Car Tribute Watches

Cars and watches have a long history together as two of man’s greatest and most desired creations. Countless watches have been designed as homages to great racing cars, teams and tracks. Practically every model released by Tag Heuer from 1960 though 1980 was named after a famed racetrack or car: the Jarama, the Carrera, the Camaro, the Monaco, the Autavia, the Silverstone, etc.  

Recently, we’ve seen a resurgence of auto-inspired horology and many of the watches you see every day have automotive undertones. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the most impressive, interesting and unique automotive-inspired timepieces.

The IWC Grosse Ingenieur AMG

This version of the IWC classic was given only to the owners of the limited edition SL 63 AMG IWC Mercedes-Benz roadster. There are only 200 of these cars in existence and thus, only 200 of these watches. It is an understated piece that closely resembles the colour scheme of the roadster’s interior. It is unavailable for purchase, but similar models run between £7,000 and £12,000.

Ferrari Perpetual Calendar by Panerai

Ferrari has had a few partners in watchmaking in the past few years, none being more visible than Italian powerhouse Panerai. While few people bought these watches with the Prancing Horse on them (unless they own a car with the same horse), the Perpetual Calendar model is an impressive timepiece. It holds the ability to retain accuracy (date included) for 100 years without having to be reset, hence the name “Perpetual Calendar.”  It retails for around £18,000, but hey, if you can afford a Ferrari, chances are you can afford the watch that goes with it.

Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo

While Lamborghini is not exactly a wallflower of a car company, this limited edition Blancpain Super Trofeo is shockingly sleek and reserved. Only 300 will be made, and the first lot will be given to racers on Lamborghini’s own circuit, what it claims to be the most demanding single manufacturer race circuit in the world. The price of the Super Trofeo is around £13,000.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Aston Martin AMVOX DBS Transponder

Let’s be honest, if James Bond had a choice, he’d be wearing this Jaeger-LeCoultre, not an Omega Seamaster. This rare watch has the ability to be synced up with Aston Martin’s top-of-the-line DBS coupe so that pressing the glass on the watch’s face actually locks and unlocks the doors. If that isn’t cool, we don’t know what is.

More car tribute watches after the jump...

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