Michael Schumacher’s wife makes emotional call
Michael Schumacher’s family has made the difficult decision to auction off his personal collection of luxury watches ahead of the Italian Grand Prix on May 19.
The F1 legend's wife Corinna is believed to have made the decision as she continues to care for him after his devastating skiing accident over 10 years ago.
Corinna manages Schumacher's $970 million fortune, which is set to grow with the sale of Schumacher's eight most valuable watches, including a one-of-a-kind FP Journe Vagabondage 1 Model, which is expected to sell for between $1.7 million and $3.4 million.
Auction house Christie’s will conduct the sale of the F1 legend's watch collection, which is believed to be worth roughly $6 million.
“Christie’s expresses sincere thanks to the Schumacher family for their trust in us and their wish to share these masterpieces of horology with other passionate collectors around the globe,” Rémi Guillemin, Christie’s Head of Watches Europe and US, said.
“We are proud to present these iconic and unique timepieces belonging to one of the most celebrated Formula 1 legends. An exceptional moment, for watch and F1 enthusiasts alike.
“We are looking forward to meeting with passionate collectors during our international exhibitions and the auction on 13 May in Geneva.”
One of the other watches going up for auction is an Audemars Piguet watch which features the Ferrari emblem, Schumacher’s helmet design, symbols representing his seven titles and an engraved message, which read: “Xmas 2004 — Jean Todt for my friend Michael Schumacher."
The watch was given to him by Todt and is expected to sell for between $250,000 and $425,000.
The auction is another financial move by Corinna, who reportedly meets with a small group of financial advisers about three or four times a year to make decisions about the family's sales and investments.
Ever since the accident Corinna has also been protecting her husband's privacy, with no one outside of Schumacher's inner circle knowing what happened to the F1 legend.
Image: Getty/ Christie's