Tag Heuer is paying tribute to Ayrton Senna with gorgeous chronograph bearing the name of the legendary late Formula One driver.
Decades before the Swiss watchmaker became the official sponsor of Red Bull Racing and reigning champ Max Verstappen, it tapped Senna for an ambassadorship in 1988. That happens to be the the first year the Brazilian racer secured a title, followed by two more in 1989 and 1991.
Now, 28 years after Senna’s life was cut short in a high-speed crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Italy, Tag Heuer has set out to create a “the perfect Formula 1 watch, the one the legendary driver would have loved to wear.”
Red accents are featured prominently throughout the 44mm timepiece, referncing the hue featured on Senna’s first Tag Heuer watch. Red lacquer is visible on the 2 o’clock pusher, in the crown, and at 12 o’clock in the double S—the Senna brand’s logo.
Meanwhile , the sunray-brushed anthracite dial features darker black “azurage” minute, hour and permanent second counters, and the indexes and hands in rhodium are treated with luminescent Super-LumiNova coating.
The number “400” appears on the black ceramic bezel, marking the 400 kph (249 mph) speed that continues to evade all F1 drivers on the track.
But the biggest Senna salute appears on the stainless steel caseback, where an engraving of his eyes peering through his helmet at the Tag Heuer shield logo appears below the words “Senna Special Edition.”