Pre-Owned Picks — Forza Ferrari Watches
This week, in Pre-owned Picks, I am highlighting four watches with Ferrari co-branding spanning more than four decades.
The news of Sebastian Vettel leaving the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team this season, whatever is left of it, had me thinking about what Ferrari means to F1. The team from Maranello is the most successful in terms of driver’s and constructor’s championships. But they transcend any other team when it comes to prestige. F1 without Ferrari is not F1 to me.
Credit: Edwin van Nes – www.dacorsa.net
Classic racing chronographs
The Formula One YouTube channel has been replaying classic races from previous seasons the past few months. The 2003 British Grand Prix was a particularly exciting race to re-watch. Rubens Barrichello was at one with his Ferrari machine and secured a dominant and defiant victory. As he stepped on the podium, I noticed the Girard-Perregaux on his wrist, which inspired me to look back at the different partnerships between high-end brands and the famous Prancing Horse.
Before we start, my focus is on luxury timepieces that associate with the motorsport side of Ferrari. The Italian marque offers quartz chronographs in its online store alongside T-shirts and rucksacks. But here, I am more interested in the high-end brands a driver would wear to celebrate a podium place and drench in champagne.
All watches are pre-owned and picked from Chrono24. Every week we pick a few pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest market place for wristwatches in the world — watches that we love ourselves, or think they will be interesting to you. So, to be clear, we picked the watches, Chrono24 only send us the images without their watermark and in a proper resolution.
Cartier Ferrari — Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari from 1983–1993
First up is a rather unusual looking piece. You would be forgiven for not knowing which brand even created this watch just by looking at it. Above is the Cartier Ferrari chronograph powered by a quartz movement. There are no less than four Ferrari logos; two on the gold-toned bezel, one on the dial, and one on the clasp. Yet, there is no mention of Cartier.
Asymmetrical bracelet
That is actually because Baume & Mercier made this particular watch. Cartier was in the process of absorbing Piaget, which also owned Baume & Mercier before becoming known as the Richemont Group. It was a transitional time, and the asymmetry of the bracelet links and dial layout certainly displays that. However, it is a slice of history for an approachable price. Check out the link for the Chrono24 listing here.
Girard-Perregaux Chronograph F1-2000 — Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari from 1994–2004
Next up is fine Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux. In 1992, dearly departed Italian, Luigi Macaluso, assumed the role of President of the Sowind Group that owned Girard-Perregaux. He was keen to align his brands with his friend and then President of Ferrari, Luca di Montezemolo. In 1994, the collaboration commenced, and GPs were soon adorned with the Ferrari badge on the dials.
Championship success for Ferrari came in 2000 following a two-decade slump
The watch I selected from 2000 came during a time of the F1 team’s renaissance. The early to mid-90s were marred by a bit of slump in performance. That all changed when Michael Schumacher joined in 1996 and started shaping the team around him. His desire to win made the team the very best. 2000 was the first championship win for Ferrari since 1979, which would kickstart a row of five back-to-back championship successes.
This particular chronograph has the classic compax layout with a lovely panda dial on a sharp-looking bracelet. I find it a little less garish than the models with red sub-dials. This piece can be found on Chrono24 with box and papers here.
Panerai Ferrari Scuderia Chronograph — Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari from 2005–2011
Those of you paying attention may have noticed a trend emerging. The brands above had a ten-year deal with Ferrari. Yet, Panerai lasted only six. That is surely a surprise. Panerai is, after all, about as quintessentially Italian as Ferrari itself. And yet, somehow, it did not stay the course. Looking at the watches, I can see why.
A collaboration needs to be more than just a logo on the dial
Panerai was hot in the early 2000s. Obtaining one earned tremendous respect amongst wristwatch enthusiasts, even spawning a group known as Paneristi. The Ferrari watches did not capitalize on this burgeoning trend. The designs felt like an afterthought, and the combination somehow lost the spirit of both brands. Viewing these watches again, I can sense my opinion slowly changing. This automatic chronograph has a delicate balance of sporty yellow accents with a classic cushion shape. The Panerai Ferrari Scuderia Chronograph can be found on Chrono24 here with box and papers.
Hublot Big Bang Ferrari Carbon — Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari from 2011–Present
This brings us to the latest and current Ferrari team and watches collab. Hublot often gets a lot of flack for its more overt creations. Sometimes, the results can resemble a science experiment gone wrong. This Big Bang Ferrari, however, is pure fire to me. A titanium case. A glistening carbon bezel infused with metal flakes. And the only giveaway that this is a collab piece? The Prancing Horse tucked to the side of the skeletonized dial. Class all round.
Hublot and Ferrari share a creative vision
The Hublot-Ferrari partnership is certainly a success story. How do I measure success? Not by sales, but by a shared creative vision. Hublot’s willingness to work with Ferrari to develop 56-day, multi-barrel timepieces that break power reserve records. Even allowing Pininfarina, Ferrari’s elite coachbuilder, to design concepts far beyond traditional Swiss watch construction.
The Pininfarina designed Hublot Techframe
Ferrari is not about looking backward at its classic sleek vehicles and recreating them for the future. The team strives for technical innovation and high performance. This is why Hublot and Ferrari make perfect sense. This Hublot Big Bang Ferrari Carbon has the more familiar Big Bang shape with horizontally-orientated numerals. The watch can be found on Chrono24 here.
Happy hunting!
