Did Lewis Hamilton’s jewellery protest remind stars to bring their watch A-game to the Miami F1?
In case you hadn’t noticed, Miami made its debut on the F1 circuit over the weekend, and as you can imagine the vibe was exactly as you’d expect: Miami Vice meets bling Grand Prix.
Many compared the energy to the Superbowl and amid the huge crowds there was plenty of sporting royalty in attendance, namely Lebron James, David Beckman, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. As well as being legends in their sports, they also have something else in common – a love of watches.
Max Verstappen may have topped the podium in the racing stakes (wearing a rather classy TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Gold Jack Heuer’s Birthday we might add) but when it comes to who was wearing what watch down on the paddock over the weekend, there were some clear winners.
Clearly energised by the Miami scene, Lewis Hamilton had his best weekend of the new season so far, and he wasted no time in getting the ball rolling. After a game of golf with Tom Brady earlier in the week, on the Friday Hamilton showed he meant business in Miami when he rocked up to a press conference wearing not one but three IWC watches.
Paired with as many necklaces, rings and bracelets that he could get through customs, the stunt was part of a protest about the FIA’s proposed ban on jewellery while racing. The three watches in question on Hamilton’s wrists were IWC’s brand new Mercedes AMG F1 collab (the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition “Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team watch), the recently launched Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Mojave Desert as well as his trusty Big Pilot’s Watch. The stunt quickly became the talk of the weekend, which will no doubt have thrilled IWC CEO Chris Grainger, who said this of the latest collab with Mercedes: “Fine watchmaking and racing are all about precision, craftsmanship and performance engineering. But it’s the human factor – the passion, the love and the dedication that make all the difference between good and great. This notion perfectly describes our long-standing partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ team and we are celebrating this partnership with the launch of the new team watch in Miami.”
Hamilton certainly played his part in celebrating the partnership, and perhaps was the catalyst for some many big names to turn up to the Miami Grand Prix to bring their A-Game in the watch stakes. Because pretty much every celebrity spotted over the course of the weekend had some epic wrist candy to show off. Here’s a rundown of the best watch spots from Miami’s debut grand prix.
Tom Brady has long been a big IWC fan – make no mistake, he knows about his watches. So, after his golfing exploits with Hamilton earlier in the week, it was no surprise to see the un-retired American Football GOAT rising to the occasion and wearing a statement watch. His choice was the white ceramic Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN “Lake Tahoe” Edition. Not everyone can pull off a white watch but when you’re Tom Brady, you can.
Michael Jordan also knows a thing or two about watches. His long love affair with classic A Lange & Söhne pieces is pretty well documented but more recently Jordan has become obsessed with an altogether different type of horological vibe. Urwerk timepieces have only been around since 1997 and Jordan is the latest big name to be a big fan. In Miami, he wore the recently launched Urwerk UR-100V ‘Time and Culture’ Aztec watch, which has a kind of sci-fi meets 16th century Mexico feel to it – very Jumpman indeed.
Another basketball legend in Miami was Lebron James. Not shy of a watch moment, James was seen embracing David Beckham warmly at one of no doubt countless events that were put on in Miami around the F1. As if two legends hugging wasn’t enough of a spectacle, in doing so James was able to show off a custom-made Richard Mille RM 11-03 Red Quartz TPT. Renowned for bringing racing to the wrist, his choice of Richard Mille from his mega watch collection was on point for his F1 attendance, and the colourway (Orange and Red) meant his allegiance could have been to both Ferrari and McLaren, who both partner with RM.
It’s not often that David Beckham is overshadowed by his kids but while hanging out in McLaren’s pit lane garage together Romeo Beckham showed his father who has the strongest watch game in Miami, flexing his favourite Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time (reference 5164). Tudor ambassador David – who was recently spotted wearing a gold Rolex Day Date beset with 48 diamonds – was wearing a Black Bay Fifty-Eight but clearly thought it would be nice to let his son beat him at something on this occasion, though for under £3k, Beckham Snr's watch is something of a steal.
Also seen having some fun with the McLaren gang of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo was James Cordon. Like Beckham Jr, the soon to be no longer Late Late Show host was sporting a Patek Philippe Nautilus. Let’s just say both have extremely refined taste in watches, opting for classic over anything showy.
The same can’t be said for Columbia superstar, and a regular on GQ’s best dressed list, Maluma, who completes the trifecta of Patek Philippe Nautilus watches on show in Miami. Performing as part of the Superbowl-style entertainment throughout the weekend, he was sporting a Nautilus which is reported to have 1,343 diamonds on it – perfectly befitting of the Miami Vice vibe.
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