Watches and cars are a marriage made in heaven. Of course I didn’t understand the connection when I was young and stupid. The revelation hit me one day years ago, about the same time I realized the Tom Petty hit ‘Runnin down a Dream’ wasn’t ‘Runnin down the Drain.’ I couldn’t figure out why that song wasn’t every plumber's anthem.
Some of the greatest watchmakers, Rolex and IWC Schaffhausen for example, were founded about the same time Karl Benz and Henry Ford were building the first cars and revolutionizing transportation. It seems only natural these two worlds would collide. Speed quickly became a selling point for automakers and a watch was the best way to measure that speed. As cars got faster and the margin of winning was determined by fractions of a second, more precise time pieces were required.
You could look at it this way, too: automobiles and watches are precision and in many cases beautifully designed machines.
By the 1960’s, the relationship between the two was forever cemented as the winningest race car drivers of that era were seen wearing many of the top watch brands we see advertised today. They have a connection to just about every high-end auto auction and racing event around the world.
One of my prized possessions is a watch given to me by a friend and business partner. At the time, like a dumb shit, I didn’t see the obvious connection between our two worlds.The two hemispheres of my brain failed me. I’m into cars and he’s obsessed with watches and that’s that. I didn’t consciously stop to realize the meaning behind his extremely generous gift and how it played perfectly into the business venture we were about to start together. Again, I’m a dumb shit. The watch was designed by famous Formula One race car driver Michael Schumacher who won seven World Championships between 1994 and 2004. I love that watch, even though I must admit, if it was a race car I would have crashed a long time ago. I’m still trying to figure out all of the controls.
That gorgeous watch is also a reminder that time is ticking and I have to start making money for the company. Metaphorically speaking, we’re in the pits right now and the pit crew is racing to change out the tires and refuel before we hit the track again with a new direction and better vision. We’re still in the race!
-CJ