When it comes to international motorsports - F1, specifically - it would be the grossest of understatements to say that TAG Heuer knows a thing or two. From early alliances (under Jack Heuer himself) with legendary drivers in the mould of Ayrton Senna to its 11-year tenure as the official timekeeper of Formula 1, racing is an obsession for TAG Heuer that extends well beyond the odd marketing campaign and into the paddock, season after racing season.
Since 2016, the brand has been the flagship timekeeper of Red Bull Racing; and to commemorate the victory of Dutch team driver Max Verstappen (now a two-time Formula 1 World Champion) released a suitably on-theme chronograph earlier in the year - the TAG Heuer Formula 1 x Red Bull Racing.
In essence, a makeover of TAG Heuer's signature Formula 1 collection, this 'Red Bull' edition has been conceived with the professional (or aspiring) driver in mind. Leaning on the company's many decades of expertise in the manufacture of racing chronographs, this Formula 1 travels somewhat farther afield than the classic Carrera - courtesy of an enlarged 43mm case; contemporary design accents; and a pick-up-and-play quartz movement.
For this particular edition, the design team at TAG Heuer worked closely with Red Bull Racing, ensuring that the latter's familiar iconography translates into the realm of wristwear. The yellow and red of the iconic 'fighting gaur' logo - also famously emblazoned on each can of Red Bull - is used to emphasise the watch's speediest elements: most notably the chronograph hand and counter (at 6 o'clock) which drivers use to time intervals of one-tenth of a second. Framing all of this is a dial finished in sunburst blue, a colour that calls to mind Red Bull Racing's most recent livery and one which ties the watch's overall legibility together rather well.
That importance of 'functional design' is once again evident in the placement and stylisation of fonts, with this special edition's numeric indexes slightly larger (and certainly more numerous) than what you'll find within the core Formula 1 range. According to TAG Heuer spokespeople, these numerals - particularly, the bracketed '?7' and '5?' - are an easter egg for motorsport fans, inspired by the racetracks and gauge clusters that are a common sight in F1. And just to really hammer this whole theme home, the bezel (made out of steel and etched aluminium) drops the ubiquitous 'Tachymetre' signature in favour of the word 'SPEED'.
Ticking away dutifully under all of this is TAG Heuer's signature, battery-powered quartz chronograph calibre - a movement that brings a lot to the table despite the usual 'oh, but it's not mechanical' criticisms. As a piece of technology which very much came of age during the digital era, quartz movements make a lot of sense at TAG: a company whose own name even alludes to avant-garde technology.
Like its classic mechanical movements, TAG Heuer manufactures quartz calibres in Switzerland. The use of a battery-based power supply means that it's accurate to within several seconds per month (without the need for winding) for many years on end.
Additionally, the lack of micro-sized moving parts also yields a practical benefit for racers: namely, by making this Red Bull special edition impervious to the many g-forces that one is bound to encounter travelling at 180 km/hr, which might otherwise throw a watch with a conventional escapement off its rate. In spite of the very clear input that Red Bull Racing has had into the final look of this Formula 1 design, TAG Heuer opted wisely to constrain the team's conspicuous branding to the watch's case back.
Although it has largely been marketed - and rightly so - as a motorsports timekeeper, it's also pretty capable if you're in the mood for a timepiece that may moonlight capably as a skin diver. Certified water-resistant to 200m, we can just as easily picture it beneath the jewel-blue waters of Vivonne Bay as the wheel of a performance car.
