In the world of Formula 1 racing, million-dollar machines dance on the edge of control, the smell of burning rubber lingers, and the fight for the checkered flag intensifies. The Singapore Grand Prix in September promises to deliver another thrilling spectacle, as human and machine hurtle down the Marina Bay Street Circuit in person unison under the glittering night sky. This is our select curation of watches that capture the essence of competition, speed, and racing.
What could be more fitting for a Formula 1 racing watch than to endure the rigours and intensity of competition? TUDOR rigorously tested its latest Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” by dunking it in freezing water, placing it in magnetic fields, and subjecting it to a series of challenges—all under the scrutinising eyes of the Federal Institute of Metrology, or METAS. Tested for precision, magnetic resistance, water resistance, and power reserve, it emerged victorious, cementing itself as one of the industry’s finest in chronometry and magnetism resistance, thanks to its robust MT5602-1U calibre. Celebrating TUDOR’s return to motorsport, the watch showcases a rotatable sand-blasted black ceramic bezel and the iconic “snowflake” hands, treated with Super-Luminova. The blue domed dial is complemented by a leather and rubber hybrid strap with blue stitching, completing its race-ready look.
In a sport where fractions of a second can determine how high you stand on the podium, precision is king. Omega’s pursuit of horological accuracy has led to the culmination of a single timepiece: the Speedmaster Super Racing. Thanks to the newly patented technical innovation known as “Spirate”, the Omega 9920 calibre is able to fine-tune its movement plus or minus 0.1 seconds per day, resulting in a complete accuracy of 0/+2 seconds per day. This is Omega's most precise timepiece ever. The watch’s design is a high-octane blend of black and yellow, echoing a bumblebee motif. A black ceramic bezel contrasts sharply with a yellow tachymeter scale, while an assured honeycomb dial drives home the theme. Beyond appearances, the Speedmaster Super Racing features a 12-hour chronograph, date function, and a 60-hour power reserve.
You’ve never seen a car-inspired watch manifested like this. Roger Dubuis has partnered with Lamborghini to shatter the creative boundaries of design and engineering. The Excalibur Spider Huracán Monobalancier features an open architecture which reveals a semi-skeletonised movement that resembles the inner workings of a supercar engine. A twin barrel power supply allows the RD630 calibre to deliver a power reserve of 60 hours while maintaining self-winding capabilities. Constructed of titanium, the watch features a balance wheel positioned at 12 O’clock and tilted at a 12-degree angle to mimic the Huracán’s rev counter. Between 5 and 7 O'clock, a discreet date display is cleverly integrated between the dual barrels. Flip the watch over and you’ll witness the full rotor spinning in plain sight through an open caseback, designed to resemble a Huracán wheel rim. This is watchmaking meets automotive engineering in the most visceral way possible.
The Top Time was Brietling’s first foray into the world of terrestrial speed in 1964. Stripped of unnecessary details, the chronograph was instead adorned with bold, graphic displays designed to resonate with a younger audience. Fast forward to 2023, and Brietling revisited this line, this time with the edition of the B01 Ford Thunderbird. Clocking in at a robust 41mm, the watch boasts a pristine white dial with simple printed baton indices, an outer tachymeter ring, and a needle-shaped chronograph seconds hand—vintage sport chronograph features that whisper rather than shout.
This allows for other features to take centre stage, like the rounded-square sub-dials that serve as a nod to the mid-century design, as well as the perforated red leather racing strap that mimics the interior of a Ford Thunderbird. The engine powering the watch is the reliable B01 automatic chronograph movement, a certified chronometer with a power reserve of 70 hours. Talk about horsepower.
Unless you're a hardcore horologist or petrol head, you can be forgiven for not knowing the name Ukyo Katayama. To motorsports enthusiasts, he's the journeyman F1 driver who racked up five Championship points across 97 Grands Prix in the Nineties. For watch enthusiasts, it's his signature emblazoned on the hardest-to-find TAG Heuer F1 (we're talking the OG, candy-coloured, Swatch-like plastic versions, btw). And not just on the dial, or tucked away on the caseback. It's on the glass, obscuring most of the bottom half of the watch. (Deep breath, date window ultras.)
Eagle-eyed Esquiristas may recognise this model from the wrist of Nicholas Biebuyck, TAG Heuer's heritage director, who was wearing it during our recent trip to Watches & Wonders. He called it his "travel watch", and it stood in refreshingly saccharine contrast to all the steel and gold on every other watch boss's wrist.
That he was wearing it was the latest clue that Tag was belatedly about to relaunch a watch fondly remembered for being affordable and fun, and the gateway to a world of watches where those two things are often in short supply. Sure enough, the bright and beautiful F1 is back, launched in a collaboration with Kith.
Hand on heart, we're a little disappointed with its departure from those two founding principles. Which is why we're still more than a little obsessed with the Ukyo Katayama version, which is the only signature model in the entire, nine-year run of the first era of F1s. Though his record might seem unimpressive, he was racing in an era when points were scarce and only a few manufacturers had competitive cars. His 97 races is still the Japanese record, and despite failing to finish 63 of them—largely thanks to mechanical issues—he was a phenomenon back home, so much so that TAG Heuer stepped in as a personal sponsor, with a spot on the sleeve of his race suit.
We love the watch not so much for Katayama, but because it embodies everything that made the original F1 such a brilliant piece of watchmaking; its four primary colours, that bonkers signature, the accessible retail price. They were originally aimed at the Japanese market and, whereas you can pick up most of the original F1s today for a few hundred dollars on resale sites, Japan is where you'll find one now, and only if the horology gods are smiling on you.
While Kith Heuer has all the makings of a down-the-street-queues day-one sellout, we're still holding out for something that's got a few more miles on its clock.
