TAG Heuer has just celebrated ten years with Oracle Red Bull Racing, and it hasn't done it with a heavyweight, unattainable chronograph. Instead, the brand has gone back to one of its most loved names: the Formula 1. The new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph x Oracle Red Bull Racing is a compact, colourful sports watch, and for us it's a great excuse to talk about the sporty vintage TAG Heuers that made this kind of watch so popular in the first place.
What TAG Heuer Announced
The new special edition (Ref. WBY111F.BA0042) was announced on 12 October from La Chaux-de-Fonds, marking a decade since TAG Heuer and Oracle Red Bull Racing joined forces in 2016. Here are the headline details:
- Case: 38mm sandblasted steel, with a shape that draws on the original Formula 1 models of the 1980s.
- Dial: deep blue sunray finish in the team's colour, a red flange, white Super-LumiNova indexes, a yellow central seconds hand and a date at 3 o'clock.
- Bezel: a blue bidirectional TH-Polylight bezel with a 60-minute scale.
- Movement: the solar-powered Caliber TH50-00 Solargraph.
- Water resistance: 100 metres, on a sandblasted steel three-row bracelet.
The team branding is saved for the back, where a screw-down caseback carries the Oracle Red Bull Racing logo over a checkered flag pattern. TAG Heuer lists it as available from October 2026, with an estimated North American retail price of $2,250.
A Watch That Runs on Light
The Solargraph movement is what makes the new watch so easy to live with. According to TAG Heuer, one minute of direct sunlight powers it for a full day, a full charge takes under 40 hours of light, and that charge gives up to ten months of running in total darkness. If it does stop, ten seconds of light gets it going again. It's a very modern take on the "grab it and go" sports watch.
Why the Formula 1 Name Matters
The TAG Heuer Formula 1 was born in the 1980s as an accessible, colourful way into Swiss watchmaking, with a direct line to motorsport. That's exactly the spirit TAG Heuer is leaning on here: a 38mm watch that a fan in the grandstand can actually buy, rather than a rare collector's piece.
It's also a reminder of what made TAG Heuer's sports watches from that era so special. Bold bezels, chunky lume, steel bracelets and a "wear it anywhere" attitude. Those same ingredients are why vintage TAG Heuer Professional watches are still so popular with collectors today.
The Vintage Route to a Sporty TAG Heuer
If the new Red Bull edition has got you thinking about a TAG Heuer, the vintage market is a brilliant place to look. You get the same sporty DNA, the classic shield logo and real character that only comes with age, often for far less than a new piece.
Here are three vintage TAG Heuers currently in our vault:
- TAG Heuer Professional 2000 Chronograph – White Dial – Stainless Steel – Vintage, £650. The racing pick of the bunch, with a crisp white dial, three navy blue subdials, a red central chronograph seconds hand and a tachymeter scale.
- Vintage TAG Heuer Ladies Professional 200M Quartz Watch | White Dial Blue Bezel Steel Bracelet, £365. If you like the blue of the new Red Bull edition, this one pairs a white dial with a dark blue diver-style bezel and a steel bracelet. Its bezel shows honest, heavy age-related wear.
- Vintage TAG Heuer Professional 200 Metres – Two-Tone Gold & Silver – Champagne Dial – Black Leather Strap, £295. A dressier take on the sports watch, with a champagne dial and gold-tone bezel on a black leather strap.
Like every watch we sell, each one has been checked by our in-house specialists. Want to see more? Browse the full In the Safe collection.
Final Thoughts
Ten years with Oracle Red Bull Racing, and TAG Heuer has marked it with a watch built for fans, not just collectors. That's very much in the spirit of the original Formula 1, and of the vintage TAG Heuers that still turn heads today. Whether you go new or vintage, a sporty TAG Heuer never really goes out of style.
Explore more vintage pieces at skylinesjewellery.co.uk, and catch us live on TILT every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 9pm.