The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Men 43 mm was born in 1986 on the heels of a revolution. The quartz crisis of the 1970s and 80s was coming to an end, and Techniques d’Avant Garde had recently purchased Heuer. This Heuer Formula line was the Swiss company’s first watch since the acquisition. What Is a TAG Heuer Formula 1? Are TAG Heuer Formula 1 Watches Good?
The birth of TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz coincided with a shift towards quartz movements. This new approach provided increased accuracy and convenience over competing mechanical watches. Since the release of Formula 1 quartz watches, TAG Heuer has never made an automatic model.
TAG Heuer S.A. is a Swiss luxury watchmaker that designs, manufactures and markets watches and fashion accessories, as well as eyewear and mobile phones manufactured under license by other companies and carrying the TAG Heuer brand name.
The Formula 1 was the first analog Heuer watch to be quartz only, and it remains so to this day. A mechanical version has never been released. The TAG Heuer Formula 1 is a luxury watch with a non-luxury price tag. While it still commands value, the purpose of the watch was never the boardroom—it was the racetrack.
Take the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Blue Dial Chronograph and Watch, for instance. The blue dial model is the same price it was a decade ago and comes with a polished finish along with the case, bezel, hour and minute hands, crown, steel bracelet, and pushers for an unmistakable stainless steel sheen.
Almost every watch produced by TAG Heuer has ties to automobile racing, and the Formula 1 is no exception. The name alone tells a story. Released in 1986, the Formula 1 was the first watch to bear the TAG Heuer name, following the acquisition of the Heuer brand by Techniques d’Avant Garde, or TAG.