In early 2018, the original 1968 Ford Mustang from the motion picture "Bullitt" emerged from the shadows after decades. The car spent the year criss-crossing the country and even the Atlantic Ocean to help launch the 2018 Ford Mustang Bullitt and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film. Now, the unrestored and perfectly patinaed car is contributing to one unique watch to raise funds for an excellent cause.
The watch seen here contains a 1-gram paint chip from the original 1968 Bullitt Mustang. The watch will be raffled off to raise money for Drive Toward a Cure, which grows awareness and funds for Parkinson’s disease. The video above shows the car's current owner, Sean Kiernan, take an X-Acto knife to his car to shave off the one piece of paint before it was placed in the watch.
The timepiece features a 46-millimeter case made of aluminum with sapphire crystal on the front and back. The artwork inside the case comes from Nicolas Hunziker, who also designed and painted a bespoke storage box for the watch. A video of that process is shown below. The watch was then hand-assembled in France.
Raffle tickets for the watch went on sale in October and will wrap up this month before the organization announces a winner at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, on Jan. 27. Only 1,968 tickets will be sold in a nod to the original car's model year and each costs $25. When all tickets are sold, their proceeds will raise $50,000 for Drive Toward a Cure and further research to find a cure for Parkinson's disease. The watch itself is valued at $35,000, according to the organization.
1968 Ford Mustang from Bullitt and 2018 Ford Mustang Bullitt
If Kiernan looks familiar, it's because he stood by Ford at the 2018 North American International Auto Show to unveil the new Bullitt Mustang alongside the original car. Kiernan's father came bought the car through an ad in Road & Track decades ago and it's remained with the family ever since. The $50,000 donation will be made in Kiernan's father's name to honor his life and the iconic car. Kiernan's father, Robert, died of Parkinson's disease.
