When you’ve won more Formula One World Championships than anybody else in history, more Formula One Grand Prix than anybody else in history, broken more Formula One world records than…well, you get the point…then your name pretty quickly becomes associated with streams of tribute memorabilia. Perhaps you remember the limited edition Fiat Seicento with Messer Schumacher’s name stencilled down the side.
It seems rather odd then that the German legend – who has now hung up his helmet for the second time in an F1 career spanning three decades – would need to join the queue for a commemorative Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore timepiece: former F1 rivals Rubens Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jarno Trulli have all beaten Michael to it. Still, the Champ’s watch does boast a few subtle differences.
There’s a chequered flag motif about the minute track for instance, while the famous MS signature can also be found on the back. Another neat little touch is the seven stars on the watch face: two are blue, representing his World Championship victories from 1994-95 with Benetton, and five are red, signifying the machine-like consistency that brought him consecutive Championships with Ferrari from 2000-04.
Of course, you’ll also need an F1-style pay cheque to appreciate these finer details. Just one of the 100 limited edition platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher watches will set you back an eye watering $133,600.
