The TAG Heuer x Kith Formula 1 Is Pure Retro Kitsch

Fast facts:

  • TAG Heuer and Kith have revived the 1896 Formula 1 timepiece, which was the first watch to bear the TAG Heuer name
  • The collection comprises ten 35mm models, each made of composite plastic (with three steel models) and presented on a steel bracelet or rubber strap
  • All models are powered by quartz movements and will retail at $2200AUD

The Swatch Group is quaking. For the past two years—since the debut of the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch—the conglomerate has held a monopoly over the well received yet somewhat controversial concept of rendering iconic luxury timepieces in plastic. Now, a new entrant has entered the oxymoronic ‘affordable luxury’ category, with Swiss manufacture TAG Heuer linking up with American lifestyle brand Kith to revive the former’s Formula 1 timepiece. Making its debut in 1986, the seminal watch was the first to bear the TAG Heuer name following Techniques d’Avant Garde’s acquisition of the Heuer brand, and was produced for four years until 1990. Crafted from steel and composite plastic with a mineral crystal glass and presented on a plastic strap, the cheap and cheerful timepieces were kept ticking by a quartz movement and made for a fun and funky way for collectors to wear their personalities on their wrists.

Signalling its intent to (re)introduce a true entry-level timepiece into its lineup, TAG Heuer chose Kith as a collaborator based on their mutual “outsized contributions to culture at large” in their respective spaces; TAG Heuer as a supplier of precision engineered timing instruments to motorsports events and Kith for its singular approach to style. The alignment is also one of passion for Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, who has been an ardent collector of the Formula 1 pieces since the 1990s.

“The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Series 1 in red and black was my very first watch, the timepiece that helped me express the unique style that’s now manifested itself in Kith,” said Ronnie Fieg, Kith founder, of the collaboration.

The resultant TAG Heuer x Kith Formula 1 collection comprises ten expressions of the timepiece, with a slew of playful colour combinations on offer. The collaboration sees a material upgrade, with the TAG Heuer x Kith Formula 1 watches swapping the previous fibreglass composite for arnite, a high-performance engineering plastic that’s stronger than its predecessor. Sapphire glass also replaces the previous mineral crystal, while each timepiece comes on either a stainless steel bracelet or rubber strap (rather than the plastic of its predecessors).

Of the ten references on offer (all sized at 35mm), seven are exclusive to Kith boutiques and pay homage to (and are named after) a store in its global network. The Kith exclusives include the two steel bracelet versions available with either a blue (Paris) or green (Los Angeles) bezel; both of which are limited to 350 pieces each. There’s also a red, green, and yellow version (Hawaii); red and black (Tokyo); yellow and black (Toronto); black (New York); and cream (Miami). The latter two references—New York and Miami—were inspired by the rare ‘80s iteration made in partnership with Japanese F1 driver Ukyo Katayama and are limited to 250 pieces each.

There are also two TAG Heuer exclusives, one in blue and the other in green with black DLC-coated steel cases, which are limited to 825 pieces. Finally, there’s a shared reference which teams a black bezel and eggshell dial with red accents with a steel case and bracelet and is capped at 1350 pieces.

While not exact 1:1 copies of the original Formula 1, nods to its inspiration appear throughout in the form of design elements like the original form hour hand, a triangle with a dot inside on the bezel at 12 o’clock, triangular hour indices at every quarter, and a contrasting minute track.

“The rebirth of the original TAG Heuer Formula 1 watch is something the collector community has been clamouring after for years,” noted Julien Tornare, CEO of TAG Heuer. “One of these collectors was Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, who shared that, like so many others, this was also his first watch when he was younger. It is one of the most meaningful pieces in TAG Heuer’s history. The first to wear the TAG Heuer name, it introduced a generation of collectors to our commitment to making premium timepieces at the intersection of culture and motorsports.”

What we think: 

If one was to select a timepiece to render in plastic, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 is a pretty safe bet. The cheap and cheerful plastic construction and quartz movement of the original make it less sacrilegious than a Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms, while its knubby bezel, rounded case shape, modest case size, and funky colour combinations already lent it a somewhat toy-like appeal. TAG Heuer attaching itself to Kith is a pretty transparent attempt to cut itself a slice of the hypebeast pie, as is the limited release strategy. 

That said, the watches themselves have a fun—if somewhat camp and kitsch—retro quality that’s set to appeal to the nostalgia-obsessed zeitgeist. The only not-so-fun part? The $2200AUD price tag. Considering the original Formula 1 released in 1986 was priced at $136.50USD ($398USD adjusted for inflation today) and was designed as an accessible collectors’ item, the five-fold price jump for a plastic watch (call it arnite all you want…) is hard to reckon with.

Each model in the TAG Heuer Formula 1 x Kith lineup is priced at $2200AUD, with the option to purchase a collector’s box (limited to 75 pieces) of all ten models for $30,800AUD via Kith. The collection is available from the 6th of May, 2024, via both Kith and TAG Heuer.

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Words by Theo Rosen