Leclerc’s Magnificent Timepiece To Honour His Monaco Grand Prix Victory

Charles Leclerc’s extraordinary home victory at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix earlier this season had great personal significance to the Ferrari driver.

The F1 ace already had five victories to his name, but his sixth overall and first around the Circuit de Monaco meant more to him than any of the previous trips to the top step of the podium. Leclerc explained why in an interview before the podium celebrations:

“This race is the reason I became a racing driver. I think about my dad a lot. Without him, I would never have been able to do all this.”

Charles’ Father, Hervé Leclerc, passed away due to cancer in 2017. After so much heartbreak on the track in Monaco in previous years, 2024 was redemption in every sense of the word for Charles.

Leclerc also became the first Monégasque driver to win his home Formula 1 race since Louis Chiron managed it almost 100 years ago in 1931. There have also been parallels drawn between Leclerc’s 2024 victory and Olivier Panis’ in 1996, which was the previous victory for a Francophone driver in Monaco.

Leclerc’s Magnificent Timepiece to Honour his Monaco Grand Prix Victory

Charles Leclerc’s passions extend beyond motorsport and into other areas such as music and the fascinating world of mechanical watches. One look at his wrist is enough to reveal his favourite watchmaker: Richard Mille.

Why Richard Mille? Well, this preference is the result of a unique collaboration between Leclerc and the watch manufacturer. The limited edition RM 67-02 was designed especially for him. With its red colour scheme and incredibly light weight of just 32 grams, this model is the perfect watch for racing.

For his home victory in Monaco this year, however, Leclerc wore the RM 72-01 Flyback Chronograph.

This watch is one of just 300 pieces in a limited production run and has a price tag of around $300,000. Leclerc’s personal watch collection is also home to the ultra-light and sporty Richard Mille watches created in collaboration with top athletes from other sports.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal, who finished five seasons at the top of the world rankings and won 22 Grand Slams, has been given the Richard Mille treatment as well. Leclerc owns one of these watches which has been specially designed for Nadal.

Leclerc’s watch collection in its entirety amounts to a small fortune, some of which are worth $250,000 and $800,000 each.

It’s not just racing and tennis though, as Leclerc’s watch collection also extends to Richard Mille watches dedicated to running. The most well-known of these is the RM 61-01, which is dedicated to Yohan Blake.

Blake is the second-fastest 100 and 200-metre sprinter ever, and this lightweight model is perfect for the track. The cost? Well, the average price for this timepiece is approximately $250,000.