The Windup Watch Fair returns to Chicago from July 12-14. According to Mark of Long Island Watch, it’s the largest consumer-facing watch show in the US. The event was started by Worn & Wound in 2015 in New York, and has since expanded to San Francisco and Chicago. The Windup Watch Fair gives watch enthusiasts the rare opportunity to see and try on a large variety of watches in a friendly and pressure-free setting, and is free to attend.
Grand Prix Watches was launched in early 2024 to document the history of F1 and MotoGP timepieces. The goal is to serve as a hub for creating crossover fans between premier class motorsports and watch collecting, and what better way to introduce racing enthusiasts to Windup Watch Fair than highlighting moments from Grand Prix racing through the event’s five lead sponsors: Christopher Ward, Citizen, Fortis, G-Shock, and Oris.
Christopher Ward
As a British company, many Christopher Ward timepieces have put a spotlight on the country’s history and achievements. One such example is the Christopher Ward Limited Edition C70 VW4 Chronometer, which was released in 2013 but takes us back to the first decade of Formula One when Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks won the 1957 British Grand Prix in a British-built Vanwall. This history-making achievement would of course be impossible today, as modern F1 rules no longer allow shared drives.
Citizen
In 1976, a Slovenian-Canadian businessman named Walter Wolf bought 60% of Frank Williams Racing Cars. By the following season, Frank Williams himself had been relieved of his manager position and the team began competing as Walter Wolf Racing. Years after the team had left Formula One, Citizen produced several Walter Wolf Racing watches and chronographs. A particularly unique example was the Citizen Walter Wolf Racing Chronograph (ref. 3530-351118TA), with a rotating Bullhead style case.
Fortis
Fortis may be primarily known for cosmonaut and pilot watches, but have had their own indirect brush with two-wheeled Grand Prix racing in the past. An ad for private label watches featured a Fortis Flieger Ducati Corse Limited Edition chronograph along with four-time World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty, who earlier in his career had competed in several 500cc motorcycle Grand Prix (now known as MotoGP) races with Honda and Cagiva. Despite the certain World Superbike connection of this particular timepiece, the Italian manufacturer’s MotoGP team also falls under the Ducati Corse umbrella.
G-Shock
Keeping it on two wheels, MotoGP was represented by the popular Casio line G-Shock in 2005 via Kawasaki Racing with the Casio G-Shock G-300KRT-1AV Kawasaki Racing Team Limited Edition. Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann featured in the team’s lineup in 2004 and 2005, and both appeared on the packaging. Nakano had also scored Kawasaki’s first MotoGP podium at the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix, behind countryman Makoto Tamada and Italian legend Valentino Rossi.
Oris
As any F1 fan already knows, the Williams story did not end in 1976. Frank Williams was already back on the grid as Williams Grand Prix Engineering the following season, racing against his former team. Now known as Williams Racing, one of Formula One’s most storied constructors has previously enjoyed a long partnership with Oris. Amongst the last timepieces from the partnership was the Oris Chronoris Williams 40th Anniversary Limited Edition (ref. 01 673 7739 4084-Set LS) chronograph. Today, the team is no longer family-owned but continues to carry the Williams name.
While attendees are unlikely to see any of the aforementioned timepieces, each brand will have a strong presence at Windup Watch Fair in Chicago. The full brand roster also includes at least a couple of other brands that are known for their association with and/or involvement in motorsports as well. Location and hours are below:
Venue West
221 N Paulina St
Chicago, IL 60612
Friday
JULY 12: 12PM – 6PM
JULY 13: 12PM – 6PM
Sunday