Nigel Mansell (born August 8, 1953) is a British former racing driver and the 1992 Formula One World Champion. Mansell’s full time Formula One career started in 1981 with Lotus, who he raced for until 1984. A four-year stint at Williams followed, giving the British legend his first Formula One wins and finishing runner-up in the championship twice in 1986 and 1987. Mansell has the distinction of being the last Ferrari driver to be personally chosen by founder Enzo Ferrari, and spent 1989 and 1990 racing for the famous Italian team.
First Retirement from F1
He announced his retirement at the end of his second season with Ferrari, but was eventually persuaded to rejoin Williams the very next season. He immediately scored five wins on his way to second in the championship in 1991, and improved on the result the following year by winning the 1992 title.
Second Retirement from F1
Despite world championship glory, internal team disputes led Mansell to retire from Formula One once again, spending the 1993 season in the US racing in CART and immediately winning the title on his first attempt. Because the 1993 Formula One championship had not yet been decided at the time, Mansell briefly held titles in both series simultaneously. After Ayrton Senna‘s tragic death in 1994, Mansell was brought back into Formula One by Williams for the final three rounds of the season. The last race of the season was won by Mansell, and would prove to be his last Formula One victory.
Third Retirement from F1
Mansell signed with McLaren in 1995, and frustrations with the ill-handling MP4/10 led him to announce his third and final retirement from the sport after just two rounds.
Zeon
During the 1980s, British watch brand Zeon released several Nigel Mansell edition timepieces. Examples include the Zeon PACER 9 Nigel Mansell edition digital, a Zeon Nigel Mansell ana digi model, as well as Zeon Formula 1 Nigel Mansell analog quartz models.
TW Steel
Mansell teamed up with Dutch watch brand TW Steel in 2019, and multiple special edition timepieces were produced in honor of the British icon. The first was the TW Steel SVS307, inspired by Mansell’s title-winning Williams FW14 and featuring his famous red five. Other models that followed in subsequent years were the CS123, TW1017, GT14, CS113, and CS124.
Tribute by Omologato
While not an official Nigel Mansell edition, motorsport watch brand Omologato paid tribute to the British driver with the Heritage Racing Red. The dial features the colors of the Mansell’s Williams FW14 along with a distinctive red five, and limited to only 200 pieces.
References
https://f1chronicle.com/who-was-the-last-driver-chosen-by-enzo-ferrari/
https://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/zeon-pacer-9
https://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/zeon-nigel-mansell
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-zeon-nigel-mansell-f1-watch-1112145753
https://issuu.com/retromash/docs/argossuperstore-1992-springsummer/183
https://usa.watchpro.com/tw-steel-collaborates-with-racing-icon-nigel-mansell-for-limited-edition-watch/
https://us.twsteel.com/search?q=mansell&uff_nqll0c_collections=181211332739
https://www.omologatowatches.com/heritagered