One of the great things about watches is that they somehow manage to unite people who are from completely different walks of life. Frenchman Jean Todt – the millionaire former team boss of Ferrari in Formula 1, who then went on to become president of the FIA (the governing body of world motorsport) – has little in common with David Croft: the voice of grand prix racing for Sky Sports F1 and a well-known darts aficionado from Stevenage. But both love watches, and now they have formed a relationship with two rather different watch companies.
David Croft commentating at Silverstone, England. Credit: Mediaworld.
Crofty is someone who I’ve been lucky to know for many years and he’s a racer through and through. He’s also a master of the pun and the one-liner – who else would describe the legendary 130R turn at Suzuka in Japan as “every pirate’s favourite corner”? But behind all the microphone banter, he’s a meticulous researcher with a hunger for all sorts of racing history and detail.
So, it’s appropriate that Croft has linked up with Brooklands: a watch company that’s steeped in British racing heritage, named after the world’s oldest purpose-built track, which opened back in 1907. Brooklands was also a pioneer when it came to timing, putting in place a mechanical timing system with a specifically-designed motorsport chronograph right from when the circuit was inaugurated. All this equipment was housed in a specifically dedicated timekeepers’ box on the finish line – and rather than being a chronograph worn on the wrist as we know now, the clock was the same size and bulk as an early computer. Which, in many ways, is exactly what it was.
Brooklands Watch Company Triple Four Racing Chronograph
Triple Four Racing Chronograph. Credit: Brooklands Watch Company.
You’ll see Crofty in a series of Brooklands videos coming up on their social channels, which tells the whole story of the circuit and the company’s limited-edition Triple Four Racing Chronograph, designed by none other than the late Sir Terence Conran (whose father was a regular race-goer at Brooklands).
The result is an extremely clean watch, powered by a Sellita SW500 movement, which pays a special tribute to both British and global motorsport history. “I love how you see some the unique characteristics of the track in within the watch itself,“ said Croft. “From the tyre tread on the strap to the profile of the dial that mirrors the angle of the banking, the detail of the Triple Four Racing Chronograph is just stunning. There’s a place in this digital age for digital time pieces. But they don’t look as good, do they?”. Spoken like a true watch enthusiast.
Triple Four Racing Chronograph. Credit: Brooklands Watch Company.
I got a chance to look at the limited edition Triple Four recently at the British Watchmakers’ Day in London and it’s beautifully finished: I was actually expecting a price tag somewhat north of the £5754.00 that they ask, especially as only 500 pieces are being produced and it's not just the watch you’re taking home with you.
Each Triple-Four Chronograph comes with a slim brass warranty card, as well as a member’s badge which entitles the owner to a whizz around Brooklands world-famous Test Hill. And what’s the vehicle of choice, I hear you ask? Naturally, it’s a specially commissioned Brooklands Watch Company electric Bugatti Baby II, which perfectly matches the coachwork and seat leather colours of Sir Terence’s own revered Bugatti Baby I car.
Krayon x Jean Todt Anywhere
Krayon Anywhere. Credit: Krayon.
As for Jean Todt, his watch has been inspired by Vincent Van Gogh rather than a racing circuit. Bespoke Swiss firm Krayon has collaborated with the former FIA President to create a one-off piece fashioned from a single block of platinum, which reimagines the famous Van Gogh painting ‘Starry night’. The movement is in-house to Krayon, created by company founder Remi Maillat in Neuchatel, Switzerland. Rather than just a watch, this creation is really more of a work of art, hand painted dot by dot to Jean Todt’s exact specification. You’ll even find his name on the dial.
Placing the wearer, or just Jean Todt in this case, ‘anywhere’ they want to be. The Anywhere watch reveals the duration of daylight for any location selected. Marking the sunrise and sunset for home or far away, this innovative complication places Jean Todt at the centre of a horological universe of his own.
Jean Todt with his very own Krayon Anywhere. Credit: Krayon.
Anyone who wants to buy one though is going to be sadly disappointed. Firstly, because it’s almost priceless, but mainly because there will only ever be one – and that’s going to be firmly strapped to Jean Todt’s wrist. As Crofty might say: “It’s lights out and Van Gogh, Gogh, Gogh…”
Technical Specifications:
Triple Four Racing Chronograph
- Brand: Brooklands Watch Company
- Price: £5754.00
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Movement: Sellita SW500 BV b with bespoke rotor
- Complications: Hour, minutes, seconds, date, stopwatch
- Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire, convex, with anti-reflective coating on both sides
- Dial: Heritage Opaline White
- Size: 41mm
Anywhere
- Brand: Krayon
- Price: N/A
- Material: 950 Platinum
- Movement: In-house, hand-wound, with stop-work mechanism, 3 Hz, 55 rubies
- Complications: 24-hour display, minutes, date, day and night indication, sunrise and sunset times, date at 6 o’clock, indication of months
- Dial: Métiers d'Art miniature painting by hand in a multitude of hues
- Case: 39mm
