Formula 1’s 2022 season is just around the corner, and as Williams Racing’s official timing partner, Bremont has revealed a series of racing-inspired watches for the occasion. Alongside a special edition boxed set and once-in-a-lifetime experience, the British watchmaker has created this new WR-22 timepiece, which will be worn throughout the tournament by drivers Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi. 

‘This is a real match made in heaven of two engineering businesses, so it’s more than just a sponsorship. Working with Williams so closely is a really exciting development for us,’ Bremont’s co-founders, Nick and Giles English, explain. It is, they say, an opportunity to do something fun and different from anything that the house has done before.

The WR-22 chronograph is equipped with a modified calibre 13 ¼’’’ BE-53AE that’s housed in Bremont’s signature trip-tick case and comes with either a stainless-steel bracelet or Alcantara strap – the latter is the same material used on F1 car steering wheels. This tasteful design speaks of the brands’ mutual affinity for skilful engineering, substance and style. 

It was, say the co-founders, a case of blending retro driving watches with Williams’ iconic elements – note the dial’s tonal-blue and white colour scheme, and the wheel-rim-inspired oscillating weight visible through the exhibition caseback. And it almost goes without saying that this watch incorporates a ceramic bezel insert with a tachymeter. 

Each edition also comes with a wheel nut taken from a selection of historic Williams cars and certified by the company – a true collectable and an exciting chance to own a piece of F1 racing history. 

Another shared aspect of this partnership is the fact that Bremont’s workshop in Henley-on-Thames uses the same machinery to make watches as the Williams Racing factory – just down the road in Oxfordshire – does to create some of the most technologically advanced cars on the planet. It opens up the prospect for future collaborations to take place on- and off-track. 

‘There is a lovely tie, in terms of our love for engineering – the Williams team come here and they really get it,’ say the co-founders. Watch this space. 

bremont.com; williamsf1.com