Daniel Ricciardo edges former F1 rivals with 'virtually unattainable' rarity

It may be approaching a year since Daniel Ricciardo bowed out of Formula 1, but it seems he has the edge over his former F1 rivals when it comes to possessing 'the most expensive wrist'.

F1 drivers seemingly love their watches. Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have even hit the headlines in recent years over theirs in the wake of high-profile thefts.

Now, a leading expert in the art of exclusive watches has calculated which driver stands above their peers when it comes to telling the time, with former Red Bull and McLaren star Ricciardo leading the way.

The Australian has in his possession a Patek Philippe Nautilus ruby-set 5711, which carries an estimated value of over £800,000.

It has been described by Arif Mughal, a watch valuation specialist at Luxe Watches, a leading name in appraisals for rare and high-end timepieces, as being "one of the rarest iterations of the Nautilus ever made". With it "reserved for top-tier collectors, it’s more sculpture than timepiece — and virtually unattainable".

Ricciardo also owns a Patek Philippe 5271P, valued at between £250,000-£300,000, which Mughal claims is "collector royalty".

As for Ricciardo's former McLaren team-mate Norris, once robbed of his Richard Mille RM 67-02 after the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy at Wembley in July 2021, still stands out with the Richard Mille RM 11-03 McLaren worth an estimated £400,000+.

Mughal claims the watch is "at the cutting edge of both material science and design".

As for Leclerc, who chased down thieves after his Richard Mille RM-02 was stolen in April 2022 whilst he was on holiday in Tuscany, Italy, owns a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5990 (Steel) valued between £110,000–£130,000.

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is another who sports a watch from the Patek Philippe Nautilus range, namely the Travel Time Chronograph 5990/1R worth up to £180,000 and described by Mughal as being a model that is "as much sculpture as it is precision instrument".

As for four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, his watch is still highly expensive by anybody's standards, but not in the realm of those mentioned above.

Verstappen wears a Tag Heuer Carrera 1158 CHN Tribute (Gold Glassbox Variant). It is based on a watch once famously gifted to F1 drivers by Jack Heuer, the last member of the Heuer family to manage the manufacturer.

Valued at up to £22,000, Mughal says Verstappen's watch is "built as much for racing history as it is for technical performance".