| WATCH YOUR TIME
FOCUS
21
F O C U S
TAG Heuer has never been one to simply
mark time and in its 165th anniversary,
the brand’s unparalleled motorsports
credentials see it back where it belongs,
in the cockpit as Official Timekeeper of
Formula 1.
Racing is hardwired into TAG Heuer’s operating code,
there’s no sense of the brand getting involved or borrow-
ing an aesthetic here. The first watch brand to apply its
logo to an F1 car in 1969 and the first to sign a sponsor-
ship with a race team in 1971 and the log since accompa-
nied 239 wins, 613 podiums and 15 driver world cham-
pionships. TAG Heuer is part of Formula 1.
Antoine Pin, TAG Heuer’s CEO, sums it up: “After sixty
years in F1, TAG Heuer is embedded in the collective
memory. It’s just natural.” Pin’s predecessor, Frédéric
Arnault, re-energised TAG Heuer’s relationship with
motorsport through a partnership with Porsche that res-
onated through the paddock and beyond and now, TAG
Heuer returns to the grid not only as a participant, but
as Official Timekeeper. It’s a status that not only rein-
forces TAG Heuer’s technical reputation but brings a vast
global audience; the 1.5 billion that follow the sport avidly.
Yet visibility alone doesn’t justify the commitment.
At the heart of TAG Heuer’s re-entry into F1 is a sense of
shared values – precision, endurance, and the visceral
union between human and machine. “It’s this juxtaposi-
tion of technology and humanity, the harmony and ten-
sion, that’s the formula for success,” says Pin. And it’s a
sentiment that underpins the brand’s new ‘Designed to
Win’ campaign, unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva
2025, a campaign that riffs on the ‘mind games’ that fuel
triumph.
To bring the campaign to life, TAG Heuer enlisted
a trio of athletic titans: the ten-medal Olympian, Carl
Lewis, Double F1 champion, Mika Häkkinen and 4-medal
Olympic swimmer, Summer McIntosh. Representing dif-
ferent disciplines, but united through their meticulous
preparation, laser focus and an unyielding will to push
through perceived limits. “Between sport and watch-
making, the overlaps are not just poetic, they’re practi-
cal,” says Carole Forestier-Kasapi, Director of Movement
Strategy. “Since 1860, TAG Heuer has been one of the
most innovative and visionary brands in the industry.
For us, everything is about ‘functional design’, requiring
fundamental lab research and flawless quality testing to
push the limits of performance, functionality, and dura-
bility. It’s a mindset very similar to that of elite athletes.
Like them, we constantly measure time!”
This spirit is perfectly embodied in this year’s
watches—starting with three Formula 1 watches and,
for the adrenaline junkies, five versions of the Formula 1
Chronograph, including one dedicated to Oracle Red Bull
Racing. On the racing front, the ceramic-cased Monaco
Split-Seconds Chronograph F1 is the showstopper, a
study in split-second drama powered by the high-fre-
quency TH81-00 calibre, accurate to 1/10th of a second.
If it’s innovation you’re after, there’s the Formula 1
Solargraph that can run for 24 hours of from just one
minute of light exposure and up to 10 months after 40
hours: the battery holding the charge will last for 15
years. Rounding out the lineup are new Carrera mod-
els, including a Chronosprint x Porsche Rallye, a Carrera
Day-Date and a Carrera Chronograph for women. “An
elegant, precious watch that also has the plus of being
a chronograph” as Pin describes it. Pure TAG Heuer in
other words. ■ Éric Dumatin
1. TAG HEUER Carrera Day-Date. To mark TAG Heuer’s return
to the F1 circuits in 2025, the iconic Carrera Day-Date has been
updated both aesthetically and technically. Available in five 41 mm
models in a number of materials, colours and finishes, it houses
the exclusive TH31 movement, developed with AMT, boasting an
impressive 80-hour power reserve. The steel model with sun-
ray-brushed blue dial epitomises classic elegance.
2. TAG HEUER Formula 1 Solargraph. The Formula 1 line
returns boldly with nine 38 mm models: three regular collection
steel-bracelet versions and six limited editions on rubber straps,
with launches timed with Grand Prix, such as the black-and-yellow
version tied to the Mexico GP. The standout features are the use
of bio-polyamide either for the bezel only or for both case and
bezel and the Solargraph solar-powered movement.
Top chrono!
ANTOINE PIN | CEO TAG HEUER