The legendary Swedish driver outfitted himself and teammates Johnny Herbert, Eddie Cheever, and Arie Luyendyk with Stefan Johansson timepieces that were worn throughout the race. Johansson designs the racing inspired watches himself and manufactures them in Switzerland using the very best components and craftsmanship to create complex chronographs that withstand the ultimate test – being worn in by a professional driver during an actual racing event.
“Until you actually drive a modern racing car it is hard to comprehend how violent the environment inside the car is,” says Johansson. Each of the drivers who sported a watch has provided his input and feedback to Johansson, who will now use this information as part of his development program going forward. Needless to say, all the watches performed without any problems (Our only “problem” was getting the drivers to return the timepieces) Now that the race is wrapped, Johansson plans to engrave each of the watches with the name of the driver who wore it an outline of the Spa Francorchamps track. The watches may be sold or auctioned at a later date for collectors who wish to own a commemorative timepiece worn during the event.
- Stefan Johansson sports Stefan Johansson Mark VIII E
Mark VIIIE -- Speed. Color. Concentration. These are the hallmarks of Formula 1 racing. As a seasoned F1 driver, Johansson captures the essence of the 103 Grand Prix he has raced in the Mark VIII E chronograph. The ten official flags of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ring the bezel of this winning design, where they serve as hour index markers, and channel the clarity and alertness required of a driver whose eyes are truly on the prize.
- Johnny Herbert, Arie Luyendyk & Eddie Cheever sport Stefan Johansson Mark VIII C
About Mark VIII C - “If there’s such a thing as romance in a race car, the Le Mans 24 Hours captures that feeling perfectly. Every lap you are trying to beat your own best, your body and brain are in tune with the car and the track. ” As a man who has clenched victory at the storied 24 Hours of LeMans, Stefan Johansson knows that elegant synchronicity and captures its spirit in the handsome Mark VIII C series. One of this automatic chronograph’s most distinctive features is an hour register subdial that is cleverly engineered to tick backwards, “counting down” 24 hours in a nod to the duration of the legendary competition. The function anchors a colorful dial that blends conventional time and date measurement with stopwatch precision.
Large military-style hour indexes, a date indicator and a beveled 5/10 second stopwatch scale are highly visible under a convex anti-glare coated sapphire crystal. Skeletonized hands with Superluminova coated tips also ensure maximum legibility under all conditions.
About Stefan Johansson Timepieces:
For professional race car driver and watch designer Stefan Johansson, time truly is of the essence. The seasoned veteran of F1, Indycar, and LeMans style sports car racing brings a unique perspective and a new standard of precision and style to the art of horology with his Stefan Johansson Växjö Mark VIII limited edition, luxury timepieces.
From three decades of piloting classic and contemporary race cars around some of the world’s most revered tracks, Johansson knows what it is to “be in the moment,” and he brings that focus, clarity and synchronicity to Mark VIII , where the lingua franca of racing and the language of time connect.
All Stefan Johansson Växjö Mark VIII watches are limited editions of no more (and often far fewer) than 250 pieces, and share a number of distinguishing characteristics of form and function. These include a large yet wearable 47 mm case in either stainless steel or black PVD coated finish, water resistance up to 3ATM, and an exhibition glass back that reveals the Swiss-made watch’s Valjoux 7750 or 7751 movement.
