Jamie Weiss
The 2025 Formula 1 World Championships began last weekend in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix. Melbourne not only marks the start of a major exchange of F1 guards as the opening race of a season that hasn’t been seen since 2019, but also marks the beginning of a massive exchange of F1 guards. In the final year of the rules cycle, six rookies to join the grid, Lewis Hamilton, joins Ferrari… It also marked the first race where Rolex was not the sport’s official timekeeping partner, and the Crown tagged its title and handed it off. We are all pretty big F1 fans with Time+Tide (Borna and I especially me). There is a large overlap in the Venn diagram between the F1 and the watch. Naturally, we were all over the Formula 1 weekend, splitting and conquering to capture the news of the most important watches of the race.
My Formula 1 race week began on Tuesday when I joined Chivas Regal at a pop-up bar called Leclerc’s. I actually ended up having a pretty nice chat with Charles – not an interview, but just a human conversation, a humble and charming man. As a proud Sydney Cedar, it turns out he has never been to Sydney before, I was happy to give him some recommendations the next time he is in Australia. We also chatted a little about the clock. He said he is a fan of my Grand Seiko SBGE257 and is also a good friend to Jean Arnault, the Louis Vuitton watchmaking director who sparked his interest in watches. I’m a McLaren fan, but do you think I’m in a bit of a crush on Charles right now?
On Wednesday, I went to Full McLaren Superfan and basically followed Oscar Piastri around Melbourne. First they held an event with Jack Daniels at Espai of St Kilda, signed things for the fans, spoke to the mainstream press, then appeared at an event with Airwallex in the afternoon. Last year I had the opportunity to interview Reco about an immersive art installation I created for Sydney’s Vatchelon Constantine. His signature art style works just as well with supercars as with watch boutiques.
On Thursday, Andrew flew into town and hit the Albert Park Circuit with the rest of the media courtesy of TAG Heuer. Andrew managed to even interview reigning champion Super Max Verstappen himself. His new Red Bull Racing teammate, Young Liam Lawson. So does Tag Heuer’s new Formula 1 Pit Lane Watch designer. A complete summary from the race from Andrew will soon be dropped on YouTube.
Meanwhile, Borna and I headed to the Mercedes lounge by truck with IWC and spent some time with George Russell, Andrea Kimi Antoneri and Valtteri Bottas. How long will it take for IWC to do the George Russell edition?
On Friday, Borna joined Porsche at the Porsche Pavilion, watching free practice, checking out the new (controversial hybrid) 911 and getting a Porsche-designed chronograph on his wrist. At the same time, Alex and I were wandering around the Formula 1 paddock. It was my first time at the F1 paddock and I was totally over-stimulated.
However, Saturday was a highlight. I’m joining the Tudor and Visa Cash App RB F1 team, taking a tour of the VCarb garage and having the privilege of seeing Quali from behind the garage. There was a swell of 37°C on the track on Saturday, but it was even hotter behind the garage, so tire blankets and in fact Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls VCarb 02 race cars made Mercury climb even higher.
It was cool to see the change of the mechanics with Tudor Black Bay ceramic blues, especially the lightning bolt tires on the wrists of all VCARB team members. The atmosphere in the garage where Tsunoda qualified fifth place (better than both Ferrari drivers!) was electricity, and the uplift of the VCARB team was absolutely evident.
But Sunday? Wet and wild. In Melbourne’s classic fashion, we backed up the scor cup with heavy rain. Borna and I managed to grab tickets for the grandstand (unfortunately in a completely different grandstand) …but it would have been good to be able to be at Paddock Club like on Friday and Saturday (the peak of the world’s problems at the first world, I know). Andrew remained dry – Lucky Bagger.
As for races, it was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen. The wet conditions led to a massacre on the truck, crashing six drivers, and even his hometown hero, Piastri, almost joined them in the late stages of the race. All Aussie fans were upset to see Piastri spin out, but in the true display of Aussie Grit, the young Melvernian swayed in the grass before returning to the track and recovered to a respectable ninth place after overtaking Hamilton on his final lap. I then joined hundreds of enthusiastic fans asking for truck invasions. This was also a good tradition to come back to watch Randnoris lift the trophy and spray champagne on the already fascinating crowd. How good.
Anyway, there are a lot of burnt rubber, lots of spills, lots of cheers, lots of watches. Stay tuned for more content from the race and time + tide content for the 2025 F1 season. We have a lot in the tank (a fully intended pun). Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Jamie the Time+Tide Team
Check out Meme of the Week: An Unholy Union
Ressence Type 7 was dropped this week, and its design has proven to be somewhat…splitting, to say the least. But I want to get one on my wrist with Geneva watches and wonders. I can’t believe it’s more than a week away!
This week’s wrist shot: Who says F1 drivers don’t wear watches?
This might be the best wrist shot I’ve ever taken. Last Tuesday, when I was chatting with Charles Leclerc, he asked me how I made a living. “Oh, I’m writing about watches… Can you show me yours?” Monégasque was willing to obligate him, pulling down his cuffs to reveal his exceptionally wounded Richard Mille RM 72-01 flyback chronograph. Of course, Leclerc and Ferrari are both sponsored by Richard Mille, so he gets a watch for free, but it’s cool to see him actually wear it and not make it a baby. In fact, Charles shared that Richard Mill (Mann and Brand) was his long-standing sponsor, follower, “second to my manager,” and that their relationship began in 2011 when he was still in the go-kart. As my colleague Noel Faulkner said, it is “a lovely story of this world of this Grabby sponsor Mayhem.”
Time+TideShop Pick of the Week: Now Magazine Issue10
Hot Off Press: Now Magazine Issue 10 brings you the perfect watch to buy faster people, faster cars and more than 180 best watches thanks to a painstakingly assembled watch buying guide. Some highlights include an interview with Usain Bolt, a ranking of the spicy commentators in the watch world, detailed features on the relationship between cars and watches, with some of the sparkle of the watch world, including Bvlgari’s Fabrizi of Onamasus Stigriani and MB&F’s biggest büsser talking about the rad ride.
Issue 10 of Now Magazine can be ordered online, both physically and digitally through the Time+Tide Shop. With digital copy, it sets $7.95 and the physical + digital bundle retreats $19.95. Please check the details and order a copy here.
Our Favorite Time + This Week’s Trend
Tag Heuer Heritage Director Nickby Bike takes us through the history of motorsports filled with the brand’s Formula 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2jivlt16cc
It’s not often that you don’t get the opportunity to bring your camera into the archives of watch brands. And almost often, led by the brand’s own heritage director, you don’t get nearly unlimited access. But that was exactly the polite tags Heuer and Nicholas Biebuyck gave us before the opening of the 2025 Formula One season in Melbourne. Please see above or see here.
Louis Vuitton will work with Kari Votyranen on a super-even tantalum take with Escale
The long-awaited “lvoutilainen” can be found here. France’s most famous luxury brand and Finnish masterwatch maker collaborated in a limited edition of five pieces. Covered in a case with tantalum with platinum elements, boasting a hand-painted guilloche gold dial and equipped with the Voutilainen GMT movement, it is one of the most interesting watches that the Voutilainen or LV has ever made. Read Jamie’s report here.
All different types of diamond cuts, and how they are used in watchmaking
The art of cutting gems has a long, twisting history, but the facets of gems in ways we know today are actually a relatively recent development that requires sophisticated science both in conceptualization and implementation. Whether it’s a diamond set bezel or a gem of a huge statement on the watch dial, understanding the manufacturing process only increases your appreciation for them. Educate Buffy here.
