Motorsports watches: Modern alternatives to dyed-in-the-wool designs

Picture the classic motorsports watch: a strong, chunky case paired with a multifunction chronograph. The bezel might well feature a tachymeter scale. It is, in a sense, designed for a day at the track–both to survive the rigors and to monitor the action. 

The favorites of this style typically go back decades. The Omega Speedmaster? 1957. Rolex released its Daytona in 1963. Steve McQueen’s iconic TAG Heuer Monaco came out in 1969. 

These watches–and the brands behind them–have been long intertwined with racing. In 1969, Heuer became the first non-automotive company to have its logo on a Formula 1 car, while today, countless watch company trademarks can be found plastered across the cars, the drivers and the tracks themselves. 

[Watches and motorsport: A relationship dating back over a century]

But what if you’re looking for a motorsports watch with roots in, you know, this century?

They’re out there. 

Maybe a motorsports watch can come from this century. Two possibilities: the DDF6 from B.R.M. Chronographes or, for those with six figures, Richard Mille’s RM 65-01. Photograph Courtesy Richard Mille

Richard Mille made its debut in 2001 with the RM 001 Tourbillon. Power, as the name suggests, came from the complicated tourbillon movement. The brand established its running partnership with LeMans Classic in 2002, and it has since expanded its footprint into the Formula 1 arena. 

B.R.M. Chronographes, a brand long associated with Historic Sportscar Racing, released its first model, its GP44, in 2003. The hands: drilled. The numbers: set in classic white meatballs. The grooves around the case recall the lands of a piston. Today’s offerings carry those same details.

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