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Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W11 leads at the start of the race.

Formula 1 drivers favourite watches revealed

Pre-owned watch specialist Watchfinder & Co. checks the wrists of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and the rest of the Formula 1 grid.

Precise timing is pivotal in Formula One; a split second saved at a pit stop or negotiating a bend can be the difference between victory and second place, and determine ranking at the end of the season.

In a sport governed by accuracy and cutting-edge engineering, watchmakers and race-car drivers have a natural affinity. It is no wonder, then, that F1’s most technically gifted racers sport some of the most exceptional timepieces ever made.

As we hit the halfway mark of the 2022 season, pre-owned watch specialist Watchfinder & Co. examines some of the iconic watches habitually worn by F1 sporting heroes, and offers tips on how to get the look by shopping for pre-owned luxury watches online.

Lewis Hamilton watches

Iwc lewis hamilton

The most successful and most headline-making champion racer of the past 15-plus years is known for his skill in the cockpit and his stance on social issues off the track.

Hamilton clearly appreciates his IWC watches, having worn, from time to time, an awesome threesome: the Big Pilot’s Watch, Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Mojave Desert and Pilot’s Chronograph 41.

Originally a massive 55mm timepiece encasing the pocket-watch Calibre 52.T.S. movement, the Big Pilot’s heritage travels further back in time than many historic watches, to 1940 when it was made for the German Air Force. The contemporary sand-coloured Mojave Desert edition in ceramic, meanwhile, popped up in 2019.

Iwc big pilots
IWC Big Pilot.

Fittingly, though, it was the new IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition “Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team” that the Brit proudly displayed whilst protesting the threatened strict enforcement this spring of F1’s no-jewellery-while-driving rule.

Bedecked with luminous Arabic numeral hour markers, indices, hands and date window as well as rubber strap in the signature green racing colours of the Petronas team, the sporty chronograph symbolises the bond between Mercedes F1 and the Swiss watchmaker, its official engineering partner since 2013 – also the year Hamilton signed on.

The case is crafted from lightweight, grade-five titanium, which has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metal, and with a quick flip onto its transparent back, all the action of the Calibre 69385 movement with 231 parts and a 46-hour power reserve is visible.

Watchfinder’s collection of IWC Pilot’s watches can be found here.

Daniel Ricciardo watches

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Daniel Ricciardo for Richard Mille.

Six years into a 10-year partnership with Swiss haute-horlogerie brand Richard Mille, the McLaren F1 team is led by Daniel Ricciardo, who has flashed the RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph worth more than US$1.2 million in photo shoots.

Constructed from graphene – a revolutionary composite dubbed “Graph TPT” by the watch innovator – the world’s lightest mechanical chronograph upon its creation in 2017 weighs less than 40 grams including the strap.

Graphene is 200 times stronger than steel, yet six times lighter – a bonus when making precise twists of the wrist at super speed.

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Ricciardo’s teammate, Lando Norris, is one of a number of top drivers who favour donning Richard Mille creations in the cockpit and when fine-tuning their machines.

After a slow start, McLaren F1 will be hoping that the Australian-born “Honey Badger” can aggressively turn his season around and earn the prize money to make further horological investments.

Richard Mille masterpieces are available here at Watchfinder & Co.

Max Verstappen watches

Securing his first World Drivers’ Championship last year was epic, but Red Bull Racing’s boy wonder also enjoyed a red-letter day two years prior when TAG Heuer unveiled the Max Verstappen Special Edition 2019, the first mechanical timepiece to bear his name.

Tag heuer monaco titan titanium chronographThe 44mm automatic chronograph in steel is based on the brand’s existing chronograph collection dedicated to Grand Prix racing – the Formula 1 Calibre 16.

 

It sports a black dial with the words “Formula 1 Calibre 16” flanking the date aperture at three o’clock and racy red details ringed by a bezel emblazoned with the bold red engraving: “Max Verstappen”.

A dressier TAG Heuer model gifted to the Dutchman, the Monaco Titan Titanium, has also frequented his wrist in a timely reminder of his triumph on that track.

The TAG Heuer Formula One collection is available here at Watchfinder & Co.

Sergio Pérez watches

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Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing fellow pilot Sergio Pérez, whose first Formula One victory at Sakhir, Bahrain, in 2020 saw him bag the dubious record of most race starts before securing a Grand Prix win, has a special connection to the TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch.

Tag heuer connected smartwatchThe titanium timepiece, one of the most luxurious smartwatches on the market, symbolises pursuit of excellence and dedication to chasing perfection ­– qualities that fit the veteran Mexican driver to a tee.

Based on TAG’s classic auto-racing model, the Carrera, the Connected links wearers with the world of high tech through a partnership with Google and Intel.

This 45 mm timepiece has a superior LCD screen, an excellent battery life and is packed with features including GPS, heart-rate sensor, compass, accelerometer and gyroscope.

A 2018 TAG Heuer Connected with a blue rubber strap is available here at Watchfinder & Co.

Charles Leclerc

Richard mille rm67 02Charles Leclerc is the youngest driver to win a race with Scuderia Ferrari, the oldest surviving Formula One team.

He is also a Richard Mille brand ambassador. In the three years since his debut win at the Belgian Grand Prix, Leclerc has been pictured with the avant-garde watchmaker’s skeletonised sports models, including the RM 35-01 Rafael Nadal and a RM 67-02 wrapped in red and white, the colours of his home country of Monaco.

This Automatic Winding Extra Flat watch is regaled for its thin, light, colourful and athletic appearance; engineered from TPT composite materials, with a titanium baseplate and bridges, and an elastic wristband, it is Richard Mille’s lightest automatic timepiece.

Search for Richard Mille watches here at Watchfinder & Co.

Zhou Guanyu

The first Chinese Formula One driver, Zhou Guanyu, joined a new-look Alfa Romeo racing team for the 2022 season.

He embodies the spirit of daring and individuality required of a pioneer, which neatly coincides with the ethos of Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot, where he is a brand ambassador.

Spirit of big bang carbon gold tiger 42 mm lifestyle shot 1

Zhou celebrated Chinese New Year with the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Carbon Gold Tiger, a striking fusion of frosted carbon and gold. He also showed his unique fashion flair by favouring red over the original strap colour for the Big Bang Unico Integrated Black Magic watch.

Driven by the Unico 2 calibre movement with a power reserve of 72 hours, and forged from polished and satin black ceramic, the new timepiece has a sleeker profile after reducing its thickness by 1.3mm, making it a perfect fit for sportsmen like Zhou who live for speed.

The Hublot Big Bang collection is available here at Watchfinder & Co.

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1 Comment

  1. Formula 1 watch shock!
    The drivers wear what they are paid to wear.
    Yawn,
    next…………..

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