Oakley was founded in 1975 by Jim Jannard, and is currently headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California. The American company is primarily known for their eyewear, but has sold a plethora of other products including motorcycle grips, apparel, backpacks, shoes, and watches. Oakley was acquired by Luxottica Group in 2007.
General Involvement with MotoGP and Formula One
While not related to watches, it’s worth a quick mention that Oakley has been the longstanding official eyewear supplier of MotoGP. The company has also sponsored individual Grand Prix riders over the years including Loris Capirossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Sete Gibernau, Nicky Hayden, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Valentino Rossi, Ben Spies, Casey Stoner, and Maverick . The American brand has also partnered with teams such as Ducati Corse and Repsol Honda, and has served as the title sponsor of the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello (Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley) since 2017.
Oakley has also enjoyed ties with Formula One, including the launch of the Scuderia Ferrari Sunwear collection in 2014. More recently, a partnership with the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team was announced in 2021.
Oakley Watches
Oakley began selling watches in 1998 when the brand was at the height of their popularity. Design cues from their Eye Jackets and X-Metals models were evident in their first ever watch, the Timebomb. With the base model powered by a Seiko quartz movement, the futuristic design along with its $1300 price tag immediately made its mark on the watch market.
Their watches not only inherited their designs from the company’s sunglasses, but also materials. Some of their timepieces featured straps made of Unobtainium, Oakley’s proprietary rubber material commonly used in their ear socks and nose pieces. The company’s first ever product, motorcycle grips, were also made of the same material.
Numerous market-disrupting watch designs were introduced, with one notable example being the alien-looking Torpedo that was released in 2001. Another eye-catching model was the Minute Machine, originally named the Time Tank until a legal dispute with Cartier resulted in the change. Other noteworthy models included the Detonator (2002), Blade (2004), Gearbox (2010), Elite Full Metal Jacket (2011), and what turned out to be Oakley’s last ever watch, the Double Tap (2015). Luxottica discontinued Oakley’s watch line at the end of 2015.
Travel Cases
Oakley’s contributions to the watch world weren’t limited only to timepieces. The Oakley Watch Vault, the brand’s travel case that were initially shipped with their watches, quickly became popular with mainstream watch enthusiasts for its zippered donut-shaped clam shell design. Today, the design has become an industry standard for travel cases.
Chris Vermeulen Signature Watch?
A press release from March 27, 2008 announced that Rizla Suzuki MotoGP riders Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen would be working with their respective watch sponsors to launch signature timepieces. Capirossi was sponsored by Eberhard & Co. while Vermeulen was partnered with Oakley. While no information on such a watch can be found, the models that released that same year included the Jury II, Judge II, Judge II Dual Time, and the Crankcase.
References:
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2017/02/17/oakley-announced-as-title-sponsor-of-mugello/171266
https://www.oakleyforum.com/guides/oakley-watches-the-complete-guide/
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/oakley-watches/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tipzXGunNvc
https://wwd.com/feature/cartier-oakley-sue-over-tank-mark-527956-2004093/
https://www.luxurybazaar.com/grey-market/watch-travel-case/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2HTNQRSU5A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B5W19Anw30
https://www.selectspecs.com/blog/oakley-sunglasses-and-the-motogp-series/
https://motogp.hondaracingcorporation.com/report/oakley-join-repsol-honda-team-as-official-sunglass-partner/
https://www.motorcycle.com/news/motogp-riders-design-signature-watches-77227.html