Had it not been for that fateful weekend at Imola in 1994, Ayrton Senna would have turned 52 a couple of weeks ago. One of the first stories written on Calibre 11 back in 2009 was an overview of the Senna TAG Heuer Limited Editions, a post that is still popular, no doubt thanks to the renewed interest in Senna’s life and career in the aftermath of the brilliant movie Senna.
[1]
This time we’ve got something special to share with you- the stories of two TAG Heuers that were owned and …

Calibre 11 is very excited to announce a competition for our Australian readers to win two tickets to the exclusive TAG Heuer Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix event to be held just a few days before the launch of the new F1 season.
Not only will the winner rub shoulders with local celebrities, but there will also be a special appearance by one of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers: World Champions and TAG Heuer ambassadors Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button.

We don’t need to tell you what a unique chance this is …

As regular readers of Calibre 11 will know, one of the rarest TAG Heuer models is the 6000 Series watch created for the McLaren F1 Supercar. There are two versions of the watch- one for owners of the car and another that was given or sold to employees and clients of McLaren.
But what we have for you today is something very special. The 6000 watch given to the owner of one of the five prototype F1′s- specifically, the fourth prototype known as XP4. These are the most detailed photos of …

While the big news to come from TAG Heuer’s pre-Basel collection last week was the Carrera Mikrograph, the release of the Carrera MP4-12C was just as eagerly anticipated, especially for the many fans who also closely follow the McLaren team on and off the track.
Last week we showed you the official press photos of the watch, but today we can bring you a detailed review from the launch that gives a better perspective of the intricate design of this Limited Edition watch, as well as an interview with TAG Heuer’s …

January 17 marks the opening of the TAG Heuer “Mastering Speed” exhibition in Geneva and to mark the occasion, three new models have been released. The first of these is the Carrera Mikrograph, the second is a Chronograph version of the Lady F1 series and the third is the Carrera MP4-12C- a new Carrera design inspired by TAG’s relationship with McLaren and the McLaren MP4-12C road car.
You may recall a series of articles posted here at Calibre 11 about the relationship between TAG Heuer and McLaren and the resulting watches- …

A few months ago, I posted an article on the series of watches that TAG Heuer had released in partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 team.
Several helpful readers pointed out that while the article captured all the Formula 1 linked watches, it missed perhaps the rarest of them all- the TAG Heuer 6000 Chronometer that was given to the 64 owners of the McLaren F1 road car.
Given the fantastic insight and information in the comments posted by Shelton, Erik and Justin, I thought that it was worth summarising their key …

As those of you who love cars will know, McLaren Automotive will launch its MP4-12C sportscar in 2011, its first new model since the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and, you could argue, its first proper car since the seminal McLaren F1 of 1992.
The good news is that just like the McLaren F1 and the SLR, TAG Heuer will produce a watch to commemorate the new model- the bad news is that the watch will only be available to those who buy the car.
The TAG Heuer McLaren MP4-12C will be launched as …

In January of this year, I posted an article on Calibre 11 about the various McLaren- branded TAG Heuer watches released over the last few years, which you can read here.
1998 was a special year for McLaren, as it produced their first Drivers and Constructors World Championships since Ayrton Senna supported by Gerhard Berger triumphed in 1991.
In fact, despite having the services of four World Champions since 1998- Hakkinen, Hamilton, Raikkonen and Alonso- several years of Adrian Newey-designed cars and the backing of Mercedes-Benz, McLaren has not won the Constructors …

TAG Heuer and the McLaren F1 team have had a long association, not just through common ownership (TAG formerly owning both TAG Heuer and 50% of what was called McLaren International; Ron Dennis of McLaren being a shareholder in TAG Heuer), but also through TAG Heuer’s sponsorship of the McLaren F1 team.

In the mid-late 1990s McLaren was undergoing a period of change- it had split from long-time engine partner Honda in 1993 and lost the Marlboro sponsorship deal at the end of 1996. So 1997 was a new chapter for …

Video from the launch of the TAG Heuer Silverstone re-edition held at McLaren’s Technical Centre

The launch of the new Heuer Silverstone Limited Edition to celebrate TAG Heuer’s 150th anniversary

For better or for worse, watch ambassadors have become an indispensable part of the marketing landscape these days. Some of them have a genuine affinity with the brand they’re representing, some see their watch deal as just another in their portfolio of celebrity endorsements.
While the ambassador concept doesn’t do a lot for me, I have to confess that a big part of the reason that I started getting interested in TAG Heuer was because it was the watch worn by my favourite sportsman: Ayrton Senna.Senna was the perfect ambassador for …