Formula E: The Watch, the Team, the Car…
The Future is Electric

La Chaux-de-fonds, 29 August, 2014 - Uber-cool Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer will mark the start of the world’s first electric car race season on 31st August with a king-sized VIP party in Beijing, home of the new championship’s electrifying season opener.

The event officially inaugurates the pioneering Swiss brand’s latest adventure in motor-racing, which starts 13 September in Beijing, and closes 27 June, 2015 in London. TAG Heuer is the Official Watch, Partner and Timekeeper of the FIA Formula E Championship for all ten events, a role it has played several times over the decades, for major motor-racing series and circuit around the world, from Formula One in the 1970s to Indy 500 in 20XX and the Monaco Grand Prix today.

“Cars have fueled and inspired this brand since its earliest days,” said Stéphane Linder. We invented the first dashboard counters back in 1911, partnered with Ferrari in Formula One in the 1970s, have been part of the most wining team in the sport, McLaren Mercedes, since 1985, and backed champions from Juan-Manuel Fangio in the 50s to Jenson Button and Stéphane Ogier in 2014. Now we are proud to be part of the world’s newest and most innovative open championship—a path-breaking initiative that, like TAG Heuer, is a fusion of engineering, technology, sport, science, and design — all combining to drive the change towards a better tomorrow.”

In all, 10 cities will play host to the Formula E series, including Putrajaya, Malaysia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Punta del Este, Uruguay, Miami and Long Beach in the United States, and Berlin and Monte Carlo in Europe.

TAG Heuer’s colors and crest will line the street circuits of each Formula E city. They will also be worn by the crew and car of TAG Heuer’s other Formula E partner: China Racing Formula E Team and its drivers Nelson Piquet, Ho-Pin Tung and Antonio Garcia.

China Racing’s drivers and crew will be in attendance at the press celebration, which will be held at the JE Cultura Conference Center in Beijing. Also on hand will be Steven Lu, the CEO of China Racing, Stéphane Linder, the CEO of TAG Heuer, Alejandro Agag, the CEO of Formula E Holdings, and the incredible China Racing Formula E race car. The battery-powered vehicle can accelerate from zero to 100 kmh in 3 seconds and reach maximum speeds of 225 km/h. Driven by the best drivers in Formula One, Champ Car and IndyCar, Formula E engines emit roars of 80 decibels, but not the slightest wisp of pollution.

TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 AUTOMATICS: among the most ecological machines in the world

The new TAG Heuer Formula One watches and chronographs are the greenest option in advanced Swiss watchmaking technology. Significantly more sustainable than quartz, these new automatics—among the first in the famous TAG Heuer Formula 1 line—are race-inspired wonders that deliver maximum precision with a minimal carbon footprint. The stars of the squad are:

TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 CALIBRE 5 AUTOMATIC (41MM)

The exclusive Calibre 5 automatic movement powers this new classic. The 41mm case in alternate polished and fine-brushed steel features a black or white dial, a racing red-tipped second hand and red touches on the flange. The established TAG Heuer Formula 1 features are in place, including a polished steel “Easy Grip” screw-in crown with raised fine-brushed TAG Heuer shield, and a circular fine brushed screwed caseback with the iconic checkered flag design. Strap options are steel bracelet, black perforated rubber or high-trend black NATO.

TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 CALIBRE 5 AUTOMATIC FULL BLACK (41MM)

A stunning new black-on-black addition to the F1 squad, with black perforated rubber strap, black dial and black titanium carbide-coated steel case, turning bezel and “Easy Grip” screw-in crown. As with the other Cal 5 editions, the second hand and the printed minuterie on the flange is tipped or touched with fiery red. The polished indexes are hand-applied, with oversized and luminescent-marked “12” and “6” numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock. the TAG Heuer crest is at 12, with “TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 CALIBRE 5” lettered at 6. The finishings are superb, of the highest crafstmanship.

TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 CALIBRE 16 AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH (44MM)

The total performer, a motor racing instrument of ultimate precision, with 3 silver azurage chronograph counters with red tip hands: chronograph minute at 12 o’clock; chronograph hour at 6 o’clock; and running second at 9 o’clock. The re-sculpted case is an impressive 44mm and houses the precision-machined Calibre 16 movement. The red “TACHYMETER” lettering on the redesigned black tachymeter scale grabs the eye. Strap options are perforated racing rubber. This is pure racing technology in motion: ultimate racing look for the ultimate racing chronograph.

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Press Corner : presscorner.tagheuer.com Telephone for press contact: +41 32 919 8000

Over the last 150 years TAG Heuer has established a reputation as the unrivaled pathbreaker of Swiss watchmaking, an avant-garde brand of the highest artisanal pedigree that pushes harder for technological perfection and never cracks under pressure. Faster, smaller, stronger, more precise: TAG Heuer chooses its challenges, then sweeps past them, driving watchmaking into new, uncharted territories. Founded in Saint-Imier in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, it has marked the history of luxury watchmaking by being so innovative that is its only competitor, with a roster of world watchmaking firsts beyond compare: the first oscillating pinion in 1887, still a key component of contemporary chronographs; the Mikrograph of 1916, the first stopwatch accurate to the 1/100th of a second; the first automatic chronograph movement with micorotor, in 1969; and the first tourbillon driven by belts in 2014, the Monaco V4. A proud member of the LVMH Group, TAG Heuer has consistently pushed the mastery of time to new levels of luxury performance and precision. This design and engineering talent has earned it full membership in the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the most exclusive circle of the Swiss watchmaking elite, and a Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix “Aiguille d’Or” ,the watchmaking world’s highest honor with the Carrera Mikrogirder, which measures 5/10,000th of a second,. TAG Heuer partners with people and projects who, like the brand, have changed their times and made their mark: 2013 Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo; F1 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and its World Champion Jenson Button; five-time Grand Slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova; the new FIA Formula E Championship, the world’s first electric car racing series; Sébastien Ogier and his World Rally Championship winning team Volkswagen Motorsport; the Automobile Club of Monaco and the Monaco Grand Prix; actor-driver Patrick Dempsey; and legendary film superstars Cameron Diaz, Steve McQueen and Shah Rukh. Like these exemplary men and women, TAG Heuer never follows. It leads. It doesn’t keep time. It changes it.