Tag Heuer has announced a new partnership with Porsche. The links between luxury wristwatches and luxury cars are well-established, so it's somewhat surprising that a deal like this didn't already exist. Well, it does now.
Given the aspirational appeal and popularity of both these brands – both leaders in their fields – it’s a significant announcement.
The two names have crossed paths for decades. Tag Heuer’s Carrera was so named for the Carrera Panamericana, the gruelling 2,000-plus mile road race across Mexico that ran from 1950 to 1954 in its original form, before being closed down following multiples deaths and accidents. When it was released in 1963, CEO Jack Heuer named Heuer’s new chronograph (the Tag Heuer rebrand didn't come until 1985) the Carrera, or "race", in tribute. Another connection came in 1970, during the filming of the Steve McQueen racing film Le Mans – the actor wearing Heuer’s new square-faced automatic Monaco chronograph. McQueen drove a Porsche 917 in that film, the Heuer logo prominent on both his racing suit and his racing car, in lieu of an advertising campaign for the watch.
In 1972, Porsche unveiled its own Carrera, named for its most powerful engine – the 911 Carrera. Then, in the mid-Eighties, the two brands developed and produced the Tag-Turbo engine, used to help the McLaren team win three consecutive F1 world titles: Niki Lauda in 1984, then Alain Prost in 1985 and 1986.
In 2019, Porsche had released the first in its electric series of cars – the Taycan. Not long before, Tag Heuer had became a founding partner of the Formula E championship, helping raise the profile of a new era of races in single-seater electric cars. Porsche created its own Formula E team with Tag Heuer as title and timing partner in 2019.
Now, in 2021, there is a Tag Heuer-Porsche watch.
The Tag Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph is a 44mm stainless steel watch, with a grey asphalt-textured dial and three counters. Porsche’s famous font is used for the indexes, its name is inscribed on the bezel and the colours of red, black and grey – Porsche colours, but also historically Heuer colours – are used throughout. The asphalt dial and Arabic numerals together suggest a sportscar’s dashboard. Meanwhile, the watch's balance wheel, on display through the transparent case back, has been redesigned in tribute to a Porsche steering wheel.
Much like a 911 GT RS on a rainy day at the Nüburgring, watch this fly.
£4,850; tagheuer.com
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