IMAGO / Pro Shots
Max Verstappen has recently received a customized $138,000 Tag Heuer Monaco split-second watch. The Swiss brand gifted the Dutchman this watch to celebrate his accomplishments in motorsports. Prior to Verstappen, Tag Heuer have made custom-made watches for several F1 legends previously. They include the likes of Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna.
The watch Verstappen received is absolutely stunning as it contains several elements, all of which summarize his achievements since he got into F1. For example, Verstappen’s timepiece has the words – “World Champion – Max Verstappen” – engraved on the case back.
Additionally, his iconic lion head logo and his name are mentioned at 3’o clock. Meanwhile, at 1’0 clock, Verstappen’s car number, 1, is mentioned in bold red.
Last but not least, his three world championship victories are mentioned at 9’0 clock. Since Red Bull has been associated with Tag Heuer since the 2016 season, Verstappen can hope to have many more such partnerships with the Swiss brand if he continues to perform at a high level.
However, it is pertinent to note that Verstappen is not the only driver who has a custom-made watch. The likes of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc also have custom-made watches for them.
F1 drivers often flaunt watches of their team’s official timekeepers
Charles Leclerc, for example, has had a collaboration with Richard Mille for the longest of times. The Swiss watch brand made the RM UP-01 Ferrari for Leclerc, their thinnest timepiece. The size of this watch is just 1.75mm.
Only 150 of these watches have been made and they cost $2 million each. Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz, also owns the same watch.
Among the other drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have had a partnership with IWC. According to Robb Report, Hamilton worked closely with IWC to make the IWC Portugieser Tourbillon.
This custom-made watch of his has his name and his car number 44. Since this watch was made in close collaboration with Hamilton, IWC decided to produce only 44. This watch costs $175,000.