TAG Heuer spends a lot of cash supporting motorsports on a worldwide scale as the Official Timekeeper. They are also the Official Watch and Team Performance Partner of successful F1 team Red Bull Racing, furthermore, they are the Official Timekeeper for The FIA World Touring Car Championship and the Official Series Sponsor of FIM Endurance World Championship. Now with a Formula E race happening in New York they’re betting electric racing will become just as big.
TAG with Hemsworth
TAG Heuer’s line of accurate watches and timekeeping abilities has granted them a few special positions in the racing circuit. TAG has been the Official Founding Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship since the series’ inception in 2014. This paved the way for the brand to become the FIA Formula E Official Timing Sponsor, Official Watch and Chronograph of the Championship, and the Official Timekeeper of the Championship. What once seemed like a long shot now looks to be a smart investment for the Swiss brand which has a strong motor racing heritage.
Hemsworth at ePrix Race
At the inaugural New York City ePrix Race, Australian actor and TAG Heuer brand ambassador Chris Hemsworth drove the circuit to kick off the championship’s final race. Hemsworth lapped the track in an exclusively designed Formula E show car featuring his name and Australian flag alongside the TAG Heuer logo, playing in to the brand’s motor racing themed Don’t Crack Under Pressure ad campaign that he stars in. While at the wheel, Hemsworth wore the Connected Modular 45 smartwatch, the second generation of the TAG’s popular Connected Watch. The watch that is also being featured in the new Kingsman movie. TAG’s CEO and LVMH watch chief Jean-Claude Biver is putting a lot of resources behind the smartwatch as Swiss brands are increasingly losing market share to so-called “wearables.” The FIA Formula E championship made history as the first open-wheel race sanctioned by the International Automobile Federation to take place within the five boroughs of New York City.
A Few Words from Hemsworth’s
“I loved being behind the wheel at Formula E”, Hemsworth declared at the event. “That sense of adventure and adrenaline rush is something I find very appealing. I grew up in a culture of motorbikes, so I’ve always really liked racing. Making the jump to cars was easy.” Hemsworth came to TAG Heuer’s attention after starring as Formula 1 driver James Hunt in 2013 excellent racing flick Rush, in which TAG was also a partner. The FIA Formula E Championship season consists of 12 races of all-electric cars in nine different countries worldwide, ending in Montreal on July 30th. Will Biver’s investment pay off? The momentum certainly seems to be behind it, and Formula E sponsorship costs a fraction of Formula 1. And Ferrari and Mercedes have been dominating the F1 season so far, with Red Bull Racing–TAG Heuer winning just one grand prix so far.
