'In a Way We Are Striving to Become More Like Ayrton': Tag Heuer Honour Senna on the 30th Anniversary of His Passing

We are forever being told that cars and ‘timepieces’ go together like a horse and carriage, and brands galore have jumped on that bandwagon in the hope of benefiting from the cross-pollination between automobiles and horology. But with an automotive background that began more than a century ago — with its ‘Time of Trip’ dashboard chronograph designed in 1911 for use in cars and aircraft — Tag Heuer (then just Heuer) can probably lay claim to a more legitimate link to four wheels than any other watchmaker. 

From the 1930s its ‘Autavia’ dash clocks were the go-to timepieces for ‘AUTomobilists and AVIAtors’, but it was after Jack Heuer took over as head of the company in 1958 that it became indelibly associated not just with motoring but with motor sport in particular. It was Jack who introduced
drivers’ wristwatches such as the Camaro, the Silverstone, the Autavia chronograph and the budget Heuer-Leonidas ‘Easy Rider’ models — and, of course, the Carrera chrono that has become the modern-day Tag Heuer brand’s signature offering. 

Most dyed-in-the-wool horophiles know inside-out the story of the Carrera (we told it in these pages in 2022). But for those who don’t, it goes like this... 

Senna was not only one of the greatest Formula One drivers but also an awesome human being. 

Launched in December 1963, the Carrera’s existence can be traced to the previous year, when Jack struck up a pit-garage conversation with the parents of Mexico’s legendary racing driver brothers Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez at the 12 Hours of Sebring, for which Heuer had supplied the timing gear. Talk turned to Mexico’s infamous Carrera Panamericana, and Heuer became enthralled by the story of the event, which began in 1950, when the country’s government set out to celebrate completing its section of the 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway. It marked the occasion by organising a no-holds-barred motor race along the road itself, with the only eligible vehicles being five-seat sedans. 

The inaugural grid comprised professional competition drivers, wannabe racers, cabbies and countless other amateurs, with the event taking place in nine stages across five days, starting close to Texas and El Paso and heading south to the finish line at Chiapas on the Mexico-Guatemala border. In that first race, three competitors and one spectator were killed, quickly giving La Carrera (Spanish for ‘the race’) a reputation for being frighteningly dangerous. 

During the following four years it developed into an event for highly tuned competition cars that drew some of the world’s top drivers and produced some of the most thrilling four-wheeled competition ever seen. 

But with too many drivers either dying or being seriously injured, La Carrera was canned following the fifth edition in 1954 — though a combination of its notoriety and that evocative Carrera name were sufficient to convince Jack that it would be perfectly suited as the inspiration for a new driver’s watch. 

He decided to call Heuer’s next chronograph the Carrera, and registered the exclusive right to use it on watches, following the lead of Porsche, who had previously adopted it to identify their most powerful models after the giant-killing 550 Spyders with special four-cam ‘Carrera’ engines scored class wins in the 1953 and ’54 Carreras Panamericana. 

Following its arrival in 1963, the Carrera chrono took many forms and was seen on the wrists of the world’s leading racers, including Bruce McLaren, Jo Siffert, Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni, to name but a few. 

The line was dropped in the mid 1980s, but strong demand for its return from enthusiasts around the world saw a revival in 1998, since when the name has been applied to more than 400 Tag Heuer models. Due to that hiatus in the 1980s and nineties, however, one celebrated Formula One star linked to Tag Heuer never got to wear a Carrera, and that was Ayrton Senna. 

It was in 1988, his first world championship-winning year, that the partnership between the brand and the Brazilian legend was forged, after McLaren’s then team principal, Ron Dennis, acquired a significant stake in the watchmaker. 

In the early years, Senna’s relationship with Tag Heuer was based on a mutual appreciation rather than an official contract, with the star making the brand’s watches his default choice. As of 1989 he was seen wearing several different models, starting with a steel- and gold- plated Series 2000 before he tried pieces such as the colourful steel and plastic Formula One and the S/EL three-hand chronometer. But it was the digi-analogue S/EL series 2000 chronograph worn on a custom leather strap that became his favourite. 

Ahead of the 1994 season (and with two further world championship titles under his belt), Senna left McLaren for Williams, but maintained and reinforced his relationship with Tag Heuer by signing up as an official ambassador. Having Senna fully ‘on board’ further exposed Tag Heuer to the star’s huge fan base in countries throughout South America, as well as in Japan — where he was revered as a result of the Honda engines that had powered his Lotus and McLaren cars during his rise to fame. 

It was just 48 hours before his fatal accident at Imola on May 1, 1994 that the star approved a special ‘Senna’ version of the recently launched Series 6000 watch, which went into production shortly after his death with the blessing of his family. Proceeds from sales went to the newly established Instituto Ayrton Senna, marking the start of one of the longest continuously running relationships in the watch industry. 

That relationship continues today in collaboration with Senna Brands (run by the driver’s niece Bianca), and has now seen the release of dozens of Tag Heuer Senna models — the latest being the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Senna, pictured here, a limited edition launched to coincide with the start of the new Senna mini series on Netflix that marks 30 years since the driver’s death. 

One man who has been key to the creation of the watch and to Tag Heuer’s involvement with the Senna production is the brand’s Heritage Director, Nicholas Biebuyck, who supplied around 30 watches from the museum collection to be used during filming. An especially poignant scene shows Senna’s father gifting him a 1950s Heuer chronograph, which the driver (played by Gabriel Leone) then uses to reflect on his family and his time growing up in Brazil. 

“There have been a fair few Tag Heuer Senna limited editions over the years — I think this is the 29th — but a few recent editions focused on broad commercial appeal, because we want as many people who are in love with the ideology of Senna to have access to a watch relating to him,” Biebuyck told The Rake. 

“At the same time, we have many collectors who have been hoping another Senna tourbillon would follow the first one of 2018. And, with precision and accuracy absolutely synonymous with Senna’s success, it seemed very natural for us to present a new one just as the Netflix series was being released.” 

The 44mm watch features a brushed and sandblasted titanium case housing Tag Heuer’s TH20-09 automatic movement driving a chronograph, date display and tourbillon. 

The black skeletonised dial combines a blue minute track bordered by green, contrasting with yellow detailing for the central seconds and sub-dial hands and a yellow Senna ‘S’ logo. There’s another Senna ‘S’ on the fixed, forged carbon bezel along with the Senna signature, while the sapphire crystal caseback is engraved with a Senna illustration. 

As with Tag Heuer’s previous Senna models, some of the proceeds from the sales of the 500 examples will filter through to the Senna Institute, which has, since its founding, raised more than $500m to help provide a full education to 36m Brazilian children. 

“Senna was not only one of the greatest F1 drivers but also an awesome human being, so for us to be able to acknowledge his legacy has been an honour,” Biebuyck says. “In his private life, Senna was an extremely caring and giving person, with a great sense of justice and morality. 

“Yes, Tag Heuer is part of a luxury goods group, but in a way we are striving to become a little bit more like Ayrton — and the fact that our licensing agreement for the Senna name focuses on education in Brazil fits with that. 

“This watch lays the foundations for a new chapter in our relationship with Senna brands and the Senna foundation, and we’ll definitely see a continuation of the story next year.” 

Read the full story in Issue 97, available now.