\n\tOakland Athletics star Lawrence Butler became the first known Major League Baseball player to wear a watch on the field, when he took to the plate during a game in Houston on Aug. 21 sporting a $7,000 watch<\/a> from independent Swiss watch brand NORQAIN<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tA detail shot of the watch of Lawrence Butler #4 of the Athletics prior to the game between the Athletics and the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Friday, August 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMLB Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n \n\tDubbed the Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko<\/a>, the watch\u2019s lime green \u2014 sorry, gecko green<\/a> \u2014 mesh rubber strap and distinctive black dial was hard to miss on Butler. The A\u2019s star first drew stares when he took to batting practice before the game with the watch strapped to his wrist, but he later made history by becoming the first MLB<\/a> player to wear a mechanical watch onto the field.<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBEST FOR SPORTS FANS\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tNORQAIN Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko<\/a> is a performance timepiece designed for active lifestyles, with a durable, shock-absorbing case, scratch-proof sapphire glass, and a super flexible mesh wristband that won\u2019t absorb sweat. In other words, it can handle a few bumps and drops without worry.<\/p>\n The case itself is made from NORQAIN\u2019s ultra lightweight \u201cNORTEQ\u201d material, which the brand says is six-times lighter than steel and 3.5-times lighter than titanium. The entire watch weighs just 78 grams \u2014 less than the weight of two medium-sized eggs.\t<\/p>\n \n\tThe Swiss-made watch was designed in collaboration with Jean-Claude Biver, the longtime CEO of watchmaker TAG Heuer, and like many of NORQAIN\u2019s pieces, the Skeleton Gecko is expected to sell quickly (it\u2019s still available as of this writing on the official NORQAIN site<\/a>).<\/p>\n \n\tInterestingly enough, while Butler wore his NORQAIN watch while playing a baseball game, the brand actually got its start in hockey.<\/a> NORQAIN is owned by two-time league MVP Sidney Crosby, four-time All-Star Roman Josi, and former Stanley Cup champion, Mark Streit. It is also the \u201cOfficial Luxury Sports Watch<\/a>\u201d of the NHL.<\/p>\n \n\tThe brand is now branching out into other sports<\/a>, with Swiss tennis champ Stan Wawrinka having worn a NORQAIN watch<\/a> on the court, along with athletes like reigning Olympic gold medalist skier, Federica Brignone, and soccer star, Fabian Sch\u00e4r, who played for Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup<\/a>. You can see all of the brand\u2019s latest celebrity and athlete ambassadors here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tAs for baseball, Butler may have sported the NORQAIN watch to the Oakland game last month, but there\u2019s a reason why the outfielder was the first player (or at least first documented player) to wear a timepiece onto the field. While Major League Baseball doesn\u2019t have any explicit rules prohibiting players from wearing watches<\/a> or any form of jewelry, the main concern has always been that the accessories could impact play or cause injury \u2014 say, if a player is sliding into a base or if the watch gets tangled in their glove. Fortunately, Butler\u2019s play wasn\u2019t hampered at all by his Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko, though the A\u2019s went on to lose the game to the Astros by a score of 4-0.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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