- TAG Heuer will be the official timekeeper of Formula 1 in 2025
- Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, with TAG Heuer previously serving as official timekeeper from 1992 to 2003, and in 1969 was the first luxury brand to have its logo appear on the side of a Formula 1 car
- TAG Heuer was the first watch brand to sponsor an F1 team in 1971 and currently holds 239 wins, 613 podiums, 9,471 points, 11 World Constructors’ Championships, and 15 World Drivers’ Championships
Formula 1 hasn’t even kicked off for the year, but TAG Heuer has already experienced a podium finish. After over two decades, TAG Heuer has returned as the official timekeeper of Formula 1, inking a 10-year contract with the race. TAG Heuer takes over sponsorship duties from competitor Rolex, which has served as the official timekeeper for the Formula 1 since 2013.
“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, President and CEO of Formula 1. “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.”


The news follows the announcement of a 10-year sponsorship deal between TAG Heuer’s parent company LVMH and Formula 1, which is set to involve several of the conglomerate’s key maisons. While we don’t know exactly what the full extent of LVMH’s integration into F1 will look like, TAG Heuer will be taking pride of place as the primary sponsor, while Moët & Chandon will serve as official Champagne supplier, and winners will receive medals designed by Chaumet.
The partnership between TAG Heuer and Formula 1 is an apt one, with the legacy between the duo spanning several decades. Prior to the TAG-era, Heuer cemented itself as a purveyor of precise automotive timekeeping devices, presenting the first-ever dashboard mounted chronograph in 1911 and debuting the first stopwatch accurate to 1/100th of a second in 1916. In the 1950s, during the early years of Formula 1, Heuer committed itself to manufacturing chronograph wristwatches for racing teams. However, it wasn’t until the late 1960s, under the leadership of CEO Jack Heuer, that the relationship between Heuer and Formula 1 was deepened.
Jack Heuer aligned with a young talented driver named Jo Siffert and struck a deal with him to promote the Calibre 11 automatic chronograph by wearing the reference 1163 Autavia and placing a logo on the Rob Walker Lotus 49B he would race during the 1969 season. This was the first instance of a watchmaker (or any luxury brand) having its logo featured on an F1 car.




Shortly thereafter, Heuer began working with Ferrari to time the laps of its cars, leading to the development of the Le Mans Centigraph. After ten years working with Ferrari, the Swiss watch company aligned with McLaren from 1979 to 2015, with the partnership being the longest in Formula 1 history. In 1985, Heuer was acquired by the Techniques d’Avant Garde Group (i.e. the ‘TAG’ in TAG Heuer), which was also the owner of the McLaren Formula 1 team.
Even after ceasing its partnership with McLaren, TAG Heuer remained a constant on the F1 grid, transitioning to being a key sponsor for the Red Bull Formula 1 team (a role it will continue to hold).
“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,” said Antoine Pin, CEO of TAG Heuer. “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.”
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Words by Henry Blake