TAG HEUER AND AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE MONACO SIGN PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

 As part of its 2011 “Mastering Speed” commemoration of its most famous source of inspiration — a century and a half of professional motorsports — TAG Heuer is proud to announce a new partnership with the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM).

 The agreement makes TAG Heuer the Official Watch and Chronograph, Eyewear and Timing Partner of the ACM and its events. For 2011, these include some of the most prestigious and glamorous moments in motor sports: the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco, the Monte Carlo Rally, the Monte Carlo Historic Rally, the Monaco Rally of Alternative Energies and the Monaco Kart Cup.

 “Partnering with the Automobile Club de Monaco in this important year is a great honour,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of TAG Heuer. “We look forward to working side by side with the ACM in their pits and paddocks, and helping to promote their legendary races throughout the TAG Heuer world.”

 

“We wanted to work with a prestigious watch brand that is a reference in international motorsports,” said Michel Boéri, President of ACM. “TAG Heuer was the obvious choice. We are already linked with them through the Monaco, the iconic watch worn by Steve McQueen, and we share the same values of prestige and performance. With its unrivalled roster of F1 champion ambassadors, and its heritage of watches and chronographs inspired by 150 years of automobile racing, TAG Heuer symbolizes the best in racing.”

 “TAG Heuer has now established itself as the key watch brand of the most important tracks and events in motorsports,” said Jean-Christophe Babin. “Through our partnerships with the ACM at Monaco, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in F1, Audi Sport for Le Mans and Endurance racing, and our longstanding role as Official Watch of the mythical Indy 500, TAG Heuer is precisely where it wants to be — in the pole position.”

 TAG Heuer kicks off its 2011 “Mastering Speed” celebrations with a special exhibition of historic racecars and TAG Heuer timepieces in the Halle Sécheron in Geneva from January 17-20. The event also marks the premiere unveiling of the Swiss watch brand’s newest breakthrough creation, the Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph, the first integrated mechanical timepiece with 1/100th of a second display by a central hand.

 The “Mastering Speed” exhibition showcases 10 cars that have made an indelible mark in the motor racing history of TAG Heuer and in international motorsport in general. These include those driven by the brand’s racing ambassadors, including F1 great Juan Manuel Fangio’s Mercedes W196, Clay Regazzoni’s Ferrari F1 312 B3, the World Champions McLarens F1 cars of Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton, and the Audi R15+ TDI winner of Le Mans 24 Hours. Also in the show are iconic TAG Heuer timepieces and chronographs directly inspired by motor racing. These include the Formula 1 series, created in homage to TAG Heuer’s long association with F1 racing, as well as the indomitable timepieces named after the most famous driving competitions in motorsports: the Monaco, the Silverstone, the Carrera, and the Monza.

 The “Mastering Speed” exhibition will tour other cities in 2011 as part of TAG Heuer’s ambitious “150 Years of Motor Racing” celebrations.

Source: Tag Heuer Press Release

2010 Tag Heuer Tesla Roadster

Pioneering luxury Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer and electric carmaker Tesla Motors have teamed up in a worldwide partnership as the iconic Swiss brand celebrates its 150th anniversary.

On display at the Geneva Motor Show is the 2010 TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster. This one-of-a-kind collector’s car includes a unique interior by Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, incorporating TAG Heuer avant-garde design elements and a specially designed center console due to host TAG Heuer’s cutting edge concept watch, to be revealed in Basel on March 18.

This car also features a TAG Heuer Meridiist mobile phone as well as a one-fifth second Heuer Limited Edition Stopwatch. This Swiss-made timepiece with mechanical movement pays tribute to the 1860 founding of the company and evoques the mythic revival of the brand’s vintage stopwatches.

The car’s exterior color scheme is Foucault Field Gray, embodying the innovative spirit of both companies. The design was inspired by the new TAG Heuer concept watch, a technical milestone in mechanical movements, which brings technologically advanced art to life through motion.

The 2010 TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster will remain at the Tesla booth during the public show days, March 4-14 at the Palexpo-Geneva conference center. The car will then be driven to Baselworld, the world’s largest watch exhibition, for a special event March 18.

Relentless focus on technological innovation

Since its founding in an artisan’s workshop in the Swiss Jura, TAG Heuer has become one of the world’s best-known luxury brands — maker of avant-garde watches, eyewear and premium mobile phones for refined consumers around the globe.

TAG Heuer, a star brand from the luxury group and worldwide leader Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), also has deep roots in the automotive sector. Company founder Edouard Heuer received in 1911 the patent for The Time of Trip, the first car dashboard chronograph, followed in 1933 by the Autavia — the first dashboard timekeeper for both automobiles and aviation. The benchmark in cutting-edge chronographs and timekeeping technology since 1860, TAG Heuer is the watch brand that can claim the longest and strongest association with motor sports and dream cars. Both watches and chronographs are inspired and driven by motor sports, from Formula One to GT cars.

“TAG Heuer has a rich history and expertise with the world’s most prestigious racing teams — but this is the first ever partnership we’ve forged with an electric sports car company,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of TAG Heuer. “We believe that high-performance drivers are increasingly searching for products that are efficient, socially responsible and stylish. TAG Heuer and Tesla are two of the few companies arleady achieving these ideals today.”

Tesla Motors began developing an electric sports car in 2004 and remains the only automaker selling highway-capable electric cars. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than nearly any other supercar yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius — the only car that delivers supercar performance guilt-free, with zero tailpipe emissions and a carbon footprint dramatically lower than any comparable sports car.

Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Tesla has delivered more than 1,000 cars to consumers in 21 countries. Advertising Age magazine recently named Tesla one of America’s “hottest brands.” The Tesla Roadster is quickly becoming the must-have car among Hollywood celebrities, European royalty and socially responsible trendsetters worldwide.

“Engineers at both TAG Heuer and Tesla understand intuitively that technology — whether worn on your wrist or driven on the road — can help us live better while we tread more lightly on this planet,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The CEOs of TAG Heuer and Tesla, along with celebrity customers of both companies, will launch their next collaboration in style on March 18 at a party during Baselworld 2010. This nine-month project, commemorating TAG Heuer’s 150th anniversary, will have worldwide reach and will raise awareness of technological innovation to consumers on three continents.

About TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer, which is proudly celebrating 150 years of Swiss watchmaking, has pioneered any major milestones in high-end watchmaking, particularly in the field of chronographs and ultimate precision. TAG Heuer is the first watchmaker to master luxury chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th and 1/1,000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as official timekeeper for the legendary Indy 500 race, with accuracy at 1/10,000th of a second, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim ever higher. This is reflected in its quarter-century partnership with F1 team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, its 7-year partnership with 2008 Formula 1 World Champion, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, and his new teammate, 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button.

The newest addition to the TAG Heuer legacy is the Calibre 1887, an in-house, Swiss manufactured, integrated column-wheel chronograph movement that pays tribute to the original Heuer oscillating pinion of 1887, one of the brand’s first patents and a major benchmark in modern watchmaking.

About Tesla Motors

Tesla is the world’s only automaker selling highway-capable electric vehicles. Tesla sells cars online and operates showrooms and galleries in London, Munich, Monaco, California’s Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, Colorado, New York, Seattle, Chicago and South Florida. Tesla has delivered more than 1,000 cars to customers in at least 21 countries worldwide.

The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than nearly any car in its price class and is twice as energy efficient as leading hybrids. It is the only highway-capable electric vehicle for sale in Europe or North America. The Roadster does not need regular oil changes or exhaust system work. Roadsters have no spark plugs, pistons, hoses, belts or clutches to replace. Tesla recommends a standard service and diagnostic inspection once a year – and Tesla can perform this service at customers’ homes or offices.

(Source: Tesla Motors Press Release)