Reuge | Racing Legends
By presenting Racing Legends, Reuge pays tribute to eight decades of Formula 1 and the dazzling innovations that have marked this discipline since 1950. The brand selected five of the most iconic F1 cars over time and placed them next to each other on the starting line, like an anachronistic race of legends that every F1 lover would dream of.
The automaton is both an animated spectacle and an acoustic experience, combining the gripping motion of a race for victory with the pure resonance of music.
Evocative of the beginnings of F1, the red Alfa Romeo 158 represents the 1950s. The following decade is symbolised by the yellow and green Lotus 25, the 1970s are embodied by the Tyrell P34 in blue, then the red and white McLaren MP4/4 stands for the 1980s. Finally, the silver Mercedes is the symbol of F1 today, an era marked by hi-tech, technical prowess and speed records.
Every single decoration detail is directly inspired by the Formula 1 universe. Racing Legends ensures an immersion into the racing world at the first glimpse. The creation is bordered by four columns in carbon, which support glass panels. Thus the movements accounting for the automaton as well as the sound are showcased in full view of the observer. The case is decorated by a refined carbon sail, patterned with the F1 flag, bearing slight curves as though the flag were really stretched across the automaton. Each car pad is matched in colour to the race car it supports, according to the era of the latter. The activation buttons in aluminium are inspired by the controls on the steering wheel of a Formula 1 car. The Racing Legends are competing against each other on a track where the angles of the case are represented like vibrators, hand-painted in red and white. The five cars are the only items that stand above the glass: they levitate without touching it thanks to an ingenious magnetised system.
Upon activation of a discreet launch button, the five cars are set into motion. The race starts and bets are cast among the players but no one knows its outcome yet because a different car wins each time. Behind this apparent game of chance, there’s an incredibly intricate mechanism bearing a set of cams that engage with one of the five cars on a random basis. The true ingeniousness of the Manufacture consisted in creating Racing Legends with a sense of unpredictability so as to give its viewers and the F1 lovers the thrill of never knowing how the competition will end.
The race takes place without music so as to enhance the beautiful sound of the mechanism, somewhat evocative of a motor. As the cars cross the finish line, the Crown of Bay Leaves, a wreath of victory in silver and 18K gold-plated finish is hoisted above the automaton as the Reuge musicality rises from the mechanism.