Top Watches at Italian Grand Prix 2022

The Italian Grand Prix that has been run since 1921 and is the sixth oldest national Grand Prix. it was the most frequently held Grand Prix in 2013. 

Also, it is one of the two Grand Prix that has been held as part of the Formula One World Championship Grand Prix every season since the championship’s inception in 1950.

The Italian Grand Prix 2022 (officially known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d’Italia 2022) was held on Sunday, 11 September 2022 at the Monza Circuit in Monza, Italy.

As usual, I have spotted some top watches during the event. Short spoiler: Formula One drivers seem to be obsessed with Richard Mille.

Max Verstappen topped Charles LeClerc at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix and with this, he earned his 11th win of the 2022 Formula One season.

Celebrating his win after defeating LeClerc, he was seen wearing his unique TAG Heuer Monaco special edition ‘Max Verstappen’ in DLC titanium CBL2180-FC497-MV.

The watch is inspired by the Heuer Monaco “Dark Lord” and is manufactured of Grade 2 titanium and coated in DLC. The end result is a deep, rich color accented by rose gold indexes and hands. The watch is designed to depict the Principality's opulence and the dangers of racing on its famed circuit.

This personalized model was made in one piece only to mark a triumphant weekend for Oracle Red Bull Racing. Verstappen’s model has the number ‘1’ on the dial and the case back, reflecting his race number.

Charles LeClerc, the 24-year-old Monegasque racing driver, currently racing for Scuderia Ferrari, was seen wearing his unique Richard Mille 67-02 ‘Charles LeClerc’ during the Italian Grand Prix.

Although the watch is not equipped with exciting complications, it still fully epitomes the concept of a sports watch which is light, resistant, and designed to excel in every aspect.

Weighing a mere of 32 g, thanks to the combination of TPT composite materials, grade 5 titanium, and the elastic wristband, the RM 67-02 is claimed as the lightest automatic watch of the brand.

The skeletonized dial is created by starting with a very thin titanium plate that is barely four-tenths of an mm thick and precisely working it to recall the geometries of the underlying mechanism. The dial will then be hand-painted and finished.

Looking at the strap and the lugs of his wristwatch, George Russell’s racing companion seems to be an IWC Pilot Chronograph on a black strap. Some may say it looks large on his wrist, but I humbly disagree when paired with that white linen shirt and shades.

This model is presented in a striking 43 mm stainless steel case and features a sophisticated black dial equipped with a date window at 3 o’clock, small hacking hands, chronograph functionality, three sub-dials and protective sapphire crystal glass.

Russell’s watch is enhanced by a 44-hour power reserve and a screw-down crown.

Retail price: CHF 6,100.

Carlos Sainz Jr. is a Spanish racing driver currently competing in F1 for Scuderia Ferrari alongside his teammate Charles LeClerc. He is the son of Carlos Sainz Sr., a double World Rally Champion.

During the Italian Grand Prix 2022, he was seen wearing the same Richard Mille 67-02 as Charles LeClerc. However, his RM 67-02 has a different colour combination, red-yellow-black that was actually made for German tennis star Alexander Zverev.

Sir Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes is currently the luxury watch IWC Schaffhausen brand ambassador. During the Grand Prix in Italy, he was seen wearing a beautiful IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar Special Edition ‘Lewis Hamilton’ IW503002.

I personally really like the red-gold colour combination. It simply looks loud and stunning. However, I don’t like the fact that the watch is big. It has the oversized 46.5 mm and an almost 16 mm height (OMG!)

Well, it makes sense since this is a perpetual calendar, one of the watch complications, and, of course, this complication is made out of many components. Therefore, the watch is thick. BUT if we look at the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, the model has a 10 mm height that makes it 6 mm thinner than Hamilton’s watch. That is why Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar’s retail price is 3x higher than Hamilton’s €52,600 IWC.

Sergio “Checo” Perez is a Mexican racing driver who races for Red Bull F1 team.

Identifying which watches he worn in Monza is really hard because I couldn’t find better pictures rather than this one. However, I am very sure that it is a TAG Heuer Carrera. At first I thought it was TAG Heuer Carrera Tourbillon ‘Sergio Perez’ with the black case, lugs, and straps. But if you look at the picture, the lugs are not black. So, my best guess is the TAG Heuer Carrera Tourbillon ‘Roberto Joyero.’

The watch has a 45 mm titanium case with an openworked dial. It features a tourbillon at 6 o’clock, subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock to measure the chronograph minutes and hours respectively.

Retail price: €18,050.

Similar to LeClerc’s Richard Mille, Lando Norris also owns an RM 67-02. Norris’ RM is also a custom watch with orange details, and it was made in his McLaren team colour. 

French racing driver competing currently for Scuderia Alpha Tauri, Pierre Gasly, owns one of my favourite watches. It is definitely a Santos de Cartier in stainless steel on his wrist. I’m assuming his Cartier is the medium one (35.1 mm). However, I think both size would perfectly fit his wrist.

The watch has a silvered opaline dial and steel sword-shaped hands white dial on his wrist. It has a steel bracelet with SmartLink adjustment system.

The Santos de Cartier is definitely a well-known timepiece. It is likely one of the brand’s best-selling men’s models. It is stylish yet sporty, sophisticated yet informal. Top watch!

Retail price: $6,800.

Dutch racing driver, Nyck de Vries, currently drives for Williams, a team that is sponsored by the watch brand Bremont.

In the picture from the Italian Grand Prix 2022 in Monza, he was seen wearing the Bremont Supermarine Chronograph, the brand’s first sports chronograph in the iconic Supermarine dive collection.

The Bremont Supermarine dive collection was named as a tribute to the iconic British aircraft manufacturer responsible for the Supermarine S6B Schneider Trophy Seaplane and of course the incredible Supermarine Spitfire.

Retail price: $6,795.

Official timekeeper of Alfa Romeo F1 team, Rebellion, unveiled two special series dedicated to Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas during the Monaco F1 Grand Prix earlier this year. Each model, limited to 50 pieces, embodies a part of the drivers’ car. Both retails for CHF59,000 pretax.

Last Sunday, the Chinese driver for Alfa Romeo, was spotted wearing his Rebellion Re-Volt Zhou Guanyu C42. Zhou’s model is highlighted with red. Fragments of the sidepod of his car were taken and incorporated into his model.

The Valtteri Bottas timepiece is adorned with shades of white and grey, compared to red highlights on Zhou’s model. Touches of blue or the omnipresence of carmine on the openwork dial, bridges, and hands evoke the racers’ respective flags. The tinted tiny seconds disc resembles their race car’s wheels.

The signature of Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu decorates the sapphire crystal to emphasize the one-of-a-kind nature of this limited edition. The back is also adorned with the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN logo. The serial number and the edition number, X/50, are also printed on the back of the case.

Which one do you prefer: The Valtteri Bottas or the Zhou Guanyu?

It is not surprising to see French racing driver Esteban Ocon who competes for Alpine in Formula One wearing a Bell and Ross watch because Alpine is currently supported by the French watch brand.

During the latest race in Italy, Esteban wore the (I’m assuming) BR 03-94 A521. Bell and Ross has developed a collection of watches inspired by the graphic charter of the Alpine team. Alpine’s visual identity, particularly its core color code of blue, black, and white, is reflected on the dials of these sporty clocks.

Retail price: €6,300.

In 2021, CYRUS Geneve officially .announced a new partnership with the Uralkali Haas F1 Team. And we know that the Haas team consists of the young and promising drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher.

During the Grand Prix Italy 2022 last Sunday, 11 September 2022, the son of Michael Schumacher was spotted wearing the CYRUS Klepcys Dice double chronograph in black DLC titanium.

The model has another version that is in polished-brushed titanium. Each piece is a limited edition of 50 pcs.

The acronym KLEPCYS DICE stands for Klepcys Double Independent Chronograph Evolution. As the name implies, it is a development of the traditional chronograph. JEAN-FRANCOIS MOJON, a master watchmaker, has converted it into a double chronograph capable of measuring two brief intervals of time independently or in synchrony.

Retail price (black DLC titanium): $37,700.
Retail price (titanium): $36,700.

Daniel Ricciardo, an Italian-Australian Formula One driver for McLaren under the Australian flag, was spotted wearing a ‘not-for-the-market’ Richard Mille RM67-02 in quartz and carbon TPT with orange embellishments, designed in his team’s colors. However, he seemed to change the strap to green.

The case and rubber band weigh only 32 grams, making it one of the lightest watches on the market. I wonder how much it would cost if it was available on the market.

Canadian-Belgian racer Lance Stroll, competing for Aston Martin under the Canadian flag in Formula One, was seen wearing his green Girard Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph Aston Martin F1 Edition that matches his green shirt.

Its composition blends titanium powder and carbon elements taken from two F1 race cars used during the 2021 season, representing a first in the watch industry.

The dial is embellished with cross-hatching, a feature that may be traced back to the Aston Martin ‘AMä logo of 1921.

Furthermore, it has open-worked hands to add a sporty touch to the design.

To reflect the look of the Aston Martin F1 car, the chronograph hands are identified with a splash of lime. The central chronograph hand’s counterweight is modeled after the side strakes found on many Aston Martin road cars.

The 44 mm watch is limited to 306 pieces and retails for $27,800.

The 41-year-old Spanish racing driver Fernando Alonso currently drives for Alpine in Formula One. It was hard to tell which watch was seen on his wrist, but my best guess is the Richard Mille 11-03 McLaren. It would also make sense since Alonso used to drive for McLaren.

The watch was created in collaboration between Richard Mille and McLaren. The RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren released at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show is their first jointly commissioned timepiece.

The carbon TPT case is interlaced with orange quartz TPT, resulting in a very durable and lightweight case that pays homage to an iconic McLaren colour. The carbon TPT improves the RM 11-03’s mechanical performance and resistance to harsh environments.

Previously, German racer Sebastian Vettel drove for Ferrari and he was often seen wearing the sponsor Hublot’s Big Bang smart watch.  

This season, he belongs to Aston Martin which is sponsored by Girard Perregaux. However, in Italy last weekend, he was seen wearing a digital watch Garmin Forerunner 935. I was asking myself why he didn’t wear any Girard Perregaux watch like his fellow Aston Martin, Lance Stroll?

The watch is basically a premium running and triathlon watch that features advanced running dynamics, a wrist heart rate monitor, etc.

Retail price: $499.

Christian Horner is a British former racing driver and current Team Principal of the Red Bull F1 team since 2005, winning nine world titles.

During the race in Italy, he was seen sporting a TAG Heuer Chronograph on a brown alligator leather.

The 42mm watch features a silver sunray dial that radiates luxury, thanks to 5N rose gold plated adorned indexes, minute, central and hour hands. It also has fine-brushed steel case with steel crown, two push buttons and a screw-down sapphire case back.

Retail price: $5,600.

Attending the Italian Grand Prix 2022 in Monza, British chef, restaurateur and television personality Gordon Ramsay, was seen sporting his IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Edition ‘Tribute to Mark XI’ IW327007 on a green olive strap.

The Swiss watchmaker introduced the $4,900 timepiece as a Re-issue version of its classic Mark XI model from 1948, also known as one of the building stones of its iconic pilot watch concept.

The 40 mm stainless steel watch’s case is fully matt finished, and it is water resistant to 60 m which is, of course, slightly weaker by today’s standards.

Except for a few modifications, the dial resembles the original edition. At first glance, the new model’s dial displays the brand’s current emblem, whereas the original 1948 version displays the vintage logo. Many Re-Issue and Heritage models from different brands stay loyal to the timepieces they have been inspired by in terms of aesthetics, and the era-matching logo is one of those details.

Meeting his fellow French, Pierre Gasly, the football player who currently belongs to AC Milan, Olivier Giroud, was seen flexing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Openworked 15407BC.

The 18-carat white gold case glittering with frosted gold enhances the artistry of the openworked dial. The double balance wheel, visible on both sides of the watch, improves accuracy. The watch features a hammered 18-carat white gold case.

Retail price: $82,600.

Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who currently plays as a striker for AC Milan, attended the event. In the picture, when signing an autograph for his fan, we can see the beautiful Rolex Daytona Rainbow 116595RBOW in Rose Gold on his wrist.

The watch is set with 47 sapphires: 36 baguette-cut sapphires decorate the bezel in Rainbow colours, and 11 additional colourful sapphires serve as the hour markers.

The watch is currently selling between $500,000 to $700,000 (or probably more) on the secondary market, depending on which model. The rose gold reference has the highest market price compared to the yellow gold and white gold version.

The legendary actor Sylvester Stallone seems to be a huge fan of Formula One. He was seen attending the Italian Grand Prix 2022 last weekend. What interests the watch enthusiasts is the watch on his wrist: The stainless steel Rolex Daytona 6241 ‘Paul Newman’ black dial.

The Daytona 6241 is an extremely appealing variation of the model. It’s perfectly proportioned, and the combination of pump pushers and plexy bezel makes it a really wearable watch.

Stallone knows the best!

All pictures were taken from Getty Images.