Retired Formula One driver Nico Rosberg on his go-to watch, favourite type of car and more

The recently retired F1 racer, who won at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2016, is the brand ambassador of luxury Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen.

Nico Rosberg sports an IWC Portugieser watch. Waleed Shah
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The German Formula One racing driver clinched his first world championship at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2016, and announced his retirement soon after. The 31-year-old also has a long-standing love affair with mechanical timepieces and is the brand ambassador of luxury Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen. He now plans to spend more time with his wife and baby daughter, and is looking forward to watching F1 with his feet up.

If you could wake up anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you be?

Honestly, I love being at home with my family in Monaco.

You're sitting down to the perfect meal. Where are you, whom are you with and what are you eating?

I am in the Caribbean, on the beach with my family. What am I eating? Well, at the moment I feel like it is a black cod that has just been caught from the sea. I like my cod to be super-soft.

What was your first-ever luxury purchase?

I love bicycles and going on bike rides; I always have, ever since I was young. Now, I really only started making money when I was about 19 years old. I remember the first luxury purchase, at the time anyway, was spending US$10,000 [Dh36,730] on a lightweight bike.

Are you a collector? If so, what do you like to collect?

Well, I am now becoming a watch collector thanks to my collaboration with IWC Schaffhausen. I also collect other brands as well. I like watches because generally I feel they are very important for style. I think it is some sort of statement that we can make as men. That’s why I like wearing different watches. I can also see the money value in them. I see them as an investment.

What was the first car you ever owned?

My father gave me his RX6 Audi, which at the time was rather crazy. I remember my dad telling me that he would rather have me drive a proper, safe car instead of starting with a cheap little box. Some people say it is not ideal for their kid’s first car to be an amazing and expensive car like that, so everybody should do what they think is right.

And the best car ever made, in your opinion?

It would have to be the Mercedes Gullwing because it was very ahead of its time. The car still looks awesome today, and that points to how timeless the design is. I think the car is definitely appreciated, but the only thing with it is that there are 1,200 of them. So, it is not as special as some of the Ferraris, where there are just 30 or 50 of them. That makes a difference. If there were only 30 Gullwings, it would be more special than a Ferrari.

What is your go-to timepiece?

It’s the Pilot from IWC. It is an easy-going watch and very cool. But the one I am wearing with you right now is the IWC Portugieser, which I think is more elegant.

Is time an enemy or a friend to you?

The F1 competition is all measured by time, so time is the most important part of the job. Everything is measured. There is no relaxing, and it is always about pushing on, even if it is in the practice rounds. I remember in a race in [the Japanese F1 circuit] Suzuka, my teammate Lewis Hamilton was a hundredth of a second behind me in qualifying. That was five kilometres of racing at 300 kilometres an hour, and at the end of the lap he was 20 centimetres behind me. That put me on pole position, and I eventually won that race. It is incredible how those little things make the difference.

Where was your favourite place to race?

That would be Monaco. For me, that race felt like I was driving in my streets. Also when the race was done, I could then immediately go home.

What's the best piece of advice that you've ever received?

That you always meet twice in life. So remember that when you are having an argument and you are about to part ways.

What does luxury mean to you?

For me, it basically means to spend money on something that gives you pleasure. Now, that pleasure doesn’t last but, nonetheless, this is what it is. It is a very fortunate feeling if you are able to do that. Like spending time on a boat or buying a very cool leather jacket.

Read this and more stories in Luxury magazine, out with The National on Thursday, February 2.

sasaeed@thenational.ae