- As Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, TAG Heuer returns as the official timekeeper of the sport.
- TAG Heuer had previously served as the official timekeeper of Formula 1 from 1992 until 2003 and was the first luxury brand to have its logo appear on a Formula 1 car in 1969.
- TAG Heuer is also one of the most successful brands to be associated with the sport, first sponsoring a team in 1971 and enjoying 239 wins, 613 podiums, 9,471 points, 11 World Constructors’ Championships, 15 World Drivers’ Championships over the years.
The links between TAG Heuer and the world of motorsports are well-established to the point of near synonymity, with some of the watchmaker’s most iconic watches (like the Monaco) named after famed races. Now, after more than two decades, TAG Heuer will return as the official timekeeper of Formula 1 in 2025.
This newly announced deal arrives after last year’s rumours Rolex would not continue its sponsorship of Formula 1, which were confirmed when Bernard Arnault’s LVMH inked a decade-long deal with the sport. While the scope of LVMH’s broader integration into Formula 1 remains to be seen, it’s only fitting that of all the brands within the group’s portfolio, TAG Heuer will enjoy pride of place as the official timekeeper.
This partnership returns, not simply as a convenient marketing relationship, but as the continuation of a legacy that dates back more than a century. Heuer (as the watchmaker was known at the time) released the first-ever dashboard-mounted chronograph in 1911 and in the 1950s — when Formula 1 was born — committed itself to manufacturing wristwatch chronographs for racing teams.
The connection between Heuer and Formula 1 was cemented in the late ’60s when CEO Jack Heuer developed a relationship with a talented driver named Jo Siffert, striking a deal to promote the Calibre 11 automatic chronograph by wearing the reference 1163 Autavia with white dial. Just two years later, Heuer began working with Ferrari to accurately time the laps of its cars, before working with other teams on the grid to provide the same services.
In a fascinating and little-known moment in history, after working with McLaren as the team’s timekeeper, Heuer would be acquired by the McLaren Formula 1 team’s owner, Techniques d’Avant Garde Group. Today, the Techniques d’Avant Garde Group legacy is remembered on every watch dial as the acronymised “TAG” in TAG Heuer.
The relationship between TAG Heuer and McLaren ended in 2015, yet the watchmaker remained a mainstay of the sport as a key sponsor of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, a partnership that remains to this day. Now on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, TAG Heuer returns as the official timekeeper of the sport
“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,” said Stefano Domenicali, the President and CEO of Formula 1 in a statement. “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.”
Against the backdrop of one of the most exciting Formula 1 seasons in recent memory, there’s one thing that’s guaranteed for the 2025 season: the watches TAG Heuer launches this year are sure to be future classics.
