Josh Kerr broke the world record in the mile. The British track and field star called his shot and backed it up.
He shaved more than a half second off of the previous mark!
Kerr smashed a track and field record that stood for nearly three decades while wearing a custom gold and diamond-encrusted watch. It likely cost somewhere between $3,000 and $7,000 depending on various factors.
Josh Kerr smashed the world record in the mile.
Hicham El Guerrouj set the previous world record in 1999. The Moroccan runner went 3:43.13 more than 27 years ago. Josh Kerr, one of the most boisterous athletes in the sport, began his quest to break the record in March. He called it ‘Project 222,’ in reference to the total amount of seconds it would take.
There has been a lot of chatter about this attempt. The hype reached its pinnacle on Saturday at the World Diamond League meet in London. The home crowd was anxious at the start. It went absolutely bonkers during the bell lap.
Kerr, who ran alongside two different pacers, turned it on during the final 600 meters to pull away from his competition. He kicked it into overdrive on the final straightaway to cross the line in 3:42.66.
OH MY GOD.
— Owen (@_OwenM_) July 18, 2026
JOSH KERR.
3:42.66 MILE.
WORLD RECORD.
THE ATMOSPHERE WAS DEAFENING. #LondonDL pic.twitter.com/VCej8ld8m3
The 28-year-old did what he said he was going to do and broke the world record.
JOSH KERR TAKES THE MILE WORLD RECORD!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/3pDg9YEqrk
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) July 18, 2026
It was deafening.
Privilege to be here to see Josh Kerr break El Guerrouj world record from back in 1999. The noise was incredible, the atmosphere was deafening, the sound was the only thing traveling around the track as fast as him. Brilliant. Loving the athletics (always have). 3:42:68
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) July 18, 2026
London… pic.twitter.com/ufIggWCZSe
The following video might be removed due to copyright issues but here is how it looked on the broadcast:
— media sport (@sportnmedia2) July 18, 2026
Kerr split 1:51.1 through 800m, 2:46.5 through 1200m and 3:27.7 through 1500m. Not only did Kerr set the record, he earned a $50,000 bonus check from World Athletics as soon as he crossed the line.
His gold watch featured 84 diamonds.
As I mentioned, this record attempt has been discussed ad nauseam since Josh Kerr first made his goal public. It takes some serious stones to call your shot and back it up with the eyes of the world watching.
All of the marks during training alluded to the record. He was right on pace. Kerr recently ran a 2:42.45 for 1,200 meters during a time trial at more than 5,000 feet of altitude, which was the fastest ever recorded.
If he could do that, then 35 feet of altitude would be no issue in London. Everybody expected him to break the record.
With that in mind, Amazfit fitted Kerr with a custom watch for the attempt on Saturday. The smartwatch company partnered with Perry Jewelry on the design. It featured 84 lab-grown diamonds and a 10-karat gold-dipped bezel.
Although the exact value of this specific watch cannot be determined, especially after it helped to break the world record, we can put together a rough estimate. It cost somewhere betwee $3,000-$7,000 to make.
- Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro — $250-350
- 84 lab-grown diamonds — $500-2,000
- Custom jewelry work (setting stones, labor, etc.) — $1,000-3,000
- Gold plating, engraving, custom fabrication — $500-1,500
The watch would cost more if the diamonds were not lab-grown and if it was solid gold instead of gold dipped. Nevertheless, Kerr had approximately $5,000 on his wrist while he set the world record in the mild. That’s pretty cool. It is now priceless.