Scrapped Mustangs Get Upcycled as High End Watches

A Mustang is a car that has a loyal fanbase. There is now a new way that a Mustang could be used to make a petrolhead happy – in the form of an upscale handmade watch crafted from the components of classic Ford Mustangs.

Two Danish entrepreneurs named Christian Mygh and Jonathan Kamstrup came up with the idea of scouring salvage yards across the globe for Mustangs whose parts could be used to craft hundreds of unique timepieces. Each watch could cost anywhere from USD 1,495 to thousands more, depending on the parts used and the level of customization.

Their company, REC Watches, which is based in Denmark can even make an entirely new watch from parts that are donated by customers. Their buyers include renowned World Champion Drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr., for whom they created a watch that includes carbon fibre bodywork from his 700 horsepower World Drift Series Ford Mustang RTR.

According to the co-founder of REC Watches, Mygh, he sees in each scrap car, its soul and a story that needs to be told and this is why he is focusing on giving Mustangs that cannot be repaired a fresh lease of life as watches.”

Before working on a watch, REC Watches meticulously trace the history of each vehicle by talking to previous owners, collecting stories and images from the car’s past lives, and collating them into a bespoke video.

Each finished watch comes with the vehicle identification number, year of production and classic Mustang design cues. A power dial which looks like a fuel gauge indicates the remaining battery life, and the hands, date, and dial numbers of the watch are all influenced by elements of the Mustang’s dashboard. In one salvage yard in Sweden, the team found a rare 1966 Raven Black model that inspired their limited edition P51-04 collection of 250 watches.

The Mustang made its debut in 1964 and was named after a World War II fighter plane. It immediately made a splash with its aggressive styling and striking performance made it an instant classic. The mustang had a starring role in the 1968 action movie “Bullitt” with Steve McQueen, and many other films and songs and films. The Mustang is still going strong after 53 years and the modern Ford Mustang comes with either a high- performance 421 PS 5.0-litre V8 engine or a 324 PS 2.3-litre EcoBoost unit.