Waterproof Watches

Nurturing young genius

Dennis was brilliant at spotting young genius.

Over nearly three decades, a remarkable man—Ron Dennis—put the McLaren F1 team in a commanding position. He did it by attracting drivers like Lauda and Senna. He did it by launching breakthrough cars, like the MP4/1, with its carbon-fiber construction.

Dennis was brilliant at spotting young genius. In 1995, the ten-year-old Lewis Hamilton asked Ron to sign his autograph book, saying he wanted to race for him—one day. Three years on, Ron signed him up. The rest is history.

McLaren’s track record is spectacular. So is TAG Heuer’s record in sponsoring star drivers. It makes the two teams the perfect fit. From Fangio, at the start of F1, right through to Hamilton—a brand ambassador from age eighteen—TAG Heuer has always supported racing genius.

Like father and son: two driving ambitions

“To be the best at everything we do”.

Ron Dennis knew he had a wonderkid in the young Hamilton, and treated him like a son. The Brazilian Grand Prix that made Hamilton 2008 World Champion had Ron on the edge of his seat. It was the day when Lewis fulfilled his youthful promise.

“Well, that was a really tough race,” said Ron. “One of the most thrilling finishes in sporting history. I’m so proud of Lewis.” Seven F1 world champions come from the McLaren stable, but with Hamilton they fielded the youngest ever.

“To be the best at everything we do” is the McLaren motto. It defines TAG Heuer too. It defines the high-performance spirit that inspired us to create the TAG Heuer SLR Laptimer. Its outstanding technology and unique design distill the essence of motor racing into a timepiece.

Celebrating in style

The eyes of the world are on the team.

TAG Heuer and McLaren marked their quarter century in spectacular style at the McLaren Technology Centre. Who better to start the festivities than their joint protégé? Lewis Hamilton arrived at the wheel of the 1986 McLaren MP4-2C which Alain Prost powered to victory.

Anniversaries are a time to bask in the glow of shared achievements. To celebrate McLaren’s World Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. To applaud the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sportscar. And to marvel at the sophistication of TAG Heuer’s timekeeping equipment, and the sculptural beauty of the TAG Heuer SLR Laptimer.

At anniversaries we look forward too. With the last two world champions in the McLaren paddock, the eyes of the whole world are on the team. TAG Heuer and McLaren have renewed their partnership. Ladies and gentlemen: please raise your glasses to the next quarter century.

Jetsetters pitted against regular Joes

High risk, high altitude, high speed but never strictly high roller

The race offered the rarest of chances. The super rich could test the limits of their trophy sports car purchase and it brought out the playboy in regular Joes who pulled out from the carport to line up on the starting grid. High risk, high altitude, high speed but never strictly high roller

Indeed the first winner was Hershel McGriff who drove a production Oldsmobile 88 with the same specs as it had when it arrived from his local car dealer. Plucky Mr McGriff scooped the $17,000 first prize. A sexy multiple of the $1,900 purchase price of his family runaround.

The debut race captured the world’s imagination. The impact of the race was global and instant. The big mythic names of motorsport decided they wanted a bit of the Carrera Panamericana action.

Serious interlopers like Ferrari headed down Mexico way

A vulture carnage of beak, blood and feathers

The notoriety of the race had spread so fast that Ferrari sent several cars in 1951. Though they did not comply with race specifications, the Italians were allowed to compete. And serious blood was spilt. Mexican race driver Jose Estrada declared ‘I win or I die’. He died.

Meanwhile Ferrari roared into the top two slots but Bill Stirling from El Paso came in third in his Chrysler Saratoga. The common man was still on the podium. The following year it was the turn of Mercedes 300SL’s to clean up a bird strike vulture carnage of beak, blood and feathers crashing through  the windscreen.

In 1953  Lancia scooped the sports category and a Lincoln won in the saloon section. The Carrera was now a battleground of works teams drawn by speed and safety-lite rules. The average speed had doubled and the bodycount reached 27. The 1955 Le Mans carnage brought a halt to the Carrera Panamericana.

The Carrera Panamericana is dead. Long live the Carrera Panamericana

Grease is the word, speed is the key and time is the essence.

Despite the red flag the Carrera Panamericana still made the imagination race. In 1963, TAG Heuer immortalised the road race in a fine timepiece, the Carrera Chronograph - an instant classic. Porsche christened a version of their celebrated 911 the Carrera. In 2009 they followed up with a four-door Panamera.

In 1988 the race came roaring back. Open to cars with a classic retro body shell it was a true celebration of the glory days. The iconic Raymond Loewy-designed Studebaker was to lay claim to the first 13 victories of the relaunched race. Grease is the word, speed is the key and time is the essence.

Health and safety was a new priority, but danger remained. In 2006 a 19-year-old driver flew off the road in his Jaguar E-type Roadster into a pine forest sending him into a coma. And while the mighty GM and Chrysler hit the bankruptcy buffers but their legend lived on, undimmed in the Carrera Panamericana.

A lifelong obsession with speed

'I'm not sure whether I'm an actor who races or a racer who acts.’

McQueen grew up in Indianapolis, his father was a stunt pilot. Racing was in his DNA and all around him. As a teen he collected hubcaps. His childhood ambition was to race at Le Mans, but it was a tough ride to get there.When he did, he forged a legend.

The need for speed was in his blood. At first he got his fix from motorcycle racing. As his acting career surged ahead, he needed bigger kicks. What better than racing cars? He trained with the best, with the likes of John Cooper and Richie Ginther: they saw he was a racing driver at heart.

'I'm not sure whether I'm an actor who races or a racer who acts,’ he once said. He was awesome at both. One thing’s for sure: it takes guts to race. It takes more guts to race with a broken foot. He did, and came second in the Sebring 12 hours. But that was just a taster for the main event.

The toughest actor in the toughest race

The film is a classic two-man clash

He was made of steel: no stunt was too much for this ex-marine. When bored, he stunted for fun. Only his insurers held him back from competing at Le Mans. He didn’t compete, but he created a myth.

No event rivals it. For 24 hours, the greats of racing hurtle round the fabled circuit. Over and over they burn up the track, refuel, change drivers. The pressure is sky-high, the camaraderie is immense. McQueen dreamed of immortalizing this epic race. He made his dream reality.

The film is a classic two-man clash: McQueen as Delaney versus Stahler. Two mighty marques: Porsche pitted against Ferrari. Real footage merges life and fiction, and the adrenalin high is constant. McQueen captured the spirit of Le Mans-for ever. You can smell the rubber, and taste the fumes.

The legend lives on

Some things just get better with time.

Half way through, Delaney crashes. The crash is so real, your neck hairs bristle. Has our hero’s dream crumbled? No way. He drives another car, and maneuvers to block Ferrari. He could have come in first, but sacrifices first place to make sure his team wins. That's true heroism.

Le Mans was a film of firsts. The first-many say the only one-to capture racing's essence. The first time a racing car was fitted with a movie camera, and not just any old car. It was the Porsche 908/2 McQueen drove in Sebring: art mirroring life again.

The film was forty years ago, but, like wine, some things improve with age. Le Mans is cult, a must-have movie. Just as cult is the Monaco timepiece McQueen wore: like him, it's a hero. Some things just get better with time.

From skis to gears

“Speed is a question of attitude” he says.

Jack skied for the Swiss University Skiing team. The racing bug bit when his father gave him an MGA sportscar on graduation, and then copiloting in rallies really hooked him. “Speed is a question of attitude,” he says. It seems  swapping skis for gears came easy.

He and the legendary Jo Siffert became close friends. Jack laughs when he tells how Siffert once drove him to Geneva. The snow lay deep, but Jo treated the treacherous road just like a circuit. The skids and slides were hair-raising, but they got there—early!

In 1969 Heuer started sponsoring Siffert. It was a true innovation: no watch brand had done it before. It was the first step towards making  the Heuer logo as prominent in worldwide motor racing as it is today.

Putting Ferrari in pole position again

The Heuer logo was on every Ferrari.

Siffert’s death in 1971 was a shock for Jack, but the racing link had to go on. That same year the ailing Ferrari team asked Jack to come to the rescue. Installing sophisticated TAG Heuer timing equipment meant drivers could check every inch of their performance.

The rigorous testing paid off. Soon Ferrari was in pole position again, and Niki Lauda was world champion. Timekeeping for Ferrari was a massive coup. The Heuer logo was on every Ferrari, and emblazoned on the suits of every driver—of stars like Regazzoni, Villeneuve, and Reutemann.

Jacky Ickx was another star cultivated by Jack, who even launched an alarm clock shaped like his helmet. It sold well, and Ickx received a healthy royalty. Jack smiles when remembering how other drivers came knocking at his door, wanting their helmets to be timepieces too.

In tune with the times

“People love wearing watches that are instantly recognized”.

If it sounds like Jack was never off the race track, his life as an inventor is equally full of achievements. Among them is launching an automatic chronograph range, including the Monaco. It broke the mold by having the first square wateresistant chronograph case.

Its crisp design made it cult with trendsetters. When Steve McQueen sported one in ‘Le Mans’, his rebel image made it a global hit. On relaunch it sold out within the year. “People love wearing watches that are instantly recognized”. The Monaco is one of those.

As the fourth generation of Heuers, Jack is as up to the minute as 4G technology. Some people squander inheritances, some squirrel them safely away. When you’re as adventurous as Jack, you enrich your heritage.

Victory at the first go

He launched his six-year career in world championships.

Jean was studying the grueling discipline of electronic engineering. But there was a racier side to him. Outside the lecture hall, his thoughts focused on his passion--motorcycle racing. His parents didn’t share his dream, but he was determined, and asked them dozens of times.

They agreed to one race before he finished studying --the Swiss Championship. Switzerland banned circuits, so France was hosting this one. Jean traveled there and it paid off. In his very first race he won. After graduating, he launched his six-year career in world championships.

Back then there was no sponsorship. A donor might buy you tires, or some oil—if you were lucky. Racing didn’t make you a living, and Jean decided to give it all up. Then, in 1972, he landed his dream job.

He was the pianist of Formula One timekeeping

Jean became TAG Heuer’s official timekeeper for Ferrari F1.

In the local paper, he spotted a TAG Heuer advertisement. They wanted an engineer with exceptional PR skills, to work with ‘a prestigious Italian racing team’. Reading between the lines, Jean knew it was Ferrari. He jumped at the chance of working with Enzo Ferrari’s ‘Scuderia’.

Jean became TAG Heuer’s official timekeeper for Ferrari F1, equipping their brandnew test track at Fiorano. This was the era of Lauda, Ickx, Regazzoni. It was also the era before computers. Official timekeeping was often unreliable, and each team used its own timekeeper for security. 

Campiche devised a machine christened ‘Centigraph Le Mans’. With its 15 buttons, it could track 15 vehicles. With cars flashing past at 300 kph, Jean’s fingers worked like lightning to press each button exactly on time. That’s why they called him ‘The Pianist’.

Tragedy and triumph

‘Timekeeping is very emotional,’ he says.

Transponders on cars, and sensors in the track were the next leaps forward, detecting false starts. But some team managers would deny the evidence. Jean smiles when telling how TV footage from an onboard camera proved him right, and the unhappy manager had to back down.

‘Timekeeping is very emotional,’ he says, ‘That’s why my hair’s so gray!’ He nearly quit after Ayrton Senna died, but just couldn’t give up his passion. He beams with pride when talking about TAG Heuer as timekeeper for F1 or the Alpine World Ski Championships.

A final breakthrough Jean pioneered was timing 10,000ths of a second for US Indy racing. That miniscule fraction of time represents a mere 10 millimeters between cars traveling at 360 kmh. Since those early ‘piano’ days, it is clear Jean has more than perfected TAG Heuer technology.

The first American to orbit the Earth

A chimpanzee had circled the Earth, but no human had.

First, let us take you back, to 22 February 1962. The Russians were ahead in the Space Race, and the Americans were determined to even the score. For three years, they had worked on the Mercury Space program, testing craft and on-board equipment flight after flight.

A chimpanzee had circled the Earth, but no human had. What effect a G-force more than twice normal might have on someone’s body, nobody knew. There was no margin for error. If something went wrong, an astronaut could die.

The spacecraft capsule was cramped, barely big enough for one man. The joke at NASA was that you wore it, you didn’t ride in it. Only a hero would dare to “wear” it while traveling at 300 miles per minute, 160 miles up in Space.

Roger. Backup clock is started.

Just above his right glove is a stopwatch.

A black-and-white photo captures three men striding towards Friendship 7. They look down, avoiding the camera. They do not smile. The event is too momentous for smiles. On the right, the equipment specialist; behind, the astronauts’ surgeon; on the left, John Glenn, preparing to make history.

He is cocooned in spacesuit and boots. He carries the ventilation equipment in his left hand. To balance the weight, his right arm is raised slightly. Just above his right glove, strapped over his spacesuit, is a stopwatch. Its second counter is set at 20 seconds.

The conversation between Glenn and Mission Control explains why. Glenn started the stopwatch running 20 seconds after liftoff, after checking that the onboard timers worked properly.
Mission Control: “Standby for 20 seconds.”
Glenn: “Roger. Backup clock is started.”

The Internet helps solve the mystery

The TAG Heuer was selected by NASA.

In July 2006, watch enthusiast Sheldon Smith was visiting the Air and Space Museum, San Diego, California. Tucked away in a corner display cabinet he chanced upon a Heuer stopwatch, with 12-hour capacity, fixed to an elastic strap. The label read as follows. 

“After the failure of other brands on...earlier flights..., the TAG Heuer was selected by NASA due to its ability to withstand the high G-forces created by liftoff.” Smith posted his find on a discussion forum. TAG sleuth Jeff Stein picked up on it, and investigated further.

In the NASA online archives he tracked down photos of Glenn wearing the Heuer stopwatch, thereby unearthing a piece of history lost for 44 years. A 1962 catalog called the stopwatch “Long Range”. How very appropriate for the first Swiss watch worn by Man in Space.

From dashboard to a triumphal return via the drawing board.

Putting the get up and go go into retro - with style.

The Autavia is retro style and sporty with serious pedigree earned from decades spent on countless instrument panels. Designed for both the cockpits of interwar planes and car dashboards in the golden years of Grand Tourers of the Thirties it proved its worth well into the Fifties. The name is a proud echo of the end users of this dashboard timer – aviation and automobile.

The Autavia chronograph was a key fixture for both drivers and pilots from its introduction in 1933 until 1958 when this reassuring dial on the dashboard stepped down after nearly thirty years service. TAG Heuer immediately set to work to create a wristwatch version of this faithful timepiece. In 1962 a legend was reborn.

Before the Sixties were out TAG Heuer innovated to the next level with the introduction of Chronomatic movement in 1969 - the first ever automatic chronograph movement – forever linked with Formula I Swiss racer Joe Siffert.

Welcome along for relaxing or rigorous rest and recreation.

Built to last, built rugged. Designed smart.

The familiar faces of this familiar face. Autavia is only available in two dial colours. Monochrome and minimalist is the colour code. White with black sub dials. Alternatively black dial with silver sub dials. Seconds hands and hands on the sub dial come in either blue or red. Primary colours keep the face clean and clear.

The Autavia is a large watch measuring in at 41.2 mm, with a Tachymetric bezel. The chrono push buttons on this gem are a nod to the stopwatch but are above all practical - easy to hit even if wearing racing gloves or maybe juggling a mobile phone call. To add to the hi-tech and professional standards the bracelet is steel. Very Autavia. Built to last, built rugged. Designed smart.

With strength goes style. One of the most prized version of this classic is a limited edition of 150 with a pink gold case. Eye-catching not least because of it’s hard to ignore design and dimensions. Unsurprisingly this has caught the eye of the discerning watch collector.

Autavia Time goes Online via Facebook.

run like clockwork, race like clockwork, sail like clockwork.

Inevitably the history and the desirability of the Autavia has created web buzz. To satisfy the cyber curiosity of Autavia aficionados a Facebook group has started - The Vintage Heuer Autavia Fan Club. An early fan Swiss Race driver Joe Siffert who lent his name to the new automatic Autavia. Collectors are key to the Autavia story. « Collectors represent an exceptional source of information. Our archivists and restorers often call on them to tap into their knowledge » says Jean-Christophe Babin.

Classic cult design and revitalising innovation. An Autavia keeps pace your day and night. From a coffee break to an all important job interview, to more hair raising moments - however extreme your sport. Life with an Autavia can run like clockwork, race like clockwork, sail like clockwork.

The Autavia is a most A list story. Versatile as the life you lead, the thrills you seek, the punctuality you demand. So life can run like clockwork, race like clockwork, sail like clockwork. To make the running smooth that is the work of the Autavia.
An essential practical aide and stylish and sporty jewellery.

What’s in a name?

More than twice as long as a football pitch.

Having an object named for you is a special honor. It’s one which Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the German who pioneered airship design, achieved. Thanks to him, and his disciple Hugo Eckener, these mammoths of the air became the superstars of their era.

The Graf Zeppelin airship was a monster. More than twice as long as a football pitch, and with the volume of over 40 Olympic swimming pools, its crew of 40 attended to merely half as many passengers. Those passengers travelled in a luxury hotel in the sky.

Photographs show them, elegant in evening dress, seated for dinner as if at the Ritz.
They could walk off their exquisite food on walkways as long as the whole airship, or admire the panorama through windows as big as house windows.

Graf Zeppelin—the media sensation of its time

“Citizen Kane” put up the money.

To offer safe travel for the privileged few, Graf Zeppelin needed the most advanced technology. The radio equipment enabled navigation, received weather reports, and, crucially for the public, let journalists telegraph back their reports. Timing trips was vital too, because this airship was pursuing records.

For example, it was the first passenger airship to cross the Atlantic, under the command of Hugo Eckener. The public were in a frenzy to get news of the journey, and the world’s most powerful newspaper owner, Randolph Hearst——“Citizen Kane”—supplied it.

So when Eckener needed sponsors for his round-the-world adventure, “Citizen Kane” put up the money. In return, Hearst wanted to give the trip maximum media exposure. On board, rubbing shoulders with millionaires and famous explorers, he put his top reporters. Among them was someone rather special.

A woman ahead of her time

On return to Germany, mass hysteria broke out.

A pioneering  woman, ahead of her time, Lady Grace Drummond-Hay combined looks, talent, and an aristocratic title. Inspired by the romance of airship travel, she wrote reports the public lapped up. Hearst wanted her, the only woman aboard, to go on feeding their appetite for glamor.

Her reports thrillingly record what a triumph the trip was. When the zeppelin overflew Chicago, people clambered onto skyscraper roofs to wave and cheer. On return to Germany, mass hysteria broke out. Police couldn’t contain the 20,000 people who gathered to welcome the Graf Zeppelin home.

Precisely timing the whole journey was a Heuer “Time of Trip”, the pioneering chronograph designed specifically for cars and aircraft. Thanks to that we know it took 12 days 11 minutes to cover 19,500 miles, a world-record at the time, and an impressive figure even today.

Re-energizing with each reinvention.

A real life Bond or Bourne daredeviling against spectacular backdrops.

Born in the shadow of the Alps Luc Alphand turned to the sport on his doorstep – skiing. Still in his teens he made his debut competing for the Alpine Ski World Cup.  A no holds barred approach to breaking through in this fast paced sport meant injuries as well as victories. 

A decade and a year after he first hurtled down the slopes in competition, Luc Alphand tasted the sweet fruits of his first big win. Not only that but a double victory.  On 14 January 1995 Alphand rocketed down the celebrated Strief slope at Kitzbuhel – taking first place twice.  A proud winner sporting TAG Heuer colours.

For the Gallic Alpine star this was to mark the start of, not one but, two seasons mirabilis. This winning streak saw him hoist aloft the Cristal Globe– skiings World Cup.  This award goes to all round achievement across at a number of contests. No mean feat !

From the slopes to the dunes

the “champion of champions” award from French sporting bible, l’Equipe.   

To crown these winter sporting achievements Alphand scooped his only medal in the world championship on the slopes of the mythic Sierra Nevada in Andalousia in February 1996 – a bronze. 1997 was to prove the crowning achievement of his ski endeavours.

This season he bagged the ‘Gros Globe of Cristal’ which is the multi-discipline trophy – the only Frenchman to achieve this since Jean-Claude Killy in 1967.  The trophy is for an aggregate of highest performance and goes only to the highest ski achievers. Alphand’s all round excellence earned him the “champion of champions” award from French sporting bible, l’Equipe.

At the summit of sking at the age of 32, Alphand dramatically announced his retirement from competitive sking. Never one to rest on his laurels a few short months later Alphand was off to Japan sporting a new cap – TV pundit for the Winter Olympics at Hakuba in Japan.

From the ski slopes to sweltering heat of sand dunes

stepping into the shoes of no less a legend than Steve McQueen

No sooner off the pistes Alphand was revving up for a new challenge taking to the wheel for the Paris-Dakar rally. Two years after stepping down from the ski podium the Man from Briancon was first in his category. True to his quest for top form Alphand secured two runner-up position and succeeded in winning the punishing Paris-Dakar challenge in 2005.

Not content with being the Laurence of Arabia of the Paris-Dakar Lining up his team – Luc Alphand Adventures -  stepping into the shoes of no less a legend than Steve McQueen on the starting grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours race.  In 2006 the team secured it’s top position of lucky seven.

In June 2009 his luck nearly run out in a serious accident – this time the mode of transport a motorbike in the Rand ‘Auvergne rally. Luc Alphand is a truly passionate sportsman who has shone on snow and sand. As a TV commentator his opinion carries weight as he has the trophies to command respect and always in the driving seat and always full throttle. In a world of reality stars and stunt men he is the real thing.

Pole position, competitive class and a chequered flag history

Putting the get up and go go in retro - with style.

The high performance achieved by Mercedes high precision cars demands timing to the highest standard.  Unlike the police version, a TAG Heuer speed trap is welcomed by drivers, giving timings to within a fraction of a second. There is poetry in Mercedes motion there is accuracy in TAG Heuer time.

From the roar of the track, the raging of pistons to the burning of rubber: TAG Heuer bears reliable witness at the frontier of four wheeled technology. Keeping count, an unfailing count with a conscientious conception of timekeeping.

TAG Heuer is to Swiss horology as Mercedes is to the German motor industry. This was a master-class match just waiting to happen. And it was to prove a collaboration to pitch perfectionist against perfectionist. Exacting but exhilarating.

From the forecourt, to the race track to the display case

Built to last, built rugged. Designed smart.

This shared esteem for the same values saw TAG Heuer and Mercedes enter a partnership in 1994 which has since gathered pace. A limited edition range of chronographs celebrated this collaboration. Shifting up a gear in 2004 with the unveiling of first version of the SLR chronograph, the Calibre 36-R at Baselworld.

Next came the TAG Heuer SLR for Mercedes-Benz a timepiece destined for owners of the Mercedes SLR McLaren. A most coveted optional extra at the very forefront of technology and style in a high class link between watchmaker and carmaker launched in 2003.

For the Mercedes SLR owner and those who dream there is the SLR Chronograph Calibre 36R and a number of limited editions watches distinguished by a Mercedes logo and the finest watch making. A precious little piece of a giant legend.

Both Mercedes and TAG Heuer share a rich motor racetrack heritage.

run like clockwork, race like clockwork, sail like clockwork.

TAG Heuer began at the front of the grid through an association with Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1950’s, a five-time Grand Prix Champion winner. The watchmaker remains at the forefront with names like 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen to reigning champion Lewis Hamilton- all sporting a highly prized trademark TAG Heuer.

A watch at the top of the podium at the fall of the chequered flag. A timepiece which gives racing certainty. A split second timekeeper for Mercedes is the perfect partner to share this experience. A race track timekeeper which fixes the eyes of millions, validates the work of thousands, and warms the heart of the man in the hot seat – the driver.

Synergy took the next logical step. In 2008 Mercedes unveiled a futuristic high-performance eco-GT Concept Car. The inspiration was the TAG Heuer Concept Chronograph. The logical next step for a passionate partnership.

A singular pursuit of medals in the snow

a ruthless duel between and iron will and the gods.

Despite the knee injury Girardelli rebounded the following year to bag wins in punishing slalom races and ended up placed third in the overall World Cup standings. In 1985 he won 11 races and the World Cup overall title which he retained the following year and regained in 1989.

The perils of the piste struck again in 1990 which he was lucky to escape life in a wheelchair. But he bounced back and won the World Cup in 1991 and in 1993 for a record fifth time. His 46 World Cup race wins ranked him 4th all time greatest competition skier. 

Girardelli’s success came after the Austrian-born winter sports star quit his homeland in1976 in a quarrel over coaching methods. The alpine racer upped skis and decamped to Luxembourg. 

In 1981 he made his breakthrough for his adoptive country with his first podium finish – Girardelli crashed the top three at Wengen in Switzerland.

A world class skier après piste.

Laurels to rest on and a chestful of medals

With more than his fair share of laurels to rest on and a chestful of medals Girardelli turned his attention to imprinting his image on a range of skiwear. In its master’s image it would embody a certain image of ski – a classic outdoor style. This image of romantic daredevil which evokes a swoon from passing chalet maids was retro put of the moment.

Girardelli ensured that even if he was no longer in competition the hills remained alive to his talent. The clothing range launched in 2004 sent his career off in a new direction and kept this one man industry flourishing.

In 2008 he followed up his debut range of kids’ skiwear with an adult line. An empire was being built on the slopes he had conquered in years of front rank competition.

The nursery slopes were not forgotten

The braggadochio paid off with for Girardelli by eight sweet seconds.

Cute pictures of the young Girardelli brandishing with something approaching defiance means he understands the needs of the new generation.

Still burnishes his image in the company of other champs. Garardelli kept his profile alive with well chosen showcase events like the Franz Klammer Legends Races.

The ethos remains rugged and showed when he threw down the ski glove in a challenge to fellow legend Marco Buchel at “an expensive hotel in Zagreb after four beers” as he tells it. The challenge was a race with current champion skier Buchel using the yesteryear skis of Girardelli and Marc on the modern ones. The bragadochio paid off with for Girardelli who won by eight sweet seconds.

Timekeeping for a global sport

as fast as a skydiver in free fall

Though Norway gave the world the word, and a Norwegian created the modern sport, in skiing Switzerland stands high in the ranking. So it’s logical that Swiss company TAG Heuer is a major player, as sponsor and as official timekeeper.

In extreme events, skiing is fast—scarily fast. Take the Xspeed Ski Championships, sponsored by TAG Heuer. Skiers hurtle down the slopes as fast as a skydiver in free fall. To time such superhuman speeds, TAG Heuer technology measures 1/1000ths of seconds.

Being that precise has made it official timekeeper for World Championships, from the US in 1989 to St Moritz in 2003. Because of such precision, top national teams like Canada, and skiers like Marc Girardelli, have used the equipment to push their performance to the limit.

And the silverware cometh and cometh

“a Centre Court sensation. The stuff of dreams.”

In 2001 at her first WTA tournament Maria became the youngest ever female to reach the final of the junior Australian Open.
Just two years later, in 2003, she finished the season ranked 32nd in the world.
2004 saw her take her first grand slam title at Wimbledon at age of 17. In only her second appearance at the world’s premier lawn tennis tournament - she beat top seed Serena Williams creating a Centre Court sensation. The stuff of dreams.

After her Wimbledon win Maria’s ranking soared to Number 4 making 2005 a record breaker for the young star. August 2005 she hit the top spot for one week and then Lindsay Davenport reclaimed the title.
One month later she in turn reclaimed the number 1 slot for 6 weeks before Davenport snatched back the tiara.
She signed off a rollercoaster 2005 with a No 4 work ranking but as the undisputed Number 1 Russian lady.

In 2006 Maria took a second grand slam title at the US Open - finishing the year as world Number 2 - her best ranking to date. Second best did not last for long.
In 2007 she was number 1 for 7 weeks this time – her times at the top kept getting longer and this stretch saw her nudged off the top by Justine Henin.

The Olympics are reborn

One man’s vision is coming alive in the Athens spring.

It’s April 1896, year of the first modern Olympic Games. One man’s vision is coming alive in the Athens spring. Baron de Coubertin dreamed of reviving the ancient games, and now he is witnessing them happen. But these Games are a far cry from modern ones.

Only 14 nations are taking part—including Switzerland. Women can’t compete at all. The 100 meters victor wins in 12 seconds--breaking the 10-second barrier is decades away. The stopwatches used can only measure 1/5ths of seconds, and that is already worrying the International Olympic Committee.

Four more Games pass before another man with a driving vision, Charles-Auguste Heuer,  presents the Olympics with a worthy solution. Inventive son of an ingenious father, he is continuning the family tradition of discovery and innovation.

Timing the Olympics throughout the 1920s

Mankind could measure 100ths of seconds for the first time.

Fast forward to 1914. The International Olympic Committee is planning the next Games, and urgently needs more accurate stopwatches. Heuer sets his master watchmakers the challenge. Two years later they exceed all expectations. Their  “Mikrograph” measures 100ths of seconds. 

Thanks to this stopwatch, Mankind could measure 100ths of seconds for the first time in history. Its secret was a mechanism pulsating at an incredible 360,000 beats per hour. The Mikrograph took its rightful place in history as official stopwatch for the 1920 Antwerp Olympics .

Heuer  went on to time the Paris Olympics in 1924. The 100-meters champion that year was Harold Abrahams, whose story is immortaized in the classic movie “Chariots of Fire”. Heuer timed the 1928 Olympics too, when the original “Tarzan”, Johnny Weismuller, won two swimming golds.

The electronic era

Heuer had broken another timing barrier.

The Mikrograph was produced until 1969, one year after Jim Hines broke the 10-second barrier for the 100 meters. By then, Heuer had broken another timing barrier, with the “Mikrotimer”, unveiled in 1966. Electronic, futuristic, it was the first timekeeping instrument to measure 1/1000ths of seconds.

The 1980 Olympics bridged the political divide. The Winter Games were at Lake Placid, USA, the Summer Games in Moscow. As part of  Swiss Timing, Heuer was once again official timekeeper. A specially designed Mikrotimer was the official stopwatch of the Winter Games.

“Faster, higher, stronger” are the words of the Oympic motto, and the values that spur Olympians on to set new records. Setting new records in timekeeping is the Olympic challenge that TAG Heuer has set itself and beaten throughout its history.

Maritime was the theme for this must have watch.

The slick and stylish salads days of the Fifties found a watch

The Seafarer featured special dials patterned red, green and yellow which displayed high and low tides. This feature gave the Seafarer genuine seafaring edge and earned this watch the right to consider itself thoroughly seaworthy.

Not only could the Seafarer display the ebb and flow of tides it also tracked the phases of the moon. Moonchild before its time. For those out and about - afloat, on foot or four wheels - this was a high style and mighty useful piece of kit.

The evident success of the Seafarer led TAG Heuer to produce their own version– the model was called the Mareographe. In this way the successful stateside creation came back home and brought an American icon to the European market.

A thoroughbred line which began to thrive and multiply

Some welcome racing certainty for amateurs and professionals alike.

Just three short years after the launch of the Seafarer a new generation of this instant classic was produced. The Auto-Graph featured a tachymeter scale on the dial and a hand that could be preset to a specific point providing invaluable service to rally drivers.

In the heat of competition this design innovation allowed rally driver and navigator to determine the pace of the race at the check of the dial. A reliable reading of time over a mile was a flick of the wrist away. 

And the feature also adapted to the more sedate pursuit of golf. The score tally hand could be rotated to count golf scores. In this way the humble wristwatch turned into the arbiter in contests from the leafy greens to the churned dirt of the riproaring Monte Carlo rally. Adding some welcome racing certainty for amateurs and professionals alike.

The Seafarer and siblings define a lifestyle

trailblazing ladies among on their client list, including Katherine Hepburn and Greta Garbo

Abercrombie and Fitch were a smart fit for the Swiss watchmaker. The obvious choice for the creation of a pure breed range of sporty watches.  Equally at home on sea and land. The rugged conception and autonomy made it a natural choice for those with a completive streak.

Teddy Roosevelt, John F Kennedy Dwight Eisenhower and Clark Gable were faithful customers of Abercrombie and Fitch. Including maverick talents such as Ernest Hemingway whose writing talent was more than matched by his macho sense of adventure. All names which sit comfortably alongside the names who have entrusted their timekeeping to TAG Heuer over the years.

The famous New York label also counted some trailblazing ladies on their client list, including Katherine Hepburn and Greta Garbo and the fearless aviator Amelia Earhart. All these names sit comfortably in the lineage of these two company’s which together launched the Seafarer. Watch that man. And watch that woman.

Precision of a watchmaker in service of the spinnaker

Putting the get up and go go in retro - with style.

The landlocked Swiss are far from newcomers to the world of oceangoing yacht races. In 1995 TAG Heuer Challenge (NZL59) skippered by Kiwi Chris Dickson reached the Vuitton Cup semis. In 2002 TAG Heuer went into battle on the masthead of the Oracle BMW Racing Team to be subsequently outpaced by winner, Alinghi.

In 1970, for the first time in America's Cup history, multiple international challengers competed for the right to challenge the New York Yacht Club, the defender of the America's Cup.  A new dimension broadened the race and made it truly global.

For the 1983 America’s Cup match, Louis Vuitton stepped in to offer a trophy to the winner of the challenger selection series. An award for pretenders to the most prestigious piece of sailing silverware – the America’s Cup. French yachtsman Bruno Trouble is credited with this trophy brainwave.

A cup for the hottest of heats

Built to last, built rugged. Designed smart.

Increasing interest over the years has meant that the race for the Louis Vuitton Cup is now made up of a series of knockout races. A pair of semi-finals - finally decided in nine races between two boats. These races take place worldwide and take the event to all corners of the globe.  Ocean going and across the seven seas.

Ocean going yachts at close quarters are the big beasts of the sailing world. The cut and thrust of the contest has made this a winner with spectators worldwide. As differences in speed narrow the swashbuckle of superior tactics is the way to win the day and also the hearts of fans.

Competition for the Auld Mug, as the coveted silver America's Cup trophy is known, is fierce. The chance to hoist this coveted prize aloft as winner cannot be underestimated. TAG Heuer official watchmaker, timekeeper and sunglasses supplier to top teams, including China Team.

TAG Heuer and China Team rose to the challenge – together across the board

Made to measure

Wristwatches specially developed for ocean racing were issued as standard kit to the team. Also supplied was the revolutionary Aquaracer Calibre S’s timepiece. Other kit included award winning sunglasses, Golden Silmos and Reddots.

Effort and enthusiasm to be worldbeaters is the ethos of Louis Vuitton - the watchmaker and fashion house share this spirit. Made to measure made to treasure. Made for leisure - performs under pressure.

World class seafarers harnessed these qualities to build a winning team. These are watchwords that harden the resolve to truly challenge for America’s Cup. The Auld Mug changes hands but the new hands are always professional hands.

Part cowboy, part buccaneer, part globetrotter: All Birch

From rugged landlubber to solo seadog.

Oddly for a top class yachtsman Mike Birch started his working life feet firmly on dry land as a rodeo rider and gold miner.  Bronco-riding, calf-roping and steer-wrangling with a spell as a gold miner in Canada’s wild west. Born in Vancouver in 1931, he went nautical in 1959.

From miners lamps and bucking broncos Birch found his sea legs on the wild side of water joining a motley crew on a tramp steamer bound for Africa. Below decks were a hardened collection of card playing, liquor swilling Scots, Somalis, Chinese, Welsh and Irish. The toughest of ocean going academies.

A grizzly and fearless Zorro of the high seas

the competitive gene hardwired into this unlikely sailor

In 1976 Mike Birch launched himself into his first solo trans-Atlantic race- the OSTAR. And what a result! After 24 days 20 hours and 39 minutes he sailed across the finish line in second place. In 1978 he sealed his single-handed credentials in the inaugural Route to Rhum. His trimaran was first across the line after a 3510 race from Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe to St Malo.

With the nickname the ‘sea cowboy’, the ocean-going yachtsman made a natural subject for a film.  “Mike Birch, Riding with the Wind” portrays the rugged romance of a man battling the harshest, most unpredictable elements.

The intrepid sailor even involves himself in the construction of the craft he navigates to trophy winning effect.  To get under the skin of the beasts in which he rides the waves he has collaborated on boat design with naval architects Walter Greene and Rejean Desgagnes.

A man ready to harness the unpredictable - from horses to the high seas.

 

true grit and courage on land and sea

An all rounder who show true grit and courage on land and sea and faces whatever challenges fate throws his High Noon fashion. At home in Quebec, this a latter day James Dean, Birch wears a white T-shirt under a blue cotton shirt. A look he inhabits and makes his own.

Qualities which bear comparison with the explorers and adventurers like Christopher Columbus with a dash of Errol Flynn and Captain Jack Sparrow.  Men who made their way and their mark on water and horseback.

A hardy soul who has stayed the course. In 2004 he came in 2nd in the Transat Quebec to Saint Malo race at the age of 73. This transcontinental yachtsman born on the Pacific coast can truly claim to have mastered the Atlantic. His fortitude and courage have earnt him a rightful place in the TAG Heurer museum

Port cities worldwide have begun jostling to be the winners that stake a claim as the world beating waterfront.

the fastest and most furious ocean going yacht

Contenders to host in 2007 were Marseille, Malmo-Skane, Trapani and, the eventual winner, Valencia. The Spanish city constructed the competition’s first major installation this millenium, Port America’s Cup. They built it and they certainly came. On Sunday July 1st 2007 a record 87,547 visitors were in attendance.

For the 32nd America’s Cup a million square metre marina rose on the shoreline with 650 berths and quarters for 12 state of the art team bases. A spectator boat service was laid on ferrying around 1300 a dozen boats on racing days.

The statistics like the high rollers are breathtaking.  Fainthearts need not apply as the event takes off to a new 21st Century level. For the 2007 event 2500 hours of TV coverage was broadcast by more than 100 networks. The 6700 accredited media also pumped out over 100,000 articles.

High stakes to host the highest rollers

Regular Joe gets to bob in the wake of the fastest yachts afloat.

Add to that 2000 spectator boats which cast off on the final weekend 30 June – 1 July 2007. which took to sea and see up close and personal the talent which in contention for the mythic trophy. Regular Joe gets to bob in the wake of the fastest yachts afloat.

In 1995 TAG Heuer Challenge skippered by Kiwi Chris Dickson was a Semi Finalist in the Louis Vuitton Cup. In 2003 TAG Heuer joined forces with BMW Oracle Racing again - reaching the Louis Vuitton Cup final. A chance seized to launch the  Link Searacer, a specialist chrongraph credited with allowing boats to make sprint starts. A few months later, with Jean Chrisophe Babin, current CEO and president of TAG Heuer, aboard as 17th man, BMW-Oracle made a sprint start to best 31st America’s Cup winner Alinghi in the inaugural Moet Cup competition.

In 2005 TAG Heuer joined forces with China Team to challenge for America’s Cup glory opening a new chapter in the history of the race. To tie-in with the tie-up came the Aquaracer Calibre S Chronograph – the first analog chronograph using minute and second central hand for timekeeping the regatta countdown. Plus a range of three pairs of the finest sunglasses, the Avant-Garde Eyewear collection.

Going, going gone with the wind

son of the dragon – the Chinese symbol of power, nobility, speed and elegance.

« To win it will probably require two or three participations to accumulate the necessary experience and skills. » says Jean-Christophe Babin, TAG Heuer CEO. But already the axis of the competition is tipping East.

Qingdao International Yacht Club, which hosted sailing events at Beijing 2008 Olympics is the competing club representing Chinese high sea hopes. The state of the art ocean racer is the first ever vessel to carry Chinese hopes and took the name Longtze, which means son of the dragon – the Chinese symbol of power, nobility, speed and elegance.

Though the coveted cup from Cowes has spent most of its life in the Big Apple, global forces swirl round this silver dish.  The Americans proudly snatched the crown from proud Britannia in the 1851, giving it their name. But over a century later it the turn of interlopers from Down Under to prove they could rule the waves. Could the East be next to snatch glory?