TAG HEUER F1
The Tag Heuer brand name was born when Heuer joined TAG (Techniques D’Avent Garde) in the 1980’s. Incidentally, TAG was one of the leading manufacturers of race car components which included the highest quality parts for Formula 1 race cars.
It seemed inevitable that the very first new collection to be launched under the Tag Heuer brand name would be the Formula 1 range. The collection honoured the longstanding relationship that Heuer had held with motor racing and TAG’s connection with the industry also.
The Formula 1 was released as a major contender in new and thriving quartz watch market in 1985, it gave watch enthusiasts a sports watch with a colourful case and sports bezel and vibrant matching straps.
The Formula 1 range has maintained its quartz offering and still holds its place as a high quality Swiss watch with an extremely reasonable price tag, offering an entry point for watch enthusiasts into the luxury Swiss watch market. The watches design has become slightly more subdued with steel cased and coloured accents in place of the bold, original design.
The most recent Formula 1 models give a nod to the original style, with coloured dials and matching rubber straps.
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Tag Heuer has a long-standing relationship with motor racing, having secured their position in the motorsport world back in the 1970s when Heuer was responsible for timekeeping for the Scuderia Ferrari racing team. Heuer became the first non-motor sports brand to sponsor racing.
In 1986 the Formula 1 range was launched at this time Tag Heuer was the Mclaren racing team's sponsor and the new collection was worn by the team's drivers to put the watches to the ultimate test.
The Formula 1 was created with the Heuer Easy Rider as inspiration. The Easy Rider was a colourful sports watch but experienced only a short run for the brand in the 1970s.
The very first range of Formula 1 models were crafted in Steel and coated in a colourful fibreglass coating to give a bright and funky watch with a durable and sporty edge.
In a time of the ‘quartz crisis’ for the industry, when lots of watch brands were struggling to contend with the move from mechanical watches to the quartz watches that were being produced on a larger scale, Tag Heuer released the Formula 1 as a major contender in the quartz market. The Formula 1 came into the watch market with an all-quartz range, offering both simple three hand and chronograph versions.
Since its release in the 1980’s, the formula 1 has moved away from the brightly coloured fibreglass case and bezel but has maintained its sporty design, signature bezel and its relationship with motor racing and formula 1.
The brand momentarily ceased production of the Formula 1 range in the early 2000’s but when in returned, it was instantly recognisable but was an upgraded version of its predecessor, now with an aesthetic upgrade and added features, this was the new generation of Formula 1 but still held its place as an entry point watch to the luxury watch market.
The first ladies collection was introduced in 2015, and the following year Tag Heuer became an official sponsor of the Red Bull Formula One racing team and has since created special and limited pieces dedicated to the team and their star driver Max Verstappen and Formula One racing legend Ayrton Senna.
The most recent releases have brought back that bright, bold and colourful Formula 1 of the 1980’s, this time with black PVD bezels, and coloured dials with matching rubber straps. The new range sits alongside the existing steel options, with most of the range fitted with a quartz, chronograph movement with just a handful of 3 hand and automatic options in the range.
