Watch Your Car Files: Michael Schumacher signs up as Audemars brand ambassador

Michael Schumacher may not have done his record in F1 any good with his 2010 race campaign, but he is moving up in the horological world. The former Omega ambassador will now be endorsing another Swiss high-end brand—Audemars Piguet.

Schumacher, who is has apparently been a watch collector himself says that “two minutes are an eternity for those of us who are accustomed to fighting for tenths of a second”. The watch collecting bug comes from his former Ferrari team boss: “my friend Jean Todt introduced me to fine mechanical watches from Audemars Piguet, which I like to compare with racing cars because of their numerous common denominators including high-tech materials, cutting-edge R&D developments, and optimised mechanical performance. I admire the incredible work of the teams in Le Brassus and Le Locle who give shape to magnificent watches featuring ingenious technology and daring designs, yet without ever losing sight of horological traditions.”

He joins the rather less successful AP brand ambassadors from F1, Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli and Sébastien Buemi. The seven-time F1 world champion will return next year for Mercedes, in what should be a more competitive package.

Perhaps this paves the way for Michael finally claiming that AP that should have been his–or perhaps a close equivalent.