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By Cam Wolf
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The original collection of TAG Heuer Formula 1 watches was a huge advertising success. During the 80s and 90s, when it was in production, it was available in more than 20 colors and its value was affordable, between $130 and $390. It was an ideal watch for beginners or a simple graduation gift for any stylish-conscious child, and it was available in a mini length of 28mm, ideal for a young person’s wrist. The sturdy plastic or stainless metal cases and rubber straps made it an even more suitable choice for someone who rarely searches for a valuable watch. Three million of these pop-colored watches have been sold in their 10 years of manufacture, making them a star in the world of millennial memory.
This is where Ronnie Fieg, founder of Kith, a nostalgia-driven streetwear brand, does his most productive work. His latest smart move is to revamp Formula 1 for the modern collector and the hordes of crazed enthusiasts he has amassed since Kith introduced him in 2011. Fieg is doing what Fieg does best: transforming a smart product, loved from its young to a symbol of fashionable prestige. He has done it with sneakers, streetwear and even cereals. And his new collaboration with TAG Heuer is almost certain to be another hit. “It’s as vital to me as any [luxury] watch because of what it means to the market, what it means to the broad diversity of watch enthusiasts and who its price point can cater to,” Fieg said. The collection will renew the watch in 10 new color combinations, all very much indebted to the originals. The updated edition will feature a 35mm adult-length case; stylish striped dials stamped with Kith’s Just Us motto and will retain the daisy-shaped bezel and pop. However, length is rarely the only advancement for 2024. The new watches cost $1,550, also affordable for adults. “It’s on par with what TAG is doing today,” Fieg said.
The partnership began, like so many wonderful things, over dinner. By chance, Fieg sat next to Frédéric Arnault, then CEO of TAG Heuer. Never missing an opportunity to keep Kith at the center of the conversation, Fieg turned to Arnault and embraced his adoration of Formula 1, the sport of his formative years. “Having one meant a lot in the ’90s and it was the watch I wanted,” Fieg said. Later that night, he even dug up an old photo of himself as a teenager with a Boy Meets World hairstyle and a red and black Formula 1 car on his wrist to show Arnault. The proposal came at a wonderful time, just as Formula 1 was experiencing a resurgence of interest in the watch community, with creditors rushing to eBay to buy them or to sell out long-forgotten models. A return already in the minds of TAG Heuer managers. At an occasion in March last year, Nicholas Biepurchaseck, TAG Heuer’s chief wealth officer, joked: “Oh no, of course we’re not bringing back a watch that everyone is talking about right now!” Memories of Fieg’s formative years fit perfectly with the brand’s plans; and soon after his dinner with Arnault, an official partnership was formed.
The new Formula 1 collection is a triumph for a legacy that makes the most productive use in its history to seduce in the new world of watchmaking, balancing culture with the tastes of 2024. It’s a watch that invites budding creditors into the world of luxury. Swiss watches while maintaining the Swiss luxury criteria that the most experienced aficionados expect. That component didn’t go unnoticed by Fieg, who said, “It broadens the spectrum to attract new people to the game, which is to say, for sure. “
Cam Wolf is a senior style writer at GQ.
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