Vertex, sponsor of the Caterham Roadsport Championship, pays tribute to the maker of the 7 with a 50th anniversary watch. But be quick – it’s limited to 50 pieces
Don Cochrane hit on an unusual marketing method when he decided to re-establish the historic British watchmaker Vertex a whole century after it was set up in 1916 by his great grandfather, Claude Lyons.
Cochrane initially invited 60 specific individuals to become owners, giving them a purchase code that enabled them to buy the hand-wound M100 launch model through the firm’s website. Each buyer was then entitled to invite five further individuals, all of whom could invite one more person – beyond which only owners of original Vertex watches or military personnel could apply.
It was odd, but it worked, establishing the foundation from which Cochrane has since been able to develop the modern-day Vertex into a well-regarded dial name specialising in interpretations of the type of military watches it made between the late 1940s and 1970s, after which the original business shut down.
The line-up now includes automatic versions of the M100 in either plain or blackened steel; the MP45 single-button chronograph with a choice of hand-wound or automatic movements and the high-specification AquaLion dive watch.
Before he got into the watch game, however, Cochrane was heavily involved in the automotive world, variously working for Tesla, Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin – through which he has developed an enviable list of car-world contacts that last year led to Vertex becoming the title sponsor of the Caterham Roadsport Championship.
Caterham Cars was originally a leading Lotus 7 dealer before company founder Graham Nearn acquired the rights to the design from Lotus boss Colin Chapman in 1973, after Chapman decided to stop building the now-celebrated seat-of-the-pants sports car.
The following year Caterham built its first 7s, inset, and now, to help mark these milestones, Vertex has produced this limited-edition watch based on the MP45.
The MP45 C50 differs from the regular version in having a tachymeter scale printed around the edge of the dial for speed and distance calculations plus the distinctive ‘Caterham 50’ logo at the six o’clock position.
The main hands, central seconds hand and subdial indicators, meanwhile, are finished in Caterham’s signature acid green and the sapphire crystal back of each of the 50 available watches carries its unique edition number.
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