On the eve of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco, we present a selection of the latest mechanical watches jockeying for pole position on a range of motor racing circuits.
There are no half measures for Bell & Ross, which brings its latest BR-X1 RS16 timepiece to the F1 circuit, as part of its agreement with the Renault Sport Formula One Team. Unveiled at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on 17 April, the model will grace the wrists of two Team Renault drivers, Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen, in the cockpit of their RS16s.
The BR-X1 RS16 is a skeleton chronograph with functions that may prove useful for racing drivers: a 30-minute timer and a tachymeter scale. The materials have been chosen for their lightness, strength and ergonomic properties: Carbone Forgé, which gives the one-piece 45 mm case ultimate water-resistance and a smart matt black finish, and the aluminium of the 30-minute register. The RS16’s yellow accents light up the black rubber bracelet, the pushers and inserts on the case and the chronograph hands. The BR-X1 RS16, equipped with the automatic BR-CAL.313 calibre, is available in a limited edition of 250. The timepiece also comes in a tourbillon model, the BR-X1 RS16 Chronograph Tourbillon, driven by the manual flying tourbillon chronograph movement BR-CAL.283. Just 20 will be made.
Eberhard & Co., which partners this year with the famous Targa Florio classic car rally, has added a new car watch to its collection. Eberhard’s links with classic cars go back to 1992, when it created its first watch dedicated to racing driver Tazio Nuvolari. The Champion V Targa Florio is an automatic chronograph in a 42.8 mm case, enclosing a white dial with blue-toned minute and hour registers. The steel bezel clad in darkened aluminium, which bears the hour markers, gives the watch a sporty look, confirmed by the Targa Florio 100th edition logo on the dial and the red central seconds hand. The timepiece is driven by the ETA 7750 automatic calibre, safely enclosed behind the sapphire caseback, secured with 6 screws.
Baume & Mercier was in Le Castellet in April, where it paid tribute to a different legendary car and its drivers. Since last year the company has been a partner of Carroll Shelby Inc., the eponymous company of former American racing driver turned automotive designer, whose creations include the famous AC Cobra. At this year’s SIHH, Baume & Mercier unveiled two Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 models. The range has been expanded with a quartet of timepieces paying tribute to four drivers who made their mark on motor racing at the wheels of their Cobras: Dan Gurney, Ken Miles, Dave MacDonald and Allen Grant. Produced in a limited run of just 15 for each model, the Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 Legendary Drivers Edition bears the car number of each of the drivers in a white disc at 9 o’clock, balancing up the two chronograph counters, and sports the iconic black, white and yellow livery of the Cobra CSX2128. The 44 mm satin-polished or DLC-treated steel case houses an automatic movement with tachymeter and date, providing a 48-hour power reserve. The driver’s name and serial number are engraved on the case back.
involved in the Endurance World Championship, and the Mille Miglia rally, with the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition and the Mille Miglia XL Race watches. The former, dedicated to the Porsche 919 Hybrid, is a 45 mm flyback chronograph driven by the COSC-certified automatic Chopard 03.04-M movement, with a 60-hour power reserve. Decked out with many aesthetic references to the car – the markings on the dial suggest the car’s rear diffuser, the number 919 in a ‘racing car’ font is inscribed inside a red rectangle, and the rubber bracelet features a slick tyre motif – the timepiece comes in a limited edition of... 919.
The vintage vibe of the Mille Miglia XL Race is a perfect match to the classic car rally, which Chopard has sponsored and timed since 1988. The chronograph with its oversized 46 mm steel case is driven by the new COSC-certified Chopard 03.05-C automatic calibre with column wheel. The slate-coloured hour and minute registers and the black seconds counter are surrounded by the satin-finished black dial, and a red running seconds hand matches the “Rosso Corsa” Mille Miglia logo. 1000 of these timepieces are available.
The most recent watch with motor racing connections can be seen on the GT circuits of Europe and Asia on the wrists of the FFF Racing Team. Unveiled just a few days ago by Roger Dubuis, the partnership is being celebrated with the highly exclusive Excalibur Quatuor Edition Limitée, just eight of which are being produced. With its black DLC titanium case and the anthracite finish of the manually wound RD101 movement, this version, customised with the legend FFF at 12 o’clock, is a racing machine with proven staying power.
Finally, at the TimeCrafters watch fair in New York, TAG Heuer recently unveiled its new models for the Indy Series, which the company has sponsored since 2004: the Formula One Limited Edition and the Carrera Heuer-01 Formula One Indy 500 Limited Edition. Two special Indy 500 dials have also been produced this year for the Connected Watch.
