TW Steel was founded in 2005 by the father and son team of Ton and Jordy Cobelens in the Netherlands. Ton has previously worked as a distributor for Maurice Lacroix and Raymond Weil starting in 1980, as well as a designer of private label watches. The elder Cobelens has also worked with the Swatch Group through his own marketing company.
TW Steel has a focus on oversized watches and chronographs, powered by Citizen Miyota automatic movements and Ronda Swiss quartz movements. In addition to Formula 1 and MotoGP, the brand has also formed partnerships within the World Rally Championship (WRC), the Dakar Rally, and the Supercars Championship.
Eddie Jordan
Former team boss Eddie Jordan of Jordan Grand Prix has served as a TW Steel ambassador, although it isn’t well documented when the relationship began. Jordan has been referenced as an ambassador as early as 2010, and has also been noted for attending TW Steel’s Grand Prix Ball in 2009 in an unspecified capacity. At some point, a custom signature watch was also made for Jordan.
A darker-colored dial version of a Jordan watch was also released at some point, which had a limited run of 80 pieces. The Jordan team logo features on the case back.
A big thank you to Lawrence Wacek for bringing this to our attention.
2010-2012: Renault F1 Team and Lotus F1
TW Steel announced a three-year deal as the Official Timing Partner of the Renault F1 Team on October 28, 2009. The watch brand made its first appearance with the Enstone-based team at the 2009 season finale at Yas Marina Circuit, before its full time involvement from 2010 until 2012.
The first TW Steel Renault F1 Team collection was unveiled at Baselworld 2010, with four models each from their Pilot and CEO Tech lines. Lotus Renault editions followed in 2011, and were updated to Lotus F1 in 2012.
2010: Lucas di Grassi
TW Steel announced Lucas di Grassi as the brand’s first Brazilian ambassador in 2010, just ahead of his Formula 1 debut. Signature models were released in 45mm (ref. TW652) and 50mm (ref. TW653).
2010: Emerson Fittipaldi
1972 and 1974 Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi became a TW Steel ambassador in 2010, 40 years after his first Formula 1 race win. To celebrate the achievement, an Emerson Fittipaldi edition chronograph was released in case sizes of 45mm (ref. TW609) and 48mm (TW610).
TW Steel celebrated another milestone in the Fittipaldi’s career with the CEO Tech Emerson Fittipaldi Limited Edition (ref. CE4017) in 2013, on the 40th anniversary of becoming the first Brazilian driver to win his home Grand Prix.
2010: David Coulthard
13-time Formula 1 race winner David Coulthard was announced as an ambassador for TW Steel in 2010, and has had a total of three signature models released over the years. The CEO Tech David Coulthard Limited Edition in 44mm (ref. CE4001) and 48mm (ref. CE4002) was released in 2011, followed by the CEO Diver David Coulthard Limited Edition (ref. CE5005) in 2012. A newer CEO Tech David Coulthard Limited Edition was released in 2014, available in the same sizes of 44mm (ref. CE4019) and 48mm (ref. CE4020).
2011: Mick Doohan
Five time 500cc motorcycle Grand Prix world champion Mick Doohan became a TW Steel ambassador in 2011. The TW Steel Mick Doohan Tech in 45mm (ref. TW612) and 48mm (ref. TW613) was launched in Melbourne, where Doohan was joined by Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard.
The Mick Doohan Limited Edition CEO Tech Multi Function Automatic (ref. CE4010) was unveiled two years later in 2013. The colors of Doohan’s title-winning Honda NSR500 inspired the design, and had a limited run of 500 pieces.
Doohan’s involvement meant that TW Steel now had connections with both Formula 1 and MotoGP.
Mick Doohan launches his TW Steel watch with David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan. (Photo: Courtesy of TW Steel)
2013: Sahara Force India
TW Steel continued its presence in Formula 1 with a 2013 announcement as the Official Timing Partner of the Sahara Force India Formula One Team. Later in the same year, a collection of Sahara Force India Pilot Editions was introduced.
2013: Yamaha MotoGP
Another 2013 announcement was TW Steel’s role as an Official Sponsor of the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team in what was described as a “multi-year” deal, with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi in its rider line-up. The Yamaha Factory Racing collection also included models from their Tech and Pilot lines.
While the length of the partnership isn’t well documented, the sponsorship has been noted as being active in 2015 while the brand celebrated their 10th year anniversary at Baselworld.
2014: Valentino Rossi via VR46
The partnership with Yamaha helped TW Steel establish a relationship directly with VR46, the lifestyle brand of Valentino Rossi. The announcement coincided with the 2014 San Marino and Rimini Riviera motorcycle Grand Prix, a race that was won by Rossi. The resulting TW Steel VR46 line included two Pilot models in two sizes each, one Tech model, and the highly accessible VR46 ‘By TW Steel’ collection of enthusiast models.
Valentino Rossi in 2014. (Photo: © Daniel Lo)
2019: Nigel Mansell
TW Steel teamed up with 1992 Formula 1 world champion Nigel Mansell in 2019. The partnership’s first commemorative model was the TW Steel Nigel Mansell Limited Edition Volante (ref. SVS307), which was inspired by Mansell’s Williams FW14 with his famous red five featuring on the dial. Subsequent models included references CS123, TW1017, GT14, CS113, and CS124.
2020: Damon Hill
1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill was announced as a TW Steel ambassador on November 5, 2020 on the company’s Facebook page. The TW Steel Damon Hill Canteen LE (ref. TW1018) was released in 2021, followed by the TW Steel Damon Hill Grand Tech Limited Edition (ref. GT15) in 2022. Both models were limited to 1,000 pieces.
For an archival list of all models from the collaborations above, see our full reference table of TW Steel Formula 1 and MotoGP edition models.
Isle of Man TT
Despite the Isle of Man TT losing its world champion status after the 1976 season, it’s worth noting that TW Steel was announced as the Official Watch Partner of the event in 2025. Isle of Man TT edition models were also released.
Related Pages
References
https://www.twsteel.com/pages/about-us
https://au.motorsport.com/a1gp/news/tw-steel-to-host-grand-prix-ball/2929209/
https://www.prlog.org/11185078-tw-steels-winning-formula-one-watches-available-at-time2couk.html
https://www.classicdriver.com/en/collectible/eddie-jordans-tw-steel-watch
https://us.vestiairecollective.com/men-accessories/watches/tw-steel/anthracite-steel-tw-steel-watch-20066618.shtml
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https://www.watchpaper.com/2010/03/24/tw-steel-unveils-renault-formula-one-team-collection/
https://masterhorologer.com/2010/03/17/tw-steel-renault-f1-team-watch-collection/
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https://www.watchpro.com/tw-steel-partners-with-valentino-rossis-brand/
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https://www.iomttraces.com/latest/news/tw-steel-official-watch-partner/