The Basics
- Company: TAG Heuer
- Price: $895
- Official Site: TagHeuer.com
85 The AskMen Take
Back in the mid-1980s, when the venerable Heuer watch company became TAG Heuer, one of the first new models it released was the Formula 1. While many Heuer devotees bemoaned the change in direction for the company, this model reflected the brand’s new focus on modern designs and tough quartz watches priced affordably.
The chunky composite bezel, bold color choices and sporty rubber straps set the Formula 1 apart from its Swiss competitors and gave watch buyers a quality Swiss alternative to the rugged quartz watches coming out of Japan. While TAG has moved upmarket with many of its model lines, at under a grand for the chronograph seen here, the Formula 1 remains its most affordable, unique and durable timepieces.
The chunky composite bezel, bold color choices and sporty rubber straps set the Formula 1 apart from its Swiss competitors and gave watch buyers a quality Swiss alternative to the rugged quartz watches coming out of Japan. While TAG has moved upmarket with many of its model lines, at under a grand for the chronograph seen here, the Formula 1 remains its most affordable, unique and durable timepieces.
82 Uniqueness
The TAG Heuer Formula 1 has a panache that is hard to deny and its design is unmistakable. The watch has been suitably updated over the years, now in a near-perfect 41mm case and with the desirable offering of a chronograph version. With hand-applied markers, faceted hands and its colorful dial, this is a great entry point to a top-notch Swiss brand. The classic three-row bracelet is a nice dressier alternative, but this watch looks best on its textured rubber strap. After all, it’s more of a dressy sports watch than it is a sporty dress watch. While quartz chronographs are nothing new, TAG has been doing them longer than most, and doing them better.
88 Durability
You can’t beat quartz for durability. Impervious to shock, the nemesis of its delicate mechanical brethren, a quartz movement can take a beating. House that movement inside a 200-meter water-resistant steel case with a screw-down crown and you have a damn near bombproof watch. The Formula 1 Chronograph is a versatile timepiece. While its name suggests motorsports, its ratcheting bezel hints that it could pull dive duty and the 1/10th of a second chronograph is great for timing your 5K training runs or pool laps. And it can do it all looking far better than the more common digital sports watch.
Design-wise, the Tag Heuer Formula 1 has outlived its trendy beginnings to become a modern classic. Originals from the 1980s are starting to be collectible and we have no doubt the latest Formula 1 Chronograph will be as desirable in another couple of decades
Design-wise, the Tag Heuer Formula 1 has outlived its trendy beginnings to become a modern classic. Originals from the 1980s are starting to be collectible and we have no doubt the latest Formula 1 Chronograph will be as desirable in another couple of decades
