5 Watches That Are Inspired By Motorsports

Ahead of the 2019 Formula One season finale, we explore the interplay between watches and motorsports

Roger Dubuis

Above Excalibur Huracán. (Photo: Courtesy of Roger Dubuis)

Created in collaboration with Lamborghini’s motorsport team, Squadra Corse, this year’s Excalibur Huracán is equipped with an all new in-house movement, the Calibre RD630. Heavily skeletonised, the honeycomb structure of the mechanism’s mainplate is specially designed to evoke Lamborghini’s iconic grilles. During the watchmaker’s latest motorsport event, the annual Run to Monaco, for which the brand was appointed official timer, Roger Dubuis was joined by tyre manufacturer Pirelli, which outfits the brand’s watches with special rubber straps, including the Excalibur Huracán.

Chopard

Above Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Zagato 100th Anniversary Edition. (Photo: Courtesy of Chopard)

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Zagato, which is known for its custom coachwork, Chopard, a longtime partner of the Mille Miglia race, has released a limited edition chronograph complete with the design house’s “Z” logo on a textured dial in a maroon that’s reminiscent of the classic rosso corsa paint that’s found on Italy’s earliest racecars.

Hublot

Above Big Bang Scuderia Ferrari 90th Anniversary. (Photo: Courtesy of Hublot)

Hublot proves that its relationship with Ferrari is stronger than ever with the launch of three Big Bang Ferrari timepieces, all powered by the manufacture’s chronograph movement. Fashioned from the same ceramic carbon that is used on Formula One racing cars’ brake discs, this limited edition range celebrates Scuderia Ferrari’s 90th birthday. Flyback chronographs with a 72-hour power reserve, these wristwatches are practical as well as recognisable thanks to their futuristic use of colour.

Tag Heuer

Above Monaco 1999–2009 Limited Edition. (Photo: Courtesy of Tag Heuer)

This year Tag Heuer will release five new models to celebrate 50 years of its Monaco wristwatch, which became famous when Hollywood’s “king of cool,” Steve McQueen, famously wore the original model in the 1971 film Le Mans. The watchmaker’s latest edition, limited to 169 pieces, pays tribute to the noughties with a largely monochrome design, the exception being red and orange hour markers and minute hands. As with the original, the model’s pushers are on the right of the case and the crown is on the left, and the stainless steel case back houses the brand’s Calibre 11, a modern version of the movement that made its debut inside the 1969 Monaco 50 years ago.

Bremont

Above Jaguar D-Type. (Photo: Courtesy of Bremont)

Named after the vintage Jaguar that won three consecutive Le Mans championships in the 1950s, the Jaguar D-Type chronograph by Bremont comes with a navy blue dial and brushed nickel subdials, which are all housed in the British watchmaker’s iconic satin-finished three-piece “Trip-Tick” case of stainless steel. A sapphire case back reveals Bremont’s BE-50E movement, as well as its steering wheel-inspired rotor, making the D-Type ideal for diehard petrolheads.

Topics

Watches Motorsports Watches & Jewellery