ReviewRacing In Colour: The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Collection

Formula One is, without a doubt, a serious sport—life-or-death serious even. This is true for the teams, drivers, advertisers, organisers, and even for fans of racing as it were. One split second can change the outcome of a race. However, it is also one of those weekly events that brings with it a tremendous burst of adrenaline and an unmistakeable element of lightness and fun. Besides, unlike most other sports, it is not one restricted by dress code or colour guidelines. Embodying these contrasts of the sport is the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph collection in three pops of bright racing colours: red, yellow and green.

Playfulness Makes A Comeback

The first TAG Heuer Formula 1 watches were introduced in 1986, soon after Heuer (named after founder Edouard Heuer) was acquired by Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG), known for manufacturing high-tech aviation and race car components. These first Formula 1 watches were colourful and playful, much like the sport they represented. Over time, as the rules of the sport became more defined, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 watch also became sturdier and more conventional, and more classic designs in stainless steel were preferred over experiments with materials and colour.

Bringing the playfulness, fun, and colour back into their Formula 1 watches are one of the most recent renditions of the series. This trilogy of pieces features hues that are characteristic of the sport—red, yellow and green. According to the brand, ‘these traditional colours officially ruled the track until the 1970s, but they are still omnipresent today—flags, lights, track markings, team liveries… they make up the enduring palette of this thrilling sport’.

Details In Vivid Colour

All three Formula 1 editions feature the three chronograph counters neatly arranged in a tri-compax layout with the permanent seconds at three o’clock, and chronograph counters for 1/10th of a second and 30 minutes at six and nine o’clock, respectively. The date window is angled at four o’clock.

The green model has black indexes and hour and minutes hands with white Super-LumiNova, a lacquered white central seconds hand, and the chronograph sub-counters are circled in red

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The red version has rhodium-plated applied indexes and hands with white Super-LumiNova, a white lacquered central seconds hand and white outlines on the chronograph counters

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The yellow version stands out most—with contrasting yellow markers against the black flange and red numerals—adding that little extra zing to the dial

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What sets the three timepieces apart are the sunray brushed dials in bright shades of red, yellow and green, with matching textured rubber straps. Then there are subtle differences within each dial. The red version has rhodium-plated applied indexes and hands with white Super-LumiNova, a white lacquered central seconds hand and white outlines on the chronograph counters. The green model has black indexes and hour and minutes hands with white Super-LumiNova, a lacquered white central seconds hand, and the chronograph sub-counters are circled in red. The yellow edition has similar black indexes and hands, but the central hand is lacquered red.

The black flange ring on all three watches features the minutes track with red Arabic numerals at five-minute intervals. While the red and green editions have white minute markers, the yellow version stands out most—with contrasting yellow markers against the black flange and red numerals—adding that little extra zing to the dial.

All three Formula 1 editions feature three chronograph counters neatly arranged in a tri-compax layout with the permanent seconds at three o’clock

Colours With A Sporty Armour

Make no mistake, while these latest editions of the Formula 1 collection are playful, they are in no way less serious than their predecessors. The 43mm slightly tonneau-shaped fine-brushed stainless steel case—water-resistant to 200m and protected by a sapphire crystal glass—make the watch rather indestructible.

A very appropriate element for a sport where speed is the protagonist, a highly legible tachymeter scale is embossed on the steel black PVD bezel, which frames it all. Associated with motor sports and used to measure the speed of an object over a known distance, or the distance travelled at a known speed, the tachymeter scale here is embossed with bold, sporty numerals.

A sign of having successfully completed a race, the chequered flag on the caseback of the watch is another reference to Formula 1

Complementing the bezel are the push buttons and the crown—all also treated with black PVD. The slightly rounded crown guards add to the armouring of timepiece

Complementing the bezel are the push buttons at two and four o’clock, and the crown with the TAG Heuer logo embossed on it—all also treated with black PVD. The slightly rounded crown guards add to the armouring of timepiece.

Get Ready To Race

For fans of the Swiss timekeeping brand, and for those who appreciate both the boldness and lightness of the sport, these Formula 1 Chronographs are perfect as a starter-watch, among motor-sport collections, being the entry-point for TAG Heuer in the genre. With a quartz movement under its hood, the racing-inspired red, green and yellow chronographs are a bold statement—on the racetrack or off it.