The Formula 1 Championship of watch brands goes to…

Ricardo Sime

This past Sunday was the conclusion of one of the most fiercely contested years of Formula 1 racing. On the recently revised Yas Marina track of Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen was able to grab the Drivers’ Championship for Red Bull. Point-scoring efforts from Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were able to secure the Constructors’ Championship. Yet beyond the battles won on the track, we’re also interested in the battle of the wrists. So we’ve compiled our list of the top five in the Formula 1 Championship of watch brands.

#5 – Bell & Ross sponsoring Alpine F1

Driver Esteban Ocon wearing Bell & Ross BR 03-94 R.S.20 Limited Edition Automatic Chronograph

These two French brands came together and saw amazing results. With the first place win that driver Esteban Ocon was able to secure in Hungary, the Alpine team was able to beat their mid-pack rivals, Aston Martin and Alpha Tauri. With this success, Bell & Ross should be able to capitalise with recent wrist-bound bangers like the BR 05 GMT and BR 03-94 Horolum.

#4 Richard Mille sponsoring McLaren

Driver Lando Norris wearing the Richard Mille RM 11-03

Nothing has been the same since driver Lando Norris lost what was a seemingly guaranteed victory in the rain at the Russian Grand Prix. The second half of the season has been nothing but heartbreak, bad luck and missed opportunities. Though happy to be in the top five, losing to their rival Ferrari has definitely soured things. For sponsor Richard Mille, these failures seem to be nothing but a small footnote in their relationship. The brand is just that good at selling watches right now. So good that without blinking, they replaced Lando Norris’ stolen watch from the Euro 2020 final before the next race.

#3 Richard Mille sponsoring Scuderia Ferrari

Driver Carlos Sainz wearing the Richard Mille RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal

Well, of course Richard Mille has no issues with McLaren’s failures. They insured themselves by sponsoring both teams. So with Ferrari experiencing the opposite this season (slow start, strong finish), the watch brand still found itself in a winning position. With young drivers at both teams, they’ll reap the benefits of this set-up for years to come.

#2 Tag Heuer Sponsoring Red Bull

Driver Max Verstappen wearing the Tag Heuer Monaco Titan Special Edition

TAG Heuer ends the 2021 season tied to a team who highlighted one of the best Formula 1 seasons of all time. Dozens of podiums guaranteed that the brand secured prime post-race placement during celebrations and interviews. This five-year partnership has really paid dividends for TAG Heuer, and with them now sponsoring Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, the sky is the limit.

#1 IWC Schaffhausen sponsoring Mercedes-AMG F1

Driver Lewis Hamilton wearing the IWC Lewis Hamilton “Black Lives Matter” Ceratanium

For one of the oldest relationships in F1, 2021 has been a bittersweet year. Though winners of the Constructors’ (team) Championship, the Drivers’ championship was lost on the last lap of the year. Yet, even with this mix bag of results, IWC still benefits tremendously from this relationship especially being tied to one of only two drivers to ever win the championship seven times. Until Mercedes is no longer successful (something we are probably years away from seeing), IWC will continue to hold the top spot in the Formula 1 Championship of watch brands. Especially with some of their recent releases, like the smaller sized Big Pilot and upgraded Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41.