Ralph Lauren designs watch to match his Bugatti

Ettore Bugatti is arguably one of the most influential car designers of the last century. And one of his best known designs was the 1936-1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic.

It was powered by a supercharged straight-8 with hemispherical heads. At the time, it was one of the most hi-tech engines on the road, and it was able to produce 200-hp, making the Type 57SC the fastest production car of its day (sound familiar?).

The body was originally designed to be made from electron, a magnesium aluminum alloy. However, the metal proved expensive, and hard to work with. So, 3 of the 4 made were constructed of aluminum.

Since electron couldn't be welded, they had intended to fasten the body panels using rivets, which were visible in sort of an exoskeleton running along the tops of the fenders, and the roof. Instead of altering the design, they used this method on the aluminum body, resulting in the car's signature look.

Since there are only 3 known to exist, the value of these cars is staggering. To give you an idea, one sold last year for $30+ million (US).

However, designer Ralph Lauren bought his many years ago. So, he (presumably) didn't pay quite that much.

Being a student of design, Mr. Lauren decided to create a wristwatch using elements of his Type 57SC as inspiration.

The face of his timepiece is rimmed in elm burl wooden ring, similar to the wood used on his Bugatti's dashboard. The white numerals mimic the lettering on the car's dials, and the exposed screws on the watch case are meant to represent the Type 57SC's exposed rivets.

Ralph Lauren's $13,000 (US) Bugatti watch is being made by Richmont, which is the company behind such luxury watch brands as Cartier & Jaeger-LeCoultre.