Lacoste Watches

Lacoste is a French apparel company founded in 1933 by legendary tennis player René Lacoste, who with his teammates “The Musketeers” won the Davis Cup in 1927. René Lacoste founded La Chemise Lacoste with Andre Gillier, the owner of France’s largest knitwear company at the time. Lacoste can be recognised by its green crocodile logo. During his playing days, René Lacoste was nicknamed “The Crocodile” by the U.S. Press and the logo was drawn by Robert George, a friend of René Lacoste, who embroidered it on the blazer that Lacoste wore on the courts. From the first Lacoste shirt, the crocodile would become one of the world’s most recognised logos, appearing on men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, eyewear and Lacoste watches. René Lacoste revolutionised men’s sportswear. The traditional tennis court wear for men was a long sleeved starched shirt made of the classical woven fabric. René Lacoste designed a shirt slightly shorter than what was the fashion during those days, with short sleeves and a ribbed collar. Together with André Gillier, the tennis champ began to produce the tennis shirt he had designed and worn on the tennis courts with the crocodile logo embroidered on the chest. Using a new fabric called Jersey petit pique, the first Lacoste shirt was born in 1933. Lacoste polos were the first piece of clothing to show visible branding as the famous crocodile logo was positioned on the outside of the shirt, rather than the inside. This action started a logo craze and influenced the merchandising of sports related products which would become a massive market later in the 20th century. In 1951, Lacoste began to expand as it branched from ‘tennis white’ and introduced colour shirts. In 1952, the shirts were exported to the United States where they still remain one of the most popular clothing brands. The Lacoste brand reached its height of popularity in the US during the late 1970s and in the 1980s Lacoste began to introduce other products into their line including perfume, leather goods, sunglasses and Lacoste watches. Over the years the original market of tennis enthusiasts expanded to the general public. Lacoste now operates a large number of Lacoste boutiques worldwide, mainly located as concessions in leading department stores but also as independent venue stores. René Lacoste died in 1996 at the age of 92 but the Lacoste crocodile is still one of the world’s most recognised logos. Lacoste's popularity has surged since French designer Christophe Lemaire became the Creative Director of Lacoste in May 2000 and created a more modern look. In 2005, almost 50 million Lacoste products sold in over 110 countries. Lacoste’s popularity has also increased due to the contracts between Lacoste and several young tennis players, including American tennis star Andy Roddick. Lacoste has also begun to increase its presence in the golf world, with José María Olazábal and Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie known to wear Lacoste shirts in tournaments. The Lacoste range of watches includes modern and fun fashion watches for both ladies and gents. Our collection of Lacoste watches include men’s Lacoste watches, ladies Lacoste watches and unisex Lacoste watches with rubber or stainless steel straps. Lacoste watches feature the Lacoste crocodile logo and are supplied in Lacoste packaging and come with a Lacoste guarantee.