Stefan Johansson Växjö was founded by Swedish former Formula 1 driver Stefan Johansson and based in Beverly Hills, California. According an interview with WatchPro, he was approached by a Swiss brand to endorse a watch, and started his own line of watches after a failed attempt at a collaboration. Johansson told Watchonista that his first batch of watches was produced around 1993.
While certain Stefan Johansson models are clear nods to other racing series, the Mark VIIIE line notably features the various Formula 1 flags that serve as indices. All models appear to have a rotor featuring Johansson’s three-leaf design, inspired by his helmet design.
Stefan Johansson at the Nürburgring in 1985. (Photo: Lothar Spurzem, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons)
Related Pages
References
https://stefanjohansson.art/pages/racer-artist-designer
https://www.watchpro.com/changing-gears-how-ferrari-f1-driver-stefan-johansson-launched-his-own-watch-brand/
https://www.watchonista.com/articles/interviews/talking-racing-and-watches-f1-driver-turned-watchmaker-stefan-johansson