Fangio Time
March 19, 2026
Alex KiersteinHe wore this Omega regularly until his death. But it’s part of a group of controversial items that Fangio’s heirs and foundation wishes wouldn’t be sold.
The watch is unassuming, as was the man, if taken out of context. Juan Manuel Fangio was a Grand Prix legend, but also a middle-aged, balding guy at the height of his career, older than his competitors in an era in which the physical demands of racing were staggering. The danger, too. Fangio was 44 when he took the win at the first Grand Prix of Venezuela, in the then-new Fantuzzi-bodied Maserati 300S. He was gifted this Omega Trésor, and wore it for the rest of his life.
The watch is now for sale, listed with RM Sotheby’s for its Monaco auction. The Trésor—treasure, in French—was a somewhat downmarket model, sold particularly in South America where the local market conditions didn’t support first-rate Omega pieces–not that it is a poorly built watch. Many came in rose gold cases, and some were “oversized” compared to the very small watches that were commonly worn by men in the period. Fangio’s watch, though, is 18k yellow gold.
It’s a simple dress watch, with a small seconds subdial, dauphine hands, and tasteful applied indices. There’s no picture of it in the listing, but the description lists it as a Caliber 266, a 17-jewel, 18k bph manual-wind movement. It’s not a motorsports watch for any reason besides its pedigree.
And yet, pedigree aside, it’s a slightly unusual piece that could be a good vintage collectible in another circumstance. Simple dress watches from this period are often underappreciated and, in my opinion, undervalued. I’ve owned a number of vintage Omega three-handers and they are fantastic-wearing pieces with great finishing.
There’s little chance of this watch being a good deal, in purely objective terms. For one, it doesn’t seem like this watch was only loosely connected to Fangio. He appeared to wear it regularly, for decades. In the listing, there are two photos of him, with Senna—wearing the watch. Not something tossed in a drawer soon after the race.
Second, there’s controversy about the Fangio items that RM Sotheby’s is selling at Monaco, the watch included. The foundation that runs Museo Fangio, and Fangio’s three sons—including Ruben, who only discovered he was related to the racer late in life, and didn’t meet his half-brothers until he was in his 70s—objected to the auction, claiming that the watch and other items were the unique cultural heritage of Argentina, and that they thus shouldn’t leave the country. They noted they weren’t involved in the sale.
But the items were already in Europe, and the auction is still going forward. RM Sotheby’s estimates the watch could bring as much as $25,000, a good bit more than a typical Trésor would fetch. I’m hoping that the next owner finds a way to square things with Fangio’s heirs, but also, I’m hoping that owner wears it instead of letting it sit static in a museum display. Just like Fangio.
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