Several prestigious car manufacturers sell beautifully-crafted branded watches to their wealthier customers. This is perhaps not something that The General’s Chevrolet division would consider for most of its vehicles, but there is an obvious exception. Why, then, is there no such thing as a Corvette watch?
Breitling Premier Bentley Mulliner Limited Edition watch
To illustrate the point, let’s take a look at three examples of this very thing happening already. In 2002, Bentley commissioned Breitling to design the clock for its upcoming Continental GT model, which went on sale the following year. Since then, Breitling has been creating Bentley-specific watches, the most dramatic being the Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Bentley Centenary Limited Edition, which retails for $28,000 USD.
Meanwhile, Ferrari has teamed up with the Movado Group to produce a range of watches. Perhaps surprisingly, these are considerably more affordable than the aforementioned Bentley watches, with prices ranging from under $200 to $2,495.
Porsche took a different approach. The German manufacturer’s Design Group created a subsidiary company called Porsche Design Timepieces, which has been producing Porsche watches since July 2014. They are generally more expensive than the Ferrari watches, but less so than the Bentley ones.
BRM Corvette C8.R watch
As we reported last month, a Corvette watch is available, inspired by the success of Corvette Racing and the C8.R in the 2020 IMSA GT Le Mans Championship. This seems analogous to the Bentley and Ferrari situations, but in fact it is simply a case of the watch manufacturer, Bernard Richards Manufacture (BRM) licensing the Corvette name and the use of the Jake skull logo from General Motors. From what we know, GM, Chevrolet or the Corvette team had no input on the watch.
BRM Corvette C8.R watch
However, a genuine Corvette watch, designed (at least partly) by team Corvette (even in conjunction with existing watch manufacturers), should be a no-brainer. It would be very difficult to lose money, since such a product would appeal to a wide range of potential customers.
The most obvious of these would be Corvette owners, who would love to own one. Besides actual Corvette owners, another group that would love to own a Corvette-branded watch designed by the Corvette team are Corvette fans (who don’t necessarily own a Vette). It’s highly likely that this group is exponentially bigger than actual Corvette owners, thereby expanding the potential reach of the proposed Corvette timepieces.
Corvette watches can take any number of directions, including a model to commemorate each Corvette generation. Chevy could go even further by offering a timepiece celebrating each sub-model, such as Stingray, Grand Sport, Z06, or ZR1, or special editions thereof.
And for those who desire the ultimate connection between their Corvette and their timepiece, Chevy could also offer existing owners the ability to order a watch in conjunction with their car, complete with an engraved VIN, either on the watch’s face, on the backplate, or elsewhere. All that is not to mention special-edition watches saluting momentous occasions, such as victories in motorsport.
#3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R, GTLM: Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, podium
Besides the obvious ability to further strengthen the connection between car and brand for existing Vette owners, a Corvette watch would also boost the Corvette brand among those who aren’t lucky enough to own the automobile. And that’s saying nothing about the financial revenue opportunities for Chevrolet and General Motors.
Comments
There is no watch as this car while similar in design and performance as the super cars is in a different price class and culture.
There have been Corvette watched like the Badboys CR watch but they have never been big sellers. You can sell a high end watch to a guy who buys a $200,000 car but not so much to a guy buying a $80,000 car.
Same for Miata and RX7 or Others. You may see a Boxster watch as the guy is pretending it is a 911.
The Branding is not seen the same and this is why I don’t want to see the Corvette name abused on other models it is not.
GM has a special thing going with the Corvette. It is a high volume sports car model that survives on just being a sports car. Other sports cars come and go but the Corvette survives. Corvette also has the support of Chevrolet that sells a long line of high volume models that permits Chevy the ability to offer such a model.
The Corvette business case is unique and special and few could duplicate it. Ut also you mess with the balance you can destroy it.
The Corvette while it is expanding to higher price versions remains tied to its roots. This also means the things that go with it also need to be associated at reasonable cost. So this precludes a $5,000 Tag watch.
The Corvette guy also is one who will make changes to his car vs a 488 guy. He will buy wheels etc. the Watch money goes to accessories for the car not the owner.
As for the watch just let the aftermarket take the risks. GM’s money is best invested in the car.
I wear a watch every day and use it, I also have an iPhone and two corvettes. I definitely will buy a watch to wear when driving my corvettes. I own a C-5 and a C-7. Thanks
Since the mobile phones legacy wrist watches have become pointless and obsolete and now they completely go out by the courtesy of smart watches. You can have hundreds of watches buying just one with customable watch faces, so you can literally match your watch with every outfit you have and every environment you can think of.
To me instead of going that path GM should collaborate with Apple like Nike did and introduce its own Apple Watch faces thus you can choose your GM brand; Corvette, Escalade, Buick, Chevy, Camaro… and the colors matching your GM vehicle and they should not stop there and immediately launch GM watch-app that would offer car-key functionality and remote access to car controls and diagnostics like Tesla does; climate control, cameras, battery charging status…
Do folks consider an iWatch to be a real watch? I don’t. It’s a valuable extension of the phone for many but a masterpiece of precision engineering like a fine watch, it will never be.
Cell phones and smart watches killed the daily driver watch market (Timex, Swatch, Citizen, Casio, regular Seiko), but it didn’t hurt the luxury watch market. Luxury watches are jewelry, and are bought because people like to have them, and not because they’re practical. These things are mechanical watches and they were thoroughly out of date 40 years ago.
I would guess that those of us that are ‘older’ and have the good fortune to be able to afford some of the high end Corvettes, already have a favorite timepiece. I currently wear a Rolex that was a reward of doing Automotive Business. I probably wouldn’t be interested in a Corvette branded watch to replace it, however, I think that generation and model specific high quality watches would sell well to both owners and people anticipating a Corvette purchase.
My Rolex is my go to but I would buy a quality corvette watch in a heartbeat to match my C8. It would be even better if I could match the vin as an engraving on the watch, as Alex mentioned. Good idea!
People wear different watches at different times and for different occasions. Another costly Apple Watch is “not necessary “! A “unique Corvette watch” would do well providing that it’s priced modestly and very well aesthetically designed. Don’t consider a full time watch as stated above since changing watches for different occasions is just fine !
Frank B
This is really a no brainer. Louis Chevrolet’s father was a watchmaker. Nothing as classic as a chronograph wrist watch for an auto enthusiast. There already exists a Louis Chevrolet brand in Switzerland.
Chevy teamed up with Jack Heuer fifty years ago to produce the Heuer Camaro when the Trans Am series was at the top of it’s game. The Heuer Camaro now has it’s own website. These watches were $100.00 in the early seventies, not so much now.
The Corvette is a classic name that should be teamed up with a classic watchmaker. The price point can be commensurate with the brand. Tissot, Hamilton, Longines, Heuer/Tag Heuer, Rolex. A simple automatic chronograph would sell itself.
thanks for mentioning the heuer camaro. that was new to me. very cool watch.
if gm wants to come out with a line of watches for cadillac/corvette, i think they should go with an american designer/brand. i’m sure there are some very talented relatively unknown boutique american designers out there who would jump at this opportunity to make something unique and special.
As pointed out, it’s pointless to make a watch in this day and age. Even if one was made, it should be for the company/division and not a model of car IMO. Chevrolet is the company/division, Corvette is a model of car like Chevelle, Camaro or Silverado. As C8.R said above, GM could ruin the Corvette name entirely if they go messing with it’s legacy and heritage. It is what it is and it’s successful because of that. I can see some greedy boardroom executives anxious to make a quick buck off of the Corvette name for temporary gain only to destroy the brand permanently long term. Chevrolet could offer Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Silverado watches/accessories to go along with all of their heritage lines of vehicles if they thought a watch was absolutely necessary though.
If any watch was made for anything under the GM holding umbrella it should be for Cadillac. And not for the Escalade or any other make/model names they have coming up for a certain car/cuv but for Cadillac the company/division itself.
Needed? Really?
Like Jake Stewart said, I prefer my Rolex and wear it every day. Unlike him, I wouldn’t buy a Corvette watch although my current C8 is my eighth, and I love it. Besides, you can buy an aftermarket Corvette watch if you have to have such a gadget.
I have never once said to myself “I sure would like a new Corvette but I simply can’t do it because they don’t have an official watch”. While a Corvette watch would be cool I suppose I don’t think the average Corvette owner is pretentious enough to have it effect their buying or ownership experience.
As the owner of a C5, which don’t get me wrong, I love, I feel it’s interior would be befitting of an 80s swatch were it to get it’s own watch. The choice of materials between the 2 is similar though I’m willing to bet the swatch holds up better than the seats and door panels inside the C5.
The C4 would be the best. Not sure where you’d source those orange digital displays that would be a requirement.
I would suggest that Corvette come out with a simple, clean and attractive design (get the Corvette designers to add their personal touch) which represents good value like the car itself. Make it readily available and consider it as advertising/promotion for the brand both for current and possibly future owners. Target price should be $1000-$2500 max. Not too cheap but at a price point that most people can aspire to own just like the car itself.
And most importantly, reliable and easy to maintain. Like the car itself, compared to high priced Euro exotics.
They could offer some big gold chains with the Corvette logo too. Call it the Mister T Starter Kit.
I have a Fiero watch I got back in the 80’s.
I bought an Indy scoop for my car and they tossed it in for free. I think they were just trying to unload the unsold watches before the batteries died.
It’s worth a good $10 on E bay today.
Seriously Ferrari and the RSR are cars for the few and those who demand exclusivity. They are willing to pay much for just image.
The C8 is a super car for the masses. They don’t care about being one of many. In fact they love their clubs and activities with large groups of other owners.
There is nothing wrong with either group but the Corvette group is just a different demographic and is always going to be different.
I am a watch collector and also a Corvette owner. AC6 Z06 to be exact. I did buy a BRM Corvette watch just because I like both the cars and the watches. Chevrolet could do much worse than to not offer a matching watch with the new C8 as well as previous generations of Corvettes. I would think that it would be a great marketing opportunity for both parties, the watchmaker as well as Chevrolet.
As I said before The Corvette brand should be laid to rest.
GM is killing it anyway. What ever happened to the good old American muscle car, the C7 was the last true to form Corvette, now all it has become is a wannabe European Supercar and they want to insult us by adding a branded watch, I would have thought maybe a gold jewel encrusted belt buckle and a handcrafted pair of Laredo boots were more in keeping with the Corvette brand. However as GM are obviously going to persist with this new direction they are missing an opportunity to come up with a new “HERO” brand name. Please Just let the Corvette die a natural death. I for one will not be buying an Amerapean wannabe supercar.
There was a WW2 era Rolex Corvette but… it was named after the Sleuth. The car had not yet been invented.
If Corvette did this right, and as related prior sold a midrange watch with a classy chronograph design, they might could get somewhere. Sadly these days that means not a Speemaster, not a Rolex, not a Tag, or any top tier watch maker, which makes having a mechanical chrono out of the question. Perhaps a Citizen or a Luminox? I would argue though that they shouldn’t dilute the models by giving watches their names, rather offer a $500 and a $1500 watch, and see what sells. Perhaps a Citizen bullhead as it would match the blue devil and perhaps even the racing Jake…
Do an Apple Watch face for all generations and call it a day….
I’d like a nice quality watch, reliable watch w/ calendar with a std. battery. Every Corvette body accessory is cool to wear, a good “Brand”, quality, look, lifespan. Nothing big and bulky but made so it’s a watch you can wear every day.
It would be cool for a watch for each generation Corvette. I would like to see one that recognizes the C4 ZR-1, fot the world record breaking success. Even the L98, LT1, and LT4 all cool machines in their own right. The older generation watches could be priced according to the current price point of each year and model. My wife bought me a C8 sweatshirt and hat, she didn’t know each gen has its own insignia, I still proudly wear them though. I own a 1990 ZR-1 and explained the insignia thing to her, a watch line for your favorite Vette, I’m on board.
Put me down for a nice, tasteful, classic, automatic chronograph, even better if it was designed by the Corvette design team! Preferrably American made, like the car, and it should be of aspirational quality, probably in the 1 to 2 thousand dollar range.
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