Formula 1 Watches
Formula 1 racing may optimize cutting-edge technology to shave fractions of seconds off lap times, but old-school mechanical watches from premier brands still rule on the wrists of the drivers and their teams.
Formula 1’s 75th anniversary season kicked off with some major watch-related changes, particularly LVMH taking over from Rolex as the main sponsor and installing TAG Heuer as official timekeeper.
Partnering with Oracle Red Bull Racing, the Swiss brand launched five F1 chronographs. The Formula 1 Chronograph x Oracle Red Bull Racing ($5,450) features a 44-mm, grade-2 titanium case, a tachymeter bezel with a forged carbon insert and a blue opaline dial with a chequered flag pattern. The color scheme matches the team colors from the dial to vivid red-and-yellow accents to the blue-and-red rubber strap. Its automatic Caliber 16 chronograph movement has a 42-hour power reserve.
Girard-Perregaux launched the Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1 Edition ($14,300) with a dial to match the team’s racing-green color of its livery. A lime-green center seconds hand and date display evoke the team’s Formula 1 car, while the partially skeletonized hour and minute hands were inspired by the front grille of the marque’s road cars.
Limited to 88 pieces, this high-octane Laureato features its signature sculpted 44-mm case in sandblasted Grade-5 titanium, a material widely used in both the aerospace and motor-sport industries. The automatic GP03300 movement delivers 46 hours of power reserve.
IWC, the longtime Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team partner, offers a tribute to team CEO Toto Wolff. Limited to 100 pieces, the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff X Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team ($95,000) features the brand’s SPRIN-g PROTECT shock absorber system. The spring is manufactured from a bulk metallic glass and coated with PETRONAS green Super-LumiNova that glows after dark.
The watch’s 44-mm case and crown are made of Ceratanium. The proprietary material developed by IWC is both light and hard. A tinted sapphire-glass case back bears Wolff’s signature and shows off the automatic 32101 caliber with a double-pawl automatic winding system for 120 hours of power reserve. The plates, bridges and oscillator are blackened to complement the sleek dark esthetic that really pops when paired with a green rubber strap. The black strap (shown) achieves a monochromatic look.
