Eight luxurious, personalized watches from Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher are up for auction and could sell for more than US$4.8 million (around R$25 million) in total.
The rare watches will be displayed in New York from May 3 to 5, the weekend of the Miami Grand Prix, before the auction in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 13, according to auction house Christie’s.
Schumacher’s family owns a number of watches collected by the champion driver over the years and, “more recently, they decided to part with specific watches from the collection, where they believed watch collectors would be able to appreciate the true value of the pieces.” Christie’s head of watches, Remi Guillemin, told CNN on Thursday (18).
“We are extremely happy to have these watches and to be able to collaborate with the family,” he added.
The collection will be part of Christie’s traditional rare watch auction, comprising high-caliber vintage and modern watchmaking pieces from brands such as Audemars Piguet, FP Journe and Rolex.
Standout pieces include Schumacher’s platinum FP Journe Vagabondage 1, which holds almost half the estimated value of the entire collection, with an expected sale price of up to US$2.2 million (around R$11.5 million). .
Meanwhile, a stainless steel Rolex Paul Newman Daytona watch is expected to sell for up to US$440,000 (about R$2.3 million) and Schumacher’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch is expected to sell for up to US$280,000 ( around R$1.5 million).
The Rolex watch is named after the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, according to Guillemin, who described the watch as “one of the most iconic watches Rolex has ever made.”
The white gold Royal Oak chronograph was commissioned as a personalized gift for the seven-time F1 World Championship winner from his former mentor and former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt, according to the auction house.
Presented to Schumacher at Christmas 2003, its features celebrate the six championship victories he had achieved to date, Christie’s said. The 30-minute recording dial is surrounded by six stars and there are depictions of Ferrari’s famous prancing horse emblem and Schumacher’s red racing helmet.
“It’s a unique watch,” said Guillemin. “When you see the watch from afar, you know it is something special and that it speaks to Michael Schumacher.”
The platinum Vagabondage 1 watch was also a gift from Todt, but for the following Christmas. Therefore, although it has similar characteristics, its striking red dial houses symbols that represent the seventh championship that Schumacher has won for himself and Ferrari.
A prototype of the watch was sold in 2003 to benefit the Paris Brain Institute Foundation (ICM), of which Schumacher and Todt are founding members, according to the auction house.
“These watches are for people who follow Formula 1, who followed, like me, Michael Schumacher when he was racing. It’s just a true piece of memorabilia and history. And, furthermore, these two watches are important for watchmaking,” added Guillemin.
Schumacher suffered a brain injury after suffering severe head trauma during a skiing accident in 2013.
He has not appeared in public since, but his wife Corinna said in a 2021 Netflix documentary: “We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to improve Michael and make sure he is comfortable.”
This content was originally created in International.
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