Antoine Pin of TAG Heuer – interview
Antoine Pin was appointed CEO of TAG Heuer in September 2024. Since his arrival, the brand has been prolific: a new sponsorship deal, a new advertising campaign, new technologies and, most importantly, a plethora of new products. Angus Davies recently chatted with Monsieur Pin, keen to know more about the Swiss marque.
Antoine Pin joined TAG Heuer in September 2024
As we near the end of 2025, I’ve started to reflect on what I have achieved over the course of this year. I’ve fulfilled a couple of the resolutions I made back in January, including losing a few inches from around my waist. However, when I contrast my achievements with those of Antoine Pin, CEO of TAG Heuer, my accomplishments over the last 12 months, pale by comparison.
Monsieur Pin, a veteran of the watch industry, was formerly the Managing Director of Bulgari Watches, before joining TAG Heuer as CEO in September 2024. Both companies belong to LVMH, a luxury group where Pin has honed his skills over many years.
TAG Heuer – Official Timekeeper for Formula 1
In January 2025, shortly after Pin took over running the Swiss Avant-Garde brand, TAG Heuer announced its role as the ‘Official Timekeeper for Formula 1’. Courtesy of its involvement with various F1 race teams over the years, the watch firm is no stranger to the F1 paddock; however, the new sponsorship deal put the shield-shape logo front and centre, firmly in the gaze of trackside spectators and armchair TV fans alike. I suspect that a significant number of these motorsport fans have since succumbed to the charms of the brand’s Carrera and Monaco models.
At this point, some readers may question the relevance of brand awareness to watch consumers, but in my opinion, it is very important. For a luxury product to be desirable, it must have technical merit, proffer eye-appeal and be recognisable. If you’re not convinced, just consider famous luxury cars, designer clothes and perfumes; branding provides a point of differentiation and, most notably, creates desire.
TAG Heuer – Designed to Win
Surveying the watchsphere, TAG Heuer is unquestionably ‘marketing-savvy’. In April, the firm launched a new advertising campaign, ‘Designed to Win’. The strapline doesn’t merely align with the world of motorsport, it also engages with other potential purchasers, drawn to the notion of success.
However, underpinning any successful brand, there must be an array of product attributes, including great design, perceived quality, ease of use, aesthetic beauty and, as you would expect of a fine watch, precision. Throughout 2025, TAG Heuer has released a plethora of impressive timepieces, many of which have been featured on ESCAPEMENT. But there are some models which are particularly worthy of mention.
TAG Heuer Formula 1
To coincide with Watches & Wonders 2025, the Swiss luxury firm unveiled a new generation TAG Heuer Formula 1, offered in a choice of nine references. Those of us who are old enough to remember the 80s, will probably recall the release of the first-generation TAG Heuer Formula 1 models.
While Swiss watch brands have a propensity to describe every timepiece as ‘disruptive’, in the case of the Formula 1 collection, the word can be used with some justification. Back in the 80s, when the watch industry was still licking its wounds after the so-called ‘quartz crisis’, TAG Heuer thought outside the box and came back fighting with an ‘audacious model’ (another word beloved by Swiss marketing types), the TAG Heuer Formula 1. The inaugural model of the 80s was offered in a variety of bright hues, cases were formed of fibreglass-reinforced plastic and indications were powered by quartz movements. With the advent of these models, the Swiss Avant-Garde brand engaged with new, younger audiences and its watches, executed in eye-popping shades, were the epitome of ‘cool’.
The latest generation Formula 1 watches tap into the zeitgeist of the 80s with their design codes but, in the spirit of continuous improvement, they also represent a significant step forward in terms of design, quality, ease of use and precision.
Housed in 38 mm stainless steel cases, with/without DLC coating, all the models feature a cutting-edge Solargraph movement, harnessing sunlight or artificial light to power the indications. According to the brand, ‘a two-minute exposure to direct sunlight is enough to power the watch for an entire day. Once fully charged, after less than 40 hours in the sun, the watch can run for up to 10 months with no light exposure. If the timepiece stops ticking, it only needs exposure to any light source for ten seconds to get it started again, thanks to its ultra-efficient recharge time. Its battery boasts an impressive 15-year lifespan, ensuring long-term reliability.’
Other product refinements include the bezel that’s made of bio-polyamide, a type of nylon created from renewable, bio-based sources. I can attest that after appraising the bezel between my forefinger and thumb, it feels far superior to the first-generation model I remember from my youth.
While the latest TAG Heuer Formula 1 models are far superior to the 80s references, they retain the same ebullient character courtesy of bright colourways. Most notably, the new generation models, in common with their forebears, are keenly priced.
TH-Carbonspring
Typically, the balance spring within a watch is made of a nickel-steel alloy, albeit the specialist producers of these components remain tight-lipped about the precise composition of their proprietary alloy. In the 2000s, ‘silicium’, a new glass-like material, burst onto the watch scene. The material offered the benefits of being non-magnetic, not liable to corrosion, uniform and capable of being formed into intricate shapes. Conceived by a consortium of brands, silicium hairsprings remain the preserve of just a few brands/groups. Now, TAG Heuer has unveiled TH-Carbonspring, an interesting alternative to silicium, representing an exciting era in watchmaking.
The TH-Carbonspring has been created at the TAG Heuer LAB, a dedicated facility based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The LAB is home to chemists, physicists and mathematicians working on an array of projects, helping TAG Heuer stay ahead of the curve.
Back in 2015, TAG Heuer began developing the carbon-composite hairsprings and did experience some teething troubles due to the material being porous and carbon being highly reactive. However, the company’s team of experts, led by Emmanuel Dupas (Director of the TAG Heuer Institute) and Jean Laconte (Head of Innovation) have since surmounted such issues, with various ingenious ideas, including a patented coating. The resultant TH-Carbonspring delivers all the benefits of silicium. In addition, TH-Carbonspring offers a further benefit over silicium; when the watch is being serviced the new material from TAG Heuer is less susceptible to damage.
Image – TAG Heuer Monaco Flyback Chronograph
At Geneva Watch Days, the Swiss marque unveiled two models featuring the TH-Carbonspring, a Monaco Flyback Chronograph and a Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon.
Image – TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon
Antoine Pin of TAG Heuer – Q&A
Angus Davies (AD): TAG Heuer has a rich tradition of making stopwatches and chronographs, hence I was quite surprised to see the company release the Carrera Astronomer. The new model is fabulous. What led to TAG Heuer creating this type of watch?
Antoine Pin (AP): I was not involved with the development of this watch and when I saw it, I must admit, I was surprised. However, on reflection, with its innovative moon phase, it’s actually very TAG Heuer. We are always seeking to innovate, deliver performance and embrace avant-garde watchmaking. This model is slightly classical with its glass box sapphire, but it displays information in a user-friendly format, something we have always been known for.
Image – TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer
Angus Davies (AD): In 2023, TAG Heuer created a split-seconds chronograph for Only Watch. Subsequently, the company released new iterations of this model for general sale. This complication was a hugely ambitious undertaking. Today, the brand offers two high-complications: split-seconds chronographs and tourbillons. Could you envisage making new models equipped with other high complications? Or possibly a watch endowed with two or more high complications?
Antoine Pin (AP): A number of years ago, we made models such as the Carrera Mikrogirder, a watch that featured a mechanical chronograph operating at 1000 Hz. This was an incredibly complex watch that didn’t go unnoticed within the industry (note from the editor – this watch won the 2012 Aiguille d’Or at the GPHG). At the time, nobody envisaged TAG Heuer making such a watch, but the brand has always been avant-garde.
TAG Heuer can compete in the high horology segment, but it doesn’t yearn to be super-expensive like some brands. Nevertheless, I always encourage my team to push their limits. I don’t want them to think of cost as a constraint. I want them to create something extraordinary.
We should always remain an accessible brand that engages with lots of people. However, this shouldn’t limit our creativity just because innovation and being avant-garde often prove expensive.
Image – TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph F1
Angus Davies (AD): Does this mean we might see TAG Heuer make minute repeaters or combine a split-seconds chronograph with a tourbillon or perpetual calendar?
Antoine Pin (AP): You don’t necessarily need to do everything, but you should build your expertise. Watchmaking is about expertise and our expertise is measuring time, precision, making chronographs… And that’s why the complication we have right now, which is our master complication, is the split-second chronograph. And it’s really the mastery of this mechanism, used for counting elapsed periods, that is both an important part of our history and integral to what we do.
AD: TAG Heuer is owned by LVMH, a company that owns several luxury Maisons, including other watch brands. How closely do you work with each other? For example, while Berluti make shoes, they also have experience of retailing which could prove helpful to TAG Heuer and vice-versa.
AP: We share what we can share. We don’t share what we can’t share. And we don’t share what we do not want to share (smiles). What I mean by that is we are asked (by LVMH) to be entrepreneurs and think of what is best for our companies.
Sometimes it’s good to share best practices because drawing on the experience of others can save time. But sometimes it’s good to keep what makes your brand unique, exclusive for yourselves.
AD: Currently, the watch industry is facing several challenges. For example, the Swiss Franc is very strong and sadly, there are various conflicts around the globe which are not helpful. What are your thoughts on this situation?
AP: We are living in a world that is not making our lives easy, but that’s true for everyone working in this industry. We have to find solutions to the various challenges we face, after all that’s our job. We are responsible for dealing with challenges. When the market is booming, each brand is vying to gain market share, and our team has to be proactive in this area. Every moment brings its own complexities. These complexities need to be identified and then we need to adapt. Sometimes, the market forces us to go back to basics, ensuring our brand and products remain desirable.
Closing remarks
While Antoine Pin assumed his current role in September 2024, his vast experience working within the world of luxury, in particular fine watches, has equipped him with the necessary skills to perform his role.
During our conversation, he often talked about his ‘team’ and, clearly, he has surrounded himself with a group of highly talented individuals who have delivered much in 2025. Indeed, whether it is designing and creating new timepieces, developing new technologies or heightening brand awareness, TAG Heuer seems ‘Designed to Win’.