The full story of the collaboration between Tag Heuer and Kith is in this Sunday’s edition of About Time, Esquire’s free weekly watches newsletter. You can sign up for it here.
In what may the least best-kept secret in watches this year, Tag Heuer has announced it is bringing back its original Formula 1 watch.
The colourful, entry-level, plastic quartz model was produced in its 'Series 1' time-and-date iteration from 1986 to 1990.
A relaunched model is being released next week in highly limited numbers, in collaboration with the US lifestyle brand Kith.
Fans have long petitioned for the comeback of the original Formula 1, and its potential return has been much discussed, not least in this Esquire article.
The 2024 collab – officially called Tag Heuer Formula 1 | Kith – is available in ten different versions. Each one is priced £1,350/$1,550.
The ten watches are:
An eggshell dial with a stripe pattern in a steel case with a black, red and white bezel on a steel bracelet, shared between Tag Heuer and Kith stores and limited to 1,350 pieces.
A black dial with a stripe pattern in a black PVD case, with a blue bezel with white markings on a blue rubber strap, available in Tag Heuer stores and limited to 825 pieces.
A black dial with a stripe pattern in a black PVD case with a green bezel with white markings on a green rubber strap, available in Tag Heuer stores and limited to 825 pieces.
A black dial with a stripe pattern in a black arnite case with a black arnite bezel on a black rubber strap, exclusive to Kith and limited to 250 pieces.
A white dial with a stripe pattern in a red arnite case with a red bezel on a red rubber strap, exclusive to Kith and limited to 250 pieces.
A yellow dial with a stripe pattern in a black arnite case with a black bezel on a yellow rubber strap, exclusive to Kith and limited to 250 pieces.
A pink dial with a stripe pattern in a beige arnite case with a beige bezel, exclusive to Kith and limited to 250 pieces.
A blue dial with a stripe pattern in a yellow arnite case with a green bezel, exclusive to Kith and limited to 250 pieces.
An eggshell dial in a steel case with a green bezel on a steel bracelet, exclusive to Kith stores, and limited to 350 pieces.
And a white dial in a steel case with a blue bezel on a steel bracelet, exclusive to Kith stores, and limited to 350 pieces.
All the watches are sized at 35mm and like the originals, are water resistant to 200m.
The collaboration was initiated by Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, a collector of the original run of the Formula 1 – part of a growing fanbase of enthusiasts fed by nostalgia for 1980s and 1990s watches. Like Fieg, for many the Formula 1 was their first watch.
The Formula 1 holds a key place in Tag Heuer’s history, too.
It was the first model to feature the names of the two recently-united companies – watchmaker Heuer, and Techniques d’Avant Garde, a private holding company who acquired a majority stake in the former in 1995 – on the dial.
Along with Swatch, the Formula 1's colourful appeal, collectable colours and affordable quartz movement helped re-establish Swiss watchmaking as force to be reckoned with, at a time when the industry was being decimated by cheap digital watches from the East.
Founder Jack Heuer had deep connections with motorsport.
A combination of bravado and good timing meant the watch line ended up with the unimprovable IP of ‘Formula 1’ as its name. Today both motorsport and the Formula 1 line, which now comes in a variety of more luxurious materials, are backbones of the company.
The original Formula 1 was a smash hit, selling three million watches in its first decade.
Tag Heuer tracked down the original supplier of the case and the original mould to remake these watches, though they also feature some concessions to the 21st Century, including a crystal upgraded from plastic to sapphire, and straps made from plastic not rubber.
Kith has added its own design details, including the branding ‘Just Us Limited Edition’ above the 6 o’clock position.
The Tag Heuer logo has also been swapped for ‘Kith Heuer’ on the dial and the strap – the first time the watchmaker has allowed its corporate ID to be customised in this way.
The watch follows the huge success of the MoonSwatch – a plastic version of Omega’s admired Speedmaster model produced in collaboration with Swatch, rendered in plastic and sold for less than £300.
Tag Heuer stresses this is a different proposition. The Formula 1 is an original hit watch and fan favourite, bought back from the archives. Unlike the MoonSwatch, it is actually more expensive than the original.
“The Formula 1 was the first watch I ever owned,” Ronnie Fieg tells Esquire. “My mom used to work at [US luxury watch retailer] Tourneau and she bought it for me for my 13th birthday. I remember she hit her sales goal at work for that month and was so excited that she could finally buy me a watch. It was a 28mm and I fell in love with it. As I got older and began making my own money, I started collecting [the] 35mm [line], which is how I began my journey of becoming a watch collector.”
“Right now, there are a lot of collabs in the luxury market. Many would say too many,” says Nicholas Biebuyck, heritage director at Tag Heuer. “Many, many people come to us and say ‘We want to do something with Tag’. We are very, very selective. But when you have a story as compelling as the one Ronnie presented – it felt a very serendipitous moment. The fact that we were bought together with this great moment, when nostalgia was running high, and we had a great product that made a lot of sense to bring back.
“We found the supplier who made the case in the first instance, and they had the original mould, so it’s biometrically exactly the same as the original watch. At the same time we’ve upgraded the materials: sapphire crystal DLC-coated steel cases, real rubber instead of plastic for the straps – when you hold the two [vessions] up side-by-side they feel substantially different.”
All the watches will be pre-launched at Kith and Tag Heuer stores in Miami on 3 May, to coincide with this weekend's Miami Grand Prix.
The global launch then follows on 6 May.
You can read the full story behind the collaboration this Sunday.
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