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It’s official. F1 has announced its official partnership with TAG Heuer as the new timekeeper of F1 in a move that puts the Swiss brand back front and centre of the sport, and we take a look back at what made this association so successful over the decades.

Welcome to 2025! This year is shaping up to be a big one in the watch world, and it all kicks off later this month with LVMH Watch Week, but right out of the gates, we’ve finally got the official announcement we were all waiting for, and knew was coming. TAG Heuer is the new official timekeeper for Formula 1 and with 2025 being the F1’s 75th Birthday, it’s perfect timing.

“I am delighted to welcome TAG Heuer as the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 as they start the next stage of their long history in our sport. With their focus on innovation, accuracy and excellence, they are a natural partner, and I am excited to see how our intertwining heritage can tell new stories for the future as we celebrate our 75th year.”

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO, Formula 1.

TAG Heuer’s roots are strong in Formula 1. They were the first luxury brand to appear on an F1 car in 1969, the first to sponsor a team in 1971, and through it’s partnerships and associations with teams, has clocked up some remarkable achievements. 239 wins, 613 podiums, 9,471 points, 11 World Constructors’ Championships, and 15 World Drivers’ Championships to name a few, and this puts it front and centre of one of the most watched motorsports on earth, not to mention being one of the most successful brand associations in the sport’s history. Not only this, it is one of the very few brands that have products names after the sport, such as the Formula 1, the Monaco, and the Monza plus having one of the longest running associations in motorsport, not just Formula 1.

Last year, we reported on the historic 10-year deal that LVMH inked with the Formula 1 last year and what this could mean for the luxury group as well as Formula 1, and while it wasn’t officially confirmed at that stage, it was safe to assume that TAG Heuer would take back the role of the F1 timing partner, with the incumbent Rolex exiting after 10-years.

A Look Back At TAG Heuer & Formula 1

So ahead of the start of this year’s Formula 1 season, let’s take a look back at where it all began and how TAG Heuer became one of the most associated brands with the ever increasingly popular sport…

TAG Heuer’s association with Formula 1 dates back to 1969 when Jack Heuer meet a young F1 driver by the name of Jo Siffert, from Fribourg in Switzerland, and did a deal that would see Siffert’s Rob Walker Lotus 49B sport the Heuer logo on the car and on his race suit to help promote the newly launched Calibre 11 automatic chronograph. This, and of course wearing the reference 1163 Autavia with the new movement inside!

The 1970s was all about Ferrari for Heuer, with the brand partnering with the team from Maranello until 1979. During that time, Heuer developed the Le Mans Centigraph for Ferrari’s timing purposes at their new Fiorano track. This would also be used by the team to time from their pit wall, under the guidance of Jean Campiche, a legend in the world of motorsport timekeeping nicknamed the “Pianist” due to his ability to skilfully operate the timing equipment just like a pianist plays a piano. This endeavour was so successful, helping Ferrari win the 1975 Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships with Niki Lauda, that other teams understandably wanted a slice of the action.

In 1985, Techniques D’Avant Guarde (TAG) who also owned McLaren acquired Heuer. This helped solidify Heuer, now TAG Heuer with F1, and with their new logo sitting proudly on the windshield of Alain Prost’s McLaren MP4/2C, who would go on to win the 1986 World Driver’s Championship. The ’80s was a successful partnership with McLaren and F1, so much so that in the same year Alain Prost won the championship, TAG Heuer would launch the now famous, and iconic, TAG Heuer Formula 1.

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The 1980s proved to be even more of a powerhouse for TAG Heuer, thanks to a new and upcoming driver named Ayrton Senna joining McLaren in 1988. Aryton Senna would go on to be one of the most revered drivers in the sport, winning three Driver’s World Championships, 41 Grand Prix victories, 65 pole positions and noted for his passion and skill as a driver over his short career. Ayrton Senna would wear TAG Heuer watches during his time as an ambassador, helping catapult the brand skywards, and even after his untimely death, TAG Heuer continues to work with his foundation today.

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Even though TAG Heuer had a great association with F1 via teams and drivers, as well as providing timekeeping to a range of teams, it wasn’t until 1992 that TAG Heuer would sign on in an official sport-wide capacity as the official timing partner for Formula 1. It wasn’t just time clocks either. TAG Heuer thanks to their now considerable expertise was able to provide an entire system for data capture and processing, but also giving real-time data on TV screens across the world. This partnership would run for over 10 years ending in 2003, making way for (now) sister brand, Hublot, to take the reigns. Rolex took over in 2013, and we now see this come full circle in 2025 with TAG Heuer back once again.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw more success for TAG Heuer in F1, with two World Drivers’ Championship victories for McLaren in 1997 and 1998 thanks to Mika Häkkinen. In the new millennium, another rookie driver would come onto the scene with McLaren, who today is a household name – Lewis Hamilton. Lewis could be seen sporting a TAG Heuer on his wrist during his 10 years with the team, not to mention when he won his first World Drivers Championship in 2008.

This association with McLaren would continue until the end of the 2015 season when the highly successful duo parted ways. Enter Red Bull Racing! From 2016, TAG Heuer would be the watch partner for Oracle Red Bull Racing, now one of the most successful partnerships of the modern Formula 1 era, and Red Bull becoming one of the modern-day power houses of the sport. Red Bull as a team has racked up a considerable list of achievements, winning the Constructor’s Championships in 2021, ’22 & ’23 plus Max Verstappen racking up four Driver’s World Championships in 2021, ’22, ’23 and ’24. Max along the way was also breaking records, amassing 63 victories during his time, making history as the only driver to win 19 races in a season, the first driver to win 10 races in a row (2023), most wins from pole position and most wins from different grid positions. All the while, he was sporting some very nice TAG Heuer pieces, including a Monaco Skeleton unique piece gifted to him ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix in 2023, with his number 1 on the case back.

Looking Ahead

It is safe to say that TAG Heuer is potentially one of the most celebrated time-keeping brands in motorsport, and particularly Formula 1. 2025 is shaping up to be a great season given the twists and turns of the 2024 season, and the new drivers, new team line ups and management changes for 2025. Aside from this, Red Bull will be looking for redemption after coming third in the Constructor’s Championships, and Max Verstappen will be looking for a fifth consecutive Driver’s Championship with the newly called-up Liam Lawson in support.

From an overall perspective, we will once again see the TAG Heuer shield adorn the timing screens and all over the tracks, not to mention Fan Zone and Paddock Club activations. We should expect to see a range of new TAG Heuer pieces launch as well, such as a new Formula 1, and if the last few years are anything to go by, possibly a new Red Bull Racing piece, along with a new Monaco or two just before the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix at the very least!

I’ll leave you with a statement from TAG Heuer CEO, Antoine Pin, as I think he sums up their association the best. Bring on the 2025 Formula 1 season!

“In a sport defined by mental resilience, physical strength, strategy, innovation, and performance it is only natural for TAG Heuer to be at the very heart of Formula 1 as Official Timekeeper…With decades of history in F1 connecting us to the most successful drivers and teams of all time, we are honoured and privileged to be the name connected to the very thing that defines the winner: time” 

TAG Heuer CEO, Antoine Pin