Hamilton wore three luxury watches - this is their EYE-WATERING value…
Hamilton has been at loggerheads with the FIA this season which shows little sign of slowing down.
The three watches worn by Hamilton totalled an eye-watering £32,250.
But, all three watches were made by luxury Swiss manufacturer IWC who collaborate with Mercedes and count Hamilton among their ambassadors.
He wore a Big Pilot’s Watch (£10,900), a Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Mojave Desert (£14,500) and a Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team watch (£6,850), according to GQ Magazine (prices per the official IWC website).
"In the interest of safety, watches will be considered as jewellery," race director Niels Wittich confirmed the day after Hamilton wore his three pieces.
Hamilton has been an ambassador for IWC since 2013 so maybe he was spared paying for his watches!
IWC partnered with Hamilton on a collection last year and said he has gone from “a ‘driver of the fastest cars’ to a ‘driver of change’, as he increasingly seeks to use his talent and influence to raise awareness of social injustices and broaden opportunities to people from diverse backgrounds”.
“He is not only a remarkable athlete but a multifaceted personality driven by passion and purpose, using his voice to speak out,” the brand have also said about Hamilton.
Will jewellery-gate strike at F1 Spanish GP?
This weekend is the final race that Hamilton will enjoy a medical exemption for a nose ring which he says cannot be removed.
After arriving in Miami wearing three watches, plus plenty of other jewellery including necklaces, rings and ear-rings, he did appear to compromise by taking to the track without his ear-rings.
He has previously hit out at the FIA’s rule: “I think we’ve got bigger fish to fry, bigger things to do, more impact to have. So that’s really where I think the focus should be.”
Part of the FIA’s justification for the rule reads: “Metallic objects, such as jewellery, in contact with the skin can reduce heat transmission protection and thus may increase the risk of burn injuries in the event of a fire.”
Hamilton drops out of Forbes rich list
The seven-time F1 world champion was not included in Forbes' top 10 highest-earning athletes of 2022.
He has featured in the annual list twice and, last year, was eighth.
