One of the greatest sporting legends in racing history, Michael Schumacher is an icon in every sense. Even after a decade of him being absent from popular media, the fanfare surrounding the German and his life away from the race track hasn’t waned.
Like most celebrated sports personalities, Schumacher is known for his riches. As a matter of fact, he is the richest Formula 1 driver in the world even years after his retirement from motorsports.
Commanding a net worth of USD 600 million (according to a report by Celebrity Net Worth), Schumacher is likely to enjoy almost every luxury that money can buy. Among them, the German is quite well-known for his love affair with wrist candies.
As the sporting legend continues battling death since his 2013 skiing accident, Michael Schumacher’s family has decided to auction off the F1 legend’s collection of watches. As many as eight timepieces from his ensemble will go under the hammer on 13 May in Geneva, Switzerland, as announced by auction house Christie’s. This auction will also mark the 30th anniversary of the German’s first world championship win.
With his prized possessions making the rounds around social media of late, we take a moment to turn our heads towards the best watches in Michael Schumacher’s collection.
A look at Michael Schumacher and his collection of watches
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore
Let us kick-start Michael Schumacher’s collection of watches with the Audemars Piguet (AP) Royal Oak Offshore. This timepiece was gifted to him by Jean Todt, the former team principal of Scuderia Ferrari.
Sporting a huge 44-millimetre anthracite grey dial with the brand’s signature ‘Mega Tapisserie’ pattern, the Royal Oak in question is hard to miss on anyone’s wrist. Between the 12 o’clock and the one o’clock markers lie seven stars to celebrate Schumacher’s seven world championship wins. Meanwhile, the minute track around the dial resembled a chequered flag.
The body of the watch is crafted out of titanium and pink gold. This timepiece sports a rubber strap attached to its body by microblasted, satin-brushed titanium studs that emulate a racing car’s cooling scoops.
It is powered by AP’s self-winding calibre 3126/3840 chronograph. This mechanical movement comprised of 365 parts made of 22-carat gold.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph
Another gift to Michael Schumacher by Jean Todt, this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph watch in the German’s collection is a pure work of art!
Made of 18-carat white gold, the timepiece commemorated Schumacher’s then-six world championship wins on its dial. Each of the three subdials contains one unique design element. The one at the three o’clock position has six stars in it. On the other hand, the one at the six o’clock position contains the prancing horse logo. The subdial at the nine o’clock spot features Schumacher’s helmet.
Engravings on the back of the watch also celebrated the six F1 world championship wins by the German. With this watch slated to be a part of the auction in May 2024, horologists and luxury watch aficionados will be eyeing to own this timepiece in their collection.
Richard Mille RM 11-03 Flyback Chronograph
Michael Schumacher is known for his vibrant personality, both on and off the F1 track, and this Richard Mille watch in his collection matches his suave.
The dial of the watch sported a skeletal design that revealed Richard Mille’s in-house calibre RMAC3 automatic movement. This mechanical movement was made up of 68 jewels and each winding provided a power backup of up to 55 hours.
The skeletal dial is rounded up with Arabic numerals, a date window and three chronograph subdials. All the intricate designs on the transparent dial are protected by a scratchproof sapphire crystal on top. The body of the watch was made up of 18 carats of rose gold. In addition, the watch is equipped with a black rubber strap that has a double-fold titanium clasp. The timepiece is water resistant up to 50 metres.
Richard Mille RM011 Rose Gold/Titanium
This Richard Mille watch in Michael Schumacher’s collection is pretty similar to the one discussed so far. However, there are a few tweaks which we will focus on.
Richard Mille often crafts its timepieces with premium metals. On this occasion, they used two of them. While the case of the watch is made of 18 carats of rose gold, the bezel is made of titanium. The dial has Arabic numerals as markers along with three subdials and a date window. It is protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The dial has a skeletal design which reveals the watchmaker’s in-house calibre RMAC1 automatic movement. Made of 68 jewels, it provides a power backup of 55 hours. In terms of durability, the watch was water resistant up to 50 metres.
F.P. Journe Vagabondage 1 Model
To commemorate Michael Schumacher’s record seventh world championship win, F.P. Journe made this special Vagabondage 1 Model in 2004. As a matter of fact, it was a Christmas gift to the German legend by Jean Todt. For context, the record of most world championships has since been equalled by Lewis Hamilton but surpassed by none.
Coming back to Schumacher’s watch, the case of this variant is made of platinum. The dial of the watch has a ‘wandering’ hours scale in the vibrant Ferrari red. The scale had seven ‘V’ emblems, each representing the German driver’s world championship wins. In addition, the scale also had the Arabic numeral ‘7’, Scuderia Ferrari’s logo and a motif of Schumacher’s helmet.
The centre of the dial revealed the automatic mechanical movement that powered the watch. The 18-carat red gold train bridge of the movement has the following words engraved on it: “X-Mas 2004 – Jean Todt for my friend Michael Schumacher”.
This exquisite timepiece is listed among the watches from Michael Schumacher’s collection that will be auctioned in May 2024.
1996 Omega Speedmaster Schumacher
Now begins our curation of the best Omega Speedmaster watches from Michael Schumacher’s collection.
The first watch by Omega which was custom-made for Schumacher was the Speedmaster Schumacher released in 1996. In the 1990s, Omega had a keen interest in motorsports. Besides the German, their other brand ambassadors included the likes of Michael Andretti and Ralf Schumacher. The model in question over here was launched from the Karting Track in Kerpen, Germany where Schumacher honed his driving skills.
The dial of the watch sports a luminous red colour with the traditional Speedmaster branding. A racing-style minute track runs around the dial of the timepiece. The leather strap matches the red hue of the 39-millimetre dial.
Under the hood, this Omega timepiece comes with the brand’s in-house automatic calibre 1141, which is a rhodium-plated version of the calibre 1140 that has 28,000 frequencies and features a distinctive chronograph plate.
Omega Speedmaster Racing Schumacher World Champion 2000
To celebrate Michael Schumacher’s first of the five consecutive world championships between 2000 and 2004, Omega came up with its special edition Speedmaster Racing. What made it different from the rest of the Speedmaster Racing watches is its design.
Sporting a 39-millimetre black dial, this Omega timepiece carries red-and-orange chequered markings around the outside of the dial. The entire watch was crafted out of industry-grade stainless steel. The back of this watch features the German legend’s name and signature alongside an engraving that reads ‘World Champion 2000’.
Omega fitted the watch with its in-house calibre 3320 automatic movement which is based on the calibre 2892. It features a chronograph module by Dubois-Depraz. Each winding of the mechanical movement gives a power reserve of up to 42 hours.
Omega Speedmaster Racing Schumacher World Champion 2001
In 2001, Omega added yet another watch to Michael Schumacher’s collection. This wrist candy commemorated the German’s world championship win that year.
Most of the design elements remained intact from the one launched in 2000 — the watch was crafted out of stainless steel and had a 39-millimetre dial. However, the dial fashioned a carbon fibre finish with a tri-tone colour schematic. The one o’clock marker had a large ‘1’ as a reference to the year in which Schumacher won the championship, while the rest of the markers were rectangular bars.
This was also the first Omega Speedmaster Racing timepiece to come with a sapphire crystal on top of the dial. The back case of the watch was pretty similar to the previous year’s edition, with the only change coming in the engraving which now read ‘World Champion 2001’.
The watch was powered by Omega’s calibre 1152 automatic movement. Each winding of the mechanical movement gave the watch a power reserve of up to 48 hours. The timepiece itself was water resistant up to 30 metres.
Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Michael Schumacher
By 2003, adding a watch to Michael Schumacher’s collection every year became a tradition for Omega. With the German driver winning his then-record-equalling fifth world championship, the watchmaker decided to honour his achievement with a special timepiece in addition to a Speedmaster Racing Schumacher variant. This is how the limited edition Speedmaster Broad Arrow came to be.
Crafted out of 18 carats of rose gold, this timepiece has a large 42-millimetre black dial with gold markers. Schumacher’s name is also engraved in gold on the dial itself. The hour and minute hands are shaped like arrows. The dial is protected by a scratchproof sapphire crystal.
On the back of the watch, Omega engraved the German legend’s name along with the words ‘Five Times World Champion’ and all the years of him winning the world championships. The watch has a black leather strap.
This Omega timepiece is fitted with the watchmaker’s in-house calibre 3303 automatic movement. Each winding of the mechanical movement provides a power reserve of up to 48 hours.
Omega Speedmaster Legend
Rounding off Michael Schumacher’s watches collection is the special edition Omega Speedmaster Legend. The watchmaker decided to pay the German driver an ultimate tribute when he won his seventh and last world championship in 2004.
The watch came with a 42-millimetre black chequered carbon fibre dial. The first seven-hour markers of the timepiece are numerals, while the rest are rectangular blocks. The numerals stand for the legend’s seven world titles. This dial is protected by a scratchproof sapphire crystal.
The black bezel surrounding the watch has all of Schumacher’s accomplishments listed on it — seven world titles, 250 F1 races, 68 pole positions, 91 victories and 158 podiums. This timepiece sports a rubber band.
Under the hood, the watch houses Omega’s calibre 3313 movements. This variant has a clear crystal display back that reveals the functioning of the mechanical movement. The watch is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Schumacher.
(Main Image Credits: Michael Schumacher/Instagram and Christie’s; Featured Image Credits: Michael Schumacher/Instagram)
This article first appeared here
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which is the best watch owned by Michael Schumacher?
While it is difficult to pick the best watch from Michael Schumacher’s collection, the F.P. Journe Vagabondage 1 Limited Edition model is surely one of a kind.
– How much does Michael Schumacher’s Omega watch cost?
With a price tag of around USD 12,200, the Omega Speedmaster Legend in Michael Schumacher’s collection is the costliest Omega watch the German owns.
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Uddipta writes about sports and watches besides occasionally venturing into the world of automobiles and technology. He was associated with the Indian Express in the capacity of a sub-editor at their Lifestyle desk. A journalism and mass communication student from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Uddipta devotes most of his leisure time to photography and filmmaking. He has contributed photographs to Vogue Italia and several exhibits, and has directed award-winning short films screened at film festivals in India and abroad.
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