Verizon IndyCar Series racing is a matter of precision down to the millisecond. The same goes for TAG Heuer, the Swiss-based timepiece maker and INDYCAR partner.
TAG Heuer has been around since 1860, so it knows a thing or two about history. To help commemorate the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil in May, the company will debut two new watches dedicated to the sport.
The Carrera Heuer 01 Indy Limited and TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy Limited editions are the latest in an annual line of watches produced to honor the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” but they take on added significance with the epic 100th running on tap this year.
The Carrera Heuer 01 Indy Limited (pictured at left) is constructed from titanium carbide and its open-skeleton design reveals an in-house chronograph movement through the transparent dial. The Formula 1 Indy Limited boasts an anthracite dial with luminescent dial markers and three-row stainless steel bracelet connected by a black NATO strap.
Both watches feature the Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo on the dial and the name of the race engraved on the bezel, as well as the 100th running logo on the back of the case.
TAG Heuer gained notoriety in motorsports circles in the 1950s, drawing the likes of F1 legends Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna as company ambassadors. Its racing popularity added Hollywood notoriety in 1971 when actor/racer Steve McQueen wore a Monaco, the first square-cased cosmograph, in the film “Le Mans.”
The company became an official partner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2004 and began producing its line of commemorative Indianapolis 500 watches the same year.
“Racing is in our blood,” said Francoise Bezzola, TAG Heuer’s vice president of marketing. “We are deeply rooted in precision timing for over 150 years, being, for example, the first to produce a stopwatch accurate to the one-one hundredth of a second in 1916.
“We were also the very first non-technical brand to partner with a Formula One team in the ‘70s,” Bezzola added. “We are today the proud partner of the Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer Formula One team and, of course, we are the Indy official watch for more than a decade.”
The Carrera Heuer 01 Indy Limited and TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy Limited will be unveiled during the Time Crafters Exhibition in New York from May 12-15, two weeks before the legendary 100th running, and be available for purchase at that time. The Carrera Heuer 01 Indy Limited is priced at $5,500 while the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy Limited retails for $1,600.
For more information on the complete TAG Heuer line of timepieces, visit http://us.tagheuer.com/.