Luxury Watches to Spot on Formula 1 Drivers in 2025: Trackside Timepieces

Formula 1 is a sport obsessed with time. Milliseconds separate winners from the rest of the pack, and every lap is a race against the clock. It’s no surprise then that the sport isn’t just for gearheads—it’s also a lot of fun for watch spotters. Besides the fast cars and celebrities, the timepieces that grace each multimillion-dollar race attract a lot of attention too.

From drivers wearing impact-resistant Richard Milles as daily beaters, to VVIPs rocking ultra-rare grande complications, every timepiece tells a story of speed, precision engineering and personal style. Let’s take a closer look at the watches worn by some of F1’s biggest stars.

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Lewis Hamilton and Richard Mille: A Champion's Choice

While with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and his teammate George Russell were known to wear a diverse array of IWC timepieces, including high complications like the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition ‘Lewis Hamilton’ and the Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph. Since joining Ferrari, he’s been seen with both the light and dark versions of the pricey RM 74-02, along with Leclerc’s namesake RM 67-02. We’ve a gut feel that Hamilton will be wearing the recently dropped RM 43-01 at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, while Leclerc will wear the new RM 72-01 ‘Charles Leclerc’. Outside of Hamilton’s sponsorship, he favours Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks and Patek Philippe Nautiluses.

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Charles Leclerc and Richard Mille: The Avant-Garde Edge

Ferrari’s wonder kid, Charles Leclerc, is an ambassador for the avant-garde watch brand Richard Mille. Leclerc, a long-time member of the Richard Mille family, is often seen with his signature RM 67-02 ‘Charles Leclerc’, a lightweight, ergonomic timepiece designed to withstand the rigors of F1 racing. He is also seen wearing other RM models including the RM50-04 Tourbillon Split Seconds, RM35-03 ‘Rafael Nadal’, and the ultra-exclusive RM UP-01 Ferrari. Besides his Richard Mille collection, he also owns a Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time.

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Max Verstappen and TAG Heuer: A Winning Combination

As a four-time world champion, Max Verstappen is the undisputed king of the F1 track. His long-standing partnership with TAG Heuer is a natural fit, as both are synonymous with precision and performance. Verstappen is frequently spotted wearing various models from the iconic Monaco collection, a Grand Prix-inspired icon that Steve McQueen famously wore in the movie Le Mans. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali loves this watch too. He also likes to wear his sponsor’s 'Jack Heuer' Carrera, ‘Glassbox’ Carrera Chronograph, along with his eponymous F1 Calibre 16 Max Verstappen and its Monaco version. Off duty, Verstappen is known to whip out his Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronographs and Rolex Daytonas.

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Lando Norris and Richard Mille: A Youthful Partnership

McLaren’s young star, Lando Norris, is another driver with a strong connection to Richard Mille. Norris regularly switches between several Richard Mille timepieces like the RM11-03 'McLaren' and RM 67-02 ‘Lando Norris’. Beyond wearing his sponsor’s watches, Norris has a personal affinity for Audemars Piguet, often seen with the Royal Oak Offshore and Royal Oak Chronograph models. He takes out his Rolex ‘Pepsi’ every now and then too.

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Valtteri Bottas and Sarpaneva: A Finnish Connection

Valtteri Bottas, once synonymous with Oris during his tenure with Williams and Mercedes, has since embraced his home country’s haute horlogerie brand, Sarpaneva. In collaboration with Sarpaneva's S.U.F Helsinki line, Bottas co-designed the Flying Finn VB77, a limited edition of 77 pieces, which is Bottas’s racing number. He's been seen rocking this timepiece lately, which is openworked in unusual fashion to showcase its intriguing date wheel—this hand-finished date wheel reads ‘77’ on the 7th day of the month, which is Bottas’s racing number.

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Pierre Gasly and H. Moser & Cie: A Fusion of Style and Engineering

H. Moser & Cie just released a limited edition dedicated to Pierre Gasly. Designed in collaboration with the Alpine driver, the Streamliner Tourbillon Pierre Gasly is driven by the in-house HMC 805 calibre manufactured by Moser-owned Precision Engineering AG, which features a one-minute flying tourbillon and dual hairsprings. Gasly unveiled this limited-edition timepiece on 1st October 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Singapore, just ahead of the Singapore Night Race. The watch will be offered in a rubber-strap variant (100 pieces) and a red-gold bracelet version (10 pieces). The latter has a ruby at its 10 o’clock, in homage to Gasly’s racing number.

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Honourable Mentions: The Paddock's Watch Enthusiasts

The F1 paddock is full of watch enthusiasts. Here are a few other notable drivers and their timepieces:

• Daniel Ricciardo: The ever-popular "Honey Badger" is a serious watch collector, with a collection that includes rare pieces from Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet.
• George Russell: As a driver for Mercedes, George Russell is an ambassador for IWC Schaffhausen. He is often seen wearing various models from the Pilot's Watch collection.
• Sebastian Vettel: The now-retired four-time World Champion was an ambassador for Zenith during his time with Aston Martin, and was often seen wearing the Chronomaster Sport.

The world of Formula 1 and luxury watches is a match made in heaven. Both are driven by a passion for performance, precision, and style. The next time you're watching a Grand Prix, be sure to pay close attention to the wrists of the drivers—you might just spot your grail watch.

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