After a handful of suspicious sightings on the wrists of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, Girard-Perregaux have formally announced their return to Formula 1 with a new partnership with the Atlassian Williams F1 team. The brand had been a common sight on the grid with previous partner, Aston Martin, who signed a new partnership leading into this year with Breitling. This left Girard-Perregaux without a presence in the sport for the first time since 2001, in what had been a surprisingly prolific area of their portfolio. With Williams, Girard-Perregaux can continue exploring more technical collaborations which are sure to follow.
With the new regulation set introduced at the beginning of this season, there were high expectations around the Williams F1 team thanks to hype created by team principal James Vowels (who was with Mercedes during many of their glory years). So much so that Carlos Sainz was convinced to sign with the team over the likes of Audi. With the first half of the season behind us, it’s safe to say that those lofty expectations have not been met. The drivers have 11 points between them, and the team sits in ninth position in the constructors championship. Still, there is reason for optimism, as they have a strong engine partner in Mercedes, and a raft of updates planned in hopes of returning to strong midfield contender.
Williams has always been a family owned F1 team, and has a hugely impressive history, including 9 Constructors’ Championships and 7 Drivers’ Championships between 1980 and 1997. This stretch includes some of the sport’s most iconic and innovative cars (FW14B anyone?). As such, this is a great prestige opportunity for Girard-Perregaux to build a relationship around a brand known for their success in the sport, and not one most associated with road cars. This may signal a different approach to watches produced going beyond mere status, making it a good venue to showcase their technical watchmaking chops.
There is no watch introduction with this announcement, but rather a statement of intent. The two outfits look to work together with an exchange of expertise, which hopefully means that we have some gnarly new watches in store. While many of the partner brands present in this sport are quick to use it as a glamorous spotlight showcasing their status, some are more thoughtful about leveraging the partnerships to create more interesting products. Girard-Perregaux has traditionally fallen into that bucket, and I suspect that’s where they will remain moving ahead with Williams.
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