TAG Heuer x Motorsport Watch Review
TAG Heuer x Motorsport is a long story of time measurement. At first, the Swiss avant-garde brand employed mechanisms to record laptimes before it introduced electronic timing to the pit lane, but throughout history, irrespective of the know-how employed, the Maison has stood witness to the making of legends. Angus Davies looks at some famous Heuer timing instruments, the naming of various products, the brand’s presence in Formula 1 and TAG Heuer’s role as the ‘Official Timing Partner’ at the forthcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed.
TAG Heuer x timing instruments
Like millions of motorsport fans around the globe, I recently watched the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix on television. While sipping a non-alcoholic beverage to the accompaniment of roaring engines, I noted the profusion of TAG Heuer trackside hoardings and it made me think, ‘Is there another watch brand with closer ties to motorsport?’ After reflecting on this for a few nanoseconds, I arrived at my answer, an emphatic, ‘No’.
Founded in 1860, ‘Heuer’, subsequently renamed ‘TAG Heuer’, has a rich history of making stopwatches and chronographs. While these timing instruments have been used for measuring the pulse (pulsometer) and ascertaining the distance from enemy artillery (telemeter), they will forever be associated with determining speed (tachymeter).
Image – Heuer stopwatch (1860)
In 1911, Heuer released the ‘Time of Trip’ aviation and motor clock, the first dashboard chronograph. The prevailing time was indicated using large poire-style hands, while two hands on a smaller dial recorded the duration of the journey, the ‘time of trip’. Five years later, in 1916, Heuer released the Mikrograph, the first stopwatch capable of measuring time to the nearest 1/100th of a second, ideal for sports timing. Indeed, in the world of motorsport where success and failure can be separated by just a tenth of a second, Heuer’s prowess for measuring elapsed periods of time has led to its esteemed reputation.
TAG Heuer x Motorsport – Le Mans Centigraph (1971)
Heuer, often described as an avant-garde brand, unveiled the Le Mans Centigraph in 1971. This ultra-precise timing device, created by Heuer’s Electronics Division, was initially produced for Scuderia Ferrari; however, on seeing the contribution it made to Ferrari’s success, other teams soon acquired their very own Centigraph.
Image – Heuer Centigraph HL205
Carrera, Autavia and Monaco – drivers’ watches
Setting aside the timekeeping talents of its products, Heuer has also been inspired by motor racing when naming its watches. On hearing about the Carrera Panamericana while in Florida, a treacherous road race staged in Mexico from 1950 to 1954, Jack Heuer immediately registered the name ‘Heuer Carrera‘ (1963) after returning home to Switzerland. The Autavia (1962) is a portmanteau of AUT-omobile and AVIA-tion and during the 60s it was seen gracing the wrists of several Formula 1 drivers, unless you were a Ferrari driver, in which case you may have worn an 18K gold automatic Carrera Chronograph reference 1158CHN. And, of course, who could forget the iconic Monaco (1969), a watch inspired by the glamorous principality in the Côte d’Azur.
Image – Ayrton Senna at Monaco Grand Prix wearing his TAG Heuer S/EL
TAG Heuer x Motorsport – Formula 1
The popularity of Formula 1 has grown exponentially and now has a global audience of 750 million. Many of these fans spend weekends glued to their television screens, eager to see drivers explore the limits of performance. Inevitably, this has not escaped the notice of several marketing departments from an array of industries, many of which choose to sponsor teams in the hope of boosting brand awareness. However, Heuer, and subsequently TAG Heuer, has been a continuous presence in the paddock for decades. In fact, I can recall as a young boy watching Nikki Lauda deftly steer his 312T F1 car around La Rascasse with the Heuer emblem positioned front and centre. Since then, Senna, Häkkinen, Hamilton and Verstappen have all led from the front with the TAG Heuer logo close to hand.
Image – Gilles Villeneuve at the wheel of the Ferrari 312T4 (1979)
TAG Heuer has been a partner of the Automobile Club de Monaco since 2011 and earlier this year it was announced as the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1. At this juncture, cynical souls may ask how involvement in Formula 1 benefits horophiles. The answer is simple: products.
Image – Monaco Grand Prix (2021)
TAG Heuer x Motorsport – three new watches to coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix 2025
On Friday 23 May, TAG Heuer unveiled three watches to coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix 2025.
Image by Pierre Mouton – Monaco Grand Prix 2025
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Stopwatch
The design of the Monaco Chronograph Stopwatch was inspired by the palette of a Heuer stopwatch from yesteryear and features period Heuer branding on its dial. The iconic square housing is executed in black DLC grade-2 titanium, imbuing the watch with a stealthy character. The Swiss marque has equipped the watch with a modern take on the Calibre 11. Back in 1969, the architecture of the inaugural Calibre 11, a highly innovative movement at the time, necessitated locating the crown on the left flank of the case. On this occasion, TAG Heuer has paid tribute to the past by placing the crown at 9 o’clock, a nostalgic nod to the original Monaco, the very first water-resistant square watch.
Image – TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Stopwatch – Ref CAW218F.FC6356
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf
Back in 1971, Steve McQueen, icon of the silver screen, starred in the film ‘Le Mans’. The lead actor could be seen competing in the 24-hour race at the wheel of a Porsche 917K, driving at great speed in his quest to beat his nemesis in the blood red Ferrari. McQueen’s Porsche was dressed in the Gulf livery, his overalls bore the Heuer logo and his wrist was adorned with a Heuer Monaco. This latter example of product placement catapulted the Monaco to a ‘must-have’ for legions of motorsport enthusiasts.
Image – Steve McQueen wearing the Heuer Monaco Chronograph Ref 1133B (1970)
Gulf and TAG Heuer signed a partnership agreement in 2007 and since then the Gulf tricolore, comprising blue, white and orange hues, has graced several Monaco references. To coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix, the Swiss marque unveiled the TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf. The watch sports a silvery-white dial with blue and orange stripes, while the twin counters are presented in black. Interestingly, the case juxtaposes tradition and modernity. Powered by a modern-day Calibre 11, the crown is again on the left flank, but the case eschews traditional steel in favour of lightweight sandblasted Grade 2 titanium. Limited to just 971 pieces, demand will inevitably outstrip supply.
Image – TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf – Ref CAW218G.EB0393
TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph
The split-seconds chronograph (aka rattrapante) is often described as a ‘high-complication’ due to its notable complexity. On actuating the chronograph, the central chronograph hand begins its clockwise journey, measuring elapsed periods as normal. However, if the wearer wishes to measure a split, they simply need to press the pusher at 9 o’clock. This causes the first hand to stop while another hand instantly comes into view, measuring the difference. Pressing the pushpiece at 9 o’clock again causes both hands to unite and continue on their journey as one.
Image – TAG Heuer Split-Seconds Chronograph – Ref CBW2185.FC8350
TAG Heuer first created a version of the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph for Only Watch in 2023. The model featured the Calibre TH81-00, an automatic movement with a frequency of 5 Hz. A hugely ambitious undertaking, culminating in an exceptional timepiece, it was wonderful to see the Swiss avant-garde brand return in 2024 with a retail version housed in a titanium case and offered in two colourways. At Watches & Wonders 2025, TAG Heuer released a further version of the Split-Seconds in white ceramic, coinciding with the brand becoming the ‘Official Timekeeper of Formula 1’.
Image – TAG Heuer Split-Seconds Chronograph – Ref CBW2185.FC8350
The latest iteration of the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, housed in ‘TH-Titanium’, again features the Calibre TH81-00 and embraces eye-popping shades of lime and white as well as sultry shades of black and grey.
TAG Heuer x Motorsport – Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025
Once again, TAG Heuer will be highly visible at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed as the ‘Official Timing Partner’. This must-attend event, beloved by petrolheads, is unique. Historic vehicles, race cars from yesteryear, sometimes prototype models making a rare outing… the plethora of cars is the stuff of boyhood dreams.
Image by Jack Terry
Having attended the event myself, I can attest there is something magical about walking around the paddock, getting on sniffing terms with the leather interior of an old roadster, seeing blue exhaust smoke as well as breathing octane-rich air. As you stroll the grounds, you may well see a present-day Formula 1 driver or two or maybe a sporting legend from the past. Indeed, as I type this article, I’m beginning to strategise how I can make it to the event in a few weeks’ time.
Image by Jack Terry
Since the inaugural Goodwood Festival of Speed of 1993, the event has grown exponentially (sound familiar). However, one feature has remained unchanged, the legendary ‘hillclimb’. Covering 1.16 miles (1.87 km), the hillclimb has an average gradient of 4.9%, features 9 turns and runs beneath a leafy tunnel with a foreboding wall on one side and straw bales on the other. Numerous cars take part but only one person can hold the course record. It currently stands at 39.08 seconds and is held by Max Chilton piloting the McMurtry Spéirling (2022).
Image by Matt Sills
This year, Goodwood Festival of Speed is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, hence it seems logical that TAG Heuer is on hand to measure elapsed periods with notable Swiss precision.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Festival of Speed
To coincide with this year’s Festival of Speed, TAG Heuer has created a watch that is imbued with a significant quotient of the brand’s technical expertise, but expressed in a very British style. The dial is dressed in British racing green, incorporating a hobnail motif. Two prominent snailed counters, located at 3 and 9 o’clock, make their presence known. Executed in green and framed in white, they efficiently express meaning. There is a small seconds hand at 6 o’clock, which plays a deferential role to its conspicuous neighbours, while a small aperture at the base of the dial reveals the date.
Image – TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Festival of Speed – Ref CBN2010-NS
TAG Heuer has cleverly played with different textures and colours, augmenting readability and heightening aesthetic appeal. The steel case measures 42 mm in diameter, features a tasteful blend of brushed and polished surfaces and sports the Goodwood FoS logo on the caseback. But as all fans of motorsport know, the engine is critical to success and, rest assured, the Carrera Chronograph x Festival of Speed doesn’t disappoint. Equipped with the Calibre TH20-00, a fully integrated movement featuring a column-wheel and vertical coupling, the calibre delivers stutter-free actuation of the chronograph hand accompanied by a supremely smooth pushpiece action. Lastly, the watch secures to the wrist with a perforated brown calfskin leather strap with white stitching, evoking thoughts of the gloves worn by gentlemen racers in a sepia-toned bygone age.
TAG Heuer x Motorsport – closing remarks
Before writing about TAG Heuer and its involvement with motorsport, I began to formulate my ideas. I remember noting that I could talk about stopwatches and chronographs, various inventions, the history of model names, etc.
Image – TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Ref CAH1113 (2007)
As I conclude this feature, I reflect on what I’ve mentioned, but I also reflect upon what I’ve not discussed, such as the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team, the history of the TAG Heuer Formula 1 collection and a myriad of other areas where the Swiss avant-garde brand has been close to the action. Indeed, TAG Heuer x Motorsport is a long story but given the brand’s illustrious history, it’s safe to say there will be many more chapters written in the future.