During the last few years of his career, Michael Schumacher was helping Mercedes reach the top of Formula 1. Many would consider the development of Mercedes as his last mechanical masterpiece. But it turns out a $229,500 worth exclusive watch holds that tag.
Schumacher had been the ambassador of Audemars Piguet for several years and in 2010, the German legend specifically requested a brand new type of functionality that was never before seen in a mechanical wristwatch.
It took the luxury watchmaker five years to fulfill Schumacher’s request and by the time they did sadly, Schumacher could not use his requested wristwatch the way he wanted to. In 2013 a tragic skiing incident almost took Schumacher’s life and ever since then, the German F1 legend has been in a state from which he might never recover.
Michael Schumacher’s specifically requested watch is a unique invention
Piguet launched a special edition timepiece under their ‘Royal Oak Offshore’ series of Chronograph sports watches in 2015. They named their limited collection – Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher edition – in tribute to the legend.
What is so unique about this watch apart from it being designed at the behest of Schumacher himself is that it allows the user to independently record two events at the same time. In terms of Horology, it is a mechanism which is known as a split-seconds chronograph that traditionally allows the users to time two events only if the first time is running.
Piguet took this mechanism to another level by designing a watch that lets the users independently maneuver the two chronograph hands. This functionality was a watch industry first.
Why did Michael Schumacher want such functionality?
According to Forbes, Schumacher wanted to use this functionality on the track to time two competing drivers at the same time. Traditionally, racing chronographs which mean built-in stopwatches have been used by drivers to record their own laps or other cars.
Racing chronographs are the most popular type of watch and are one of the biggest mechanical complications in the watch industry. However, it does not beat the complicated date indicator functionality or just the mere indication of time.
