While racing timepieces are often identified with motorsports, the notion of the race watch dates back more than six decades before the creation of the vehicle. A racing watch, as the name implies, is a timepiece designed specifically for measuring race timings, whether they are for cars, motorcycles, horses, or yachts. Racing watches are now almost interchangeable with chronograph watches.
Today's luxury racing timepieces are distinguished not only by their technical abilities but also by their stunning good looks and gorgeous, chiseled physique, which emphasizes the competence engaged in the making of a race car and reflects a speed-hungry style. This wristwatch style is unconstrained by restriction or consistency, and their exotic hues and adrenaline-infused patterns enable the user to exhibit personality on the wrist. Here are some of the most desirable racing timepieces you can add to your collection.
TAG Heuer Formula 1
The new TAG Heuer Formula 1 watches are defined by lively asphalt-effect displays in lime yellow and tangerine orange reminiscent of the 80s and 90s, colorful design, and the potential to be worn as a beater wristwatch. These are ideally suited for racing and watch aficionados who may be on a budget, but not for their passion for motor-racing or the brand. You get brand awareness, a casual sporty-chic style, and robust timepieces with the new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz watches. If you don't mind quartz movements, these are a great buy.
These regular manufacturing releases cost $1,571 for the time-only model and $2058 for the chronograph version. They include a Swiss quartz movement with a battery life of about 24 months and include a stop-second function, EOL indication, and rapid date correction setting. The movement is placed in a 43 mm diameter fine-brushed steel case, which is on the large side but enhances legibility.
Zenith El Primero Chronomaster
In 2016, Zenith partnered with the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association to become the official timekeeper for the SVRA's 16-race series across the United States. At the 2016 Baselworld watch exhibition, the company unveiled a unique edition of its Chronomaster 1969 luxury sports watch to commemorate the partnership. The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 SVRA Edition is powered by the brand's iconic El Primero chronograph caliber and has a silver-toned dial with an SVRA emblem.
The watch features a tachymeter scale around the dial and is housed in a 42 mm stainless steel case. It also has a black alligator leather strap with yellow stitching that matches the SVRA colors. It costs $9,000 and is limited to only 100 pieces.
Rolex Daytona
The Rolex Daytona is the world's most successful chronograph. The Rolex Daytona, which was first introduced in 1963 and is inspired after the famous Daytona Speedway in Florida, has changed considerably throughout the course of its 50-year history. Rolex's presently racing watch started as a manual-winding chronograph, progressed to a Zenith El-Primero-driven automatic chronograph in 1988, and then, in 2000, to a fully in-house built self-winding chronograph.
Rolex Daytona variants with automatic movements include 40 mm cases with chronograph pushers and screw-down crowns, as well as exterior tachymeter scale bezels. They come in a variety of materials, comprising steel, 18k gold (white, yellow, and Everose), platinum, and two-tone steel and gold. Cerachrom ceramic, metal and gem-set bezels are all available. Furthermore, while the majority of Rolex Daytona watches have an Oyster bracelet, certain variants include rubber Oysterflex bracelets and leather straps. Apart from this, you can visit TheBracelets for a great variety of men's bracelets.
Omega Speedmaster Racing
The Omega Speedmaster was the brand's racing timepiece before it became renowned as the "Moonwatch," and it was originally presented in 1957. For improved legibility, the Speedmaster was the first chronograph to have the tachymeter scale etched on the bezel rather than the dial. The Omega Speedmaster Racing versions are committed to the initial competitive motorsport ethos, even though there are various Speedmaster sub-collections.
The 44.25 mm casings of Omega Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer watches are available in 18k Sedna rose gold or stainless steel. The so-called "racing dial," which is distinguished by a checkered-flag minute track influenced by a 1968 Speedmaster, is among the watch's distinctive features. The ceramic bezels have tachymeter scales, and there are two subdials instead of three on those dials. The Speedmaster Racing watches come with either leather or metal bracelets, as is traditional for Omega.
Baume & Mercier Clifton Club Shelby Cobra
The Shelby Cobra CSX2299 Limited Edition, the finest watch born of Baume & Mercier's cooperation with the Carroll Shelby Company and the first to premiere within the Clifton family, is the centerpiece of the 2017 Baume & Mercier's Clifton Club line. The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (CSX2299), among the most legendary automobiles in American motorsports annals, is the basis for the timepiece. In 1964, the Daytona Coupe became the first American car to dominate the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and in 1965, it won America's inaugural GT category World Sportscar Championship.
Breitling for Bentley
Bentley and Breitling originally collaborated in 2002, when Breitling was tasked with developing the Bentley Continental GT's onboard clock. Breitling produced a limited-edition Bentley Le Mans watch a year later to commemorate the racing team's first and second-place finishes at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Breitling for Bentley timepieces, a line of dramatic chronograph models motivated by racing, vehicles, and top-tier watchmaking, has been available since then. Despite the fact that several Breitling for Bentley versions have been produced throughout the years, they virtually always include honeycomb grille bezels, a changeable tachometer with an additional circular slide rule, and COSC-certified chronograph movements.
Final Thoughts
The need for extremely accurate timekeeping at the track is among the grounds why timepieces and the motorsport sector are so inextricably linked. Manufacturers such as Rolex, TAG Heuer, and Omega have a long history of offering reliable accuracy watches to the racing community for recording lap times and other critical race track statistics. Watch collectors who acquire racing watches are still on the lookout for a piece that performs as well whether it is worn for racing or not. The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona attained cult-like notoriety after motorsport aficionado and actor Paul Newman wore it on his wrist. It greatly influenced producing a committed fan base of motorsport fans, businesspeople, and fashionable individuals.
