TAG Heuer is back as the official timekeeper of Formula 1.
Last October, the LVMH had signed a 10-year partnership with Formula 1 starting in 2025. Although no official statement was made at the time, there were rumors that TAG Heuer would once again become the official timekeeper of Formula 1. And the brand announced in the first days of January that it will its role as the official timekeeper of Formula 1.
A History in Formula 1
The history of TAG Heuer and Formula 1 dates back many years, to the 1960s, when Formula 1 was gradually gaining popularity. Jochen Rindt was one of the firts pilots who wearing a TAG Heuer in Formula 1 history. The seeds of a long-lasting partnership were planted when the then CEO of TAG Heuer, Jack Heuer, met the young driver. Rindt wore the 1163 reference Autavia model during the 1969 season. In the same season, the logo of the brand appeared on the iconic Rob Walker Lotus 49B race car driven by Rindt. This marked the first time in Formula 1 history that a race car featured the logo of a luxury watch brand on its livery. Two years later, in 1971, the brand became the official timekeeper of the Ferrari team.
That same year, TAG Heuer developed a timekeeping device called the Le Mans Centigraph for use in races. The Le Mans Centigraph and its operator, Jean Campiche, known as “The Pianist,” traveled the world with the teams throughout the races. Until 1979, the luxury watch brand collaborated with Ferrari, after which it signed a partnership with another Formula 1 team, McLaren, marking one of the longest-lasting partnerships in Formula 1 history. In 1985, the brand was acquired by Techniques d’Avant Garde Group, the owner of the McLaren Formula 1 team. A year later, TAG Heuer announced the TAG Heuer Formula 1 collection, which would go down in history as one of the brand’s most iconic series.
