Watches and Cars – A mechanical match made in heaven

Cars and watches go together hand in hand as they both require a high level of sophistication to make while having designs that inspire and stir the souls of the enthusiasts. In the early 1930s, watches were used by race car drivers to time their performances on the track. This was when the world of cars and watches were first brought together. What people admire about these two industries is the excellence in mechanical craftsmanship along with the innovation to create the works of art. 

When the cars and watches are also produced in limited numbers, it gives owners a an opportunity to be part of the history of the brands. Even though race car drivers no longer need to wear watches for their lap times thanks to the latest tech available, the connection between watches and cars is still as strong as ever. We at Watchadvice have picked out five collaborations between watch brands and cars that show why these mechanical machines go so well together. 

TAG Heuer – Aston Martin :

On the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, Aston Martin announced that TAG Heuer would be one of its official new partners. Aston Martin stands as a symbol of British motoring excellence, luxury and elegance. Aston Martin chose TAG Heuer as its Official Timekeeper for the car brands racing team; Aston Martin Racing. Together the two brands unveiled a Vantage GTE which had the TAG Heuer colours and livery.

The collaboration with Aston Martin has seen TAG Heuer release several timepieces celebrating the partnership. One of these pieces is the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01. The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01 is a 45mm automatic chronograph with a beautiful black honeycomb structure dial. To commemorate this partnership, the Aston Martin logo can be found on the 9 o’clock position as well as the case-back of the watch. The engine inside the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01 is the Calibre Heuer 01, which produces roughly 40 hours of power reserve. Aston Martin and TAG Heuer is an excellent match as the two brands share the same DNA; Innovation, history, emotion, performance, luxury and beauty. 

Hublot and Ferrari:

Hublot and Ferrari have been making beautifully designed unique watches ever since their partnership began in 2011. The very best of watchmaking and automotive knowledge have come together to produce timepieces that innovation, excellence and performance behind them. 

In 2019, Hublot released a timepiece that was inspired by the Gran Turismo vehicles (Portifino, Roma) in the Ferrari line up. 

CLASSIC FUSION FERRARI GT  

The Classic Fusion Ferrari GT is made for watch lovers that want sleek, modern mechanical pieces with reliability and performance to suit. The gorgeous dial of the Classic Fusion Ferrari GT is transparent which resembles that of modern-day Ferrari engine bays, showcasing the heart of it all. The logo of the famous prancing-horse can be found in the 12 o’clock position of the Classic Fusion Ferrari GT, along with dashes of red around the dial to match the car brands iconic colour. 

The engine behind the Classic Fusion Ferrari GT is Hublot’s famous UNICO movement, which has been placed in a 45mm classic fusion case. The UNICO movement is protected by four patents and produces a staggering three-day power reserve. The Classic Fusion Ferrari GT comes available in 3 different variants: Titanium (limited to 1000 pieces), King Gold (limited to 500 pieces) and 3D carbon (limited to 500 pieces)

IWC and Mercedes: 

IWC and Mercedes share the same ideologies and passion in their quest for high performance. The creation of high-performance cars for racing and the high-art of watchmaking share some common values: To be able to beat the competition, both these worlds depend on the latest high tech materials available, innovation, world-class engineering and the best performance possible. 

Mercedes-AMG is Mercedes high-performance brand, which puts out the most powerful road-legal cars in the manufacturer’s line up. Today, Mercedes-AMG creates the most powerful series-built engines for the brand. The amazing part comes when all these engines are built by a single mechanic, staying true to Mercedes philosophy of “one man, one engine”. 

As a tribute to Mercedes-AMG and AMG’s 50th Anniversary, IWC have released the Ingenieur Chronograph Sport “50th Anniversary of Mercedes-AMG” Edition timepiece. This sports watch comes with a contrasting white dial with black markers ina 44.3mm titanium casing. A hint of colour is added to the dial with red accents for the chronograph hands. The watch comes with a closed case-back; however, the inner case is rendered to appear like a carbon-ceramic brake disc. On this brake disc is also the words “Tribute to – One Man – One Engine”. This Anniversary edition comes with IWC’s in-house 89361 Calibre movement, which produces up to 68 hours of power reserve. 

Breitling and Bentley:

Breitling and Bentley have one of the if not the most extended partnership between a watch and an automobile manufacturer. Their original partnership dates back to 2002 when on the very first launch of the Continental GT, Bentley used Breitling as their onboard clock designer. This was the start of a promising and valuable partnership for both of the high profile brands. 

Both companies are known to exude quality, performance and design excellence in their products. In 2003 Bentley returned to the world of motorsport in Le Mans, with the car manufacturer taking first and second-place finishes. Team Bentley’s main sponsor at the endurance race event? Breitling. 

Breitling celebrates this exciting partnership by releasing several watches commemorating the brand. One of these pieces is the Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Racing Green. 

Breitling has opted to use British Racing Green as the colour of the dial, which is the international motor racing colour of the United Kingdom. The watch features a 42mm steel case which has an impeccable shine and also contrasting black counters for the chronograph features. The engine behind the Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley British Racing Green is Breitling’s in-house Calibre 01 movement. This calibre produces an impressive 70 hours of power reserve.

Grand Seiko and Nissan GTR:

As Nissan is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the GT-R, Grand Seiko is celebrating its 20th anniversary of the Spring Drive movement. The two iconic companies have come together, with Grand Seiko releasing a unique limited edition watch celebrating the two momentous occasions. 

The Nissan GT-R 50th Anniversary is a homage to the race car version of the Skyline 2000 GT-R. 

The GT-R’s iconic “Bayside blue” colour has been used as the inspiration for the blue of the ceramic outer case of the Grand Seiko Limited Edition watch. The ceramic inner and outer casings of the watch has been made by light high-intensity titanium material, which ultimately protects the watch from scratches while providing water-resistance of up to 100m. 

The white crocodile strap with the blue stitching was made to match the Nissan racing Livery on the 50th Anniversary edition of the GT-R. A GT-R anniversary emblem in 18K yellow gold has also been set into the oscillating weight of the movement, which can be seen thank to the open case-back.