Eight Formula One legend Michael Schumacher watches raked in four million Swiss francs ($4.4 million; €4.1 million) at an auction that was held in Geneva on Tuesday.
Schumacher was a seven-time Formula One legend was an avid watch collector. However, he has not been seen in public after a serious skiing accident in 2013.
The family of the former Formula One champion put the watches up for sale and this coincided with the 30th anniversary of Schumacher’s Formula One Drivers Championship win in 1994.
“Collectors were so happy to discover these timepieces filled with history,” said Christie’s Head of Watches in Europe, Remi Guillemin.
The wristwatch with the highest hammer price was a vintage pink Patek Philippe that was sold for $2,711,500.
Two of the other watches auctioned were personalized gifts that were given to Schumacher by the Ferrari’s team principal during the period the German driver drove for the Italian outfit, Jean Todt.
Another wristwatch was a custom-made platinum watch from F.P. Journe known as the Vagabondage 1 and it sold for $1,646,700.
The watch has an 18-carat white gold and a red watch face emblazoned with a Ferrari logo. It also has Schumacher’s racing helmet and a number 7 to respect the driver’s seven World Championship victories.
The other wristwatch was an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak chronograph with a bespoke dial that has a prancing horse in the Ferrari emblem. It sold for $457,380.
Also, three Rolex watches were included in the auction, each selling for more than $300,000.
Michael Schumacher todayMichael Schumacher was a former German racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. He had a joint record of seven World Drivers’ Championship titles together with Lewis Hamilton at the time of his retirement from the sport in 2012. In December 2013, he suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident. Since then he has not been seen in public as he has been at home receiving medical treatment and rehabilitation privately.
