What watches do F1 drivers wear?

Watches and motorsport have a close relationship. Total stations stamped on bezels can be used to measure the average speed of a car over a known distance, and some of the most famous watch names in the world – Tag Heuer Carrera, Rolex Daytona – take their names from motorsport.

And while this article is about the watches used by F1 drivers, it’s impossible not to write about watches and motorsport without mentioning the so-called Paul Newman Rolex Daytona, which, like Newman’s own, sold for $ 17.8 million in 2017 became.

While this was Rolex Newman’s own, thanks to lucrative sponsorship deals, today’s F1 drivers are presented with a chunky watch almost the moment they step out of their car. Mercedes team sponsor IWC even places an image of a watch on the driver’s gloves, where it can be seen by the car’s on-board camera.

Often times, the team is sponsored by a watch company, whose pieces then appear on riders’ wrists, sometimes in a color that reflects their nationality. Other drivers have their own contract directly with the watch company, with some such partnerships that last for a lifetime.

For 2021, a watch will appear prominently on the wrists of all 20 drivers – and here’s a closer look at those watches.

Lewis Hamilton and Valteri Bottas

(Image credit: IWC)

The Mercedes F1 team has been sponsored by IWC Schaffhausen, i.e. the watch brand of the two drivers, since 2013. Lewis Hamilton and Valteri Bottas both wear personalized versions of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch, a large 46.2 mm timepiece with a black dial, stainless steel case, leather strap and automatic movement.

More specifically, Hamilton wears versions of the Big Pilot Perpetual, while Bottas’ watches have blue accents inspired by the flag of his native Finland.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

(Photo credit: TAG Heuer)

Tag Heuer has been a watch sponsor of Red Bull since 2016 and this season extended the partnership until 2024. Tag Heuer can look back on a long history of motorsport cooperation. ’85 and ’86. Tag Heuer, as it was renamed in 1985, also borrowed its name from the Renault engine used by Red Bull in 2016.

Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez wear the aptly named Tag Heuer Formula One Special Edition, a stainless steel sports watch with a blue dial and bezel, with a tachymeter and red details to match the Red Bull paintwork.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz

(Photo credit: Richard Mille)

Ferrari has worked with numerous watch companies over the years and, having split from Hublot, the Italian team now works with Richard Mille. Known for their oversized cases, their skeletal design, their exclusivity and their very high prices, Richard Mille watches have found themselves on the wrists of many racing drivers.

This is a cross-platform deal, meaning Ferrari drivers in racing categories outside of F1 can also wear Richard Mille watches, while Leclerc had a personal deal with the watchmaker for much of his motorsport career. The Monegasque driver is more likely to wear an RM watch with a red bracelet and details and currently owns a prototype RM 67-02.

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo

(Photo credit: Richard Mille)

McLaren also has a sponsorship deal with Richard Mille that has been in place since 2016. The watchmaker’s McLaren watch is the RM 11-03, complete with papaya-orange details that match the supercar maker’s corporate colors. With an automatic flyback chronograph, the watch is limited to 500 pieces worldwide and McLaren road car drivers can apply to buy a watch with the serial number that corresponds to the chassis number of their car.

McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo wear similar Richard Mille models. Ricciardo has been spotted wearing an RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split-Second Chronograph, while Norris is a fan of the RM 67-02 – presumably the same watch model stolen from the F1 driver after the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.

Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll

(Photo credit: Girard-Perregaux)

The Aston Martin F1 Team counts Girard-Perregaux as its official watch partner. This is one of the oldest watchmakers in the world, having been in business since 1791, and the current contract also includes close ties with Aston Martin’s road auto division.

Of course, both drivers will be wearing Girard Perregaux watches on their wrists for the 2021 season, with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel opting for the Laureato Chronograph 42mm with a blue dial and stainless steel case and bracelet. Girard-Perregaux was previously watch sponsor of the Ferrari F1 team from 1994 to 2004

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon

(Image credit: Bell & Ross)

Formerly known as Renault, the Alpine team is sponsored by the French watch manufacturer Bell & Ross. This has led to the introduction of three special editions with tachymeters on the bezels, chronograph dials and bright blue details that match Alpine’s corporate colors. These three watches fall under the Alpine F1 Team A521 Collection.

Both drivers previously wore the Renault-themed Bell & Ross watches and have since switched to the Alpine brand models. Alonso is also closely associated with Richard Mille and has been spotted driving for the Alpine team with this company’s timepieces with blue, red and yellow details.

Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda

(Image credit: Casio)

Instead of working with a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer like most other teams, AlphaTauri has a long-term contract with Casio. This season, drivers Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda are wearing a limited edition Casio Edifice from the AlphaTauri brand.

There are three watches in the F1 Team brand collection, all of which feature 6K carbon dials that are said to be many times stronger than steel. Strap options include fabric, rubber, and stainless steel, while the colors all have blue and red detailing to match the paintwork of the AlphaTauri F1 car.

In contrast to the mechanical watches of other F1 drivers, the Casio Edifice has Bluetooth and a smartphone app for automatic time setting, setting timers and the transmission of the data recorded by the stopwatch function.

Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi

(Photo credit: Richard Mille)

Richard Mille no longer sponsors the Alfa Romeo team because he has switched to Ferrari. However, the Swiss brand is still working with Alfa driver Kimi Räikkönen, who lends its name to a limited version of the RM50-04. The Kimi Raikkonen edition bears the usual Richard Mille skeleton design and features a red bracelet and red details through the dial and tourbillon movement.

Only 30 copies of this watch have been produced and it has a retail price of just over 1.1 million euros, making it one of the most expensive watches to be worn by any of today’s F1 drivers.

Although it is no longer a team sponsor, a Richard Mille watch can still be seen on the wrist of Alfa Romeo colleague Antonio Giovinazzi.

George Russell and Nicholas Latifi

(Image credit: Bremont)

Williams has announced Bremont as the new watch sponsor for the 2021 season. The British company was founded in 2002 and assembles its watches in Oxfordshire, where the majority of today’s Formula 1 teams are based. The blue dial Bremont Alt1-WT is worn today by Williams drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, as well as senior members of the team.

But shortly after signing with Mercedes for the 2022 season, Russell was spotted wearing an IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium. This is an all black watch with a ceramic case and a black textile strap. Your party piece is the double chronograph mechanism that allows the wearer to record two separate events of different duration at the same time – it’s easy to spot thanks to the seconds hand and a third pusher to reset both timers.

Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin

(Image credit: Cyrus)

Haas is another team that Richard Mille no longer counts as a sponsor. It will be replaced by Cyrus, a Swiss watch brand that was founded in 2010. For the 2021 season, Mick Schumacher wears a Klepcys Vertical Tourbillon, while his teammate Nikita Mazepin wears a Klepcys Alarm.

Schumacher’s all-black watch has a 44 mm grade 5 titanium case with an alligator leather strap and an in-house movement from Cyrus. The tourbillon movement has a power reserve of 100 hours, sapphire crystal on the front and back and is limited to just five pieces.

Mazepin’s watch is one of 38 examples, with a large 46mm titanium case, sapphire crystal on the front and back, a physical alarm chime with a hammer and an in-house mechanical hand-wound movement.

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