Running like clockwork

They're both mechanical status symbols—how else to explain the enduring partnership of watch and car? Ken Kessler investigates a co-branding conspiracy

If Sammy Cahn were alive today, writing the lyrics for a new version of Sinatra's Love & Marriage, one of the analogies he'd use would have to be "cars and watches". Not as elegant as "a horse and carriage", but the pairing does represent one of the most visible and successful examples of co-branding ever seen in the luxury sector. And the nuptials that represent the apotheosis? Bentley and Breitling.

While the two Bs changed the face of watch marketing forever, the link is not particularly new. There have been timepieces branded for automotive marques ever since the dawn of motoring. As long ago as the 1920s, Ettore Bugatti had Mido produce a run of watches shaped like his cars' famous stirrup radiator to serve as gifts to successful drivers and cherished clients, and fitted Breguet stopwatches to the steering wheel hub of the Royale.

Since then, promotions have included a Lancia watch shaped like a steering wheel, a Corum in the form of a miniature Rolls-Royce radiator, and radiator-shaped offerings from Chevy, Audi, Volvo and others.

Aside from these assorted one-offs, car and watch combinations were often decidedly downmarket, the sort of trinkets car dealers sold in their showrooms. A major exception was a series of very fine wristwatches that Girard-Perregaux produced in conjunction with Ferrari during the 1990s and early 2000s, superb timekeepers inspired by individual Ferrari models. But it was the unforeseen liaison between Bentley and Breitling that changed the landscape forever. It also exposed a seam that runs through the watch-making industry: unbridled copycat behaviour. In 2002, commemorating their Le Mans effort, Bentley teamed up with Breitling, a company with a long and celebrated tradition for producing rugged watches for aviators.
Dubbed "Breitling for Bentley", the first results exceeded expectations.

So scarily successful was the venture that the series is now a family within Breitling's catalogue, consisting of over a dozen models related to specific cars, established alongside the familiar Navitimer, Windrider, Professional and Aeromarine ranges. One source suggested that this collaboration alone enhanced the already-healthy Breitling's turnover by a whopping 16 per cent. And—so far—it has defied the "curse of co-branding".

An expensive automobile reveals a number of things about the owner, the two most obvious being that said owner is not short of cash and that he or she is interested in cars. When the automobile happens to be a pedigree supercar, it's arguable that the owner doesn't need to indulge in the sort of paraphernalia that wannabes acquire. Which leads to the challenge: who's the bigger dipstick? The guy who doesn't own a Ferrari but wears a Ferrari baseball cap and windbreaker, or the guy who does own a Ferrari and yet still wears the matching attire?

Bentley and Breitling must have done their homework, because it appears that a disproportionately high percentage of Breitling for Bentley watches have landed on the wrists of actual Bentley owners. One retailer estimated it as 70 per cent, but another suggested the opposite. He claimed the watches are so appealing on their own-for their unique look rather than the Bentley connection—that a number of collectors are buying them despite not owning a car from Crewe.

Bentley chose its partner wisely and the Breitlings are fine watches. But Breitling went the extra mile and developed new functions and models, wrapping them in cases, dials and bezels that reflected Bentley design characteristics—no mere badge engineering here. Engine-turning, Clou de Paris machining, a wheel engraved on the caseback—there's no mistaking which car they address.

In short order, Aston-Martin teamed up with Jaeger-LeCoultre, Ferrari with Panerai and Maserati with Audemars-Piguet. These are the canny ones who know they need unique models, utterly distinct and separated from the watch company's own models. Aston-Martin has been blessed with clever GMTs and chronographs, Ferrari can boast in this year's line-up two very limited models with ultra-rare Minerva movements. This is serious stuff in watch terms, a far cry from the sort of badge-engineering that gives co-branding a bad name.

So far none has been able to match the sheer momentum of Breitling-Bentley. If one gauges the success of a venture by visibility, controversy and sheer presence, this axis trumps all the others. Sales figures are hard to come by, but it would appear that not many car makers have been as inspired by their matching watches. A well-placed London retailer, who stocks half a dozen ranges with serious car connections, estimates that most of them are going to collectors, with less than a third being sold to corresponding car owners.

There's a salutary tale here. One major Japanese manufacturer launched an assault on the most successful car in the "small executive class". In its attempt to foster cult attraction equal to its rivals, it offered a branded watch. But the manufacturer failed to research buying habits beyond the automotive. It would have discovered that owners of executive cars in the £25,000-£40,000 bracket aspire to finer things.

They are more likely to buy TAG Heuers or Rolexes in the £2,000-£3,000 region. The manufacturer released a sub-£200 quartz toy better suited to youthful clubbers. Its branding exercise didn't match the car's market.

And that's the secret. Companies such as Ferrari, Aston-Martin and Bentley sell to such a select clientele that fans vastly outnumber those who could afford the cars. So, instead, they buy into the mystique with an associated, officially sanctioned accessory. But there are more watch brands than car brands, so the number of viable link-ups is finite. The average Porsche fanatic may not be able to purchase a 911 Turbo, but he can probably afford Porsche sunglasses. But that's not the thinking that will sell a £5,000-plus watch.

As long as watch companies are run by enthusiasts who don't differentiate between the mechanical DNA of cars and watches, the affinity will live on. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, President of Chopard, and Gerd-R Lang, founder of Chronoswiss, are major players in the world of vintage car collecting. The former sponsors the revived Mille Miglia, the latter manufacturing rally timers. Others, including Luigi Macaluso of Girard-Perregaux and Giuliano Mazzuoli were racing drivers in the 1970s. In this respect, such company heads think exactly like their customers. Cars and watches rank up there as the ultimate boys' toys and linking them makes good sense. And if owners of aeroplanes and boats are feeling left out, their passions have matching watches, too.

Time travel

1920s: Bugatti made by Mido

1960s: Rolex makes a specific chronograph associated with Paul Newman, who wore it in the film Winning. It has been known as "the Paul Newman" ever since.

1960s: TAG-Heuer starts manufacturing sports chronographs, mainly named after race circuits. Now sponsor of TAG-McLaren F1 team, enjoying the rise of Lewis Hamilton

1972: Porsche Design launches its first range of watches, associated with Porsche automobiles 

1988: Chopard: Long-time sponsor of the Mille Miglia, designs a series of watches bearing the race's name.

1997: Franck Muller makes a model called the Chronograph Endurance with 24-hour dial, known as the "Le Mans Watch"

2002: Bugatti offers a unique  design, made by Parmigiani Fleurier 

2003: Bentley and Breitling launch an entire family of watches.

2003: Oris, sponsor of the BMW-Williams F1 Team, produces chronographs bearing the team name

2006: Ferrari own brand re-launched by Panerai 

2006: De Grisogono produces watch bearing the signature of F1 team boss Flavio Briatore 

2006: Maybach: Ultra-rare tourbillon made for the company by Wilhelm Rieber

2007: Alfa-Romeo combines with Mazzuoli for the Contagiri, with a dial resembling a 60s speedometer

2007: Fans of Austin-Healey can wear a limited-edition Austin-Healey watch from Frederique Constant

2007: to present Koenigsegg: Edox produces a Limited Edition chronograph for this marque

2007: Pagani Zonda offers a high-end watch made by Cvstos

2008: Aston-Martin launches an inventive, upscale range made by Jaeger-LeCoultre 

2008: Jaguar launch an own brand made by Festina 

2008: Lamborghini: Own brand, made in Switzerland (Current)

2008: Morgan: Special version of Hublot Big Bang inspired by the Aeromax; only 500 will be produced 

2008: Richard Mille produced model RM 011 for this year's Le Mans. Also designed RM005 Felipe Massa Titanium