NEW DELHI — As India readies for its first Formula 1 event on Oct. 30, Tag Heuer and German designer Richard Mille have introduced watches inspired by the race.
Tag Heuer’s India Racing Edition of its Carrera Tachymeter Chronograph is a tribute to its celebration of “mastering speed for 150 years” — referring to its long relationship with motor racing for both TAG Heuer and F1 fans. The watch, which is priced at 199,000 rupees ($4,059 at current exchange), comes in the colors of the Indian flag, saffron and green, and is in a limited edition of 200. It has a car-shaped logo on the dial, at nine o’clock, as well as on the sapphire-crystal case back. The chronograph hand, along with the thread stitching on the leather strap, is in India saffron colors as well. “We have had a very old relationship with F1 and McLaren Mercedes. It is a good opportunity for the brand to make a statement in India,” said Manishi Sanwal, general manager, Indian subcontinent for Tag Heuer.
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Richard Mille has also released a limited edition watch for the event, called the RM 011 Felipe Massa. This complicated Flyback chronograph has an oversize date, annual calendar, totalizer and 60-minute countdown timer, and is in 18-karat gold. It, too, takes inspiration from the colors of the Indian flag, with green and white on the dial interior rounded off with a deep saffron-colored Alcryn grip on the grade-5 titanium crown. Each watch is engraved on the back with a special serial number and the slogan “Felipe Massa First Indian Race.” It is priced at 228,000 rupees, or $4,649.
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The Indian watch market has been growing at 8 to 10 percent a year for the last few years and is estimated to be worth 40 billion rupees, or $815.9 million, according to a report by the All India Federation of Horological Industries (AIFHI) and consultancy firm Technopak Advisors. “The watch market in India is expected to grow between 10 and 15 percent annually to become around 85 billion rupees [$1.74 billion] by 2015,” said Technopak chairman Arvind K. Singhal.