Swiss watchmaker Baume & Mercier has produced a chronograph to honour American motorsport legend Carroll Shelby (above) and the 50th anniversary of the iconic V8-powered Shelby Cobra of 1965.
The 44mm-diameter Capeland Shelby is available in either stainless steel or 18K red gold and with many details inspired by the 1965 model.
The watch counters are modelled on those of the Shelby Cobra dashboard, and the double racing stripes on the dial are the same colours that were on the car.
The hour and minute hands are in the shape of the steering wheel, and the famous cobra logo can be found on the seconds hand.
The strap is black alligator with red calfskin lining.
One of the world’s oldest car rallies is the Tour Auto, a get-together of great automotive names that began in France in 1899.
It’s the oldest official motorsport event still running and this year attracted a field of 233 cars.
They gathered at the Grand Palais in Paris on April 20 before heading out to compete in circuit races and relay rallies.
For the first time this year watchmaker Zenith was the official timer. To celebrate it produced a new watch, the El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tour Auto Edition, and arranged for Austrian stratosphere skydiver Felix Baumgartner to wear it while competing for Zenith in a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL.
Part of the dial is open to reveal the intricate machinery underneath. A racing stripe in blue, white and red evokes the French flag and the sporting nature of the event, and the mushroom-type push-pieces have an undercut with blue for the chronograph start and red for the reset.
The El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tour Auto Edition is limited to 500 pieces.
In 1972, Porsche showed off the Chronograph 1, said then to be the world’s first matte black watch. It was designed by F. A. ‘Butzi” Porsche, the designer grandson of company patriarch Ferdinand Porsche.
Now Porsche Design has gone back to its roots with the Chronotimer Series 1 watch. It embraces the all-black look F. A. Porsche chose because it minimises distractions and allows racing drivers to focus on the crucial data provided by the numbers and the hands.
The Chronotimer Series 1 also continues another breakthrough from Porsche Design – titanium watches.
It began with the launch of the Titan Chronograph, created in collaboration with IWC in 1980.
The Chronotimer Series 1 case, bracelet and folding clasp are all formed from glass-bead-blasted titanium. The watch measures 42mm in diameter and goes on sale within the next few months priced between $US5590 and $US6290. A special titanium and 18k rose gold edition costs $US9990.
An Elgin pocketwatch belonging to the actor worshiped by teenage Americans in the 1950s has sold at auction for $US42,000.
James Dean had his initials engraved on the watch and considered it his good luck charm.
There is no record of it been found on him when he died in a car crash in California 60 years ago.
It was made by American watchmaker Standard USA, which began business in 1899.
Pre-auction estimates had the watch selling for around $US5000, but bidders worldwide keep pushing up the price.
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean worn by Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie Skyfall has sold in London for $US254,273, with all proceeds going towards Orbis, a non-profit organization that provides eye care in developing nations. It was the second highest price for a Bond watch, the highest being $US255,565 for the Planet Ocean from Casino Royale. The third highest was $US196,056 for the Rolex from Live and Let Die.
Famous French Olympic skier Jean-Claude Killy once skied down the eastern side of Mt Ngauruhoe, reaching an estimated speed of 160km/h.
It was in 1974 when Killy was sponsored by champagne house Moet & Chandon, who arranged for him to do such daredevil things.
Killy also had a short career as a race driver in the late 1960s and early ’70s, including racing a Porsche at Monza, in Italy.
The watch he wore for many years has sold at auction for $US614,500. It was a Rolex Dato-Compax Chronograph, made in 1951.
Guitarist Eric Clapton is one of just a handful of Ferrari clients to have a car built to his own personal specification.
The SP-12 EC, essentially a 458 Italia with bespoke bodywork, cost Clapton around $US4.6 million.
Another expensive item in Clapton’s personal collection is a very rare Patek Philippe watch.
Or it was in his keeping until he sold it at auction for a world record $US3,635,808.
It was made in 1987 and is one of only two platinum versions of the watch ever made.