Words
Simon De Burton
Photography
Will Bunce
Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue
Tudor chronographs from the 1970s have recently soared in value, with one allegedly being on offer at a London dealer for more than £175,000. But fans of these distinctive driver’s watches – which were dubbed ‘Monte Carlos’ because the dials are evocative of roulette wheels – can get the look for less with the current Heritage range of modern-day recreations. This version features blue bezels, a blue background for the chronograph counters and some orange highlights for the perfect 1970s look. It’s supplied with a steel bracelet and a matching fabric strap. £3,160 tudorwatch.com
Ball Watch Co Roadmaster GMT ‘Danny Thompson’
This two time zone watch pays tribute to American racing driver Danny Thompson who set a new US land speed record in 2016 for a normally-aspirated, piston-engined vehicle of 406.7mph on Bonneville salt flats. The car, Challenger 2, was originally built in the 1960s by his father, Mickey Thompson, who had hoped to set a record, but was murdered before he could. Available in plain or blackened steel, the 42mm Roadmaster GMT features a chronometer-certified movement and a dial illuminated by gas tubes. £2,680 ballwatch.com
Chopard Mille Miglia
Chopard has been the principal backer of the celebrated Mille Miglia Storica rally since 1988. Each year it produces a new, special edition watch for the event, which sees pre-1957 cars tackle a gruelling, 1,000-mile route from Brescia to Rome and back – and every team is presented with a Mille Miglia watch engraved with their car’s entry number. This year’s model is the ‘Race Edition’ and 1,000 examples have been made available for general sale, each with ‘fuel cap’ style winding crowns and engine turned dials adorned with the famous Mille Miglia arrow. £5,520 chopard.com
Bell & Ross BR126 Renault Sport
The latest product of the on-going partnership between Bell & Ross and the Renault Formula One team is this vintage-look chronograph that celebrates the French car marque’s 40th year of Grand Prix racing. The 41mm steel-cased watch is said to have been inspired by the RS 01, the car that launched Renault into F1 in 1977. Retro features include the black and yellow colour scheme used on the early cars, a classic domed crystal and the historic Renault logo which appears both on the dial and the case back. Just 170 examples will be made. £3,350 bellross.com
Bremont Jaguar MKII
British brand Bremont now offers three different models in its range of watches which pay homage to the legendary Jaguar E-Type sports car of the 1960s and 1970s. This version, which is available in a choice of black or white dials, carries the historic Jaguar logo on the front and features red-tipped hands and chronograph counters based on the car’s dashboard. Turn the watch over and a sapphire crystal case back reveals the chronometer-certified movement complete with a winding rotor in the form of a miniature E-Type steering wheel. £5,195 bremont.com