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A wheel on your wrist: how to choose your watch
A car watch is usually recognisable by a logo stuck on an ordinary dial. This one does the opposite: the dial itself is a three dimensional wheel, hollowed down to the brake disc, and it spins freely while the hands do the work of telling the time. Eleven models exist. This guide says what separates them.
The dial spins, and that is deliberate
This is the first thing to understand before buying. The wheel turns through 360 degrees, independently of the hands: on the wrist it moves when you move, exactly like a free wheel. It is not a manufacturing fault, it is the principle of the watch.
Hence one simple rule: you read the time from the hands, never from the dial. The red hands sit above the wheel and stay legible against the dark background.
All eleven models are gathered in the watch collection. They share the same case and the same movement: what changes is the design of the wheel, the name on the caliper and the strap.
Start with the wheel design you recognise. Everything else, case and movement, is identical from one model to the next.
Eleven dials, eleven wheel designs
Each model takes the wheel design of a specific car. Side by side, the difference is obvious.
Star spokes. The Porsche 911 and the Lamborghini SV, whose star is hollowed deeper.
Five spokes. The Porsche 718 in slim spokes, the Honda Type R in five plain spokes, the Shelby GT500 in five flat spokes, the Ferrari 488 in five two tone black and silver spokes.
Five double spokes. The BMW M3, the busiest design of the set.
Six wide spokes. The Nissan GT-R, the most massive.
Many thin spokes. The Mercedes-AMG G63 and the McLaren 720, the latter in an octagonal case rather than a round one.
And one that is not a wheel. The V12 engine watch replaces the wheel with a twelve cylinder V block, with a visible tourbillon at six o'clock turning continuously, on a quartz movement like the others. Tonneau case.
The name is on the caliper, not on the dial
Behind the spokes, where a real wheel lets you see the brake caliper, the caliper carries the name of the model. PORSCHE on both Porsches, AMG on the G63, nismo on the GT-R, SV on the Lamborghini, TYPE R on the Honda, SHELBY on the GT500, McLaren on the 720. The Ferrari 488 carries its name painted in white, and the BMW M3 the full M badge: its three stripes in light blue, navy and red, then the silver M.
It is a detail you cannot see from two metres away, and that is exactly what appeals to the people who know where to look.
Three caliper colours on every model: red, orange or green. The Ferrari is the exception, with red, Ferrari yellow or green. On the V12 the choice applies to the engine colour, and the strap follows it.
Three straps, three uses
The steel link bracelet, black, with a hidden clasp, is fitted to nine models out of eleven. It is the dressiest and the heaviest, the one that goes with a shirt.
Soft silicone is fitted to the McLaren 720, matched to the caliper. It is the lightest model of the set, and the least expensive.
Ribbed rubber is fitted to the V12, matched to the engine colour. With its tonneau case, it is the most demonstrative piece of the group, and the dearest.
The numbers of the case
They are identical across all eleven models. Stainless steel case with a black coating, 42 mm across, 11.5 mm thick. That is a classic men's size, neither a slim dress watch nor a diver.
Quartz movement, battery included, one to two years of life, replaceable by any watchmaker. Splash resistant, not for swimming: it takes rain and washing your hands, not the pool.
Choosing, in three questions
Which car do you recognise first? The one you own, the one you owned, or the one you are aiming at. The wheel speaks to whoever knows the car, and to nobody else: that is the whole point.
Steel or soft? Steel to wear the watch every day with sleeves, silicone to forget it on your wrist.
A wheel or an engine? Ten models tell a wheel, one tells an engine. If the mechanicals interest you more than the running gear, the choice is made.
A watch is worn, not placed. For the desk, the same taste comes as mouse mats, and for the wall as automotive canvases.
Where to start
Three ways in, depending on the car you have in mind.
Frequently asked questions
Is the spinning dial normal?
Yes. The wheel turns freely through 360 degrees, independently of the hands, and moves with the wrist. That is the principle of the watch, not a fault. The time is read from the hands.
How big is the case?
42 mm across and 11.5 mm thick on all eleven models, in stainless steel with a black coating. That is a classic size, suited to most men's wrists.
Can it be worn in the shower or the pool?
No. It is splash resistant, not swim resistant: rain and washing your hands are fine, immersion is not.
What is the difference between the models?
The wheel design, the name engraved or painted on the caliper, and the strap. Nine models have a steel link bracelet, the McLaren 720 has soft silicone, the V12 has ribbed rubber. The case and the quartz movement are the same throughout.
What about the battery?
It is included, lasts one to two years, and can be replaced by any watchmaker.
