Hand in Hand: The Affinity Between Classic Cars and Watches

The impressive mechanical complexity. The rich and important sense of history. The joy-giving, sometimes even tear-bringing, balance of beauty and engineering.

These are just some of the attributes that make classic cars such an obsession for collectors, but they could just as readily be used to describe another type of classic — the luxury watch. In fact, with both objects sharing a special appeal and a number of similarities, it’s little wonder that Webb’s is seeing increasing crossover between these two collector camps.

One of the major aspects that cars and watches share in common is aesthetic appeal. The best examples of both are designed to please the eye first and foremost, drawing on our natural human inclination toward sleek lines, elegant curves, and beautiful finishes. They are often works of art in their own right, recognised and admired as objects of desire and beauty even by those who claim not be interested in their workings.

But of course, true fans know that the inner workings are where both classic cars and watches really shine. Made up of dozens, often hundreds, of individual parts that work together in perfect harmony, they share the esteem of being true mechanical marvels. In this area, sometimes the crossover between cars and watches takes on a more literal sense, with the two worlds colliding to create something that encompasses the best of both — almost always to highly collectable results.

Heuer was the first big name watchmaker in motor racing, beginning in the 1930s making dash-mounted timers and later wrist chronographs that were popular with racing drivers in the 1950s and 1960s, often used by F1 teams as their principal timing devices. Included in this catalogue is a TAG Heuer F1 Helmet Clock, which commemorates TAG Heuer’s sponsorship of various F1 seasons racing-car drivers in the 1970s and 1980s. Another prime example from the mid-century era would be the legendary Rolex Daytona, which was designed and named in tribute to the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Florida. Six decades on it remains one of the most sought-after luxury timepieces in the world, with Webb’s last year selling a stainless steel example for just over $50,000.

A more contemporary example is the Ayrton Senna Limited Edition Tag Heuer, named of course after the inimitable Brazilian race driver. Earlier this year Webb’s sold a 2002 edition of the watch at another estimate-busting price, highlighting once more the appeal of pieces that capture the innate connection between the precision of timekeeping and elite motorsport — let’s not forget that the racing world is one where tenths of seconds make all the difference between winning and losing!

The engineering that has gone into a luxury car or watch is often mind-boggling, and a testament to the skill and ingenuity of the people who designed and built them. This is especially true of classic examples that have stood the test of time to remain as much a pleasure to drive or wear now as they did in their heyday — take for example the 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage featured in this catalogue, or an original 1958 Omega Speedmaster. Such storied machines provide a connection to the past, and help us to remember and understand how things were done in a different era. It is this sense of history and heritage in particular that makes both classic cars and watches such worthy investments; their rarity and value only increases with the layering of years, making them prized by collectors.