It’s a steaming hot day trackside at the hottest place to be in the world right now – Formula 1’s new season opener in Melbourne. A few days out from race day, the paddock is already swarming with people – from F1 super fanatics chilling under the sun to mechanics busily carrying all manner of racecar paraphernalia across to their respective team garages. Lewis Hamilton coming and going as he pleases, each time his arrival is preceded by a running entourage, gigantic camera lenses and a boom mic or three, is contributing to the heat.
Summer may be on the way out Down Under but something even hotter is back at the Albert Park circuit: TAG Heuer. Yes, the motorsport-loving Swiss watchmaker is making its big return as F1’s official timekeeper, replacing Rolex which has held the position since 2013. And whether you’re into perfect UK replica watches or not, you won’t be able to miss TAG Heuer’s buzzy new presence in the sport.
Over the next few days of action, standing below one of the pit lane clocks is the photo moment to capture – the iconic red bezel of AAA China fake TAG Heuer‘ Formula 1 model watches from the ’80s popping in all its glory. “We thought it was a great moment to show our iconic pieces like the Formula 1. Best copy watches that made our history, and are part of our history,” said Antoine Pin, CEO of TAG Heuer. “That’s why we’re bringing those back. The Formula 1 is one of the products that carries the most emotion. This watch was probably the first luxury Swiss watch for generations of people who today are between 40 and 60. This watch carries this huge emotional baggage.”
The first luxury replica TAG Heuer Formula 1 model watches was launched in 1986, and three million pieces were sold over the next 10 years, making it the most largely produced model in the history of watchmaking and now a cultural icon. So the sight of these giant replicas (the case diameter exceeds one metre and they weigh 35kg) proudly overlooking the track – and telling the paddock the time – bring both nostalgia and fresh new buzz to the pit lane.
Which is apt because over the course of the weekend, the Grand Prix is attracting a crowd of all ages. The target audience, at least for cheap TAG Heuer replica watches UK? “People who carry the same values as us,” adds Pin. “It’s a community and that’s what we’re looking for in Formula 1.”
Real ones – both high quality super clone watches heads and F1 fans – will know that TAG Heuer has been there from the very beginning of F1 racing. In 1969, Heuer became the first luxury watchmaker to sponsor a Formula 1 driver and have their logo appear on a car. “It’s more than just a sponsorship, it’s about timekeeping trust,” said Andrew McUtchen, founder of Time+Tide Watches. “TAG Heuer has been deeply rooted in motorsport. They were the first ones to put timings on the screen and made it a much better spectator sport. They really are back. It’s a reunion.”
And some of the stars of the sport today, namely Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson, are doing what F1 heroes like Ayrton Senna did best – rocking the TAG Heuer logo, be it on their jackets or wrists.
“I already knew about TAG when I was a kid, they were making great watches already,” says four-time world champion Verstappen ahead of his P2 in Sunday’s action-packed race that Lando Norris won. “TAG Heuer was linked to motorsports in general so when you watch Formula One, you see TAG Heuer, it’s always been linked.”
On Verstappen’s wrist is his customised Swiss online fake TAG Heuer Monaco split-seconds chronograph watches, a ‘Rattrapante’ (meaning it allows for the measurement of two separate events that start simultaneously but have different durations) adorned with 4 stars, each commemorating a World Championship win.
“That’s my favourite watch,” he says. “I think it looks the best. It’s very special, it stands out.” While Verstappen is happy to wear a watch that does the talking for him in the paddock, away from the F1 scene he prefers to keep things lowkey. “I’m quite simple in terms of clothing. It’s just that I like to be anonymous. I just want to enjoy my time away from racing,” he adds. “When I walk along the street, for example, I don’t want to be the one that is flashy and seen, let’s put it like that,” which explains his choices in 1:1 China copy TAG Heuer watches.
Fresh new teammate Liam Lawson on the other hand, is already making a reputation for himself in the style stakes, namely when the 23-year old Kiwi driver pulled up to the F1 75 season launch event in London last month in the grungy drip of a typical skateboarder his age – all baggy light-washed jeans, plaid zip-up and chunky sneakers. “I try to be a little bit unique, not the same as everybody else,” says Lawson. “That’s generally how I make decisions on anything I do. Honestly, it’s about trying not to do the standard thing. That’s basically probably the best way I can describe it. And that’s generally how I would dress in normal life.”
Not only do we love it, Lawson’s vibe check in F1 is also indicative of how younger fans of the sport – and their attitudes towards brand awareness, is shifting, which is crucial to Pin’s vision for TAG in F1. Interestingly, for Lawson TAG has also always been in his conscience. “My first watch was actually a TAG Heuer Carrera, it was a gift when I was a bit younger about 5 or 6 years ago,” says Lawson. “Growing up, I never really understood too much about Swiss movements replica watches. But then when I got one, it completely changed my view and I was noticing other people’s watches and looking around and started to take an interest. That’s what started my initial passion for watches.”
In the paddock, over the course of a weekend of mixed emotions for Lawson, he was flexing TAG’s new Formula 1 Chronograph x Oracle Red Bull Racing fake watches for men on a navy blue strap. “I think for most of the season, I’ll be repping this one at the track.” Melbourne is the closest race to New Zealand, where he’s from. “When I was very, very young, I used to watch it and I’ve always wanted to race here, “ he adds, “so to start the season in this team and to start my first full season as a Formula One driver, it’s very exciting to do that here.”
Come race day, although Lawson crashed out in what was an enthralling first look at the kind of action the 2025 season might bring, the fans had an absolute blast and the energy felt fresh – everyone raring to go for what’s set to be the most competitive year of racing in a long time. And down on the pit lane, amid the chaos, carnage and buzz in and around the paddock, one thing was clear – TAG Heuer replica watches shop UK is well and truly back.
And the hype around last year’s limited edition KITH x TAG Formula 1 collab coupled with the very Instagrammable Formula 1 clocks on the pit lane, it begs a very specific question – are we gonna get a new collection of colourful TAG Formula 1s next month at Watches and Wonders?
We shall see. But if we do, we’re already taking bets on Lawson rocking one first.