An MLB Player May Have Made History Wearing A Mechanical Watch During A Game

Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler may be the first player in Major League Baseball history to wear a mechanical watch during a game.

Butler wore a Norqain Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko during Friday night’s game against the Houston Astros in Houston. The Athletics lost the game at Daikin Park, 4-0, with the left-handed power hitter going 0-4 in the game.

The appearance of the timepiece appears to be part of a partnership involving Norqain and MLB. The watch is expected to be offered in a charity auction, though details have not yet been announced.

Baseball is a sport that thrives on statistics, no matter how esoteric, but there appears to be no record of a professional baseball player previously wearing a mechanical watch during a game. While it is difficult to definitively establish that Butler was the first, there is no known instance of it happening before Friday night.

MLB does not have an explicit rule prohibiting players or coaches from wearing traditional mechanical watches on the field or in the dugout. The primary consideration governing watches, jewelry and other personal adornment is player safety. Umpires have the authority to require the removal of an item they believe could pose a risk of injury.

The league does have stricter regulations governing electronic and wearable devices that could be used for communication. Players and coaches can wear MLB-approved biometric fitness trackers, while smartwatches are permitted only under certain restrictions, including when they are not tethered to a smartphone.

Mechanical watches, however, are rarely seen during competition, particularly in a sport where a timepiece could be subjected to the shocks of sliding, diving for a ball or being hit by a pitch.

According to Norqain, the Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko is designed for precisely that kind of punishment. The 42mm sports watch weighs just 78 grams and has a case made from Norteq, Norqain’s proprietary carbon-fiber composite material. According to the Swiss watchmaker, the material is six times lighter than steel and 3.5 times lighter than titanium.

The case and screw-down crown provide water resistance to 200 meters. Inside is Norqain’s in-house N08S automatic skeleton movement, which has 26 jewels and a 41-hour power reserve. The watch is fitted with an integrated gecko green rubber strap with a Milanese pattern and black edges.

The Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko was introduced at Watches and Wonders Geneva in 2024. Later that year, it made its professional sports debut on the wrist of tennis player Stan Wawrinka during Wimbledon.

The partnership with MLB expands Norqain’s growing involvement in professional sports. Hockey star Sidney Crosby and former Italian soccer player Gianluigi Buffon have both partnered with the brand. In January, Norqain also partnered with the National Hockey League on the Adventure Chrono 41mm NHL Limited Edition.

“Anytime we have the opportunity to put our most innovative watches in the highest level of competition, we take it,” Ben Küffer, Norqain’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. “The Wild ONE has summited Everest, it’s been worn on the court at Wimbledon and now Lawrence has made history with it on the baseball diamond. We’re grateful he trusted us, and extremely proud to partner with him for Players’ Weekend.”

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