TAG Heuer wasn’t about to let a chance to celebrate the legendary driver Ayrton Senna pass it by.
The Swiss watchmaker is teaming up with the late Formula 1 icon’s eponymous brand to release a special Carrera chronograph. The limited-edition timepiece is set to drop later this year to coincide with the release of Senna, a six-part Netflix mini-series based on the driver’s life that stars Gabriel Leone.
The exclusive Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Senna is the latest chapter in a relationship that dates back to 1988. It was during his time as a TAG Heuer brand ambassador that Senna achieved the success that made him one of the sport’s most revered figures, winning three driver’s championships—in 1988, 1991, and 1993—and setting several records on the track.
The collaboration between the driver and watchmaker culminated in the release of his first signature timepiece, the 6000 Senna Limited Edition, in 1994, the same year before he tragically died following an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix. The agreement to create the watch was reached two days before the fatal crash in Imola, Italy. Several references celebrating the driver have been released over the years, including two chronograph tourbillons in the Carrera collection in 2018 and 2019.
The third Senna Carrera is still being finalised, but TAG Heuer has shared some tantalising details about the timepiece. The watch has been designed to be something the driver would have actually wanted to wear and features several elements that reference his life and racing career. These include a carbon bezel inscribed with a tachymeter scale that goes to 400 km/h, a reworked skeletonised dial that incorporates a checkered flag motif, and a 44 mm caseback that reveals an image of Senna with helmet.
Image courtesy of TAG Heuer
In addition to the exclusive release, several TAG Heuer watches can be seen in Senna, its star, Leone, recently told Robb Report. The actor, who is also an ambassador for the watchmaker, revealed that he wore two of its timepieces in the series, a Carrera 409 the driver is given by his character’s father and a Senna S/EL Link Chronograph S25.706C. The vintage watches help ground the show in the 1980s and 1990s, while also serving as a reminder of the brief-but-intense life lived by Senna.
“When you think about a watch, it’s like having time on your wrist,” Leone told us. “He loved watches, so they were important to us, not only as an object, but a concept.”
Luckily, we won’t have to wait much longer to see the finished Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Senna. The watch is expected to launch in November, shortly before the 4 December premier of Senna. The timepiece will be limited to just 500 pieces, and is priced at 37,000 CHF, which works out to around US$43,375 (HK$337,205).
