The F1 world hardly ever gets an update on Michael Schumacher as the family maintains secrecy on his medical condition. The latest on the F1 great comes in the form of an auction that will sell 8 unique watches. Christie’s, a renowned auctioneer, will put Schumacher’s 8 valued watches under the hammer in Geneva. The collection includes an F.P. Journe that could fetch $1.1 million.
Ex-Ferrari team principal, Jean Todt, who was also Schumacher’s boss, gave him the F.P. Journe Vagabondage 1 Model from 2004 to mark his 7 world championship wins. The Vagabondage features a Ferrari logo and the German’s iconic helmet. It sports a red dial, has a wandering hours display, and functions with a gold movement.
Another homage to his success is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The Chronograph comes in white gold and has a white dial. It features a Ferrari emblem on the subdial and has six stars to mark as many championships that Schumacher won until 2003. This was also a gift from Todt which is now estimated to fetch between 150,000 and 250,000 Francs ($168,000 to $280,000).
The collection includes a ‘Paul Newman’ Rolex Daytona, a black dialed chronograph. Christie’s expects it to go for anywhere between 200,000 to 400,000 Francs ($223,000 to $447,000). Remi Guillemin, Christie’s head of watches in Europe and the US, talked about how Schumacher was (as quoted by Fortune.com), “very sensitive to the world of watches.” He also revealed that he received the request to auction the timepieces from the Schumacher Family a year ago.
Corinna, the wife of Michael Schumacher, also put up the Kaiser’s Ferrari F430 Spider for sale for $331,000 earlier this year in January. The F430 features a naturally aspirated 4.3-liter V8 engine which comes paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The special bond between Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt
Most of the watches about to feature in the auction were the gifts Michael Schumacher received from Jean Todt. Each marked an iconic success that adorned the German’s stellar F1 career. They also mark the friendship that the duo shared which went beyond the relationship of a driver and his team principal.
Schumacher suffered devastating injuries during a skiing accident in 2013, a year after he retired from F1. The injuries dealt to his brain have lasting effects that he is fighting to this day. Amid all this, Todt remains a loyal friend not just to Michael but also to his family.
The Schumacher family is extremely cautious about who meets Michael as they keep matters related to his health private. Jean Todt is among those very few who have access to the 7-time Formula 1 champion and frequently visits him. After one such visit earlier last year in December, Todt gave a bittersweet update on Michael’s health.
The former Ferrari boss revealed that he watches some old Grands Prix with Michael on TV. Unfortunately, he is not the same Michael Schumacher that the world once knew.
