When Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns took the field wearing a $190,000 Richard Mille wristwatch during a blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 8, the question was: Was he violating league rules, or just the rules of common sense?

His decision to carry a work of fine Swiss art onto the field in a tackle sport seemed new and also a little bizarre — like a mixed-martial arts fighter carrying a Picasso sketch into a cage match.

But Beckham’s much-dissected fashion statement was also emblematic of the big-money sports culture of 2019, in which eight-figure athletes increasingly flash six-figure watches as a branding opportunity for player and watchmaker alike.

“A pop-cultural arms race has definitely emerged over the last decade or so when it comes to high-end watchmaking and top athletes,” said Stephen Pulvirent , the managing editor of Hodinkee, an influential watch site. “It’s become the norm now. And for most people, seeing a watch on the wrist of someone they respect and admire is a pretty powerful entry point to the world of high-end watches.”