Hands-On With The Collaborative Série R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil

Depancel has made a name for itself by creating an extensive collection of race-inspired chronographs. For its newest effort, the brand teamed up with an actual racing team to become an active partner in modern motorsports. The Série R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil fuses the retro silhouette of the Depancel Série R01 and the colors of the DAMS Lucas Oil racing team. I had a chance to go hands-on with this collaborative effort.

Since Depancel’s debut in 2018, it has come a long way. The French brand has gained a dedicated fan following with its retro-styled racing chronographs. Now, in the next step, Depancel officially steps into the world of motorsports, joining forces with a successful team that is active in both Formula 2 and Formula 3. For the occasion, the brand created a special version of its Série-R sporting the DAMS Lucas Oil team colors. It’s a cool way of celebrating this new partnership.

Depancel, the Série-R, and DAMS Lucas Oil

Back in 2024, I reviewed the Depancel Série-R Tangerine Chronograph Automatic and explained the story behind it, but let’s refresh our memories. As I wrote back then, the Série-R debuted as the Depancel [Re]Naissance in 2019. While the watch might initially spark associations with the famous Heuer Monaco, the case design was actually inspired by the grill of the 1930s Delage D8-120 car. As it happened, Delage is also one of the three French carmakers that inspired the Depancel name a combination of the French car brands Delage, Panhard, and Facel Vega. The Tangerine model that I reviewed was the first mechanical version of the Série-R Chronograph, marking a new step for the series that fans loved.

For this new collaborative effort, the brand takes another significant step into the future. The French DAMS Lucas Oil team is currently active in both the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships. Both racing series are considered a stepping stones into Formula 1. As such, they are where you will find the young talents that might turn out to be racing’s future heroes.

The DAMS Lucas Oil team has successfully launched the careers of many famous drivers since its inception in 1988, including Olivier Panis, Romain Grosjean, Pierre Gasly, and Nicholas Latifi. Indeed, it is one of the most famous development teams in single-seater racing.

The story of the Série R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil

Let’s talk about the watch. The new Série R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil has a 36 × 43mm stainless steel case with a 12.9mm thickness and a 50mm lug-to-lug length. This makes it slightly larger than the model I reviewed in 2024. But the characteristic case is nicely sculpted, with rounded corners that soften the overall look and make it look far from big, especially on a 22mm-wide strap.

On top of that, a glance at the profile will tell you the design is nicely shaped to sit well on the wrist. It avoids the common issue of poor wearability that substantial rectangular and square watches face.

Inside the case lies a deep blue dial featuring touches of light blue, a reference to the DAMS Lucas Oil team colors. This dial features a two-level construction, with a vertically striped outer portion and a slightly recessed sunray center. The perimeter features large applied indexes filled with white Super-LumNova. The inner part features another set of applied hour markers, with the brand’s signature logo at the 12 o’clock position.

Additionally, the markers at 3 and 9 o’clock had to make place for the sub-dials, and the marker at 6 o’clock was eschewed in favor of a date window. A vertical band in light blue, white, and red, the French national colors, livens up the center portion of the dial. Additionally, you will find the DAMS Lucas Oil logo located above the date window, indicating the special status of this 200-piece limited edition.

A calendar watch with a chronograph aesthetic

In terms of layout, this new Série R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil is different from the model I reviewed before. That watch was a three-register chronograph, while this watch has a two-register layout. But, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, this is not a typical racing chronograph for tracking lap times. Instead, the sub-dial at 3 o’clock indicates the month, and the one at 9 o’clock shows the day of the week. The date window at 6 o’clock rounds out the calendar functions, making this a good tool for racing drivers to keep track of their busy schedules.

Hovering over the dial are the brand’s signature Dashboard hands, inspired by automotive gauges. The large red central hand on top of those indicates the running seconds, though it may initially look like an elapsed-seconds hand.

Finishing the look is a matching blue leather perforated racing-style strap with red, white, and blue stitching and a steel pin buckle. Depancel also offers the watch on a blue FKM rubber strap with the same branded pin buckle as the leather strap.

The decorated Miyota 9122 caliber

If you turn the watch around, you can see the Miyota 9122 movement through the case back’s sapphire display. This automatic caliber operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, has 26 jewels, and offers a 40-hour power reserve. As you can see, it also features a custom rotor with the brand’s logo and red, white, and blue stars. The caliber is part of Miyota’s Premium 9000 series and has an accuracy rating of -10/+30 seconds per day.

Pulling out the crown to the first position allows you set the day, while the second position lets you set the time. The little corrector button in the upper crown protector at 2 o’clock adjusts the month. The lower of the two “pushers” is actually just a crown guard. Visually, it balances the design nicely and maintains the watch’s chronograph-like design.

Wearing the Série R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil

Once on the wrist, the watch’s great proportions are evident. Though it is indeed large, it sits well on my 18.5cm (7.3″) wrist. While it won’t be for the particularly small-wristed among us, since it is a racing-inspired piece, I expect it to stand out both in size and color. And that’s exactly what the watch does. I think it’s a great, eye-catching collaborative effort for the drivers, crew, engineers, and fans of the DAMS Lucas Oil team.

What made the watch stand out for me was its remarkable design. Setting historical references aside, this second time I wore a Série R01 model, it surprised me again. The case is beautifully designed to sit well on the wrist. On top of that, Depancel’s softening of the rectangular shape helps tremendously. Not only does it look less harsh, but it also simply wears better because of it.

Final thoughts on the R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil

Additionally, the calendar functions make this a fun watch to use. It’s a break from the typical racing chronograph. As such, the watch is the perfect watch to keep track of the racing calendar. That is far more valuable than a chronograph, as lap times nowadays are tracked to the millisecond by digital instruments. It makes this limited edition a fun collaborative effort. Additionally, with a price of €895, I think all 200 individually numbered pieces will quickly find their way to fans.

The Série R01 Depancel × DAMS Lucas Oil is available now on the brand’s website. Deliveries will start on March 9th, right after the first race weekend at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia.

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