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Watches Belonging to F1 Great Schumacher Fetch Millions at Auction

One of F1 legend Michael Schumacher's watches sold at auction. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
One of F1 legend Michael Schumacher's watches sold at auction. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
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Watches Belonging to F1 Great Schumacher Fetch Millions at Auction

One of F1 legend Michael Schumacher's watches sold at auction. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
One of F1 legend Michael Schumacher's watches sold at auction. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

Eight watches belonging to Formula One legend Michael Schumacher were sold at auction in Geneva on Tuesday for a total of four million Swiss francs (4.4 million dollars/4.1 million euros).
The German seven-time F1 world champion was a passionate watch collector until the skiing accident he suffered in December 2013, since which he has not been seen in public, said AFP.
Two of the timepieces sold at the Christie's auction were personalized gifts Schumacher received from then Ferrari team principal Jean Todt to celebrate his achievements on the racing track with the Italian manufacturer.
An F.P. Journe Vagabondage with a dial honoring the seven F1 world championships Schumacher won was sold for 1,646,700 dollars.
But the piece that went for the most - 2,711,500 dollars - was a vintage pink gold Patek Philippe.
"Our sincere thanks go to our consigners as well as the Schumacher family who entrusted us with the outstanding property of Michael Schumacher. We saw strong global participation, with an emphasis on America" said the auction house's watch specialist Remi Guillemin.

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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.