Swiss independent manufacture Vanguart marks its second consecutive year as official Ballon d'Or partner at the 70th ceremony, London Palladium, October 2026.
Why It Matters
- For the second consecutive year, Swiss manufacture Vanguart held official partner status at the Ballon d’Or, distinguishing it from the mass of watch-brand sports associations by the depth and continuity of the commitment.
- The 70th anniversary ceremony took place on 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium, gathering active stars including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal alongside legends Thierry Henry and Ronaldo Nazário.
- Vanguart was founded in 2017 by alumni of APRP, the movement manufacture behind complicated calibres for Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Chanel.
- The partnership rests on a stated conviction that singular achievement is the product of collective expertise — a philosophy that maps directly onto how Vanguart builds its movements.
The Occasion and Its Weight
Established in 1956 by France Football and co-organised with UEFA, the Ballon d’Or ranks among the most historically weighted distinctions in world football. The 70th edition, held at the London Palladium, drew a room that compressed seven decades of the sport’s highest achievements into a single evening. For a watch brand founded less than a decade ago, securing official partner status — and then retaining it for a second year — is a concrete signal of institutional credibility rather than a transactional placement.
Design & Mechanics
Vanguart’s creative and technical team brings together Axel Leuenberger (former APRP R&D) and Chief Technical Officer Jérémy Freléchox, a fifteen-year APRP veteran. During their tenure at that movement house, both contributed to complications for Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Chanel. Creative Director Thierry Fischer, a watch designer with credits across several major brands, shapes the aesthetic. The manufacture has produced two key references since its inception: the Vanguart Blackhole, debuted in 2019, and the Vanguart Orb, launched in 2024. Both position the brand within independent haute horlogerie, where technical ambition and a distinct visual identity carry more weight than volume.
Who It Is For
The Ballon d’Or audience skews toward a generation of collectors who track sporting excellence as closely as watchmaking pedigree — a profile well represented across the Gulf, where football culture and high-end watch collecting often overlap. Vanguart’s positioning as a technically serious independent, with movement credentials traceable to some of Switzerland’s most complex calibres, addresses that audience without conceding anything on horological depth. The Blackhole and the Orb are not entry-level propositions; they are collector objects for buyers who want provenance alongside originality.
Verdict
A second consecutive year at the Ballon d’Or is not a coincidence of scheduling. It points to a deliberate, sustained relationship that the manufacture is using to build profile outside the traditional watch-fair circuit. For collectors who follow both football and independent watchmaking, the overlap Vanguart is staking out is coherent: individual achievement, shaped by collective craft, measured in time. That is precisely what the brand makes. Find out more at Vanguart.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vanguart available to purchase in the Middle East?
Vanguart is a Swiss independent haute horlogerie manufacture. The press release does not name a specific regional retailer; collectors in the Middle East are advised to contact the maison directly through vanguart.com or an authorised representative.
How many consecutive years has Vanguart partnered with the Ballon d'Or?
Vanguart is celebrating its second consecutive year as an official partner of the Ballon d'Or, having renewed the collaboration following the 70th anniversary ceremony held on 26 October 2026 at the London Palladium.
Who founded Vanguart and what is their watchmaking background?
Vanguart was founded in 2017 by Mehmet Koruturk, Axel Leuenberger, Jérémy Freléchox and Thierry Fischer. Leuenberger and Freléchox are veterans of the APRP movement manufacture, where they contributed to complicated movements for Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Chanel.
Which football personalities attended the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony where Vanguart was present?
Notable attendees included Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembélé, Rodri, Alexia Putellas and Lucy Bronze, alongside legends Thierry Henry, Ronaldo Nazário, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker and manager Mikel Arteta.
Explore more from VANGUART: Axel Leuenberger, CEO of Vanguart: “On the Third Step They Come to Us” · Vanguart Orb on Rybakina’s Wrist at the 2026 US Open Final.
