- Posts
- 2,534
- Likes
- 7,585
Films, TV & Media: Heuer / TAG Heuer
- Posts
- 5,699
- Likes
- 15,044
Albert-AMG
·Alexandra and the pink Carrera
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·Alain Prost has long been associated with TAG Heuer, but I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him wearing a TAG watch during his racing years with McLaren. His racing suit sleeves are almost always covering his wrists in all the photos I've seen. It was hard to know if he was even wearing a watch and if so, what kind.
Finally, I was looking through an old book and spotted this pic. I believe he may be wearing a TAG Heuer Series 2000 ref. 974.013 or 974.006. Taken at the 1986 Brazilian GP, the first year that the McLaren MP4 cars would wear "TAG Heuer" on their windshields.
Prost, Lauda and Ron Dennis all wore Ebel watches during the TAG Turbo McLaren era. I believe Prost continued wearing Ebel during his Honda McLaren & Ferrari years as well. As shown in this Ebel advert.
Even Ron Dennis was still wearing Ebel as late as 1989. (This photo is from the '89 Autocourse book.)
I have never been able to positively spot Alain Prost wearing a TAG Heuer during his F1 career. Perhaps a telling sign is that while Aryton Senna wore the TAG Heuer patch on the left arm of his racing suit, Alain Prost did not.
My conclusion is that while Prost was formerly a TAG Heuer ambassador in his post-F1 career, he wasn't directly an ambassador during his McLaren tenure in the same way that Senna was.
The team was of course sponsored by TAG Heuer and Prost's McLaren race car was used to promote the original Formula 1 watch. But there was never a Prost specific campaign such as Senna's "Don't Crack Under Pressure".
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·Perhaps it's just me, but I find Alain Prost's relationship or personal preference to wear Ebel watches during his TAG Heuer x McLaren years astonishing! 😲
Given how heavily Prost's McLaren was featured in adverts, catalogues and even on the box of the OG F1 itself, I was always falsely under the impression that he had some type of relationship with TAG Heuer back then.
But having found this old Ebel advert, it confirms I've had the wrong impression for decades! The first paragraph is apparently a quote from Alain Prost, describing his first win of the 1989 season in Phoenix Arizona, with an Ebel automatic on his wrist. (Prost was with Honda McLaren that year.) The second paragraph states as of 1991, Prost had been in F1 for 12 seasons, and always with Ebel. (He was with Ferrari in 1991.)
Which basically means during his entire time with TAG Heuer sponsored McLaren, he was wearing Ebel. Strange bed fellows, TAG Heuer front & center on his windshield but an Ebel on his wrist. This would be like Max wearing his personal Rolex while racing his TAG sponsored RedBull today! 😒
Given how heavily Prost's McLaren was featured in adverts, catalogues and even on the box of the OG F1 itself, I was always falsely under the impression that he had some type of relationship with TAG Heuer back then.
But having found this old Ebel advert, it confirms I've had the wrong impression for decades! The first paragraph is apparently a quote from Alain Prost, describing his first win of the 1989 season in Phoenix Arizona, with an Ebel automatic on his wrist. (Prost was with Honda McLaren that year.) The second paragraph states as of 1991, Prost had been in F1 for 12 seasons, and always with Ebel. (He was with Ferrari in 1991.)
Which basically means during his entire time with TAG Heuer sponsored McLaren, he was wearing Ebel. Strange bed fellows, TAG Heuer front & center on his windshield but an Ebel on his wrist. This would be like Max wearing his personal Rolex while racing his TAG sponsored RedBull today! 😒
- Posts
- 1,545
- Likes
- 1,503
McBeardy
·Perhaps it's just me, but I find Alain Prost's relationship or personal preference to wear Ebel watches during his TAG Heuer x McLaren years astonishing! 😲
Given how heavily Prost's McLaren was featured in adverts, catalogues and even on the box of the OG F1 itself, I was always falsely under the impression that he had some type of relationship with TAG Heuer back then.
But having found this old Ebel advert, it confirms I've had the wrong impression for decades! The first paragraph is apparently a quote from Alain Prost, describing his first win of the 1989 season in Phoenix Arizona, with an Ebel automatic on his wrist. (Prost was with Honda McLaren that year.) The second paragraph states as of 1991, Prost had been in F1 for 12 seasons, and always with Ebel. (He was with Ferrari in 1991.)
Which basically means during his entire time with TAG Heuer sponsored McLaren, he was wearing Ebel. Strange bed fellows, TAG Heuer front & center on his windshield but an Ebel on his wrist. This would be like Max wearing his personal Rolex while racing his TAG sponsored RedBull today! 😒
Surely it’s personal preference. Prost liked Ebel, much like Max likes Rolex. Not their fault Tag / Tag Heuer sponsor then vehicle etc.
Isn't that the reason why TH haven’t released an official Max championship watch?
- Posts
- 21,457
- Likes
- 30,082
Aquagraph
·I guess Ebel was a personal sponsorship that he didn't want to give up? What's more surprising is that it didn't cause a conflict, I guess Ebel must have been okay with the fact that Prost drove a car with TAG Heuer stickers on it... I mean how did they advertise Prost's involvement without looking a bit silly?
- Posts
- 491
- Likes
- 394
RockBurner
·Different time, people and brands weren't so hyperbolic and extreme about these things. It was perfectly reasonable to do that sort of thing.
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·Surely it’s personal preference. Prost liked Ebel, much like Max likes Rolex. Not their fault Tag / Tag Heuer sponsor then vehicle etc.
Isn't that the reason why TH haven’t released an official Max championship watch?
I guess Ebel was a personal sponsorship that he didn't want to give up? What's more surprising is that it didn't cause a conflict, I guess Ebel must have been okay with the fact that Prost drove a car with TAG Heuer stickers on it... I mean how did they advertise Prost's involvement without looking a bit silly?
Different time, people and brands weren't so hyperbolic and extreme about these things. It was perfectly reasonable to do that sort of thing.
I tend to think Prost just personally liked Ebel, rather than holding onto a personal sponsorship deal when TAG Heuer became a McLaren sponsor. That advert is from 1991, so there was no conflict with McLaren at that time, since he had moved to Ferrari. However, from '86-'89, when Prost was still with the team, it would've been a conflict for Prost to actively promote Ebel. Especially with TAG Heuer on the cars and the crew all wearing those red F1 watches.
Interestingly, Ebel had a relationship with McLaren in the early 80's. Both Niki Lauda and John Watson wore Ebel patches.
When Alain joined the team and started pre-season testing, he also wore the Ebel patch (on his left arm). It even appeared on the cars.
However, since the start of the '84 season, I've never seen a picture of Prost with the Ebel patch again. But there are many pictures of him wearing Ebel watches.
I think he just really liked the particular watch I posted above, from the 1986 season. Here he is in 1991 (Hungary GP), still wearing that same style Ebel!
Edited:
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·I guess I feel personally taken aback because Prost was like the poster child for TAG Heuer when I bought my original F1 watch back in '87.
TAG also chose Prost for their reissue of the Heuer Helmet clocks from the '70s. How I wish they had also made a Senna helmet clock!
TAG also chose Prost for their reissue of the Heuer Helmet clocks from the '70s. How I wish they had also made a Senna helmet clock!
Edited:
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·Back to the present, Glen Powell wore the Carrera glassbox to his Twisters movie premier.
- Posts
- 10,091
- Likes
- 11,148
Hubert
·
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·
😎 🙄
- Posts
- 2,531
- Likes
- 3,267
bpsmith
·😀
- Posts
- 482
- Likes
- 742
flawless
·We had ITV filming a scene in our shop for a TV series - had to get rid of all branded items, but neglected to clear out the cabinet that has some of my collection. They get to shooting and the first camera shot starts off pointing at one of my metal TAG shields, pans across a stack of TAG caps and finally gets to the actors.
Will be interesting to see if any of the shots, particularly that one, make it into the show - unfortunately, won't know until next year when series 5 is out.
Will be interesting to see if any of the shots, particularly that one, make it into the show - unfortunately, won't know until next year when series 5 is out.
- Posts
- 10,091
- Likes
- 11,148
Hubert
·We had ITV filming a scene in our shop for a TV series - had to get rid of all branded items, but neglected to clear out the cabinet that has some of my collection. They get to shooting and the first camera shot starts off pointing at one of my metal TAG shields, pans across a stack of TAG caps and finally gets to the actors.
Will be interesting to see if any of the shots, particularly that one, make it into the show - unfortunately, won't know until next year when series 5 is out.
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·TAG Ambassador Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won 2 gold medals at the Olympics, 400m Hurdles & 4x400 relay, wearing her lucky ladies Link. Which she personally considers her World Record watch, as she's worn it each time she's broken the WR in 400m Hurdles. Six times now, with the latest and greatest at the Paris Olympics.
She literally blew the competition away!
She literally blew the competition away!
Edited:
- Posts
- 5,699
- Likes
- 15,044
Albert-AMG
·The 2017 Baywatch movie featured TAG Heuer. Although I don't believe the Rock or Zac Efron wore TAGs in the movie.
This TAG Heuer Link actually has quite a bit of prominence in the film, even if it's worn by the bad guys and used to bribe a politician! 😁
- Posts
- 482
- Likes
- 742
flawless
·
Never watched the Baywatch movie. Must be a bad guy if they wear the bracelet that loose - psycho!
Why is it upside down in the box? Is it because that woman is wearing her watch upside down?
Edited:
- Posts
- 283
- Likes
- 936
matthew_VA
·Hodinkee article on Tennis and Watches...
- Posts
- 8,017
- Likes
- 16,284
Mspeedster
·I revisited this movie today, mainly because of Alexandra Daddario 😉, and I didn't remember this other connection between this film and TAG Heuer (Perhaps it was in this film where Alexandra and TAG Heuer met?)
I think the relationship more likely developed via Porsche, as Alexandra was recently a Porsche spokesperson. She had been invited to several Porsche x TAG Heuer events, just prior to becoming a TAG ambassador.
Similar threads
- Posts
- 16
- Views
- 2K
