Michael SatterfieldFor the milestone 2026 season, NHRA partnered with Filippo Loreti on a collection of racing-inspired chronographs commemorating three-quarters of a century of professional drag racing. The collaboration consists of two main watches, the NHRA 75 Red & Blue Chronograph and NHRA 75 White Stripes Chronograph, along with an unusual series of limited-edition watches paying tribute to individual moments from NHRA history. But you have to ask: would anyone use a Chronograph for timing drag racing? No, as early as 1950, the famous Santa Ana Drags opened as the first commercially operated drag strip implementing computerized speed clocks that used complex arrays of vacuum tubes and relays to instantly register when a car tripped the start and finish lines.
75 Years a Quarter Mile at a Time
The NHRA traces its origins to 1951 and its founder, Wally Parks, emerging from Southern California’s postwar hot-rod movement at a time when organized drag racing was still in its infancy. Parks helped turn hot rodding from a largely informal pursuit into a structured form of motorsport built around organized competition and safety. The organization’s founding charter was signed on March 13, 1951. What followed became a distinctly American form of motorsport, and growing up in Southern California meant I spent time at the Winternationals and other drag racing venues as a young gearhead.
From the early Nationals and the introduction of the Christmas Tree to Don Garlits breaking 200 mph, the arrival of Funny Car and Pro Stock, Shirley Muldowney’s championships, Kenny Bernstein breaking 300 mph, John Force’s remarkable career, and today’s 340-mph Funny Cars, NHRA history has often been measured by barriers broken in increasingly smaller windows of time.
For its 2026 anniversary season, NHRA has leaned heavily into that history, creating a special 75th-anniversary identity, commemorative Wally trophies, historical programming, and lists honoring the organization’s 75 greatest drivers and moments.
The Red & Blue Chronograph
Of the two watches, the NHRA 75 Red & Blue Chronograph is the more immediately recognizable motorsport design.
It combines a matte blue dial with a red fixed tachymeter bezel and gold-tone accents, giving the watch a colorful appearance. The NHRA 75th-anniversary logo is placed prominently on the dial, but the design stops short of looking like promotional merchandise. There is enough going on elsewhere to make the watch feel like a racing chronograph first and a licensed product second.
Filippo Loreti says the NHRA project also introduced a new chronograph case. At 42mm in diameter and 13.4mm thick.The stainless-steel case offers 100 meters of water resistance, luminous hands and indices, and sapphire-coated mineral glass. Buyers can choose between a two-tone stainless-steel bracelet and a black rubber strap.
The standard Red & Blue Chronograph is priced at $299.
The White Stripes Chronograph
The NHRA 75 White Stripes Chronograph takes a somewhat different approach. Rather than relying primarily on NHRA’s red-and-blue colors, the White Stripes version borrows from one of the most familiar visual signatures of American performance cars: racing stripes. It has a similar look to the Fossil x Shelby Grand Tourer that came out last year and feels more sports car than drag racing.
Its blue sunray-brushed dial is crossed by prominent white stripes, while gold-tone subdials and hardware give the watch a distinctly 1960s muscle-car flavor. The White Stripes uses the same 42mm stainless-steel architecture, measures 13.4mm thick, offers 100 meters of water resistance, and is available on either a two-tone bracelet or blue rubber strap.
It is also priced at $299.
Powered by a Seiko VK64 Mecaquartz
Watch enthusiasts can argue about movements, and many will dismiss a watch with a quartz movement, but at this price point, Filippo Loreti chose a solid movement: the Seiko VK64 mecaquartz, which is used in both NHRA watches. Would a mechanical chronograph be more romantic? Certainly. Would it cost $299? Almost certainly not.
A More Personal Connection to the Sport
One of the better ideas in the collection is found on the back. Standard NHRA 75th Anniversary watches include complimentary personalized caseback engraving. Owners can add a name, date, racing number, or short message, turning what could otherwise be a fairly straightforward commemorative watch into something connected to their own racing history.
That matters with a sport like drag racing. NHRA’s fan base has always included generations of families who race together, attend the same events year after year, or have spent decades following a particular driver. A caseback engraved with a father’s old competition number or the date of someone’s first trip to the U.S. Nationals has considerably more meaning than another anniversary logo.
The Gentleman Racer Take
Motorsport watches live or die on authenticity. There is no shortage of watches with racing stripes, checkered flags, perforated straps, and tachymeter scales applied primarily because someone in a marketing meeting decided “car guys like watches.”
The Filippo Loreti NHRA collection is a bit of a leap: road racers used watches to track lap times, but drag racers never really used wristwatches. Instead of seeing this as something with an authentic connection to motorsports, it is something you buy simply because you like the retro muscle-car styling and the NHRA logo.
At $299 for the standard versions, nobody is going to confuse these with high-horology chronographs. Instead, Filippo Loreti has produced an accessible enthusiast watch meant for someone who would rather wear a watch to the drag strip than keep it in a safe.
You can learn more and shop the watch HERE.
Quick Facts
- Collection: Filippo Loreti x NHRA 75th Anniversary
- Models: NHRA 75 Red & Blue Chronograph and NHRA 75 White Stripes Chronograph
- Case: 42mm stainless steel
- Thickness: 13.4mm
- Movement: Mecaquartz chronograph
- Water Resistance: 100 meters
- Crystal: Sapphire-coated mineral glass
- Standard Price: $299
- Limited Edition Price: $349
- Special Feature: Complimentary personalized caseback engraving on standard models
- Limited Editions: Commemorative versions tied to NHRA’s Top 75 Moments
- Occasion: NHRA’s 75th anniversary in 2026
FAQ
How much is the Filippo Loreti NHRA watch?
The standard NHRA 75 Red & Blue and White Stripes chronographs are priced at $299. Limited-edition NHRA Top 75 Moments versions were offered at $349.
How large is the Filippo Loreti NHRA watch?
Both standard versions use a 42mm stainless-steel case measuring 13.4mm thick.
What movement does the Filippo Loreti NHRA watch use?
Filippo Loreti’s current product pages specify a Seiko VK64 mecaquartz chronograph movement.
Is the Filippo Loreti NHRA watch waterproof?
The watches are rated to 100 meters, or 10 ATM, of water resistance.
Why was the NHRA watch created?
The collection was developed to commemorate NHRA’s 75th anniversary during the organization’s 2026 season. NHRA was founded by Wally Parks in 1951.
Photos courtesy of Filippo Lorerti
