The first piece in our Wheels and Watches series, where we explore the relationship between cars and timepieces. We dive deep into the Omologato Panamericana and the legends that made the race nicked named the ‘Hell of Mexico.’

From 1950 to 1954, the most fearless drivers from around the world drove the Carrera Panamericana sedan and sports car event in Mexico. A five-day stretch of 2,175 miles of shifting elevation, along frozen ravines and villages, deserts, jungles and plateaus, it was formed by the government to promote the new Pan-American motorway, and compete with the Mille Miglia. It also drew a surprisingly eclectic mix of racers: from hot-rodders, to Le Mans champions, and F1 legends. The likes of Ascari, Fangio, Phil Hill, Carroll Shelby, NASCAR’s ‘Red’ Byron, Bill Vukovich, and others, drove neck-to-neck in a gathering of different racing styles and engineering backgrounds. Many of them, like the brave Felice ‘Il Pirata’ Bonetto (who had just conquered the Targo Florio) never made it back home.

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Nearly seventy years on, the Panamericana remains a favourable reference for motorsport supremacy. Porsche’s Carrera line, and the Panamera model, were named after the race (the Targa, of course, was named for the Targa Florio); and since 2018, almost all AMG cars have been fitted with their Panamericana-Grille. Now, Omogolato’s Panamericana watch seeks to capture the spirit and thrill of the race. But on the wrist.

Omologato has a long history of crafting timepieces inspired by the heydays, and heroes, of motorsport – proudly worn by legends like Sir Stirling Moss and Derek Bell MBE. The Panamericana model is no different. Using a Swiss movement in a 41mm stainless steel case, the anti-reflective lens and clear tachymeter means it’s actually built for the road. The face is available in a limited series of colourways that evoke the natural beauty of this route: a bright, sunny yellow; a deep, ocean blue; and in a red that emits the deranging power of American peppers. Omologato has married the clarity of your usual driving watch with the boldness of this intense, and mad, road. And it truly is mad.

Looking at the watch on your wrist, and knowing the history of the race, it’s hard not to feel the searing heat lift off of the dusty highway, or hear the screech of McGriff’s bedraggled Oldsmobile 88 approaching the finishing line. Much of the nostalgia surrounding the Carrera Panamericana is that it was more wild and adventurous than contemporary racing events, and the watch demonstrates this. The face pops against the clean steel. The durable, near rugged leather strap adds utility and texture; missing a few dark blotches from a late oil-change.

Before the original race ended in 1954 (it has since been resurrected, but not with the same thrill of its first incarnation) it saw some of the icons of the era up against stock motors. Klink and Klenk’s Mercedes W194 (their first sportsmobile after the Second World War) was the winner in 1952. But unlike a scenic cruise through Mantova, it finished with a cracked windscreen after a vulture dive-bombed into the car. Lancia also had a strong presence, giving three drivers a sporty, red 3.3l D24. Fangio would win in 1953, bringing home another accolade, and securing his reputation as the perfect all-car-any-track driver. And the racing appetites of mid-century Ferrari brought them to Mexico as fearful competition, becoming the only manufacturer to win the original race twice: in a 1-2 victory in 1951, with the 212 Inter Vignale, and in the final year, with the record-breaking 375 Plus – a car that had proven its South American pedigree at the 1000km of Buenos Aires event just prior. But while much of the glory was given to the Europeans, roguish American hotrodders were the heroes. Ak Miller’s Oldsmobile-powered 1927 Ford body, on a 1950 Ford frame, is still considered an icon of the Panamericana, nicknamed “El Caballo del Hierro” (The Iron Horse). The mad, eclectic design of his car was given the moniker “El Ensalada” (The Salad) by admiring Mexican spectators. And it was a McGriff-made Oldsmobile 88 that won the first event, despite being outpaced at nearly 10 hours by a Ferrari in the final year.

Omologato’s watch is a fitting tribute to the Panamericana’s spirit. It wears unapologetically loud, but the construction is also very simple. Motorsport might be the domain of the courageous gentleman: modern duelists willing to risk their lives at the cost of an adrenaline rush. But in the case of the Panamericana, racing can be ridiculous too; a little over-the-top. A route where cheaply constructed hotrods outperformed Enzo’s finest, huffing through rainforests and arid deserts, swerving dangerous bends and fending off nose-diving vultures. Staring at your wrist, pulling out on the English motorway, as the country road opens up  thousands of miles from the Pacific coastline, the watch reminds you of that thrill; and the drivers who risked everything for a brief moment of heroic euphoria.

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Interested in Omologato and the Panamericana? Check out the store here

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