Formula 1 and luxury watches go hand in hand, and the sport’s most successful driver has taken things to the next level.
Lewis Hamilton has had to put on a luxury timepiece every time he’s stepped out of a cockpit for the past 18 years, but even he was probably taken aback by his latest at F1 75.
Hamilton wore his second of two six-figure Richard Mille watches at the O2
Hamilton wore his second of two six-figure Richard Mille watches at the O2Credit: Getty
The Brit and his 19 competitors were unveiled at a star-studded event at the O2 as, for the first time, the entire grid launched their liveries for 2025 in the same venue.
Hamilton was understandably the centre of attention, given it was fans’ first chance to see him in the red of Ferrari after he united with the sport’s most legendary team.
And on his wrist was one of the reasons he may have decided to go there.
Eagle-eyed purveyors of luxury goods were keeping their eyes out for one of the most opulent parts of the sport, and GQ were on hand to run us through the watches on display.
There, they identified Hamilton’s Richard Mille RM 74-02 Automatic Winding Tourbillon worth a staggering £375,000.
The Swiss brand has been involved in F1 for a decent while now, having been brought in by Hamilton’s Monagasque teammate Charles Leclerc, they now sponsor Ferrari and McLaren.
As arguably the world’s premier brand, matching up with F1’s premier team shouldn’t really come as a surprise.
However, what may have shocked those of a timepiece persuasion was just how big the drop off was to his old team.
Former Mercedes teammate George Russell and Hamilton’s replacement Kimi Antonelli were both wearing models from sponsors IWC Schaffhausen.
Mercedes have long brought style and substance to F1 thanks to both their winning pedigree and Hamilton’s cache as a celebrity, but IWC aren’t quite in the same league as Richard Mille (we’ll still take some freebies if you’re reading though).
You could fit one of Russell’s and Antonelli’s watches on each limb for less than Hamilton’sCredit: AFP
Antonelli, as the greenest newbie on the grid, rocked a Pilot Watch Mark XX worth £4800, while Russell stepped things up.
A three-time race winner who easily beat Hamilton as a pairing last season, the Brit wore a Big Pilots Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert worth £10,000.
The price of both of those combined is nowhere near Hamilton’s latest – in fact, 30 of Russell’s watches would still not match the value.
And if that wasn’t enough of a flex to his old team, it’s not his only timepiece either.
In his stylish unveiling at Ferrari’s Marinello headquarters, the 40-year-old wore a pinstripe suit with a double-breasted overcoat from Italian label Ferragamo.
All in black and white like founder Enzo Ferrari, there was one added red touch, another Richard Mille, this time a RM 67-02 ‘Italy’ automatic extra flat edition price.
Ferrari teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc play chess during F1 launch event
Worth around £278,000, it’s clear that after almost two decades of British and German excellence at McLaren and Mercedes, Hamilton is more than ready to ooze Italian-Swiss class and opulence.
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