Time Travel: Watches Built for Speed

The relationship between performance cars and mechanical watches is closer than you might think. Both have to be meticulously designed to ensure good performance, reliability and visual stimulation, and both require the skill and precision of a craftsman who’s mastered the age old art of putting things together by hand. Indeed, the world of watches often finds itself taking inspiration from cars and motorsport, and vice versa. Tag Heuer’s blue-dialled, left hand crown Monaco watch sells by the truck load because it was worn by Steve McQueen in motorsport movie Le Mans. Brands often produce timepieces that reference cars too, and if executed well they exude a charm and romance that reminds one of the soft burr of a Jaguar V12 idle or the inviting leather interior of a Ferrari 275. That is not to take away the potential of the hyper-modern, technology-driven watches inspired by the likes of Formula One and rallying though. Here are six new motorsport-themed watches that The Rake are lusting after.