overall form may be lighter and less aggressive than its 43mm sibling, this case shares many of the hallmarks of the modern Aquaracer series, including the angular chamfered case sides, pronounced crown guards, and the line’s signature 12-sided rotating dive bezel. Here, this familiar bezel receives a clean engraved black ceramic insert, with a dive scale in high-contrast white. The Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition really begins to set itself apart with its engraved solid caseback, however, where TAG Heuer adds Naomi Osaka’s personal flower logo on a guilloche background (the brand was unable to provide an image of this caseback before press time). Like the rest of the series, the Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition offers a dive-ready 300 meters of water resistance.

For the dial of the Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition, TAG Heuer drapes its familiar angular take on dive watch cues in a delicate seafoam green tone. This unorthodox surface is eye-catchingly dynamic in initial images, with a sinuous raised wave texture accentuated by a bright sunburst finish. The dial text and applied indices appear to float over this undulating surface in images thanks to a clear top layer. The brand complements this pale green surface with more vibrant lime green plots on the outer chapter ring, and adds an extra layer of visual drama to the design by replacing the Aquaracer’s trademark applied octagonal indices with eight brilliant cut diamonds. The 6 o’clock date window and round cyclops magnifier will likely be divisive elements among enthusiasts, as while they make useful information more easily legible on a smaller dial space, they arguably disrupt the flow of the dial design.

Inside the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition beats the Sellita SW200-1 based Calibre 5 automatic movement. The Calibre 5 has been a staple of TAG Heuer’s lineup for years, and while it remains durable and easy to service, this powerplant is beginning to show signs of age in terms of performance. TAG Heuer rates its power reserve at a below-average 38 hours at a 28,800 bph beat rate. To complete the package, TAG Heuer equips the Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition with a textured curved-end rubber strap in deep grass green.

With its soft unorthodox colorway, bold design, and durable construction, the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition should make a visual statement both on and off the tennis court. The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition is limited to 250 examples, and is available now exclusively through authorized dealers in the United States, Japan, and Australia. MSRP for this model stands at $3,650 as of press time. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.