VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch

 

FEATURE: My Top Five TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Classic' Quartz Watches

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.

I hope you enjoyed this Top Five, for more please visit the TOP FIVES MENU PAGE.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watches

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz 'Classic' Watch

385.513/081

For as long as I can remember, well... quite a few years now at any rate, I've really wanted a 385.513/085 Formula 1. This began when I read a fantastic article on Calibre 11 about someone who had bought one and worn it for years, then decided to restore it to 'as new' condition. It really is worth a read and I will leave a link to the article at the bottom of the page.

But these F1s don't seem to come up all that often and when they do they seem to fetch a pretty penny. But then I found this on eBay, which I like as it is - but the only difference between a 385.513/081 and the 385.513/085 is that the latter has a red strap not a black one. This is easily resolved, as red straps are available direct from TAG Heuer for £32 (or £78 from eBay!)

BS0085

When I found this one it was up for £210, which didn't seem that unreasonable, but it was more than I really wanted to pay since it wasn't quite what I was looking for and it does have some slight damage to the text on the case. However it did have a new strap and a new battery and the crystal was described as perfect, so when the seller dropped the price to £180, I started to take a little more interest.

The seller was still inviting offers despite the price drop and so I fired in a cheeky bid of £165. I suspected it would be turned down, but since I wasn't dead set on buying it at any cost I was okay either way. After a few minutes the seller came back with a compromise deal at £172.50, which I accepted.

Two days later the watch dropped through my letterbox sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard... not exactly the best packaging, but it did the job. Straight out of the box I loved the bright red case and though I like it with the black strap I'm not regretting my decision to order a red strap for it.

This picture makes the bezel looks quite battered but on my wrist it really isn't noticeable at all. The lume in the hands has gone very dark, but since the dial is white and the hands themselves are black it creates a good contrast and makes for good legibility. In time I may decide to replace the hands and bezel, but I'm not in any great rush to start pouring money into this one just yet.

I whipped the back off and it looks fine, no obvious signs of water ingress and I've noted that it takes a Renata 395 battery for when the time comes (in fact I've ordered one for stock seeing as I have two watches that will take this battery, one of them is bound to need it in the next year or so).

It does make me wonder if I should sell my all black Formula 1 though, do I really need two of them? I guess not, but if anything I might be more minded to buy more and create a mini-collection of resin F1s... I've always liked the blue and white one and I know someone who has a yellow and grey one they might like to sell.

Of course at 35mm these are quite small, but I find them oddly wearable. I think this is in part due to the straps which have the TAG Heuer logo on both parts, somehow these seem to add some additional 'chunk' to the overall package. I don't know, there's something about these old F1s and it's nice to buy something for fun without having to worry too much about losing a ton of money on it. In a world where people are obsessed with 'value propositions' and 'investment potential', I say just get one of these little fellas and enjoy it without worry!


Here's the link to the 'My TAG' story on Calibre 11, well worth a read:
https://www.calibre11.com/mytag-tag-heuer-formula-1-1989/

VIDEO: 1986 TAG Heuer Formula 1 by Birth Year Watches