We are often told that it takes around five years for watches to emerge from a designer’s mind to a final product.
Looking at the line-up of watches launching from TAG Heuer today, the company either had plenty of advanced notice that its parent organisation, LVMH, would be brushing aside Rolex’s official timekeeping partnership with F1 and sliding into its place, or it has always been primed and ready with a portfolio of collections tailormade for the world’s most valuable racing season.
Building on a powerful line-up of Carrera chronographs launched at January’s LVMH Watch Week, TAG Heuer has added a range of nine new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph pieces and a headline-grabbing TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph | F1.
Surprisingly, there are no new chronographs added today, but there is a new GMT called the Carrera Date Twin-Time collection and some clean and elegant Day-Dates that extend the range beyond its racier styles, and may appeal to the much larger and broader audience that Formula 1 now attracts.
TAG Heuer Carrera Day-Date
There are six new models in the Carrera Date and Day-Date collections, the most interesting of which is a Carrera Date Twin-Time with a sunray-brushed teal dial.
The current second time zone hand, with a rather clunky arrow on its tip, has been a replaced with a sportier choice with a slim red pointer picking out the time on the 24-hour scale.
There are line extensions to the Carrera Day-Date family including a bi-colour piece with a dark chocolate dial and rose gold hands and applied baton hour markers.
TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph
Racing fans, particularly those nostalgic for the more nerve-jangling, chaotic 1980s era, will be most excited about a fresh family of TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph watches, which build on the success of a Kith/Heuer collaboration watch last year.
Six of the most new colourful Formula 1 Solagraphs are limited editions and use a new TH-Polylight material that is lightweight, durable and can be turned any colour.
The remaining three — in black and white, deep blue, and red — are entering the core collection.
All 38mm watches use the quartz-based solar-charged Calibre TH50-00 movement and can be worn on rubber straps (CHF 1,750) or steel bracelets (CHF 1,850).
TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph | F1
Nothing says TAG Heuer and Formula 1 quite like the Monaco, and the Global Timekeeping Partnership with the sport is being celebrated in a bright red sapphire and white ceramic version with the F1 logo at six o’clock on the split-seconds chronograph track.
It also carries the famous commentators’ cry that starts every F1 race: Lights Out & Away We Go.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph | F1 is limited to 10 pieces.
