Emerson Fittipaldi (born December 12, 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver who won the 1972 and 1974 Formula One World Championship.
F1 Career
Fittipaldi made his Formula One race debut in 1970 at the British Grand as a third driver for Team Lotus and became the team’s lead driver that same season after the death of teammate Jochen Rindt, Grand Prix racing’s only posthumous world champion.
Two years later he won his first world title with Lotus and became the youngest ever F1 world champion until Fernando Alonso won the title in 2005. Fittipaldi switched to McLaren in 1974 and immediately delivered the British team’s first ever world title.
After a second season which saw him finishing runner-up in the overall standings behind Niki Lauda, Fittipaldi signed to race for his brother’s Fittipaldi Automotive team with James Hunt taking his vacated McLaren seat in 1976. The Brazilian spent the last five years of his Grand Prix career racing for the family-owned team with limited success. He wrapped up his time in Formula One with a total of 14 race wins and 35 podiums before a long and successful career in CART.
Pietro Fittipaldi
His grandson, Pietro Fittipaldi, has had two Formula starts for the Haas F1 team in 2020 and has been a reserve driver for the American outfit since 2019.
Timex
Timex has produced three timepieces in honor of Fittipaldi in the 1970s and early 80s, based on the Timex Rally M25, a Timex Electric, and a Q Timex Quartz. All three models feature his name on the dial, with the first one listing his world title wins and the latter two sporting a simple illustration of his helmet.
Heuer
In 1985, Heuer released a quartz chronograph Fittipaldi limited edition (Ref. 223.206) from their Titanium Collection. “Fittipaldi” appears in a stylized font on the dial, shifting the Heuer logo further down compared to the base model. The timepiece featured carbon fiber accents and colors inspired by the John Player Special livery of his 1972 title-winning Lotus, and were among the last models released before the Swiss brand was acquired by Techniques d’Avant Garde.
While not expressly connected with Fittipaldi, the Heuer Carrera 1553S McLaren World Champions 1974 is a rare piece that was awarded to the Brazilian driver’s 1974 title-winning McLaren pit crew. The dial features the text “McLAREN WORLD CHAMPIONS 1974” above the date window, instead of “AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH” which appears on standard 1553S models.
Cartier
The Cartier Roadster “Emerson Fittipaldi” Yellow Gold Automatic (Ref. 2524) was released in 2006, based on the Cartier Roadster that first made its debut in 2003. The case back features Fittipaldi’s engraved signature.
TW Steel
Fittipaldi became an ambassador of TW Steel in 2013 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of becoming the first Brazilian driver to win his home Grand Prix. To celebrate the occasion, the Dutch watch brand released a Emerson Fittipaldi edition chronograph in their two customary case sizes of 45mm (ref. TW609) and 48mm (TW610).
TAG Heuer
Similar to the Heuer Carrera 1553S McLaren World Champions 1974, the TAG Heuer Carrera McLaren 1974 Limited Edition (Ref. CAR2A12) was also not specifically a Emerson Fittipaldi edition but commemorates the same title-winning success. Launched in 2014, “McLaren 1974 Edition” appears on the tachymeter bezel in orange text while “40th Anniversary of McLaren’s First World Championship” features on the exhibition case back.
Technos
2015 saw Fittipaldi being honored by Brazilian watch brand Technos as part of their Lendas do Podium (Podium Legends) collection with Technos Performance TS Carbon Lendas do Podium Emerson Fittipaldi (Ref, 2039AO/4P). The collection also featured Brazilain drivers Cacá Bueno and Hélio Castroneves.
PETER RATCLIFFE LEGENDS IN TIME
Emerson had started working with Peter Ratcliffe of PETER RATCLIFFE LEGENDS IN TIME to create the Fittipaldi 72 chronograph with a signed dial. A limited edition of 172 pieces was planned, but the project was ultimately canceled.
Robot
In 2022, Czech watch brand Robot released the Robot Minor Emerson Fittipaldi Limited Edition chronograph to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fittipaldi’s 1972 Formula One world title. The colors of the timepiece mirrored the John Player Special livery, with each dial signed by Fittipaldi in gold ink. The highly exclusive piece was limited to 100 pieces.
References
https://www.arteepee.nl/timex-ii/timex-formula-1-rallye-cup
https://www.watchcrunch.com/timetrope/posts/rare-timex-emerson-fittipaldi-marlin-calendar-6576
https://www.vintagetimexwatches.com/t/emerson-fittipaldi/
http://www.onthedash.com/racer/emerson-fittipaldi/
https://www.tagheuer.com/au/en/vintage-collection/tag-heuer-titanium-series.html
https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2024/03/history-tag-heuer-titanium-1984-1988.html
https://www.vintageheuer.com/products/heuer-carrera-1553s-mclaren-world-champions-1974/
https://www.vintageheuer.com/products/tag-heuer-carrera-mcclaren-1974-limited-edition-ref-car2a12/
https://quillandpad.com/2016/09/06/drive-de-cartier-driven-passion/
https://www.motionintime.com/?page=detail&num=2524%20EMERSON%20FITTIPALDI
https://www.classicdriver.com/en/watch/cartier/1970/426717
https://us.twsteel.com/blogs/stories/emerson-fittipaldi
https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/products/tw-steel-emerson-fittipaldi-edition-45mm-watch-30609-tw-156
https://us.twsteel.com/products/tw610
https://www.thewatchpress.com/features/tw-steel-emerson-fittipaldi-edition-watch
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/car-accessories/reviews/a6139/tw-steel-emerson-fittipaldi-limited-edition/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLqq09QZnGc
https://www.oticalider.com.br/te-2039ao-4p
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/car-accessories/reviews/a6139/tw-steel-emerson-fittipaldi-limited-edition/
https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/blogs/watch-news/10547141-tw-steel-reveals-ceo-tech-emerson-fittipaldi-limited-edition