TAG Heuer is back in Formula 1 as official timekeeper

Borna Bošnjak

Picture this. It’s 1971, and as Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni roar past in their flat-12 Ferraris, a team of boffins are sitting in the pitlane and recording data on the new Le Mans Centigraph. Heuer is already a known quantity in the paddock, with race-winning drivers strutting around with shiny, golden Carrera 1158 CHNs on their wrists, marking the beginning of a dynamic duo. It would take until 1992 for (TAG) Heuer to become the official timekeeper of the fastest circus in the world, and now, more than three decades after the fact, the name will once again adorn the sponsor boards dotting famous racetracks like Monaco, Monza, Silverstone and Spa, with TAG Heuer returning as Formula 1’s official timekeeper once more.

 

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Whether it’s their latest Formula 1-focused involvement sponsoring Red Bull Racing or their past endeavours, TAG Heuer and F1 are a natural partnership. The two coming back together was inevitable, and though it wasn’t immediately confirmed when Rolex announced it would be ceding sponsor rights of the sport to LVMH, it could’ve (or perhaps should’ve) only ever been TAG Heuer to take the official timekeeper helm. TAG Heuer is the motorsports watch brand, so it just makes sense. As of today, it’s been properly confirmed that TAG Heuer will indeed be taking over as the official timekeeper for the world’s top tier of motorsports and one of the most popular spectator sports in the world.

But what exactly does TAG Heuer’s new official timekeeper role mean? We probably won’t know fully until the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship kicks off in Melbourne on March 14th. However, it will undoubtedly come with a redesign of much of the current on and off-track branding, with the swathes of Rolex green we’re used to seeing blanket tracks being replaced with TAG Heuer tones. As a die-hard Formula 1 fan, I’m really hoping for the return of some delectable 1990s-style TAG Heuer TV graphics, though I’m guessing most watch fans will eagerly await new releases that will undoubtedly come as a tie-in to this new sponsorship.

Let’s not forget: TAG Heuer has been on a Carrera and Formula 1 tear lately, introducing the brand-new Glassbox a couple of years back, and generating plenty of buzz in 2024 with the KITH Formula 1 collaboration. There’s also a carbon-cased Monza waiting in the wings, primed and ready for a revived collection… Can you tell that I’m excited? You should be too.