The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is on this weekend – and we’re on the watch beat
Jamie WeissIf you’re into watches, you’re probably into cars. There’s such an overlap between the two hobbies that it’s not so much a Venn diagram sort of deal and more like one big circle. I know that’s certainly the case for us here at Time+Tide, with Borna, Buffy, and I in particular being massive revheads – and that passion extends to Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsports.
Of course, watches are virtually inseparable from F1, too. Watch brands work closely with virtually all the teams; both fans and drivers alike tend to be massive watch collectors, turning the F1 paddock into one of the premier watch-spotting locations in the world every weekend; and the development of the modern chronograph is tied to F1. What does this all mean? It means that T+T pays close attention to the F1, especially when it arrives in our backyard here in Melbourne. Borna and I will be at Albert Park all weekend – I’m currently camped out in the Mercedes lounge punching out articles in between free practice sessions – but we’ve already had the chance to talk watches with major motorsports figures.
First of all, on Thursday we were with Aston Martin for the reveal of the new Vantage, the British brand’s lithe coupe that’s been developed with tech from the brand’s F1 team. I had the chance to chat with Aston Martin’s Director of Design, Miles Nurnberger, who also happens to be a bit of a watch guy. He was wearing a Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph Aston Martin F1 Edition, which features a case made from forged carbon fibre recycled from Aston Martin’s 2021 F1 cars.
Miles, who’s worked across both Aston Martin’s motorsports and production car divisions, shared how Aston Martin’s relationship with Girard-Perregaux has been exceptionally inspirational for their motorsports division in particular. Racing teams are used to precision engineering, but there’s lots to learn from the insanely tight tolerances and ultra-fine machining that watchmakers work towards, he explained. Carbon fibre, titanium, silicon composites… These are all materials common to both motorsports and high-end watchmaking.
Thursday also saw Mercedes driver George Russell visit the IWC boutique in Chadstone, where the young gun spent some time doing a bit of retail therapy. George’s relationship with IWC goes back to before he joined Mercedes, actually – his grandfather and father both collected IWCs, so he’s always had a genuine love for the brand. He’s already got a few IWCs in his collection, but he ordered a Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 in Ceratanium after visiting the Chadstone boutique. He’s just been killing it in free practice so I suspect he’s got some good chances for quali tomorrow and the race on Sunday.
…And it’s only Friday. We’ll have even more watch content for you over the race weekend, so stay tuned to our socials to follow along.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Jamie
Watch meme of the week: good grief
View this post on Instagram
Not all Snoopy watches are made equal. The same goes for Disney watches: there’s a big difference between a Disney World quartz darling and a Gérald Genta. Apparently.
Wrist shot of the week: lights out and away we go
I’ve been wearing an IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition “Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team” all Friday, and there’s really no better watch to wear to an F1 race weekend. Revealed to the public ahead of the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, it’s actually Mercedes’ first-ever official team watch: it’s worn by all Mercedes team members, including designers, aerodynamicists, race engineers, strategists and mechanics. Keep an eye on the Mercedes mechanics during pit stops and you’ll see these babies. Me? It takes me an hour to change a tyre, but at least I can take a nice wrist shot.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: Baltic Bicompax 002 Gold PVD
Jack Heuer famously liked to gift gold Carreras to race-winning Formula 1 drivers, with stars like Niki Lauda, Jacky Ickx and Ronnie Peterson eagerly toting their gold Heuers. You don’t need to win an F1 race to get one of these winning Baltics, however. A classy chronograph aimed at the entry-level watch collector with its competitive price point, this Baltic’s PVD gold coating compliments the finishing on the dial, with the same brushed finish on the sector elements of the dial using the numerals and sub-dials, with the remaining elements of the dial having a gloss finish. Sporty yet dapper, this is one spraying some champagne over.
Pre-order now from the Time+Tide Shop or at our Melbourne Discovery Studio. Price: A$1,025.
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
The MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase finally brings Snoopy into the fray
We’ve all seen the fan mock-ups, read the rumours and guesses, but Snoopy has finally made his way onto a MoonSwatch dial. This time around though, it’s not just another new colourway or a new central seconds hand pattern, as Swatch is introducing a brand new complication. In a nod to many Omega Speedmaster models that took inspiration from NASA’s Silver Snoopy Award, the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase replaces the 10th of a second chronograph sub-dial of the regular model for – you guessed it – a moonphase. Borna’s got all the details here.
British watchmaking is back
Russell shares his wrap-up of British Watchmakers’ Day (of which Time+Tide was a supporting partner), which has just passed with a resounding success. From the brands who exhibited, the fans who attended and everyone else involved, the day appeared to go off without a hitch. There were over 1,300 people through the doors of the Royal Horticultural Halls, with queues around the block before it opened, and crowds seven deep at some of the stalls throughout the day. The energy and buzz generated in and around this event seemed to inject a lightning bolt of energy into the British watch industry, proving that this market is still full of passionate people from wide and varied demographics… And they were especially passionate for pizza watches. Read on here.
The Vulcain Grand Prix honours the brand’s award-winning history
It’s a Grand Prix weekend, so it only makes sense to talk about a watch called the Grand Prix! The revival of Vulcain has been joyful for the deep-cut watch nerds out there, as its legendary ‘Watch of Presidents’ Cricket is now once again available for the general public to buy. Coming from the same man who resurrected Nivada Grenchen, it’s clear that Vulcain is dedicated to maintaining their heritage favourites while bringing the quality up to 21st century standards. Given its name, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was a racing watch, but the Vulcain Grand Prix sheds some of the bells and whistles of the Cricket alarm model for a clean, sophisticated style. Read Buffy’s review of this new Vulcain here.