G&F Châtelain is a Swiss watch and jewelry manufacturer that was founded in 1947 as G&F Châtelain SA, in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The Châtelain family’s initial involvement in watch production began in 1936, but was interrupted by World War II. The brand was purchased by CHANEL in 1993, and currently operates as the watchmaking branch of the French luxury fashion house. Bell & Ross watches are also made by G&F Châtelain.
Marlboro Race Personnel Watch
Châtelain designed the Marlboro Race Personnel Watch line, which were featured at the Basel Fair in 1991. At least initially, availability was limited to the Italian market.
The F1 and F1 Pro were announced that year. Its marketing materials appears to show images of Alain Prost‘s Ferrari 641 and Nigel Mansell sitting inside a cockpit. The inclusion of “F1” in the model name was possibly due to fewer trademark restrictions on the series name during the era, while the collaboration between Marlboro and Châtelain was well documented.
Alain after qualifying at the 1990 United States Grand Prix. (Photo: Stuart Seeger, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
References
https://www.chatelain.ch/en/our-company
https://www.chatelain.ch/en/history
https://www.chatelain.ch/en/watchmaking-0
https://masterhorologer.com/bell-ross-watches/
https://watchlibrary.org/en/details/ES-EUROPE_192_1992_002_52
https://watchlibrary.org/en/details/ES-EUROPE_192_1992_002_53
https://watchlibrary.org/en/details/ES-EUROPE_188_1991_004_146
https://www.passionchrono.com/en/mar002138226975-marlboro-racing-f1-pro-chrono-731
https://www.europastar.com/swisstime/1004100327-marlboro-chatelain-geneve.html