TRACK TIME
THIS SEASON, THE BEST OF AUTO-INSPIRED AND RACING WATCHES HIT THE OPEN ROAD WITH SPEED AND STYLE.
The best of auto-inspired and racing watches hit the open road with speed and style.
Automobile enthusiasts’ tight bond with timepieces dates to the earliest days of motor sports. Drivers would strap big, bulky pocket watches to their wrists to measure timing and speed while maneuvering new race tracks or hitting a straightaway on a dusty back road. But as car and timepiece technologies advanced, drivers began looking to watchmakers for pieces that met their specific needs. Watch brands not only responded to this call but drew from it, with autodesign inspiration informing
1. Baume & Mercier unveiled the Clifton Club Shelby Cobra 1964 ($4,450) at this year’s SIHH in honor of Peter Brock, Ken Miles, Carroll Shelby and the Shelby Racing Team who designed and built the first American car to win its class at La Mans in 1964. The watch features an automatic Valijoux 7750 movement, a polished and satin-finished stainless steel case and a sun satin-finished Daytona blue dial engraved with the piece’s number in a limited- edition of 1,964 pieces.
AS TECHNOLOGIES ADVANCED, DRIVERS BEGAN LOOKING TO WATCHMAKERS FOR PIECES THAT MET THEIR NEEDS.
Bernie Robbins Jewelers, 507 New Road, Somers Point, NJ, 609-9274848; baume-et-mercier.com
2. Rolex introduced the first Cosmograph Dayton in 1963 to satisfy the demands of professional drivers. This Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona in 18- carat white gold ($28,800), introduced this year at Baselworld, continues that tradition with its perpetual, selfwinding mechanical chronograph movement powered by its 4130 Manufacture Rolex calibre. The watch has a 72-hour power reserve and is waterproof to 100 meters. Benari Jewelers, 299 Main St., Exton, 610-363- 8450; rolex.com some of history’s most highly engineered and iconic pieces. (In many instances, watchmakers teamed up with automakers, racing teams, or races to create ticking tributes to them.) Some of the world’s most illustrious brands have revisited this racing tradition for summer, debuting exceptional timepieces that double as copilots when the need for speed strikes. For more watch features and expanded coverage go to phillystylemag.com/ watches-and-jewelry.
3. Among myriad racing laurels, TAG Heuer holds the title of Official Timekeeper of the legendary Carrera Panamericana, giving this TAG Heuer
Carrera Calibre 1887 ($7,500) part of its name. The watch’s Swiss made calibre 1887 automatic movement provides the rest. The black dial has a sunray effect with three counters: chronograph minute at 9 o’clock, chronograph hour at 3 o’clock, and running second at 6 o’clock. This watch has a 50-hour power reserve. Bernie Robbins Jewelers, 775 E. Lancaster Ave., Villanova, 610-9712446; tagheuer.com
Created to celebrate the new Bentley Continental Supersports, the fastest Bentley ever built, the
Breitling for Bentley Supersports B55 ($7,785) made its debut at this spring’s Baselworld. The sporty chronograph features an ultra-light titanium case and carbon fiber dial, a connected B55 movement that allows the wearer to access functions dedicated to motorsports that connects to their smartphone. Created in a limited-edition of 500 pieces.
Benari Jewelers, 3606 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, 610-355-1800; breitling.com