Shelby partners with Baume & Mercier for exclusive range

Mercedes has IWC, Bentley has Breitling, Maserati has Bulgari and now one of motor racing's most iconic names, Shelby, is partnering with Baume & Mercier for a range of exclusive Swiss watches.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 427 Shelby Cobra and of the company's first FIA Sports Car World Championships win -- an achievement made even sweeter because it was the first time in the competition's history that it had been won by a US company.

And what better way to celebrate these golden anniversary milestones than with a series of limited edition precision Swiss watches? Based on its existing Capeland men's chronograph model, Baume & Mercier promises that the Cobra edition, which will be unveiled officially in June, will capture the spirit of not just the iconic car, but of its equally iconic creator, Carroll Shelby.

"We are very proud to partner with Shelby to celebrate this special moment in the legendary automobile manufacturer's history. Our agreement is nurtured by similar values. The elegance of lines, attention to high-quality and legacy of expertise are some of the common characteristics between our creations, our philosophy and values," said Alain Zimmermann CEO of Baume & Mercier.

The watch will be available in either stainless steel or in an 18-karat rose gold casing. The gold edition also has flyback so that you'll be able to see the timepiece's internal components when you turn it over.

The partnership between premium timepieces and premium cars is almost as old as the automobile itself. Who better to make the precision instruments for recording speed and revolutions than the Swiss artisans who had been able to take something as mechanically complex as a clock and miniaturize it for the wrist?

However, the trend for commemorative or tie-in automotive timepieces is relatively new. Although Aston Martins have been sporting Jaeger-LeCoultre dials for decades, the first co-branded watch, the AMVOX1, didn't appear until 2004.

Likewise, though it feels like a timeless partnership, Breitling has only been making Bentley's in-dashboard clock and co-branded exclusive wristwatches since 2003.

Fellow luxury sporting car brand, Jaguar decided to go with a British, rather than Swiss watchmaker, Bremont for a very special range of six individually numbered timepieces co-developed and designed to commemorate the rebuilding of a lightweight classic E-Type Jaguar. As well as looking like it had once been part of the car, each of the watches is actually partially made from the ‘scrap' pieces of aluminum used in building the cars.