FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1s by Shane Paradis

 

As you can see from the banner above, this year we are celebrating forty years of the TAG Heuer Formula 1. I'd like to hope TAG Heuer themselves would do the same, but... we'll see. TAG usually reserve anniversaries for their 'Heuer' models, but the Formula 1 is enjoying a surge in popularity so it would be nice if they did acknowledge it this year. I mean, they celebrated 40 years of the Monaco and it was only in production for about 20 of those, hahaha.

So I thought, what better way to celebrate this very special birthday than to invite some fellow 'TAG Heuer Formula 1' enthusiasts to share their favourite models with us. Just like in 2024, with the Aquaracer's 20th anniversary, each month we'll have a 'Top Ten' and (assuming we get some kind of consensus and not just 110 different models) at the end of the year we can crown the top ten TH F1's ever.

First up we have Shane Paradis... and straight off the bat I have to say I don't think I would have predicted these particular references. I think this is going to be an interesting project!

10: WAZ2113.BA0875 Calibre 5 Automatic

One of the more toned-down versions of the modern F1 range, the WAZ2113 fits in my top ten because it has TAG’s charm, but has a more restrained appearance at first glance. This is what I would recommend to someone who is afraid of quartz movements but is seeking a somewhat affordable model from TAG Heuer. There IS hope for those who run in fear of the mighty quartz crystal, but the real ones know that a proper TAG Heuer F1 runs on a nice cheap quartz movement 😀

9: CAZ201E.FC6517 Calibre 16 Super Mario Limited Edition

Everyone hates this watch but I love it! I wouldn’t buy one… but I love it! I’m not usually a fan of limited editions because they usually just don’t capture enough of my interest, but the little details TAG added here were adorable, but the price was a bit more reasonable with the Calibre 16

8: WAZ211A.BA0875 Calibre 7 GMT

These get overshadowed (probably with good reason) by the Aquaracer GMT range, but I’ve always preferred the look of the F1 GMT range. The TH logo on the counter balance is such a great touch, but I wish the bezel rotated. The movement was still finished well if I remember correctly, and the GMT function was really fun, even if it was an office GMT.

7: WAZ111A.BA0875 Quartz Alarm

This model starts to lean into the TAG Heuer quirkiness that I know and love. Not only does this F1 have an alarm function, but the way TAG implemented the alarm with the sub-seconds dial, and the BIG DATE really tie it all together to offer a fun, and practical everyday tool watch.

6: CAZ201D.BA0633 Calibre 16 Senna Special Edition

The F1 case and bezel on the iconic “Link” bracelet honouring Senna needs to be on this list. There really isn’t much to say besides the fact that maybe all F1 and AR models should have this bracelet option. COME ON!!!

5: WAZ1010.BA0842 Quartz

I personally owned this model for too long before finally accepting that it was way too big for me. Deep down, I knew I couldn’t wear it but I pretended everything was fine for a few years until I just couldn’t ignore it anymore… if only I could pull this one off because it was a solid daily wearer, with a great quartz Ronda movement. My only gripe (besides the 43mm size, of course) was the clasp and bracelet which were complete poopoo junk garbage to put it nicely… and TAG thought a 21.5mm lug width was cute.

4: WBY1111.BA0042 Solar Quartz

Maybe it’s true that these new reissues aren’t as cool as the original models, but they were updated in a cool way, and adding a “Solargraph” movement makes the idea of having a quartz movement more digestible for its asking price.

3: CAH1113.BA0850 Quartz Chronograph

IIRC these were some of the last F1 models that still maintained their original iconic styling from the 80s. I remember wanting this watch when I was a teenager, but couldn’t shell out the $700 or whatever the MSRP was at the time.

2: 470.513 Quartz Chronograph

I love the earlier F1 quartz chronos the most because they had their most interesting movements. I’m a little rusty on the exact references, but I know there were some interesting movements in these earlier quartz chronos models, similar to how the 2000 series was around the same time, but not quite the same.

1: 371.513 Quartz 

The top of the list has to be the original lume dial model on bracelet. It’s hard to argue that that this particular model is the most iconic version of the entire range, and that dial ages so well with the old tritium lume these manufacturers used at the time.

The original F1 range looked like TAG’s response to SWATCH, and today they look more like TAG’s response to Breitling’s entry level models. The F1 has come a long since its release in the 1980s when it marked a pivotal point for the brand at the time. Here’s to another 40 years of the TAG Heuer Formula 1

Thanks Shane, you can find all the other 'Formula1@40' posts by clicking the link below.