Back in the 1980s things were different; mechanical watches were old hat and everything was waaay more colourful. Nothing epitomised this more than the HUGE success of the 'Swatch' watch, and TAG Heuer, finding itself in a less than dominant position in the watch market, decided the way forward for them was an upmarket version of the Swatch; thus the original, super-colourful, resin-cased Formula 1 was born. Boom! It was a massive success in it's own right, firmly establishing the newly minted TAG Heuer brand name in the minds of thousands of young (and potential future) customers and in the process helped to turn the company's fortunes around.
At 34/35mm it's a little bit small by todays standards, but for some reason I find it wears a lot better than you would expect. Maybe it's the bright colours, maybe it's the TAG Heuer shields on the strap or maybe it's just that it is what it is and if you don't like the size then wear something else? I do vaguely remember when I got my first classic F1 wishing it was bigger, but I eventually got used to it and it no longer bothers me in the slightest. Indeed, I now have nine of these and I'm slowly homing in on the complete set.
What sets these apart really is how collectible they are, the bright colours are fun and you just want to 'collect them all' as I believe the saying goes. Of course it helps that the prices are relatively affordable as well; I've picked up classic F1s from as little as £120 and I think the absolute most I've paid has been £370 for a NOS ladies 'raspberry' (complete with original box and papers). In fact I would say my entire collection has cost less than £1700, including replacement straps.
While we are on the subject of straps, please don't go paying eBay prices for these straps - they are all available direct from TAG Heuer at £32 each, less than half of what eBay sellers will charge for them!
An unusual subject for a top five perhaps given that all these watches are essentially identical, but I really love these watches and any excuse to post photos of them is worth exploiting, so here we go:
#5. 373.513 (Orange & Grey)
We kick off with the only watch in my top five that doesn't have a resin coated case, but what it does have is an almost neon orange bezel and strap and that more than makes up for it. Like most of my classic F1s, this one came from Japan and aside from some scratches to the glass, it's in pretty good condition. I've actually just picked up a new strap for this one and it really is bright - makes you realise how grubby mine has gotten over the years!
#4. 388.513 (Light & Dark Blue)
One of the more difficult colour schemes to find at affordable prices (and in good condition for some reason), I finally found one in the UK just a few weeks ago although when it came it was wearing a black strap. While I'm sure it's a lot more practical than the light blue strap it originally came on, it looked a bit odd and I was happy to pick up a replacement from Bicester Village. Needless to say it doesn't quite match the bezel but I imagine that's changed colour since it left the factory so you have to make allowances I guess...
#3. 382.513 (Yellow & Grey)
The top three are pretty hard to sort into a definitive order and on a different day this could easily have claimed the top spot. For some reason (maybe the glass?) the dial on this one is much sharper than any of the other classic F1s I own and the silver ring around the dial sets it off magnificently. The yellow case matches the dial perfectly and is such a fantastic, vibrant yellow (which my photo utterly fails to capture!) I can't see how you could look at this one and not smile. Again my 382.513 came from Japan and was worth every penny.
#2. 380.513 (Yellow & Black)
One of, if not the most impactful colour schemes of all of the classic Formula 1s, this yellow and black version is also one of the most sought after. Again this arrived on a black strap, which is understandable because I've only had this a year and my yellow replacement strap is already starting to discolour (and really if I've worn it 20 times I would be surprised). As a matter of fact I've just picked up another replacement in readiness for it getting to the point where I can't take its grubbiness any more... factor in £32 a year for straps with this one!
#1. 385.513/085 (Red & Black)
This was the first classic Formula 1 that really caught my eye, and one that I struggled to find at a sensible price for a while. This model started out as the 385.513 with a black strap, but then TAG Heuer decided to release the same watch on a red strap so the black strap version became the 385.513/081 and the new (mostly) red model was given the /085 suffix.
I actually bought mine on the black strap and then bought the red strap separately. I'm debating whether to buy another one so I can have both models in my collection, but it seems more than a little extravagant. That said, mine isn't in the best repair, there are three dates each month when the date wheel doesn't change and the bezel isn't the best either. In fact it's probably a more efficient use of funds to buy another one than to invest money in repairing this one.... so that's settled then.
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