TAG Heuer Watch Brand History
Prestige, performance, avant-garde technology and absolute reliability: these four "watchwords" have characterized TAG Heuer philosophy since its founding in 1860, when Edouard Heuer set up the company's first workshop in St-Imier (Switzerland). Since that date, the firm's bold and innovative spirit, its dedication to the high-precision measurement of infinitesimal fragments of time and its quest for excellence in the design and fabrication of its products constitute the very soul of TAG Heuer. From its very first patent for a chronograph mechanism in 1882 to the introduction, in 2004, of a revolutionary new automatic movement (the Monaco V4), TAG Heuer continues to be at the forefront of some of the most spectacular innovations in watchmaking history.
1860 Edouard Heuer At the age of twenty, Edouard Heuer founded a watch-making workshop in St Imier in the Swiss Jura mountains. |
1869 One of the first TAG Heuer patents Edouard Heuer patented one of the first crown-winding mechanism for pocket watches |
1876 TAG Heuer in London Edouard Heuer founds a subsidiary in London. |
1886_1887 TAG Heuer invents the oscillating pinion Major improvement in the chronograph industry: TAG Heuer invented the famous "oscillating pinion" for mechanical chronographs. In 1887, the oscillating pinion was patented. It is still used today in the mechanical chronographs of the major Swiss watch brands. |
1889 TAG Heuer at the Paris World Fair TAG Heuer receives a silver medal for its collection of pocket chronographs during the Paris World Fair. The Eiffel Tower was constructed the same year as the Fair's emblem. |
1892 Invention of the transfer process Edouard Heuer dies on April 30 at the age of fifty-two. Salzmann invents the transfer process used to print watch dials. |
1895 Patent of the TAG Heuer water-resistant case The patent for one of the first water-resistant cases for pocket watches |
1910 A legendary chronograph Introduction of one of the legendary pocket chronographs in a richly ornamented silver case with enamelled dial. Henry Freund Bros. becomes the company's U.S. distributor. |
1910 1960 1920 TAG Heuer Excellence Excellence of TAG Heuer workshops: 1910 pocket chronograph with a 30-minute counter and enamelled dial (upper left). wrist chronograph with a 12-hour counter and a tide indicator: the Seafarer model ordered by the American sportswear store Abercrombie Fitch about 1960 (upper right). silver wrist chronograph with a 30-minute counter and a luminous enamelled dial from about 1920 (lower left). |
1911 The Heuer heritage This pocket watch was dedicated by Jules-Edouard Heuer to his nephew Charles-Edouard for his confirmation. Death of Jules-Edouard Heuer. |
1911 Time of Trip The "Time of Trip", the first dashboard chronograph patented by TAG Heuer in 1911, was designed for aircraft and automobiles. Its 11-cm diameter and its size are well suited for installation on all types of dashboards. The large hands at the centre of the dial indicate the time. The small pair of hands, at the 12 o'clock position, give the duration of the trip (not exceeding 12 hours). The same button is used to start, stop and reset the clock. A small window at the 3 o'clock position serves to monitor the proper operation of the device. |
1911 The Monte Carlo Master Time TAG Heuer dashboard instruments as the “Monte Carlo” and the “Master-Time” were essential mechanical milestones in the timekeeping historical background of the company. |
1912 Lenin at Pravda Lenin takes over the management of the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda. The company begins manufacturing ladies wristwatches. |
1916 The Micrograph: accurate to 1/100th of a second TAG Heuer invents the "Micrograph", the world's first sports stopwatch with a precision of 1/100th of a second. This model revolutionized timekeeping, particularly during the Olympic Games sprint competitions and for technical research. |
1920 Timekeeper of the Antwerp Olympic Games Antwerp Olympic Games: TAG Heuer split second pocket chronographs were selected as the official stopwatch used at the Olympic Games on 3 consecutive occasions: Antwerp in 1920, Paris in 1924, Amsterdam in 1928. |
1920 Sports chronometers This chronograph and these enamelled dial sports stopwatches are fundamental pieces of the collection. Top: split-second chronograph with fly-back hand. Left: sports stopwatch with two fly-back hands |
1920 Large wrist chronograph This large wrist chronograph from the 1920’s is fitted with the same mechanics, powered by a pocket watch movement. Its crown and integrated button for start, stop and reset are located at 12 o’clock. |
1927 Stopwatches in the heat of competition TAG Heuer put their stopwatches to the "test" as timekeepers of ski, bobsled and car races. |
1933 The Autavia dashboard instrument Creation of the first dashboard instrument for automobile and aviation : "Autavia" Later in 1933, TAG Heuer introduced the first dashboard featuring an eight-day movement, the “Hervue” dashboard which ran for 8 days without winding |
1938 Bold advertising This advertisement, which appeared in 1938 in the Swiss Watchmaking Journal, prefigures the boldness and inventiveness of the brand's future advertising campaigns. |
1945 General Eisenhower wears a TAG Heuer General Eisenhower buys a TAG Heuer chronograph with a steel case. All products are signed on the movement, the dial and the case. |
1950 Mareograph Launch of the "Mareograph" – called the "Seafarer" in the United States. The world's first chronograph with a tide level indicator and dial for regattas. |
1950 Carrera Panamericana Rally In 1950 the Mexican Government scheduled a six-day, border-to-border race in order to celebrate the completion of Mexico's section of the Panamerican Highway - the Carrera Panamericana rally was inaugurated. |
1955 Twin-time Introduction of the "Twin-time" model, a self-winding wristwatch with a second time zone indicator. By pressing the push-button at the 2 o'clock position, the small hand can be moved separately to indicate the local time. |
1964 Launch of the “Carrera” chronograph Jack W. Heuer launches the "Carrera" in tribute to this exciting race “Carrera Pan-American Rally” in the 50’s: The first chronograph with a pure and functional dial design featuring a wide dial opening and a 1/5th of a second scale on the flange. This model rapidly becomes the watch of the champions and a best seller worldwide. |
1965 Evolution of the Carrera TAG Heuer improves the "Carrera" model with a major innovation: this model was the world's very first wrist chronograph with a digital date display printed on a disc (top). It supplements the traditional "Carrera" model fitted with a 12-hour register and with a second hand register (below). |
1966 Microtimer: 1/1000th of a second TAG Heuer introduces a worldwide first: the "Microtimer", the first miniaturized electronic timing instrument with a precision of 1/1000th of a second. |
1969 A legendary Monaco chronograph Launch of the legendary “Monaco” model, the world's first chronograph with a water-resistant square case. It is the model preferred by the renowned Hollywood actor Steve McQueen. |
1969 Chronomatic with microrotor Launch of the first automatic chronograph movement with a micro-rotor: the "Chronomatic" (Calibre 11, rapidly replaced by the Calibre 12) was developed and launched by TAG Heuer in 1969. |
1969 Race car driver Joe Siffert, a TAG Heuer devotee The famous Swiss racecar driver Joe Siffert, the winner of two Grand Prix races who was sponsored by the company from 1969 to 1971, wore his Autavia and displayed the “Heuer Chronomatic" logo. He perished during the trials for the Brands Hatch Grand Prix, in 1971. |
1969_1971 Autavia and Carrera chronographs Introduction in 1969 of two of very first wrist chronographs fitted with an automatic self-winding movement using a micro-rotor: the "Autavia" and the "Carrera". On the left, the "Autavia" model with a tachometer scale. On the right, the elegant "Carrera" model. They also have a date display. |
1970 Steve McQueen and his fabled "Monaco" A time of passion: the brand becomes a reference for Steve McQueen. He wore the "Monaco" chronograph during the making of the film Le Mans in 1970, and became the brand's official worldwide ambassador. |
1970 The Film-Master in Hollywood During the 1970's, the legendary "Film-Master" model was used by Hollywood's most famous movie directors to time film sequences. |
1970 Jacky Ickx wears a TAG Heuer Jacky Ickx, former Formula 1 driver, is sponsored by the brand in the 1970's during his collaboration with Ferrari. |
1971_1979 Ferrari chooses TAG Heuer As sponsor and official timekeeper of Team Ferrari from 1971 to 1979, TAG Heuer was associated with all of its legendary drivers: Jacky Ickx, Clay Regazzoni, Mario Andretti, Carlos Reutemann and Jody Scheckter. In his Ferrari, Niki Lauda won the drivers' championships world title in 1975 and 1977. |
1975 Microsplit with LCD display The "Microsplit", the world’s first LCD pocket-size quartz stopwatch accurate to 1/100th of a second was invented and manufactured by TAG Heuer |
1976 TAG Heuer technology for Formula 1 TAG Heuer presents to FIA of an innovative technology: the transponder technology, an automatic car identification timing system (ACIT), enabling recording the times of all cars. |
1980 Timekeeper of the Moscow Olympic Games TAG Heuer is the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games in Lake Placid and Moscow. As part of the Swiss Timing organisation, TAG Heuer was asked once more to be one of the Official Timekeepers of the Olympic Games in Lake Placid and Moscow, after Antwerp in 1920, Paris in 1924, Amsterdam in 1928. |
1982 Series 2000 Launch of the “2000 series”, the original Professional Sports Watch with the famous 6 features created in 1982: Water resistance 200 meters, Screw-in crown, Unidirectional turning bezel, Sapphire Crystal, Luminous hands and hours markers, Double safety clasp. |
1985 The "Formule TAG" skippered by Mike Birch The fabulous multihull, the "Formule TAG", skippered by Mike Birch, and one of the first Kevlar and carbon fibre trimarans, set a 24-hour speed record. |
1985 125th golden anniversary celebration “125th”: Gold pocket chronograph celebrating the 125th anniversary of Heuer : 1/5th second accuracy, 30 minutes and 12 hour counters, date/date/month, moon phases. |
1986 TAG McLaren victory Following the "Ferrari era" the victory of the TAG McLaren team, with Alain Prost, marked the return of TAG Heuer on the Formula 1 circuits. |
1987 The S/el TAG Heuer launches the “S/el” series combining sports and elegance. This TAG Heuer model is most representative of the brand's success, with its exclusive design featuring a distinctive S-shaped link bracelet. |
1988 TAG Heuer ambassador Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna becomes a TAG McLaren Mercedes driver and TAG Heuer ambassador. Thanks to his charisma, this multiple world champion, who became the representative of the S/el series, was a TAG Heuer ambassador for many years, enabling the brand to benefit from his fame. |
1989 Luc Alphand wears the TAG Heuer colours French champion Luc Alphand is sponsored by TAG Heuer. In 1989, TAG Heuer became the official events timekeeper for the World Cup and supplied timekeeping devices to the American and Canadian federations. In 1995, the brand became the main partner of the French downhill racing team. |
1990 Official timekeeper of Formula 1 The McLaren team with Ayrton Senna behind the wheel won the Formula One World Championship for both constructors and drivers. |
1990 The FIS World Championship In 1990’s TAG Heuer is the Official Timekeeper of the FIS World Cup in Europe, Canada and North-America and the supplier of timekeeping devices to the national teams of France and Canada. In 1999 / 2001 / 2003, TAG Heuer is the Official Timekeeper at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championship in Vail, USA, in St. Anton, Austria and in St. Moritz, Switzerland |
1991 Don’t crack under pressure The Don't crack under pressure campaign is a tribute to both the brand's and its ambassadors' determination. It illustrates the pressure of sports and the intense concentration required of athletes in view of the fact that the practice of sports is more mental than physical. |
1992- 2003 Official timekeeper of Formula 1 TAG Heuer becomes the Official Timekeeper of the FIA (Fédération internationale de l’Automobile) Formula One World Championships. |
1993 Titouan Lamazou’s “TAG Heuer” The largest composite racing monohull ever built, christened the "TAG Heuer" and built for French skipper Titouan Lamazou during the "Jules Verne Trophy", was a precedent-setting project in both sporting and technological terms. |
1994 The Basel Watch Fair TAG Heuer has participated in the World Watchmaking and Jewellery Fair in Basel since 1934. Combining cutting-edge technical features and a strong sense of design, the TAG Heuer stand, designed in 1994 by Italian architect Ottavio Di Blasi, perfectly reflects the unmistakable TAG Heuer spirit. |
1995 Success – It’s a mind game Success. It's a mind game: TAG Heuer invents a prestigious and spectacular campaign based on the world of sports as never before portrayed, creating a firm foundation for the brand's positioning in the luxury sector. This TAG Heuer campaign won 15 of the world's most prestigious advertising awards. Sports figures are no longer seen as merely positive "subjects", but also convey an up-to-date image of success. |
1997 Launch of the Kirium Launch of the “Kirium” series, an exceptional line embodying a fusion of form and function through a judicious combination of technology and design. |
1997 Shaped by the spirit of sport Launch of Shaped by the spirit of sport, the tactical advertising campaign, in support of the launch of the Kirium, with an outstanding team of world class athletes and Olympic champions. |
1999 Launch of the Alter Ego Launch of the first TAG Heuer watch exclusively dedicated to woman: “Alter Ego” Among the 5 new women ambassadors endorsing the new Alter Ego series, 3 world class champions and 2 world famous actresses: Kristen Scott Thomas and Helena Bonham Carter |
1999- 2001 Timekeeper of the FIS World Championship TAG Heuer is the Official Timekeeper of the 1999 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships – Vail, USA and of the 2001 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships – St Anton, Austria |
1999 Launch of the Link Launch of the “Link”, a renewal of the famous and successful “S/el” design with the emblematic "S" shaped link. The Link becomes the most elegant watch in the sports watches universe, the most sporty watch in the elegant watches universe |
2000 Timekeeping Thanks to its performing timekeeping’s instruments, TAG Heuer measures intermediate and partial times, speeds, total race time, intermediate 1 and 2, finish line and speed trap |
2001 Jack William Heuer In 2001, Jack William Heuer becomes TAG Heuer’s Honorary President. Born in 1932, he has been an integral part of it since he was in diapers, later strongly influencing its history. |
2001 Launch of the Kirium F1 Crafted for the avant-garde, the TAG Heuer “Kirium Formula 1” is a feast of technical achievements: The modern analog watch with digital chronograph functions, accurate to 1/100th of a second. |
2002 Sport Vision TAG Heuer launches the "2002 Sport Vision": the first luxury sports glasses. "Sport Vision" is an ergonomically designed line of prescription eyewear and sunglasses. Its avant-garde design inspires technology, and technology determines function. |
2002 The F1 Micrograph wins the Design Watch prize The “Micrograph F1" wins the Watch Design Award at the Geneva Grand Prix d'Horlogerie. TAG Heuer reinvents the "Micrograph", the world's first sports stopwatch with 1/100th of a second precision, patented in 1916. |
2002 Louis Vuitton Cup TAG Heuer sponsors the Oracle BMW Racing team, the Americas Cup challenger, during the Louis Vuitton Cup. |
2002 What are you made of? The What are you made of? campaign becomes a symbol of the brand's prestigious avant-garde stance and the TAG Heuer spirit. The campaign's key concepts are sports inspiration, avant-garde watchmaking, sophistication and identification. Ayrton Senna, Tiger Woods, Steve McQueen and Inès Sastre lend their images to this campaign. |
2003 Timekeeper of the FIS World Championship TAG Heuer is the Official Timekeeper of the 2003 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in St Moritz. |
2003 New Link Launch of the “New Link”, associated with its legendary ambassador, golfer Tiger Woods. |
2003 Sébastien Bourdais wears a TAG Heuer Sébastien Bourdais CART racing for Newman Haas Racing wearing the Ti5 |
2003 Autavia chronograph TAG Heuer “Autavia”: The legendary chronograph designed by Jack W. Heuer himself. Originally launched in 1963 with the first automatic movement, in tribute to the Autavia dashboard of 1933, the “Autavia” has been relaunched in 2003 to celebrate the 40th anniversary with an exclusive TAG Heuer Calibre 11 automatic movement. |
2003 Link Calibre 36 The "Link Calibre 36", the star model of the "Link" series, strikes a balance between the elegance of a sports chronograph and the precision of the Calibre 36 movement, an exceptional automatic movement capable of measuring time to 1/10th of a second. |
2003 Monaco Sixty-Nine Launch of the "Monaco Sixty-Nine": TAG Heuer reinvents its icon. With its extraordinary technical performance, this "concept watch" combines in one and the same case the Monaco's manual-winding movement with a digital chronograph movement on the reverse side. |
2003 Microtimer: 1/1000th of a second Launch of the “Microtimer”: The first Swiss Wrist Timekeeping Instrument accurate to 1/1000th of a second. |
2003 Tiger Woods joins the TAG Heuer team Tiger Woods, the world's greatest golfer, joins TAG Heuer as the "hottest" ambassador for the brand and the “Link” series |
2004 Transponders Jean Campiche, Manager Timing Systems, showing the location of transponders on Scott Dixon’s car In 2004 TAG Heuer becomes Official Partner of legendary Chip Ganassi Racing, N°1 American Motoracing Team, for Indy Racing League and NASCAR racing events. |
2004 2000 Aquaracer TAG Heuer launches the “2000 Aquaracer”, the High-Tech and design professional water sports watch for dress-up or dive-deep. |
2004 The TAG Heuer Formula 1 school TAG Heuer creates the “TAG Heuer AGS Formula 1” driving school in 2003 through a partnership with the “AGS Formula 1” Team. This driving school, located in Southern France, has 10 Formula 3 and 12 Formula 1 cars and offers unique Formula 1 driving experiences to Formula 1 enthusiasts and TAG Heuer’s best retailers and media partners. |
2004 The Carrera’s 40 legendary years 40 years of legend for an emblematic and timeless model of the TAG Heuer Collection: the "Carrera 2004" chronograph represents the sum of the emotions engendered by this legendary model over the last 40 years. |
2004 Maria Sharapova joins TAG Heuer In December 2004, a rising star in women's tennis, Maria Sharapova, joins Team TAG Heuer as a very glamorous sports ambassador for the Aquaracer series. |
2004 Timekeeping to 10'000th of a second for the IRL The Indy 500 Race’s start. Since 2004, TAG Heuer is the Official Timekeeper of the Indy Racing League and Indy 500 Race, and masters the challenge of measuring 1/10 000th of a second |
2004 TAG Heuer Formula 1 Relaunch of the TAG Heuer "Formula 1" series, the casual sports watch originally launched in 1986, endorsed by Kimi Raïkkönen from the West McLaren Mercedes F1 team. |
2004 New Ladies Collection TAG Heuer courts the women's market with a collection of exceptional timepieces, such as the "Monaco Python", whose bold shape and daring originality target women wanting to own the fashion accessory of the season. |
2004 The Monaco V4 revolution TAG Heuer touched off a true revolution in watchmaking circles with the launch of the new “Monaco V4” concept watch at the 2004 Basel Fair. As the first mechanical movement of the third millennium, its operation involves the use of belts, a linear weight, ceramic ball-races and four V-mounted barrels. Its bold design reflects this revolutionary technology. |
2004 SLR chronograph Launch of the “SLR Chronograph” by TAG Heuer, an exclusive SLR Mercedes Benz owners limited edition. Its flowing lines, high-performance movement, original shape and ergonomic design are inspired by the prestigious sports car. It is the only automatic chronograph accurate to 1/10th of a second. The SLR Chronograph's Calibre 36 movement is fitted with a regulator module specially designed by TAG Heuer watchmakers, the "Calibre 36 Regulator", which gives the watch's dial the look and functionality of an automobile dashboard. |
2004 Yao Ming joins TAG Heuer Pro basketball player Yao Ming, pivot man for the NBA's Houston Rockets, epitomizes drive, high-caliber performance and prestige, all of which characterize TAG Heuer. In 2004, he becomes a TAG Heuer ambassador. |
2005 Brad Pitt joins TAG Heuer American movie star, Brad Pitt, joins the ranks of TAG Heuer many illustrious ambassadors, both present (tennis pro Maria Sharapova) and past (actor Steve McQueen). |
2005 Creation of the Calibre 360 Launching its CALIBRE 360, the very first mechanical wrist chronograph accurate to 1/100th of a second, TAG Heuer again demonstrates its avant-garde spirit and precision craftsmanship in mechanical watchmaking. |
2005 Jeff Gordon joins TAG Heuer The American NASCAR racing star, Jeff Gordon, joins the TAG Heuer team of ambassadors. |
2005 Juan Pablo Montoya joins TAG Heuer In January 2005, Juan Pablo Montoya becomes a driver for TAG McLaren Mercedes and a TAG Heuer ambassador. With a number of Grand Prix victories to his credit, circuit driver Juan Pablo Montoya is often in the spotlight. |
2005 Uma Thurman joins TAG Heuer In 2004, American actress Uma Thurman becomes a glamorous sports ambassador for the brand. |