Mario Götze sells his World Cup-winning Rolex to Tim Stracke

And so it has fallen into appreciative hands. Tim Stracke joined Chrono24 as Co-CEO in 2010 and played a key role in the rise of the marketplace, founded in 2003, to a world-leading online platform for pre-owned luxury watches.

Image source (left): LinkedIn account Tim Stracke

At the beginning of 2024, Tim Stracke and Holger Felgner handed over the CEO position to Carsten Keller (previously instrumental in developing Zalando's marketplace model), but remained important shareholders and moved to the Chrono24 advisory board, where Stracke also served as chairman. He relinquished this role on June 1, 2025, to Tobias Hartmann, who had previously been CEO of Scout24.

But the world of watches remains his, as he recently stated in Podcast TOMorrow Watches by journalist and media entrepreneur Tom Junkersdorf Stracke reported. And apparently, he also has a knack for understanding the needs of top footballers. In 2023, none other than Cristiano Ronaldo became an investor in Chrono24. "No one brings as much passion for luxury watches to the world stage as Cristiano," he commented on the five-time World Player of the Year's involvement with Chrono24 in 2023.

During the podcast, he's wearing Mario Götze's World Cup-winning Submariner on his wrist. And this isn't just any standard model. "I'm very, very proud to own this watch. It's definitely the most special of all my watches," says Stracke, thus confirming that watches can be a truly emotional matter.

How Mario Götze's World Cup-winning Rolex ended up on Tim Stracke's wrist

Let's recap: It's July 13, 2014, and the German national team is in the final of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the 113th minute is underway with the score at 0-0. Then comes the assist from André Schürrle, which Mario Götze converts to make it 1-0, the final score. Germany are the 2014 FIFA World Cup champions, thanks to Götze's "goal for eternity," as national coach Joachim Löw called it.

And as a private gift, he received a Submariner. The former professional footballer prefers to keep the identity of the generous donor to himself. It's obvious, however, that it wasn't a gift from the Swiss luxury brand Rolex itself – Switzerland, incidentally, lost to Argentina in the round of 16 – because the watch had been extensively modified.

„Actually, it’s an absolute no-go among watch enthusiasts,“ says Stracke, and that applies to him as well. „You don’t alter a Rolex; you take it as it comes from the factory. But this is a very special watch,“ Stracke continues. And this one is coated in black, the case back is engraved with the trophy and the name Mario Götze, and the dial features two dice as symbols of good luck.

Stracke couldn't say no, especially since he was at the stadium in Rio de Janeiro for the "goal for eternity." "The dedication has added something priceless. Especially for someone who witnessed firsthand what happened in Rio in 2014."„

This very special "Submariner" was part of a whole watch collection that Mario Götze brought to Chrono24, asking for assistance with the sale. When Stracke asked why he wanted to sell this collection, and especially such a special watch, Götze replied that there were things that had become more important since the birth of his children.

„"He's just a really nice guy who has a lot to offer as a person, far beyond his footballing skills. I was very impressed."“

Tim Stracke

Tim Stracke doesn't reveal how much he donated for the watch. However, it must have been a bit more than just for the coffee fund, because watches with celebrity previous owners sell well, he confirms in the podcast.

chrono24.de