Put racing on your wrist with 1978 TAG Heuer Silverstone

A watch for the collector or a special gift for bike racing enthusiasts, a 1978 Heuer Silverstone chronograph is up for sale with Silverstone Auctions during MotoGP weekend at Silverstone on 11 June.

The watch is one of four purchased and engraved by Mike ‘the bike’ Hailwood, whose ‘bike racing career spanned numerous Isle of Man TT as well as Superbike world championship wins. A subsequent motor racing career saw him crowned Formula 2 European champion, take third place in Le Mans 24 Hours and drive a McLaren in Formula One from which he retired aged 34 following a serious crash at the Nurburgring in 1974.

In 1978, he came out of retirement to embark on what many regarded as madness: with his best friend Ted Macauley orchestrating his return, Mike Hailwood won his fourteenth Isle of Man TT on a Ducati 900, after which he presented the watches to his close ‘family’ team of four, including the current sale watch given in ’78 to Ted Macauley.  

In generally unworn condition and a highly desirable timepiece in its own right, this watch has only ever had three owners: Mike Hailwood, who obtained four of them direct from Heuer, his helmet sponsors, Ted Macauley himself and the current vendor. The 43 mm diameter, blue-faced watch reflects the curvature of the Silverstone circuit, hence its Silverstone name. Showing baton numerals on an inner bezel, it has subsidiary dials for 30-minute and 12-hour recording, with a calendar opening at the six o’clock position.  It has stop start buttons at the two and four o’clock positions respectively and a black leather Heuer strap.

It is engraved on the back ‘T Macauley – Team Hailwood – IOM TT – 1978’.

With a guide price of £4,200 to £4,600, full details are available at: silverstoneauctions.com