Special models

Schumacher watches now “under the hammer”

Michael Schumacher owns a special watch collection.(Bild: AFP/APA/OLIVER LANG)

30 years after Michael Schumacher's first Formula 1 victory, eight watches from his collection are being auctioned in Geneva. 

The German racing driver collected watches and owns rare pieces, some of which were made especially for him by the best watchmakers in the world. The auction will take place on Monday (May 13) in Geneva.

Schumacher's watch collection is quite extensive, Christie's watch specialist Alexandre Gouverneyre told the German Press Agency in Geneva on Thursday. "The family thinks that these pieces are better off in collections." Other chronometers, which Schumacher often wore and which are therefore associated with personal memories, will remain in family ownership.

Auction in Geneva
It is difficult to say whether the celebrity effect is driving up the price of the watches, said Remi Guillemin, who is responsible for estimating watch prices at Christie's. The estimated prices - between 150,000 and two million francs (up to a good two million euros) per piece - do not include a celebrity mark-up, he assures us.

The auction will take place in Geneva, less than 40 kilometers from the family's home on Lake Geneva. Schumacher himself has not appeared in public since a serious skiing accident at the end of 2013. The family does not talk about how he is doing.

A "Ferrari" watch
On offer is a model from the manufacturer F.P. Journe with a dial in the Ferrari color red with symbols of his seven world championship titles. It was a Christmas present from the then Ferrari team boss Jean Todt. Estimated price: one to two million francs. A rare Paul Newman Daytona watch from Rolex is estimated to be worth at least 200,000 francs.

If the eight watches are sold at the upper end of their estimated price, the proceeds would be more than four million francs. It is not known what motivated the family to put the watches up for auction. Michael Schumacher was one of the best-paid sportsmen in the world. Forbes magazine estimated his earnings during his active career at a total of one billion dollars.