In 2013, Schumacher was in a life-threatening accident while skiing off-piste on the slopes at the prestigious Méribel resort in the French Alps. He suffered a traumatic head injury and was placed in a medically induced coma for 250 days. Though he survived, the damage caused by the incident is believed to have caused enduring impairments for the German driver, and he has maintained a private life ever since.

Featuring pieces with inscriptions dedicated to him and commemorating milestones in his racing career, Schumacher’s watch auction will offer fans and collectors alike an opportunity to own a tangible piece of motorsport history from the seven-time Formula One Champion. The highly anticipated bidding sale, held by Christie’s, is expected to raise well over US$4 million, per CNN.

Here’s a closer look at some of the breathtaking timepieces that are up for sale.

1. F.P. Journe Vagabondage I

Crafted by inimitable watchmaker François-Paul Journe in 2004, this custom-made F.P. Journe Vagabondage I is expected to fetch upwards of US$2.2 million, per CNN – nearly half the value of Schumacher’s collection at auction.

According to an interview with Revolution, Journe designed the Vagabondage in 1995 as a prototype for a Parisian client, but an big-name brand who was backing the project lost faith and the watch never made it to market. The prototype sold at auction in 2003 to benefit the Paris Brain Institute (ICM) Foundation, which counted Schumacher and Todt as founding members, per CNN.

However, Journe revived it in 2004 for the 30th anniversary of luxury timepiece auctioneers Antiquorum, creating three pieces that sold at three times their estimated prices, per Revolution. With such a reception, Journe decided to make a limited collection of just 69 pieces between 2005 and 2006, each featuring a rare and impressive wandering jump-hour time display, per K2 Luxury. And so, the Vagabondage I collection was born.

Two years before the model’s commercial release though, in 2004, Todt gifted a custom version of the timepiece to Schumacher for Christmas – one that has numerous nods to the driver’s illustrious career. The dial features stylised retro elements, including Schumacher’s racing helmet, Ferrari’s Prancing Horse logo, and seven V symbols to reflect the driver’s seven world championships. Todt also included an inscription on the back, reading: “Xmas 2004: Jean Todt for my friend Michael Schumacher.”

2. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph

This AP Royal Oak Chronograph – valued at around US$280,000, according to CNN – was another very generous gift from Todt to Schumacher, after the latter won his sixth driver’s world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2003.

To commemorate the occasion – which was unprecedented at the time – Todt had this exquisite white gold chronograph commissioned by one of Schumacher’s favoured watchmakers, Audemars Piguet. According to Christie’s, this remains one of the most distinctive iterations of the model.

The three subdials all feature customised details that celebrate Schumacher’s career and accomplishments: Ferrari’s Prancing Horse emblem on the seconds dial; Schumacher’s red and yellow helmet on the 12-hour dial; and the numeral one surrounded by six stars – representing the first six of his eventual first-place trophies – in the 30-minute dial.

Flip the watch over and the full scope of Schumacher’s achievements really comes into focus. Engraved on the back are a laurel wreath with the corresponding years of his six championship victories. There’s also an inscription in French: “J. Todt pour M. Schumacher, Noel 2003.” All in all, it’s a heartfelt token of the deep friendship between these two titans of the motorsport landscape.

3. Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona

The holiest of Holy Grail watches, the Newman Daytona is as iconic as the Hollywood actor and racing aficionado who famously wore this variant. And with its design and name rooted in the racing world – it’s named after the Daytona Speedway in Florida, for which Rolex became the official timekeeper in 1962 – it’s only natural that Schumacher would own one.

His particular model, reportedly made in 1971, features a stepped outer seconds register in red. It’s expected to sell for around US$440,000, per CNN.

4. F.P. Journé Ruthenium Collection

The Vagabondage I isn’t the only F.P. Journe timepiece in Christie’s high-ticket lot. Schumacher also acquired a complete set of the brand’s Ruthenium collection. This was a limited edition release of five iconic models – the Octa Jour et Nuit, Octa Calendrier, Octa Chronographe, Chronomètre à Résonance and Tourbillon Souverain – with platinum dials and movements coated in ruthenium, a durable white metal.

A limited series of 99 pieces per model were released for the Ruthenium collection. Schumacher – famously a stickler for details – took care to buy the 92nd piece of each release, according to Barron’s. Why did the Formula One driver insist on the No 92, you might wonder? That was the year he won his first ever Grand Prix at Belgium’s notorious Spa Francorchamps track.