What Happens When Two Of The Biggest Design & Engineering Industries Work Together?

Well-designed cars are a thing of beauty, whether it’s the timeless, retro charm of the original FIat 500, the sweeping lines of an Aston Martin DB9 or the boxy, 90’s muscle of the legendary Escort Cosworth, good design has to be admired.

But what happens when car manufacturers and watchmakers, known for their second-to-none attention to detail join forces? Well, usually, it’s a match made in heaven!

Over the years car and watchmakers have collaborated to produce some of the most beautifully finished timepieces, inspired by their motoring counterparts. In this article, we’re looking at some of the standouts and our favourites:

Baume Et Mercier & Shelby AC Cobra

Baume Et Mercier & Shebly AC Cobra

First on our list is the Baume et Mercier Clifton Club Shelby Cobra which forms part of a great collection paying homage to American racing legend; Carroll Shelby, this one also has a nod to Peter Brock who designed the Shelby Daytona.

In the UK, Carroll Shelby isn’t necessarily a household name like he is in America but anyone with even the slightest interest in sports cars will have seen his work on the British-designed AC ACE; elevating an already great chassis into a world-beating race car.

Watch details include replica pedal chronograph buttons, a ‘Daytona Wheel’ case backing and the instantly recognisable Cobra second-hand. As well as the traditional Shelby Cobra colours, Baume et Mercier also included a chequered leather strap, bringing their classic, refined style whilst simultaneously emulating track day.

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Casio (G Shock) & Toyota Land Cruiser

Casio (G Shock) & Toyota Land Cruiser

Two models renowned for their indestructible, ‘go anywhere’ nature; the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Casio G Shock go hand in hand.

This collaboration in 2022 matched the hard-wearing Casio Mudmaster with Team Land Cruiser, a Dakar Rally team supported by Toyota itself. As you’ll probably know, the Dakar rally is widely considered the most gruelling car race in the world, covering up to 15000km over 15 days, something Land Cruiser fans will know the robust Toyota 4x4 relishes.

The G Shock watch design includes classic Team Land Cruiser colours, Land Cruiser backplate and a strap that evokes sand storms and hard weather; synonymous with the Dakar Rally. Our favourite feature though has to be the TLC (Team Land Cruiser) backlight.

IWC Schaffhausen & Mercedes Petronas F1

IWC Schaffhausen & Mercedes Petronas F1

Although IWC has been the official engineering partner of the Mercedes Petronas F1 team since 2013, surprisingly, the 41 Edition watch is the first official team watch offering, only launched in 2024.

The Mercedes F1 team saw years of dominance under the leadership of Toto Wolff, the former racing driver turned manager who oversaw 8 consecutive world titles up to 2023, with a little help from the brilliant driving of Brit; Sir Lewis Hamilton.

Known for their staunch professionalism and attention to detail, the Mercedes Petronas team couldn’t have found a better partner than IWC for a watch collaboration, with the Swiss watchmakers mentioned alongside the best when it comes to precision and engineering.

Unlike other models on our list, the 41 Edition IWC doesn’t overdo the design cues, instead choosing to simply replicate the iconic black, teal and silver livery of the F1 team.

Breitling & Bentley Motors

Breitling & Bentley Motors

One of the longer-running collaborations on our list; Swiss watchmakers Breitling and iconic, luxury British car brand Bentley have had a design partnership which goes back to 2002.

Formed in 1919 and adopting the famous ‘Flying B’, Bentley is one of the first names that springs to mind when you think ‘luxury sports car’ backed by its motor racing pedigree, starting way back with wins at Brooklands in 1921 and Le Mans in 1924. Nowadays, Bentley is still pushing the boundaries in motorsport, particularly in endurance classes with its Continental GT.

Bentley’s original aim to create ‘a fast car, a good car, the best in its class’ is something that has more than a little crossover with Breitling too, which always produces quality and excellence.

At first glance, the design cues are clear, with all models in the Breitling/Bentley range using luxurious materials and classic styling with a hint of modern Bentley finish, such as the knurled bezel and Bentley wheel case backing. Most noticeable of all throughout these pairings though has to be the size; with 45 and 49mm faces that suggest unapologetically Bentley space and opulence.

We particularly love this marriage of car and watchmaker, as it works both ways; not only has it produced some amazing watches, but there are also plenty of Bentley models sporting a Breitling-designed clock in their interior.

Panerai & Ferrari

Panerai & Ferrari

There’s nothing we can say here about Ferrari that hasn’t already been said, with Scuderia Ferrari partaking in motorsport since 1929 and the company producing some of the most beautiful, sought-after, high-performance sports cars since 1947. Over the years, Ferrari has built its reputation on speed, precision and performance, winning the F1 constructors championship 16 times. So a match-up with one of the industry leaders in the watch world; Panerai always made sense.

Although Ferrari is no stranger to crossovers, with Richard Mille, Hublot, and Cartier all creating pieces for the supercar giant over the years, the Panerai partnership is the one that merged two Italian powerhouses.

For their collaboration Panerai created two core designs; the ‘GranTurismo’ and ‘Scuderia’. Aside from the obvious ‘Rosso Corsa’ and ‘Giallo Modena’ colour options, Panerai also included the prancing horse on the face, Ferrari-inspired auxiliary dials and embossed Ferrari crowns, among other elements to replicate that thrilling sense of refined power and speed.

Casio & Mugen Honda

Casio & Mugen Honda

Casio is on our list again, this time via their ‘Edifice’ offshoot which is geared towards ‘techy’ types, offering watches that deliver things like Bluetooth connectivity, solar power and smartphone capabilities. Most of the designs are also a ‘little bit mad’, which makes the Mugen/Honda pairing logical.

If you aren’t familiar with Mugen, it’s the motorsport branch of Honda (although never formally owned by Honda itself), formed in 1973 and specialising in performance parts, tuning options, and styling ever since. Along the way, Mugen have made a name for themselves among ‘petrol-heads’ and the racing fraternity alike, thanks to their ‘no holds barred approach’, with Mugen literally translating to ‘without limit’.

This limitless approach and slightly bonkers Japanese feel definitely shines through in Casio’s Edifice Mugen Edition, which features an Alcantara strap, official Mugen fonts (for minutes on the bezel), typical Mugen colours of black, white, red and gold, a ‘carbon fibre’ casing and Mugen embossing on the watch face and strap to boot. This is a watch where the designers have ‘gone to town’ using the original cars as inspiration and possibly our favourite on the list.

Our Final Word

There have been plenty of automotive crossovers from bikes to furniture and even electronics but none quite hit the mark when it comes to echoing the car industry ethos of design, practicality and engineering as much as watch pairings.

As you’ve seen, designs can range from simple to out-and-out craziness, which is pretty much the case with cars too. Consider, for example, the gulf between a Skoda Octavia and a Lamborghini Huracan; both have their place and market. In our opinion, the secret to a successful collaboration (which we’ve discovered when doing our research) is matching the right brands and having the same outlook, which everyone on our list has done perfectly.

Some notable, but not featured ‘also rans’ include Richard Mille & McLaren, Seiko & Nissan and Tag Heuer & Red Bull Racing.

We’d love to know if there are any we’ve missed or which is your favourite! Drop us a message on social media (you’ll also see this posted there as well) and get in touch. If you have any questions, be sure to DM Luke and he’ll be happy to help.

Remember to share this with your car-loving, watch-fanatic friends.