Bugatti's Legacy in Horology: A Century of Innovation in Timekeeping
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector
For more than a century, Bugatti has epitomized engineering excellence, craftsmanship and innovation—not just in automobiles but in horology. The French marque's deep-rooted connection to watchmaking has yielded some of the most exquisite timepieces, reflecting its commitment to precision and artistry.
Bugatti's association with fine watchmaking dates back to 1925, when Swiss brand Mido recognized the automaker's dedication to performance and design. Mido crafted a limited series of gold watches, shaped like Bugatti's distinctive horseshoe grille, to be gifted to the marque's top drivers and mechanics. These early collaborations set the foundation for a relationship between automotive engineering and horology that would span generations.
The connection strengthened in the 1930s, when Ettore Bugatti commissioned legendary Swiss watchmaker Breguet to design dashboard chronographs for the Type 41 Royale—the most luxurious car of its era. The precision-crafted timepieces, featuring tachometers to measure speed, were seamlessly integrated into the vehicle's design, reinforcing Bugatti's pursuit of perfection.
Decades later, as Bugatti underwent a renaissance in the early 2000s, its watchmaking partnerships evolved. The marque teamed up with Parmigiani Fleurier to develop the Bugatti Type 370—a revolutionary "driver's watch" inspired by the Veyron hypercar's gearbox. This manually wound timepiece, recognized as "Watch of the Year" in 2006, symbolized a new chapter in the automaker's horological journey.
In recent years, Bugatti has pushed the limits of timepiece engineering through a collaboration with Jacob & Co. The partnership has led to groundbreaking creations, including the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, which features a miniature W16 engine automaton. The latest addition, the Bugatti Tourbillon, seamlessly integrates elements of the marque's newest hypercar, embodying the fusion of automotive and horological mastery.
With another exclusive edition set to debut in April, Bugatti continues to redefine the boundaries of luxury craftsmanship, ensuring its timeless legacy in both automobiles and horology endures for generations.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Florian Wirtz joins list of most expensive soccer signings in history
Florian Wirtz became one of the most expensive players in soccer history when the Germany playmaker joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday for a fee of up to 116 million pounds ($156 million). Neymar: $262 million (222 million euros) Paris Saint-Germain shattered the world-record transfer fee by signing the Brazil superstar from Barcelona in August 2017. It was more than double the outlay of Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus for $116 million a year earlier. It remains the record transfer fee. ___ Kylian Mbappé: $216 million (180 million euros) A few weeks after buying Neymar, PSG also secured a loan deal for Mbappé — then the rising star of French soccer playing for Monaco — that included the option to make the move permanent in 2018. PSG did so, making it an outlay of nearly $500 million on two players. ___ Flush with cash after selling Neymar a year earlier, Barcelona spent most of it in a deal to buy Brazil playmaker Coutinho from Liverpool for a Spanish record fee. ___ Moises Caicedo: $146 million (115 million pounds) The Ecuador midfielder's move was previously the most expensive deal by a British club, with Chelsea buying him from Brighton in August 2023. ___ João Félix: $140 million (126 million euros) Atletico Madrid triggered a buyout clause in Félix's contract to sign the Portugal forward from Benfica in August 2019. ___ Jude Bellingham: $139 million (128.5 million euros) The England star got his big move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in June 2023, for an initial up-front fee of 103 million euros plus add-ons linked to performance. ___ Antoine Griezmann: $134 million (120 million euros) Atletico could afford to sign Félix after selling France forward Griezmann to Barcelona for a similar fee a few weeks earlier. ___ Neymar: $98 million (90 million euros) Outside from Europe, the biggest transfer deal also involved Neymar when he joined Al Hilal, a team in the Saudi Pro League, from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023. That came at the height of Saudi Arabia's push to sign high-end soccer talent to ignite the oil-rich state's domestic league. ___
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
U.S. company to provide $6 billion loan for British nuclear power project
Protesters hold banners outside Hinkley Point power station in Somerset, United Kingdom, in 2011 against EDF Energy's plans to renew the site with two new reactors. The project began in 2017 and has had delays and funding problems File Photo by Ben Birchuk/EPA June 20 (UPI) -- Apollo, a U.S. asset management group, plans to provide a $6 billion loan to the British nuclear project Hinkley Point C being built by a French multinational electric utility company. Hinkley's estimated cost has soared from $23.7 billion to almost $60.6 billion and won't be operational until at least 2029, Baha Breaking News reported. Construction began in 2017. Apollo will provide an investment-grade debt financing package at an interest rate below 7% for the project developer, Electricite de France, sources told CNBC and the Financial Times. Apollo, which was founded in 1990 by Leonard Black, Josh Harris and Marc Rowan, manages capital for institutional and individual investors. Apollo, headquartered in New York City, had revenue of $26.11 billion in 2024 with a net income of $6.373 billion. The loan has a maximum maturity of 12 years. EDF is building two new nuclear reactors at the site in Somerset and will be able to borrow $2 billion each of the three years as part of the package. The company has had a shortfall since China General Nuclear Power Group, which was supposed to provide a third of the cost of the project, stopped providing further financing in 2023. CGN was removed by the British government from another project -- Sizewell C -- because of concerns about Chinese influence. The funding could be used for other British projects by EDF. Jamshid Ehsani, head of global principal structured finance at Apollo, described the deal as the "largest ever" sterling private credit deal. "It's going to help finance a critical, low-carbon nuclear project. This is the business Apollo is in today," he said. "Europe is a huge focus for us."
Business Upturn
5 hours ago
- Business Upturn
The European Space Agency and Dassault Aviation paving the way for potential collaborations
PRESS RELEASE June 20, 2025 The European Space Agency and Dassault Aviation paving the way for potential collaborations ESA and Dassault Aviation have identified a mutual interest in developing a closer relationship to commonly foster technology development in areas such as LEO destinations and particularly around orbital vehicules. The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Dassault Aviation, a French civilian and military aircraft manufacturer recognized worldwide for its excellence, underlying their common interest to develop a closer relationship. ESA, with its ambitious strategy for space exploration, Explore2040, is seeking innovative solutions for capabilities development to reach and return from Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Moon and Mars, and supports the advancement of selected critical enabling technologies to be used and demonstrated in particular in LEO, such as hypervelocity re-entry. Dassault Aviation, also a leader in aerospace engineering, is developing its space activities with a focus on the design of a reusable spaceplane based on lifting bodies shapes that bridge aeronautical and space technologies. Their interest in automated LEO platforms suitable for commercial and institutional markets, led them to develop a vehicle concept called ' Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d'Exploration (VORTEX) ', designed for research in space, transport of cargo to and from space stations, and a range of in-orbit services. This project is based on a considerable expertise in spaceplanes having participated in numerous programmes like Hermes, NASA X-38 Crew Rescue vehicle, ESA Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) demonstrator, and Airborne Reusable Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle (VEHRA) concepts. ' Dassault Aviation's decades of expertise in aeronautical and space systems, perfectly position them to pioneer critical space technologies ', said Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency. ' With VORTEX, Dassault is contributing to strengthening European capacities and securing sovereign access to space in a strongly growing and competitive space sector. We look forward to combining our expertise and working hand-in-hand for a stronger Europe in space.' ' Our Vortex roadmap aims to strengthen Europe's essential sovereign capabilities and meet the new challenges of the space economy. This letter of intent is a perfect recognition of the complementary expertise of the European Space Agency and Dassault Aviation in the development of critical technologies and innovative space solutions, ' declared Eric Trappier, Chaiman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. As such, the signatories of the LoI, have identified a mutual interest in developing a closer relationship with the potential to commonly derisking critical technologies as well as to further explore the potential for collaboration in areas such as LEO destinations and particularly around orbital vehicules. As such, both foresee an interest to cooperate on a scaled down suborbital version of VORTEX, serving as a testbed, with a focus on, but not limited to: Designing, testing and qualifying key technologies and components. New materials and integration processes. Assessing the feasibility to include future payloads in case of the integration of a dedicated bay on the end-product. This joint work will be based on exchanging relevant information and conducting studies or preparatory activities, to help establish respective roles and responsibilities in the realisation of potential joint activities, leveraging on each side's capabilities. ' Europe benefits from a wide range of diverse and complementary skills. Enlarging the European industrial base is key for new opportunities arising in Space Exploration, aiming at more autonomy,' said Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA. About the European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe's gateway to is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members. ESA has established formal cooperation with other four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on advancing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions. Learn more about ESA at
