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Parts of the following interview have been edited and condensed.
“How many fans actually have a chance to really try out F1? The answer is almost zero.”
These are the words of Robert Tran, founder of one of the world’s leading custom watch brands, UNDONE, and a reality that Formula 1 enthusiasts from all walks of life are all too aware of.
“So we're like, okay, can we create something that's a lot more tangible, that the fans and the community can interact with and feel like you're actually a part of it?”
We sat down with Tran and Sayako Pueschel, Director of UNDONE, to talk about how they are working with Atlassian Williams Racing to change that reality for F1 fans, and to provide a truly distinct experience that takes them on a collaborative journey with their favorite drivers.
It all started back in 2024, at the Singapore Grand Prix. Tran and Pueschel attended the race, taking in the atmosphere around the paddock.
“That was our first time, and we got to see a lot of people who were actually there,” Pueschel said. “So many different kinds of profiles. Dads coming with kids, and girls coming with boys, everything.”
Yet despite this massive and diverse fan community, since its inception F1 has dealt in exclusivity. From the sport itself, allowing only 20 or so people at any given time to know what it feels like to drive an F1 car, to the luxury brands with price tags well beyond the means of your average sports fan, there is often a feeling of being on the outside looking in when it comes to the pinnacle of motorsport.
And UNDONE might just have the key to unlock that door to the world of F1.
Watchmaking craftsmanship meets fan culture and community
Based in Tokyo, Japan, UNDONE is a small, independent company driven by their purpose of blending luxury, culture and community through their timepieces.
Core to this is their design and production process, which is focused on utmost attention to detail and first-class Japanese watchmaking craftsmanship. Small batches of carefully crafted watches using Japan-made components, such as the Miyota 9122 automatic winding movement, ensure that each piece is not only beautiful, but reliable and long-lasting. This means the quality of their products can compete with any brand working with an F1 team.
But maintaining emphasis on quality does not mean their watches are symbols of exclusivity or status.
“We believe that the innovation in watchmaking isn't just technical, it is cultural,” Tran explained. “It's really about the storytelling, it's really about the design that we put in that connects you, that moves you, that reminds you why you fell in love with something in the first place.”
This has led them to working with the likes of Disney and Warner Brothers in the past to create community and fan-based collaborative projects, such as the Disney Space Legend Customizable Chronograph collection, which allows customers to choose one of five Disney characters to feature on the front and back of the timepiece, making it feel unique to the wearer.
So how exactly does this lead to breaking down the barrier of exclusivity in F1?
The start of the UNDONE and Williams collaboration
“We were there at the paddock [in Singapore] talking to different teams just as a guest,” said Tran, “and obviously we got a chance to speak to the Williams folks.”
It was a casual conversation at first.
“We [got to] chit chat on what's the big thing that Williams is going to do with their plan for commercialization and licensing.”
Under the leadership of James Vowles, their relatively young and still fairly new team principal, Williams had been undergoing a massive transformation in its team culture over the past year or so. And they were looking for something fresh, exciting and unique to bring to their supporters.
“It was time really for, I think, the F1 folks to look at not only the hardcore motorhead,” Tran said, “but really how to build the community, and a much wider fan base from culture to entertainment.
“So we said, hey, I think that's what our forte is, and that's our belief… we want to be a cultural- and community-driven brand.
“That's where we kind of started. But it's been like a year. It’s been constant ideas and constant exchanges.”
In that year of exchanges, a true collaboration was born. It was a project with an end goal to showcase who Williams is as an F1 team in only the way UNDONE can, and balance that identity with an invitation for all F1 enthusiasts—not just the elite—to take part in the process.
“We tried to get the whole strategy from Williams and what is important to them, what is their value,” said Tran. “The drivers are the key component, but the technology, it's also a part that is inseparable... And that becomes sort of the backbone of the storyboard.
“So [Williams was] like, okay, can you then do one for the people–the drivers, the dynamic duo–and then can you work out something very engineering-driven?”
Thus came the UNDONE x Atlassian Williams Racing collection. It consists of two timepieces: the FW47 Watch, inspired by the Williams challenger for the 2025 F1 season, and the Carbono Watch, which captures the heart of the two pilots, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. Each piece is carefully designed to reflect a core aspect of the Williams identity and help fans feel closer to their favorite drivers and team.
F1 engineering excellence on your wrist
“There was a lot of trial and error on [the FW47 Watch],” Tran recalled of the design process, “but we took a lot of concepts inspired from the car, from the suspension rod to some of the carbon fiber templates and stuff like that.”
“We did actually ask all these like former racers, what tickles you guys, what do we need to put in it?” said Pueschel.
On his favorite detail, Tran said, “The way we designed the hands, you know, with almost a triangular [shape] on the hands, that is actually inspiration from the suspension rod design… It's a push rod rather than a pull rod.”
And Tran himself felt like he was part of something bigger, as he and the UNDONE team were going through the process of designing and creating these hands. “I'm part of the contributors to do that,” he said with a smile like that of a kid who got picked to play on a team alongside their favorite athlete.
“I kept asking some of the F1 industry folks, ‘What do you think? What if we put that as a design for the hand?’ They [were] like, ‘Okay, but how do you illustrate push rod versus pull rod, right?’
“I felt like, okay, well, now I'm an engineer on the F1 stuff… So that to me is something that I always remember.”
Indeed, such a degree of thoughtfulness and attention to the tiniest of details is precisely what has enabled UNDONE to take something as massive and complex as an F1 car and bring it to life in the form of an intricate art piece that can be worn on your wrist.
Yet this is just one half of the story UNDONE and Williams set out to tell together, a story that needed to bring the fans into the fold as an equal among three contributors.
Letting F1 fans tell their own story with Williams
“We need to find a way to have a touch point with the fan base and all the community to do mutual engagement,” Tran reminded us.
Which is exactly where the Carbono Watch fits, bringing in the personal component to the story.
“This watch is not only a representation of Alex and Carlos, but you can also put your representation into it, choosing your own helmet, choosing your own initials so that, hey, this is a collaborative product.”
While the Carbono Watch incorporates subtle yet intentionally chosen elements to represent both pilots, from highlighting their driver numbers–23 for Albon and 55 for Sainz–on the watch face, to using signature colors from their helmets throughout the design, it is also fully customizable. Customers have the ability to select from six different helmet designs, as well as the option to personalize the design even further with their own initials and chosen driver number.
Having a customization element makes this a genuinely collaborative effort between Williams, UNDONE, and you, the fan, to create a one-of-a-kind timepiece that represents the team, the drivers, and the wearer. What’s more, it comes at no additional cost to what is an already incredibly budget friendly price tag of $380, especially when compared to the likes of IWC and Richard Mille that canvas the paddock. These were all intentional choices to make this product as accessible and inclusive as possible to all.
“I want [fans] to carry their own story,” said Pueschel on this design decision. “I want them to know their own perspective. It doesn't have to be the same [as mine]... I want them to feel [what] they want to feel.”
“Our belief is that we don't do watches to show status,” added Tran. “That's just not our product line. We're here to tell stories. More importantly is your story.
“So by adding your own element on top of something that is of your value or your favorite, then you actually have that conversational pieces with your friends or your surroundings, which makes it a little bit more interesting than just saying ‘Hey it's a $50,000 watch, it's F1, you can't touch it.’
“It's just different, it feels a lot closer, it's more human, and that's what we try to achieve from that angle. I think that's where we had that good touch point.”
And so far, it seems like UNDONE has achieved that goal. Since the launch of the collection at the 2025 British Grand Prix Williams Fan Zone, Pueschel and Tran have had the chance to speak with some of their customers in London and Singapore and hear their excitement about the watches.
“I was listening to them [say], ‘I put this one because I like Alex,’ or like ‘She likes Carlos,’” Pueschel excitedly recounted to us some of the interactions with Williams fans she has had. “They know, whenever I wear this it's a little bit like a passion that I'm always carrying.
“This is really the starting point for us. Like, we want them to [feel], if this is a timepiece that you can carry every day, then this is your own story. So when I heard [that], to us, it's a success.”
And if this is just a starting point, what could be next?
The road ahead: what is next for UNDONE and Williams?
I think we took step one to do fan-based engagement at a very affordable range for the community,” said Tran. “So we want to take it one step further and say, look, why don't we introduce new culture into these people and make it even a bigger community? So we are moving forward in that direction big time.”
And what does that direction look like for UNDONE?
“We will be fusing cross-culture play with F1, especially Williams. I can do a sneak preview.” Tran told us behind an excited smile.
“It's in the arena of anime... I can't release which one, but it will be coming very soon. “
This plays perfectly with UNDONE’s identity as a small, independent Japanese brand focused on consumer engagement, community and culture. They began by giving fans the opportunity to feel like they are part of something alongside the Williams F1 team and create their own community in that. And now, they’re looking to build upon that community by incorporating one of Japan’s biggest cultural exports.
So what began as a casual conversation in Singapore about how to give fans a chance to really try out F1 has not only turned into something you can directly be a part of making and hold on to, but is now on the brink of becoming part of a global cultural phenomenon.
And for the UNDONE team, it is not just about creating luxury watches. It is about connection. It is about turning admiration into belonging, and using craftsmanship, community and culture to make one message loud and clear: F1 is not just for those in the driver’s seat. It is for everyone.
The UNDONE x Atlassian Williams Racing watch collection can be purchased via the UNDONE official website, and in-person at select races.
Images courtesy of UNDONE.
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