The link between Formula One and precise timing is undeniable; drivers must have perfect reaction times, and the difference between victory and failure comes literally in milliseconds. A few seconds wasted at a pit stop or a delay when manoeuvring a tricky corner could be the difference between gaining points for your team or ranking at the bottom of the group.
As the measurement of time is such a vital part of the sport, it is no surprise that some of the top luxury watch brands worldwide have a considerable role in Formula One. Several of the watch brands sponsor teams, and Rolex has been a global partner and the official timepiece of Formula One for ten years.
Formula One Drivers Watches
As Formula One is a sport that is so reliant on accuracy and exquisite excellent engineering, it is only natural that the racing drivers would have such a close kinship with these world-class watch brands. One can understand how, due to this close relationship and reliance on timing, the drivers would get to pick out their favourite watches to flaunt both on track and off.
With the second half of the 2022 Grand Prix season having just kicked off, Paul Sheeran Jewellers takes a closer look at some of the heroic driver's favourite watches from the most iconic luxury watch brands and how best to plan your purchase of one of these innovative timepieces for yourself.
Lewis Hamilton
The legendary Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has been racing for the past fifteen years, winning 103 Grand Prix and seven world championships. He is claimed by many to be the most talented driver the F1 has ever seen and is undeniably incredibly gifted when it comes to driving at high speeds.
Hamilton is undoubtedly an icon on track, but he is also known for his forward-thinking and inclusive stance on social and political issues. He is vocal about inequality, racism, homophobia and climate change and strives to lead by example. He plays his part in encouraging the world to become more accepting, self-aware and responsible.
His activism aligns seamlessly with the ethos of the Swiss watch brand IWC Schaffhausen. IWC has made an impressive move towards genuine sustainability and instilling ethical standards within the craftmanship of their timepieces. IWC and Mercedes have been partners since 2004, and their collaboration is one of the most long-standing in the watch and automotive industries.
Their passions lie in striving for excellence in performance and design, and they are both committed to constantly innovating their engineering down to the smallest detail. Hamilton is often seen sporting several different IWC models, but there are three that he seems to favour: the classic Big Pilot's Watch, the Big Pilot's Watch Top Gun Mojave Desert and Pilot's Chronograph 41.
The heritage of the Big Pilot model goes back to 1940 when the original Big Pilot's Watch Calibre 52. TSC was first designed for the German Air Force. It was called the 'Big Pilot' due to its larger case size of 55mm and included several features that made it the perfect watch for aviation.
Some of these features had luminous sword hands for increased visibility and a substantial cone-shaped crown so the watch could be used even while wearing gloves.
The sleek, more contemporary Top Gun Mojave Desert version of the Big Pilot was a part of the exciting release IWC unveiled earlier this year at Watches and Wonders in Geneva. The brand-new collection was a collaboration with the world-renown colour-matching company Pantone.
The brand released five pieces designed in a monochrome colourway and named after the colours provided by Pantone. As well as 'Mojave Desert', there is 'Woodland', 'Lake Tahoe', 'Jet Black' and 'Ceratanium'.
Although drivers have been technically banned from wearing jewellery while driving since 2005, the FIA never really enforced this rule, and Hamilton has been known to appear in full bling, even while stepping into his cockpit. However, this all changed at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix when the FIA decided to take a stricter approach to this rule, forcing Hamilton to remove his jewellery while driving – including his watch.
Hamilton was outraged by this sudden emphasis on a rule he had been breaking since 2007, stating it was unfair and a step backwards for the sport and that more critical issues needed attention. In protest to the ban, Hamilton showed up to the Miami Grand Prix weekend wearing three watches, all of which being IWC of course.
One of the watches he sported was the new IWC Pilot's Chronograph 41 Edition "Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team". The watch's hands, numbers and strap are all in the unique signature Mercedes green, making the watch hard to miss on Hamilton's wrist.
The Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claimed the watch "encapsulates the spirit of unity and the sense of belonging within our team" and stated that the piece is a testament to the team's relationship with IWC. As they have been working together for so long, it was about time that they presented their own special edition Mercedes Team watch.
Find Paul Sheeran Jewellers' collection of IWC Pilot's watches here.
Max Verstappen
For many, Dutch driver Max Verstappen is the most talented and capable driver on the grid. With him having secured the world championship last year and leading this year's title by a mile, it is hard to deny that the 24-year-old is a world-class driver.
Luxury watch brand TAG Heuer, who sponsors the Red Bull Racing Team, has already come out with a timepiece in 2019 dedicated explicitly to Verstappen, even naming it after him: the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Max Verstappen Special Edition.
The timepiece watch has a black dial with "Formula 1 Calibre 16" over and under the date aperture at three o'clock. It even has "Max Verstappen" engraved in a flashy red font on the bezel. You could not find a bolder, more daring-looking watch that perfectly embodied the brave young racer.
TAG Heuer has several references to their partnership with the automotive industry, especially Formula One. The most obvious, of course, is their entire collection named after the sport, including the special edition Red Bull models released in February this year. Browse the TAG Heuer Formula 1 collection here.
Find the Tag Heuer x Red Bull model here.
They also have a TAG Heuer Monaco collection, which was named after the iconic and globally beloved Monaco Grand Prix. The Monaco models are well-known for their unique square dial, which has been replicated and copied time and time again by other watch brands but never equalled. Verstappen has been spotted several times sporting a Monaco model.
Browse our collection of TAG Heuer Monaco watches.
Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu joined Alpha Romeo this year for his first season in Formula One. He is a spirited racer, showing individuality, bravery and extreme capability, considering he is a rookie, driving adjacent to Valtteri Bottas, who is unarguably an experienced and skilled driver.
It is no surprise that Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot selected him to represent their brand as a brand ambassador. Their ethos is based on being different, breaking boundaries and having a daring spirit. Zhou has showcased all of these attributes with his performance and being the first racing driver in history to represent China in Formula One.
Zhou celebrated Chinese New Year with the Hublot Big Bang Carbon Gold Tiger, an innovative fusion of frosted carbon and gold. Red is considered a lucky colour in Chinese culture, and Zhou demonstrated his flair for fashion by opting for a red strap with his Hublot Big Bang Unico Integrated Black Magic.
This model is powered by the Unico 2 calibre movement and has a power reserve of 72 hours. The timepiece also has a sleeker, aerodynamic profile due to its reduced thickness, making it the perfect fit for a Formula One driver who lives for speed.
Hublot is coming soon to Paul Sheeran Jewellers.
