by Martin Green
Enzo Ferrari liked watches. The seed was planted by his godfather, Anselmo Chiarli, who gave his godson Enzo a silver watch to mark his first communion. As he achieved more success, he got more watches.
As a (former) racecar driver himself, and director of what would quickly become one of the most well-known and successful racing teams in the world, Enzo perhaps viewed watches as trophies to mark momentous achievements.
He soon began to place orders with various watch brands, each for just a couple of watches, yet always featuring the Prancing Horse proudly on the dial. These watches were given to a very select group of people, all of whom had contributed significantly to the success of Ferrari and shown loyalty to Enzo.
These watches were proudly worn by the men who received them as they were more than just pats on the back or badges of honor; receiving one of these watches meant that they belonged to the inner circle of Enzo Ferrari.
A portrait of Enzo Ferrari, signed and given as a gift by Ferrari to Luigi Chinetti Sr.
Allegedly, the moment the watch was gifted was quite unceremonious, with Ferrari often just pressing the watch into the hand of its lucky new owner. It was also not an event anyone could count on happening.
Argentine driver José Froilán González got his after winning at Silverstone during the 1951 Grand Prix season. While he was an excellent driver, it was fuel efficiency that made his car, fitted with a 4.5-liter, naturally aspirated V12 Ferrari engine, competitive. The 1.5-liter supercharged engines of Ferrari’s main adversary Alfa Romeo allegedly only went 1.5 miles on a gallon of fuel, which meant these cars had to stop twice to refuel during races.
For Ferrari it was the first time that his team had won a Formula One race with a car of his own make. But if you think that González got his watch for that, you’d be mistaken. Competitive as he was, Enzo Ferrari considered beating his nemesis Alfa Romeo González’s the true achievement.
Others had to wait considerably longer for their supreme tokens of approval from Il Commendatore – like Reclus Forghieri, who was in charge of the mechanical department and only awarded one after decades of being a driving force behind the scenes at Ferrari.
An interesting side note is that Reclus is also the father of Mauro Forghieri, who would become one of Ferrari’s most notable designers of Formula One cars. Mauro, who performed this task from 1960 through 1987, can be credited with designing the first transversal automatic gearbox as well as introducing rear wings on Formula One cars during the Belgian Grand Prix of 1968.
Ferrari: a (fortunate) victim of its own success
Enzo’s main passion was racing; Ferrari’s equally successful road cars were mainly a means to fund that passion.
And as the 1980s arrived, it became clear that the power of the Ferrari brand was more extensive than even that. People who could not even afford its road cars wanted to express their passion for the brand.
So merchandising became a real thing, and not all of it was official. This included watches, much to Enzo’s chagrin as he wanted to protect both the name and reputation of his brand. That is why he struck a deal with Cartier and they launched the new “Ferrari Formula” collection on April 15, 1983 at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy.
The first two Ferrari Formula watches that launched the collection
He did this with Alain Dominique Perrin, then president of Cartier International and well known for developing the highly successful Must de Cartier collection just a few years earlier.
The Cartier Ferrari Formula sub-brand had the same flair yet was a touch sportier. The name was clever, to say the least, as it included a nod to Ferrari’s popular Formula One team without literally using the trademarked racing series’ name.
Ferrari Formula advertisement
Who made the Cartier Ferrari Formula watches?
The deal itself was understandable as Cartier always had a knack for design and was one of the few luxury brands to thrive during the so-called quartz crisis. Cartier, however, had no large production facility at that time, so the question remains: who made the Formula Ferrari watches?
I have yet to uncover the definitive answer, but the obvious choice is Ebel as this brand had also made many of the Must de Cartier models.
However, I’m not sure that Ebel actually made the Formula Ferrari watches. It also may have been Baume & Mercier. In those days, Baume & Mercier wasn’t yet part of the Cartier empire. That wouldn’t happen until 1988 when Cartier acquired a controlling stake in both Piaget and Baume & Mercier, laying the foundation of what is now the Richemont Group.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Baume & Mercier had a collection called Formula S. Not only is this name surprisingly similar to Formula Ferrari, but the design of the watches also comes very close. While I have yet to confirm this officially, I believe that Baume & Mercier is the most likely candidate to have made the watches for the Cartier-Ferrari partnership.
Cartier Formula Ferrari: a well thought-out concept
As could be expected of men like Alain Dominique Perrin and Enzo Ferrari, the Formula Ferrari watches were endowed with quite a strong personality. The designs were a collaboration between Ferrari and Cartier and said to have been led by Giampiero Bodino, a heavyweight in the luxury world, particularly in jewelry design.
The task was not taken lightly as the watches needed to combine the high-tech atmosphere of a Ferrari racecar with a generous dose of elegance, all wrapped up in a contemporary design. And they succeeded in this.
Ferrari Formula chronographs with quartz movements
One of the most distinctive features of most of the Formula Ferrari watches is the asymmetrical bracelet and straps. Some dials feature geometric patterns, which gives them an even more distinct look.
Both the Ferrari name and logo were prominent on the watches, but not annoyingly so. While originally launched with just two time-only models – in men’s and women’s sizes – chronographs followed and would soon make up the majority of the collection.
Rare Ferrari Formula 18-karat gold chronograph with automatic movement
Automatic versions, even cased in 18-karat gold, existed as well, but in very limited quantities. The majority of these watches were powered by quartz movements, which was also a sign of the times.
The collection proved to be quite successful and soon also expanded into other products including lighters, pens, and leather goods – quite similarly to the Must de Cartier collection.
The holy grail
Among the Formula Ferrari watches there is one model that is the actual holy grail. In 1987, Enzo Ferrari commissioned a unique piece of the Cartier Formula Ferrari. With a movement based on the Valjoux 7751, its displays included a chronograph, moon phase, day (in Italian), and date.
Unique piece Ferrari Formula given to Pope John Paul II
It was given to Pope John Paul II when he visited Maranello and Fiorano in 1988, which included a tour of the Ferrari factory. While Enzo was a great admirer of Pope John Paul II, poor health prevented him from being present.
On August 14, 1988, only two months after the pope’s visit, Enzo Ferrari passed away in Modena, the same town he was born in 90 years before. The deal with Cartier died soon after, closing a remarkable chapter in watchmaking history of what was very likely the first large-scale commercial, successful collaboration between a car manufacturer and a watch brand.
Future collectable?
How collectable are Formula Ferrari watches? To answer that question depends on what kind of collector you are. If you a Ferrari enthusiast and/or owner of a (1980s) Ferrari, it might be a fun accessory to have. If you are a watch collector, the Formula Ferrari is most likely only interesting trivia to share with fellow connoisseurs. The movements were mostly quartz, and the design is too dated to entice any further horological interest.
Maintenance is the biggest hurdle of owning a Formula Ferrari watch. While the build quality of these watches was good, they are more than three decades old and quite likely in need of maintenance. As a standalone brand, neither Cartier nor Baume & Mercier will service them. Spare parts are not available, forcing you to buy another example of the same model and hope that the parts required are good enough to serve as donors.
This makes owning one a bit of a headache. Prices are modest, and watches complete with box and papers can still be found on pre-owned watch sites for those who are interested. Just keep in mind that personal enjoyment should be the main reason to buy one of these as I doubt that they will increase much in value in the future.
This post is part two of a series on the history of Ferrari watches up to 2021. Make sure to catch part one at History Of Ferrari Watches: Engineered By Officine Panerai. And there are more to come!
Quick Facts Cartier Formula Ferrari Chronograph
Case: 41 x 10 mm, stainless steel, mineral glass
Movement: unspecified quartz
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, day, chronograph
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Obviously the quartz chrono movement is a seiko 7a38, the layout of the buttons and the signature daydate in the right subdial are obvious signs, now these movements were stamped with a ferrari mark and made with a different movement code, but they are a very solid groundbreaking movement.
Could I have your email address please? I have a watch that I have been trying to find out info on for quite some time and I would love to send you some pics of the watch and see if it’s the same. There are no numbers on back just says CREDOR and below that Seiko but dial has Ferrari logo and says Ferrari. Dial is yellow. Thank you for your time.
Well, the history of Ferrari watches and the whole struggle behind this brand is made me amazed. How beautifully they design Ferrari watches feature of the day, date, minutes, and seconds such a classic watches. I see IWC watches there design is also very impressive. The IWC Pilot watch can serve you for many years without getting damaged.
Considering how much care Ferrari put into their cars, they treated the watches bearing their name very much as afterthoughts.
Amongst Seiko collectors, the Ferrari badged models of the 7a38 are considered as less desirable than the Seiko versions.
The Cartier/Ferrari watches come from the nadir of Cartier’s history, when they were struggling to find their feet with the inexpensive Must de Cartier range and the Ferrari stuff very much reflects that. The almost forgotten G-P range was the most successful, IMHO but please don’t get me started on the ill-fated Panerai collaboration.
Thanks for your insights, James! Just so you know, I already wrote the Panerai chapter, which you can find here: https://quillandpad.com/2021/05/08/history-of-ferrari-watches-engineered-by-officine-panerai/
I just interviewed Stefano Macaluso about the GP Ferrari watches and just today received a book for further research into it, so I plan to write the GP chapter soon. After talking to Stefano I am very excited to dig into this topic!
it was Longines in St-Imier that took care of product development and production and also some designs.
Hello Claude, what an honor to have you reading and commenting our articles! Thank you for sharing that invaluable knowledge. I know I wouldn’t have guessed that.
Correct! These watches were distributed (basically, sold) by Cartier, but the movement was Longines, mostly because Longines had such a large, historical connection with Ferrari. I actually own two original ones from 1986 (male/female). The Longines store was very surprised and didn’t recognize them, but Longines in Switzerland confirmed it.
Good evening, I have a Ferrari Formula Chrono with a steel bracelet like the one in your images given to me in 1989 and in perfect working order; during a maintenance in 1994 by an expert watchmaker licensed by Bomme & Mercier, I was informed that it was a mechanism from that house as also hypothesized in this beautiful article that I greatly appreciated for the affection towards this watch. Thanks.
Really interesting article
I own one of these beautiful watches but one of the pushers is missing
If anyone knows of how to find a replacement I would be very interested
I don’t know if this is still relevant, but there are pushers listed on ebay germany at the moment. But I don’t know if for your exact model
BR
I have a Ferrari watch with yellow face and on back says CREDOR and Seiko below it. There are no #s that I have found. Band has a symbol on it that I think is symbol for Credor. I’ve been trying to get info on watch but not finding much. Can anyone help me? Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Hi there, back in 1992, in Cardiff, I first saw a beautiful ‘Ferrari’ watch in a jewellery store – boxed and mint. It was irresistible and I bought it. It has a one-way rotating bezel with a blue section from 12 to 3 and is very delicate in appearance – the craftsmanship is exquisite. Although it keeps good and accurate time, the date wheel has an annoying habit of slipping and although I can easily adjust it, within about a week or so it has ‘lost’ a couple of days. Nevertheless, I enjoy wearing it and would not be interested in parting with it.
I have a red faced Ferrari Formula watch with box and papers, circa 1987
Originally from LMC now Cartier New Bond Street London
It was given to my father by the FIAT motor company for being top salesman that year.
I would like to know the value ???
Unfortunately the black and red rubber strap perished , I have no idea where to get a replacement.
Hi people i may surprise you what i m going to say here hmmm .. i have the Watch formula from the 1960 rosé gold elegant design it still ticking fine i have it fore 7 years now it was a present when i was 22 years old an old girlfriend gave it to me as a present it s very Unique i love the Watch a lot sometimes i wear it it s magical time for me the Watch is very special the time its very special everything is going magical when i am there really i t’s Shining still beautifull Bey greetings everybody adil from the netherland
That’s a great story Adil, thank you for sharing it with us here.
Regards, Ian
Very interesting to note the variants! Thanks so much for this wonderful history. One has recently sold on FerrariChat website ads as a guide to value. I also own a 3 dial version, it’s bi color case with a grey shark skin band.
Gold buckle also bears the Cavallino.
Bought together with the special Red Cover edition, of “Piloti Che Gente” by Enzo, I also have a matching fountain pen, even the repacement inki catridges bore the Ferrari logo!
Mine was electric and the rear case is an odd hex, not everyone is thrilled to crack it open!
Really this is not the same haha this formula quartz watch is 1 time it cost s 1500 in the 1960 its not just gold it is precious gold yellow gold rose gold palladium it is 3 gold mixed all together haha of you mix 14 k gold with the 18k gold then you have 24k white gold it was all the study you needed from 1960 to understand evrything about the rolex and the rest londen new york and denemark elegance watches are not just watches haha🏎🛰🚀 f1 they even made the ferarri and omega watch on the moon elektric from quartz the watches from 1940 until 1960 that was really the start that everthing started to go this watch had me going all back in time to the 1960 🤣 it was really a lot races against the clock it is already 5 races against the time the watches without battery came later and they worked on pinkpurple Stones haha🤦♀️when you understand this then you understand everything about this and the time 2024 it s amazing i found out that this marks of time ha snelle changed the holl world with computers amd cars it is really digging 🧡💚💙
hallo ich habe eine stahl ferarri catier mit goldeknönfen sieht so aus wie die 3 bilder die in der mitte.wer kann mir weiterhelfen.mf werner
(Google translate) hello I have a steel ferrari cartier with gold buttons looks like the 3 pictures in the middle. who can help me? mf werner