Eight watches belonging to Formula One legend Michael Schumacher raked in four million Swiss francs ($4.4 million; €4.1 million) at an auction in Geneva on Tuesday.

The seven-time F1 champion was an avid watch collector. But he has not been seen in public since a serious skiing accident in 2013.

The watches were put up for sale by Schumacher's family to coincide with the 30th anniversary of his first Formula One Drivers Championship win in 1994.

"Collectors were so happy to discover these timepieces filled with history," said Christie's Head of Watches in Europe, Remi Guillemin.

What watches were auctioned?

The timepiece with the highest hammer price was a vintage pink Patek Philippe that sold for $2,711,500.

Two of the other watches in the lot were personalized gifts that were given to Schumacher by Ferrari's team principal at the time the German drove for the Italian outfit, Jean Todt.

One was a custom-made platinum watch from F.P. Journe known as the Vagabondage 1 that sold for $1,646,700.

The watch features an 18-carat white gold and a red watch face emblazoned with a Ferrari logo, Schumacher's racing helmet and a number 7 to honor the driver's seven World Championship victories.

The other was an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak chronograph with a bespoke dial that features a prancing horse the Ferrari emblem. It sold for $457,380.

Three Rolex watches were also included in the auction, each selling for more than $300,000.

zc/jsi (Reuters, AP, AFP)