Richard Hammond Reminisces About Fiery Rimac EV Crash, Shows Off Rolex That Survived

Auto journalist Richard Hammond has a Rolex watch that survived his Rimac crash in 2017 on view at home.

Hammond, best known for “Top Gear” and “The Grand Tour,“ posted a video on his YouTube channel DriveTribe taking viewers through his personal and professional memorabilia. The highlight was a charred, Rolex watch that stopped during his accident in 2017.

In June 2017, Hammond was involved in a crash while filming for an episode of “The Grand Tour” and driving a Rimac Concept One. “I think they were a million and a half quid,” Hammond said in the video.

The Rimac went off a hill, dropped by about 300 feet and landed upside down. Hammond survived the accident but lost his watch.

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The car caught fire and continued to burn for about three weeks, Hammond says. Once the fire subsided, the watch was sent back with the car together to the Croatian electric supercar maker which then sent it to Hammond. The watch is now on display on a shelf together with a miniature model of the Rimac.

In June 2022, it was reported that SoftBank Group Corp SFTBY SFTBF and Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS invested in Rimac in a €500 million ($536 million) funding round, giving it a valuation of over €2 billion.

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Photo: Rimac Concept One car via Rimac