Nascent luxury apparel brand Felio Siby announced a partnership with Brazilian F1 driver Felipe Nasr, who will have a limited-edition timepiece released in his name. The Miami-based company was founded in ’13 by Gabonese entrepreneur Dominique Siby but is only getting into watches now. It is looking to leverage luxury sports and entertainment properties to grow brand awareness in that department. The company, which was also named official lifestyle partner of F1 team Sahara Force India earlier this year, will make 100 of the limited-edition watches around Nasr, who drives for Switzerland-based F1 team Sauber. Nasr’s 80-gram watch, priced at $135,000, is designed to mimic a sports car’s dashboard, with a black face and casing that features red accents plus a 0.2-carat diamond. Siby declined to disclose precise financials of the deal with Nasr but said that it involves upfront payments plus profit sharing. Siby: “For ages, Formula 1 has always had luxury brands associated with it. So for me, doing luxury and making some of the watches I’m making by some of the best manufacturers in the world, it only makes sense to be associated with the No. 1 sport and most expensive sport in the world.” Siby also has made a 100-watch batch for Force India plus a 100-watch batch for Czech tennis player Tomas Berdych, who has also come aboard as a brand ambassador. Tuesday marked the official reveal of the watch, though Nasr did wear it at a private event at this year’s Singapore GP and at an event for Berdych’s watch in Paris during the French Open. The company is working with Elliott Stares PR on the project.
