The most prestigious watch brands on the planet are an essential part of most timed sports events. Tour de France, sailing race, alpine skiing, athletics… Formula 1 is obviously no exception to the rule, and this, for many decades.
If TAG Heuer stands as a pioneer in this area, the Swiss brand finds itself in good company on the world championship circuits. As the 2024 F1 season has just started, here is a brief overview of the watchmaking companies that stand out in the paddocks and on the F1 single-seaters!
Rolex, the official sponsor of the F1 championship
Tennis with the Roland Garros and Wimbledon tournaments, sailing with the SailGP, motorsports with the World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Daytona (makes sense!) … Rolex is a major player in sports sponsorship and has been assuming the role of “Global Partner and Official Timekeeper of Formula 1” since 2013 every year.
All around the circuit, the iconic crown is omnipresent and at the start of each race, viewers can see the hand turning on a Rolex clock located at the edge of the track. Unlike other sponsors featured in this article, the brand therefore benefits from constant visibility… regardless of the winner’s name!
TAG Heuer, historic brand of Formula 1
For nearly 60 years, the name TAG Heuer has been inseparable from the world of Formula 1. The brand first conquered drivers with its Autavia chronograph, notably worn by Jo Siffert and then Mario Andretti. Then, it was iconic models like the Monaco and the Carrera that contributed to the popularity of the brand founded by Edouard Heuer in the paddocks.
In the 1980s, TAG Heuer went even further by launching for the first time a Formula 1 collection, becoming a few years later the official sponsor of the Monaco GP. In 2021, the brand became the official sponsor of the Red Bull Racing team. Therefore, it is quite logical that the logo proudly appears on the nose of the single-seaters and that world champion Max Verstappen walks around the paddocks with a gold Carrera on his wrist!
Richard Mille partners with Ferrari and McLaren
When we think of Richard Mille in the world of sports, it is often Rafael Nadal’s wrist that comes to mind. However, in recent years, it is particularly in the world of F1 that the brand has managed to stand out. Especially thanks to its RM UP-01 Ferrari watch, which has become the thinnest in the world.
Scuderia is not the only team to benefit from the support of Richard Mille, as the name of the Swiss house is also associated with McLaren since 2016. The presence of the watchmaking house in the world of Formula 1 is obviously not a coincidence, the brand having been one of the first to use graphene in its watches, a nanomaterial lighter but much more resistant than steel and which has revolutionized the design of single-seaters.
Tudor, the little sister of Rolex for the little sister of Red Bull
For several years now, Tudor has been making numerous forays into the sports world, with the Swiss brand even now having a cycling team in its name. A few weeks before the start of the 2024 season, Rolex’s little sister announced her return to the world of motor sports by partnering with the new Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team… the little sister of the Red Bull team!
For Tudor, it’s almost a return to its roots, as the brand had already been involved in mechanical sports in the 1960s. By partnering with a team in full reconstruction, led by two very media-friendly drivers (Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda), it is more than ever honouring its slogan Born to Dare, “born to dare”.
IWC, the savvy sponsor of Mercedes
Without making a noise, IWC has established itself as an indispensable brand in the world of F1. It must be said that the brand backed the right horse (not even rearing) by becoming the “official engineering partner” of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team since 2013.
Together, the two companies have monopolized all the world champion titles from 2014 to 2020, thanks to Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Moreover, IWC has managed to stand out thanks to a clever placement on the drivers’ gloves, giving the impression that they wear a watch while in the single-seater (a marketing strategy that gave other companies some ideas a few years later).
Girard Perregaux and Aston Martin, a duo tinted with elegance
Aston Martin returned to the Formula 1 grid in 2021 and this comeback coincided with a watchmaking partnership as discreet as it is effective with Girard-Perregaux. Like IWC, the Swiss brand has notably made its appearance on the gloves of the two drivers, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.
This fruitful collaboration has also given birth to some truly beautiful watches, such as the Neo Bridges Aston Martin Edition. This timepiece stands out for its reverse movement visible on the dial, bringing to the forefront components usually located on the back of the watch. And of course, it is enriched with touches of green, the emblematic color of Aston Martin. For watchmaking and F1 enthusiasts, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful watches of the season… though the green ceramic Laureato isn’t bad either!
Last lap for Rebellion Timepieces and Stake F1 Team
We wrap up this overview of the F1 stables sponsored by a watch brand with Stake F1 Team, the new name of the Alfa Romeo Racing team, which is owned by Sauber and is expected to become Audi by 2026… To complicate matters further, one of its partners is Rebellion, an independent Swiss brand founded in 2008 that has always maintained close ties with auto racing.
Indeed, the company “has decided to focus exclusively on activities related to the automotive field” and has announced the end of watchmaking activities for Rebellion Timepieces SA. The black and green single-seaters therefore join the 3 teams not associated with watch brands in 2024: Alpine, whose partnership with Bell & Ross (which had succeeded Tissot) ended a few months ago, Williams (formerly sponsored by Oris, then Bremont) and Haas (which could count on the support of the Swiss brand Cyrus in 2021).