Soon after signing with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton also joined hands with luxury Swiss watchmakers IWC Schaffhausen. While the Swiss brand is still Mercedes’ official watch sponsor, their 10-year-long association with Hamilton may have come to an end already. The Brit’s recent appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics hinted at this, when he was spotted wearing a $155,000 worth Patek Philippe watch.
The Genevan luxury watch manufacturer doesn’t sponsor any F1 teams at the moment. However, its timeless design and increasing popularity have made it a collectible piece for many.
Now, Hamilton is among the many who own multiple pieces from the brand. Until recently, he could not sport his collection but now as his partnership with IWC is coming to an end, he has a free hand perhaps.
His partnership is ending with the Swiss brand primarily because of his impending move to Ferrari. Currently, the Italian outfit is sponsored by another Swiss luxury brand — Richard Mille.
So, before he’s bound to wear only watches from Les Breuleux-based brand, Hamilton is probably sporting his personal collection as seen during the Olympics. He wore the 18k white gold Patek Philippe Nautilus 5740 during his recent outing.
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The beautiful piece from Patek Philippe features a blue sunburst dial with gold-applied hour markers and a luminescent coating. With just 8.42mm thickness, this particular watch is the thinnest perpetual calendar watch from the brand.
It retails at $155,000 and is one of the many Patek Philippe watches Hamilton has been spotted wearing in recent times. However, he may lose this freedom soon.
Hamilton may have to wear only Richard Mille watches after completing his Ferrari move
After the seven-time champion’s imminent Ferrari move is complete, he will again be bound to wear watches from one brand alone. Richard Mille is the only watchmaker that sponsors two teams in F1 at the moment. Despite their recent contract, the Swiss brand has already launched a watch in collaboration with Ferrari.
Called the RM UP-01 Ferrari, with a thickness of just 1.75 mm, the watch is the slimmest timepiece in the world. Launched in 2022, their first-ever collaboration with Ferrari is only limited to 150 pieces and costs over $2 million. After Hamilton comes on board, he will surely like to contribute.
He has done so multiple times during his decade-long partnership with IWC. The Brit released multiple limited-edition timepieces with IWC and they were all well-received. There’s a feeling Richard Mille would also like to make the most of Hamilton’s high marketability and create a unique collection in collaboration.
