F1 is Back: 5 Watches for The Paddock

In life and in sport, time determines who wins and who loses. And time is the great arbiter of one of my favorite things: racing.

When I think about racing, I think about lap times, pit stop times, and on-track gaps for tire strategies. It’s the love of racing that keeps me thinking about chronographs and about time. For as long as I have been in love with watches, Formula 1 has always been my first love.

For me, no format is more visceral or more connected to the watch world than that of motorsport. It’s a bit of a contradiction if you think about it. An analog timing device doesn’t really have a place in modern racing. The cars are carbon fiber and designed in a wind tunnel with artificial intelligence. Every part of the car is digitally designed to maximize performance.

They are designed to do one thing: win.

Yet mechanical watches remain part of the scene and aura of F1. Watch brands sponsor teams and drivers, but that’s not what is most interesting to me. I’m fascinated by the history of racing, the history of watch brands in racing, and the way mechanical watches remain connected to F1.

The 2022 season brings new car regulations, new driver lineups, and new designs set forward with the hope of leveling the playing field. Thus far, we have seen an exciting race in Bahrain and got a glimpse of who could be on the podium this year.

As racing returns, we are honoring the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season with a look at five race-worthy watches to have on your wrist, whether you’re trackside or watching from afar.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116508

As demonstrated by Paul Newman, the Daytona is a perfect racing chronograph. Though not an F1 driver, Paul Newman helped further the association of the Daytona with racing. It’s impossible to watch a race and not see the Rolex billboards around the track and the Rolex clock hanging over the start/finish straight when the lights go out. As the Global Partner and official timepiece of F1, the Daytona is the perfect race watch. It doesn’t hurt that F1 legends Sir Jacky Stewart and Mark Weber serve as Rolex Testimonees.

While Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona may be the most recognized, Ref. 116508 in yellow gold is no less of a standout. F1 Driver Ayrton Senna gifted a yellow gold Daytona to Angelo Parilla, who helped guide Senna to F1. The green dial is reminiscent of racing green. Like an F1 car, the watch looks fast on the wrist, appealing to the heavy-hitting watch circuit that F1 has become.

TAG Heuer Carrera Caliber Heuer 02 Middle East Limited Edition of 150

Aside from Paul Newman, Heuer is the name most closely associated with motorsport historically. From 1962 to 1982, Jack Heuer refocused his family’s watch business on chronographs. He saw the marketing potential in the F1 world and gifted watches to F1 drivers across the grid. In 1971, Heuer developed a relationship with Ferrari, providing the team with timing equipment and, more importantly, the drivers with yellow gold Carrera’s with their names and blood types engraved on the casebacks. The all-star team of drivers featured Mario Andretti, Clay Regazzoni, Niki Lauda, and Jacky Ickx. Heuer also extended this courtesy to other drivers on the grid including Jo Siffert, Ronnie Peterson, and Emerson Fittipaldi.

This limited-edition Carrera is a classic TAG Heuer reference. The Arabic numerals help to differentiate this watch from other Carrera models and the green dial is pure racing. While it might not be yellow gold or have the name of an F1 driver on the back, it is a watch that you likely won’t see out in the wild and is a fantastic watch for timing laps and cheering Red Bull, a TAG Heuer sponsored team, to victory.

Richard Mille RM11-02

Perhaps no brand has done more for highlighting the beauty and appeal of motorsport than Richard Mille. Mille himself is an avid race fan and a collector of cars, owning a number of vintage Formula 1 cars that he stores in his home office. When he goes to work in the morning he is surrounded by his cars, inspiring his vision to create a racing machine for the wrist.

No Richard Mille model is more iconic than the RM 11, the classic tonneau-shaped chronograph in titanium. This 11-02 chronograph is incredibly lightweight and features a GMT function, a handy tool for F1 fanatics that travel to races across the globe. F1 drivers have crashed at speed wearing Richard Mille’s timepieces and they keep on ticking. It’s a watch that has a bit of a nostalgic Richard Mille feel to it, but it will never be out of style in the paddock.

F.P. Journe Aluminum Centigraphe

If Richard Mille convinced the world that luxury is lightweight,  F.P. Journe took it to the next level with his aluminum Centigraphe. The Centigraphe was the result of years of research from Journe. It times to 1/100th of a second, weighs just 55 grams, and is capable of timing objects moving at 36,000 KPH. The watch feels like an F1 car and is ready to time pit stops, lap times, or just look good in the hospitality suite. 

During the process of making the watch, Journe befriended Jean Todt. At the time, Todt was leading Scuderia Ferrari F1. Journe asked Jean Todt to be the godfather of the watch, giving it serious motorsport chops. Todt later went on to be president of the FIA.

Adding to the watch’s motorsport appeal is the fact that Journe sponsored Jean Alessi, who previously raced in F1, in the Indianapolis 500.

Singer Track 1 Hong Kong Edition

Singer is known for the redesign, rebuild, and reimagining of Porsche 964 911s. The Track 1 Hong Kong edition features an orange and black color scheme reminiscent of McLaren’s liveries of years past. Made from black coated aluminum and titanium (used for the pushers and crown), the watch is designed to have the lightweight feel of a racing car. Even the deployant clasp is drilled out to reduce weight, preserving that special racing feel.

The Track 1 is a perfect watch for timing, with the chronograph functionality front and center. The watch tells time at the six o’clock position with the hours and minutes tracks rotating with the hours. It makes getting a quick glance at the time possible while your hands are on the wheel. The movement is complex and beautiful, with a full view into the gear train and the activation of the chronograph. For the technical F1 fan, there is no better watch.

With the 2022 season underway, we are looking forward to seeing cars and driver lineups come alive over the first few races of the season. This selection of watches is a tribute to the lightweight, beautiful, and visually stunning watches that are perfectly suited for the see-and-be-seen nature of any F1 race. They are perfectly appropriate on and off the track. As a serious racing fan, watches are part and parcel of F1, and it is always fun to see what the drivers are wearing. If you can’t be an F1 driver, you can always ensure that you can time the race, time a lap, or just look the part in the paddock club.