TAG Heuer has taken the wraps off the 2012 Formula 1 Series ahead of its Pre-Basel launch event in Geneva. While the existing series ballooned into a dizzying array of models, the new series keeps things focused with three flavours- a Watch, a Chronograph and a Watch with an alarm function. Giving the series variety is the array of materials- including stainless steel, aluminium, ceramic and titanium-carbide- employed to give the different models their own look and feel.

Since its introduction back in 1986, the The Formula 1 has been TAG …

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 has a special place in the brand’s history, being the first watch released following the acquisition of Heuer by Techniques d’Avant Garde (“TAG”) in 1985. While Heuer had spent the late 1970s and early 1980s desperately trying to make money from mechanical watches that were designed for a very different competitive environment, the Formula 1 was a watch of its time. It was the first analogue Heuer/ TAG Heuer series to be quartz-only and to this day there has never been an automatic model.
The inspiration …

A few weeks ahead of its official launch, we can bring you today the first preview photos of the 2012 TAG Heuer Formula 1 Series. The new model replaces the current F1 series which has been a key part of the TAG Heuer range since it was relaunched in 2004.
As you can see below, the The 2012 model is an evolution of the current series, but with a more mature, elegant design and featuring upgraded finishing and details.

The model shown here is the 42mm Chronograph, which is laid out in …

It’s been called the quartz crisis and the quartz revolution. Not without good reason either, it saw a good deal of market share in world watch-making migrate from Switzerland towards the east and a multitude of mergers, acquisitions and even long-standing companies disappearing forever. Some would later re-emerge in slightly different guises; others have remained lost to this day. Some of those mergers created very large groups such as what was to become ASUAG/Swatch, which later would cause some monopoly issues for the rest of the watch-making companies in Switzerland. …