Article: The Watches of Formula 1: Every Team's Watch Partner in 2026
The Watches of Formula 1: Every Team's Watch Partner in 2026
This weekend, Formula 1 comes to Texas. The United States Grand Prix runs October 23 to 25 at the Circuit of the Americas outside Austin, and Kimi Antonelli arrives with a 102-point lead and his first chance to clinch the championship.
Watch closely and you will notice a second competition running alongside the first. Eight of the eleven teams on the grid race with a watch partner, and the names behind them range from Girard-Perregaux, founded in 1791, to Richard Mille, whose first watch arrived in 2001.
Here is every team's watch partner for 2026, and what the drivers have been seen wearing.
| Team | Watch partner | Partner since |
|---|---|---|
| McLaren | Richard Mille | 2016 |
| Ferrari | Richard Mille | 2021 |
| Mercedes | IWC Schaffhausen | 2013 |
| Red Bull Racing | TAG Heuer | 2016 |
| Racing Bulls | Tudor | 2024 |
| Alpine | H. Moser & Cie. | 2024 |
| Aston Martin | Breitling | 2026 |
| Williams | Girard-Perregaux | 2026 |
| Audi, Haas, Cadillac | No watch partner |
Above all of them sits the sport's own clock. Since 2025, TAG Heuer has been the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1, taking over from Rolex. We tell that story in Rolex Out, TAG Heuer In.
McLaren and Ferrari: Richard Mille, Twice
Only one watchmaker has two teams on the grid, and it chose two of the most storied names in the sport. Richard Mille signed a ten-year partnership with McLaren in 2016, then joined Ferrari in 2021, taking over from Hublot.
It is a natural fit. From the beginning, Richard Mille set out to build a watch the way an engineer builds a racing car: light materials, exposed mechanics and nothing that does not need to be there. With McLaren and the University of Manchester, it created the RM 50-03 in 2017, at the time the lightest mechanical chronograph in the world. With Ferrari's designers and engineers, it made the RM UP-01, the thinnest watch the brand has ever produced.
On the drivers' wrists, McLaren's Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, has been photographed in the RM 72-01 Automatic Flyback Chronograph. At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton has worn the RM 43-01 Ferrari, a tourbillon split-seconds chronograph introduced in 2025, and Charles Leclerc has long worn a prototype RM 67-02 in Ferrari red and white.
Mercedes: IWC Schaffhausen
IWC has been the Official Engineering Partner of Mercedes since 2013, one of the longest relationships on the grid. Its Pilot's Watches are worn throughout the team, by drivers, engineers and mechanics alike.
This season, George Russell received his first signature watch: the Pilot's Watch 41 Chronograph George Russell, in black ceramic with blue accents that match his helmet and gloves. Antonelli, closing in on his first title, has been seen in the Pilot's Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team edition.
IWC's reach in racing extends beyond the track, too. It was the watch partner of the 2025 film F1, in which Brad Pitt's character wears a custom watch based on a vintage IWC Ingenieur.
Red Bull Racing: TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer moved to Red Bull in 2016, after three decades with McLaren. This October, it marked ten years with the team with a Formula 1 Solargraph in Red Bull's colors. Max Verstappen usually wears the brand's racing chronographs at the track, though he has also been photographed in a yellow gold Carrera Chronograph.
Aston Martin: Breitling
The newest pairing on the grid was announced on February 5, a month before the season opened. Breitling took over from Girard-Perregaux, Aston Martin's watch partner since 2021.
The first collaboration is the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, limited to 1,959 pieces, a nod to the year Aston Martin entered Formula 1. It is the first Navitimer ever made in titanium, with a carbon fiber dial and accents in the team's racing green and lime. The Navitimer itself was a deliberate choice: drivers once used its slide rule bezel to work out lap times and fuel.
The two brands also share a famous moment on screen, as both appear in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball.
Williams: Girard-Perregaux
Girard-Perregaux, one of the oldest names in Swiss watchmaking, moved to Williams for 2026 after five seasons with Aston Martin. The team had been without a watch partner since its agreement with Bremont ended in 2023.
In September, the two released their first watches, a pair of Laureato Williams Editions with blue Clous de Paris dials inspired by the team's 2026 car and red accents from its livery. There is a neat symmetry to the pairing. The Laureato was introduced in 1975, and Williams entered Formula 1 two years later.
Racing Bulls: Tudor
Red Bull's sister team wears Tudor, Rolex's sibling brand, and this season the Tudor name runs the full width of the car's rear wing. Liam Lawson, whose signature color is pink, has a watch to match: the Black Bay Chrono Pink.
Alpine: H. Moser & Cie.
The most unexpected partnership on the grid pairs Alpine with H. Moser & Cie., an independent watchmaker known for its minimalist fumé dials. Moser makes only around 4,000 watches a year, yet since 2024 it has built watches for Alpine's drivers and mechanics alike, including a Streamliner Tourbillon developed with Pierre Gasly.
The Teams Without a Watch, and the Drivers Who Bring Their Own
Three teams race without a watch partner: Audi, in its first season under its own name; Haas; and Cadillac, the new American team on the grid.
That makes their drivers some of the most interesting to watch, because what they wear is their own choice. Nico Hülkenberg has been seen in an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, and his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto in a Rolex Daytona. Haas driver Oliver Bearman has been spotted in a Patek Philippe Nautilus. At Cadillac, Sergio Pérez has been seen in a TAG Heuer Monaco from his years at Red Bull.
With an American team now on the grid, it is fair to wonder which watchmaker will claim Cadillac first.
Packing for a Race Weekend
The watches of the paddock are rarely small. Racing chronographs and Richard Mille's curved tonneau cases need a case with room to spare and a cushion that holds them securely without pressing on the case or strap.
Winsome rolls fit case diameters up to 44mm, and each watch rests on its own suede pillow, so pieces never touch. A double watch roll suits the classic race weekend pairing: a sport watch for the track and something dressier for dinner after. And as always, we recommend keeping fine watches in your carry-on rather than a checked bag.
Formula 1 Watches FAQ
Which watch brand is the official timekeeper of Formula 1?
TAG Heuer, since 2025. Rolex held the role from 2013 through 2024.
Which F1 teams does Richard Mille sponsor?
Two: McLaren, since 2016, and Ferrari, since 2021.
What watch does Lewis Hamilton wear at Ferrari?
He has been seen in the Richard Mille RM 43-01 Ferrari, a tourbillon split-seconds chronograph.
Who is Aston Martin's watch partner?
Breitling, since 2026. Girard-Perregaux, its previous partner, moved to Williams.
Which Formula 1 teams have no watch partner?
As of October 2026, Audi, Haas and Cadillac race without one.
Do drivers have to wear their team's watch?
In team settings, drivers usually wear their team partner's watches, but some also have personal agreements. Fernando Alonso, for example, is a Richard Mille ambassador while driving for Aston Martin, whose partner is Breitling.
Formula 1 is a sport decided by thousandths of a second, so it is no surprise that it has become fine watchmaking's favorite stage. This weekend in Austin, keep an eye on the wrists as well as the track.
Start with the history of wristwatches, or explore Series I, our handmade watch rolls.
Made for what you value.
Header image: Circuit of the Americas in Austin during the 2018 United States Grand Prix. Photo: HoverVan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Watch photographs are used for editorial purposes; Winsome is not affiliated with the brands discussed.
