It's Lamborghini Time

Jan/Feb 2023 edition
Issue 26 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
​Special Feature by Dave Nichols with notes from Marshall Buck

[Editors note: As I’ve written before, most “motor-heads” have a keen interest in timepieces, watches and special clocks, new and old. So when I came across this very cool Lamborghini clock by Breguet, offered for sale by Dave Nichols not too long ago my interest was piqued..]​

The clock in its original green leather display case mounted to the wood base. The inside right door of the case has the Lamborghini logo in gold, and the left-side door has a gold ‘B’ for Breguet.

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Being in the memorabilia business (DaveNichols.ca), I am always on the hunt for rare and interesting pieces, and I found this timepiece by chance in a small local classified ad. 

The Lamborghini clock by Breguet was offered as an option at the time of the release of the Lamborghini Diablo in 1990. The original list price of this particular clock was $14,600 CAD. I have been told that only 50 examples were produced, to ensure exclusivity. 

​Back in June of this past year [2022] I had dinner with Valentino Balboni [the former chief test driver at Lamborghini for 40 years], and he informed me that one of the directors of Lamborghini was friends with one of the directors of Breguet. They had spoken many times about doing a collaboration at some point, and this clock was the result of those dinners over fine food and finer wine. 

The Breguet name and serial number 4351, with the Lamborghini bull logo centered below.

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This close-up shows the Diablo name on the left and the blank plate area for engraving of the car’s serial number.

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When I showed Valentino this example in June, his eyes opened wide and he said, “I have not seen one of these for 25 years!”  He asked if he could take a photo of it because it’s so rare. It seemed strange he was asking me for a photo, when he gets asked all day for photos of himself! 

The added bonus… He graciously signed the back of the clock, writing “Very special! Automobili Lamborghini, Valentino Balboni.”

​A letter dated November 18, 1991, from Lamborghini of Vancouver, British Columbia, lists a price for the clock of $14,600 CAD.​

The clock is housed in a textured black outer bezel and features a gold-colored inner bezel, with Diablo script in red.
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The face features black hour and minute hands over a silver guilloché dial bearing the Lamborghini bull logo, along with the Breguet name and the serial number. The chapter ring features Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the seconds. A knurled knob at the lower left corner winds the clock and sets the time, while a button at the upper right activates the stopwatch function.

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Valentino signing the display case.

This piece retains its original green leather display case mounted to the wood base. Of the few I have seen come up for sale, none are in their original case. I also have the original quotation from the dealer in Vancouver, listing the option price for the buyer of the car.

Valentino Balboni taking a photo of the rare clock.

An added bonus: The back of the green display case bears the personal inscription: “Very special! Automobili Lamborghini, Valentino Balboni 06/22.”​


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Most of these clocks had the serial number engraved on the flat plate at the bottom right. This one was requested to be left blank so the owner could move it to another Diablo if he purchased another one. It was originally ordered as an option on Diablo number 12284, which was delivered new in Vancouver, Canada.
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David Nichols

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