Vic Elford’s 1968 Daytona Rolex and the Porsche 907’s first 24-hour win
From a Rolex awarded to Vic Elford after Porsche’s 1968 Daytona victory to contemporary timepieces shaped by Formula 1 partnerships and automotive design, this selection explores the enduring relationship between precision watchmaking, racing history and the cars that inspire it
Vic Elford with his Rolex Cosmograph Daytona prize in 1968; his timepiece, inset, comes to auction in New York in December
Rolex
Although our focus is on new watches, this 58-year-old Rolex Cosmograph Daytona deserves a mention thanks to its remarkable history (and the fact that you could buy it). It is documented as the first known Cosmograph Daytona ever to have been awarded to the winner of a motor race – and that was none other than ‘Quick’ Vic Elford, who was presented with it after taking the chequered flag in the 1968 Daytona 24 Hours at the wheel of a Porsche 907 Langheck. It was the marque’s first 24-hour racing victory, a fact that appealed to Porsche-mad comedian Jerry Seinfeld who paid £2.2m for the car at a Gooding & Company auction in 2014. Seinfeld tracked down the matching Rolex, but will now part with it at Phillips’ New York watch sale on December 5-6. Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, estimate £75,000-£150,000. phillips.com
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition staged in Milan at the beginning of October featured a selection of its individually decorated Rare Handcrafts creations – including four, six-piece editions of its Calatrava model with dials depicting Italian road trips in Fiat 500s. The watches, with white or rose gold cases, were adorned with cloisoné enamel paintings showing, centre, from left: an orange 500 heading for Lake Como; a turquoise model driving along the Amalfi coast; a blue one threading past the trulli houses of Puglia; and a yellow car stopping in Chianti. Patek Philippe Calatrava Fiat 500, from £116,060. patek.com
Hanhart
Whether or not you’re a Steve McQueen fan, he had great taste in watches – not least in choosing a Hanhart 417 ES chronograph to keep track of time during events such as the ISDT and the Baja 1000. Now the Black Forest brand has released a limited edition of 300 examples which closely resemble the one which McQueen was regularly seen with. The 39mm case, vintage lume and cuff strap make it a dead ringer for the King of Cool’s, but the new version gets a facsimile of his signature on the dial and a caseback revealing the hand-wound flyback movement, below. There’s also a card based on McQueen’s racing licence, signed by his grandchildren Chase and Madison. Hanhart 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition No1, £2057. hanhart.com
Girard-Perregaux
Following August’s announcement that Williams had signed a deal making Girard-Perregaux its latest watch partner, two new timepieces have been released, one a time-and-date model, the other a chronograph, above. Both have dials finished in the same blue as this season’s FW48 cars and sapphire crystal casebacks with W emblems. The three-hand model uses the maker’s GP1800 movement with 54 hours of power reserve, while the chronograph is fitted with the 419-part GP3300 which boasts a host of impressive finishes, including bevelling, mirror and satin polishing, and sunray engraving. Both get the Laureato’s regular octagonal bezel. Girard-Perregaux Laureato Williams Edition, from £12,800. girard-perregaux.com
TAG Heuer
Motor sport-rooted TAG Heuer is marking 10 years as the official timing partner of Red Bull with the launch of a special version of its light-powered Formula 1 Solargraph. The edition gets a dial in Red Bull Blue and a bi-directional bezel (also in blue) made from TAG Heuer’s Polylight resin. The case of the 38mm watch is based on the design of the original Formula 1 models of the 1980s – but turn this one over and you’ll find a chequered flag pattern and the Red Bull logo. Just a minute’s exposure to sunlight is enough to power the Solargraph for a day, while 40 hours enables it to run for 10 months. TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph x Oracle Red Bull Racing, £1900. tagheuer.com
TAG Heuer’s 38mm sunlight-soaking Formula 1 Solargraph now comes in Red Bull colours
Singer Reimagined
The all-new 1970 DualTrack by Singer Reimagined takes inspiration from the angular design language of the 1970s adopted by automotive stylists such as Bertone and Marcello Gandini, resulting in a faceted 40mm case. The ‘DualTrack’ name comes from the maker’s easy-to-use two-timezone system, in which local time is set on the main dial with the extra timezone read where the fixed arrowhead at six o’clock lines up with the rotating inner bezel (adjusted by clicking the push piece at nine o’clock). There are three colours, from left: Cobalt Blue, Dark Espresso Brown and khaki. Singer Reimagined 1970 DualTrack, £25,700. singerreimagined.com
Angelus
Independent maker Angelus has adapted its prize-winning telemetric chronograph (designed to help determine the distance from exploding ordnance, for example) by introducing a driver’s version with a tachymeter scale for calculating speed and distance. The Chronographe Tachymètre can be had in yellow gold with a gold-coloured dial detailed in British Racing Green, right, or in two steel versions: one with a coral pink dial and grey details, the other combining pearl grey and petrol blue. In each case, the main dial features a grained finish while the subdials are ’snailed’. All are powered by the maker’s historic A5000 column wheel chronograph, a slim calibre which allows for a case measuring just 9.25mm from top to bottom. Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre, from £18,300. angelus-watches.com
Herbelin
Independent French watchmaker Herbelin (which marks its 80th anniversary next year) has introduced a new range of moon phase models which accurately track the waxing and waning of the Earth’s closest celestial body. The Newport Automatic Moon Phases can be had with a choice of deep blue lacquered mother-of-pearl or – our favourite – lunar dials, with the latter featuring a realistic textured finish. All have tried-and-tested, Swiss-made Sellita automatic movements and are available in plain steel with matching bracelets or two-tone steel with a contrasting gold-coloured finish. Herbelin Newport Automatic Moon Phase, from £1210. herbelin.com
Choose from Herbelin’s lacquered mother-of-pearl, left, or textured lunar surface with the Newport Automatic Moon Phase, right
IWC
IWC, which partnered with Mercedes-AMG in 2004 before becoming the official engineering partner of Mercedes-AMG F1 nine years later, has created a special edition of one of its most ingenious timepieces to mark the 140th anniversary of the mighty German car marque. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz has a moon phase display that will deviate from the movements of the real thing by only one day in 1040 years. Equally impressive is that every function of the mechanism’s calendar display can be adjusted by turning the crown in one direction or another (a first for the maker) rather than by the usual system of multiple push pieces fitted flush into the case. The 280-part mechanism can be seen through a transparent caseback engraved with the familiar three-pointed star. IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz, £32,100. iwc.com
MeisterSinger
IWC’s Mercedes-Benz 140th anniversary timepiece has the marque’s 1926 three-pointed logo on its caseback, right
If perpetual calendars, chronographs, minute repeaters and world timers all seem a bit horologically over the top, try a timepiece from MeisterSinger – one of the few brands to make only single-handed watches. Its latest celebrates the centenary of America’s Route 66, the legendary 2500 miles of road that originally stretched, unbroken, from Chicago to the West Coast. MeisterSinger’s Edition Route 66, left, gets a dial based on a classic Ford Mustang hubcap design and a caseback engraved with the Route 66 shield, Each of the 100 available watches will be delivered with a 1:18-scale Mustang convertible in Poppy Red. MeisterSinger Edition Route 66, £2390. meistersinger.com
Vertex
Don Cochrane used to work on special projects for marques including Ferrari and Aston Martin (he helped develop the One-77) before reviving Vertex in 2015. The brand, set up by his great-grandfather 110 years ago, became famous for its wartime watches, notably the Calibre 59 – the model that Young Bond author Charlie Higson decided would be the perfect fit for 007 in his first adult Bond book, King Zero. Published in September, it introduces the Vertex in a passage: “Cold, blue-grey eyes opened and focused on the Vertex on his bedside cabinet that told him it was not yet 7am. The watch was a slightly battered Cal 59 WWW navigation model.” Although the Cal 59 isn’t part of the modern-day Vertex line-up, the M36 model, left, is a dead ringer for the original. Vertex M36, £2150. vertex-watches.com
James Bond is now wearing a Vertex watch, James Bond is now wearing a Vertex watch, so Charlie Higson tells us – which is similar to this M36 model
Breitling
In October, Breitling pulled the wraps off two new chronographs designed to complement Aston Martin’s Valhalla. Don’t bother rushing to your Breitling boutique to buy one – unless you already have your name down for one of the 999 available Valhallas, which have a base price of £850,000. If you are a Valhalla customer, you’ll get access to the 44mm, titanium-cased Super Chronomat B19 perpetual calendar chronograph, below left, and a 38mm time and date model in steel, below. Both can be specified with customised dial details based on Valhalla colours and are priced at £52,000 and £32,000. Buyers get a five-year membership of Breitling’s Social Club, due to open in New York in 2027. Breitling Super Chronomat B19, from £32,000. breitling.com
