Original two-page 1991 magazine advertisement for Heuer's Formula 1 watch published in a Japanese magazine.
 
Forget the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch collab - Heuer's Formula 1 line was the original watch industry disrupter when it debuted in the late 1980s - but you don't have to take our word for it, you can take GQ Magazine's:
 
"After thirty-six years and counting, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 is still one of the best all-rounder entry-level sports watches in the game – and you don’t have to be into fast cars and Grands Prix to flex one.  Given its birth date, there is plenty of historical significance to this watch."
 
"In 1986, as the watch world was recovering from the near-fatal Quartz Crisis that had threatened a major demise in mechanical watchmaking, the purpose of Swiss sports watches was to be serious, monochrome tools.  But the F1 had other ideas, adding ’80s pizzazz and colour to the genre and thus defining an era in the process."
 
“'It made its debut at the time watchmaking was re-establishing itself as a field of interest to men and its significance in the UK was tremendous,' says GQ’s own watch expert, Nick Foulkes.  'It also marked an important turnaround in the fortunes of Heuer.'"
 
"While many ’80s and ’90s CEOs of traditional brands turned their noses up at ‘affordability’, then CEO Jack Heuer effectively did the opposite.  In doing so he duly nailed the zeitgeist with the accessible, colourful and simple Formula 1, which set the stage for an unrivalled reign over this particular sector of the market.  'The F1 combined the excitement of motorsport with an attractive pricepoint and eye-catching design; looking back on that time, it is possible to describe F1 as a gateway drug to the wider world of watch collecting,' adds Foulkes, his words holding true on today’s cross-generational wrists."
 
"Some of us still remember walking out of an AD (watch geekery for Authorised Dealer) in 1989 clutching a red and green-crested TAG Heuer brochure. Ayrton’s first ’88 TAG Heuer sparked a long-standing collaboration clearly visible in the S/EL-inspired organic bracelet.  Now, the year is 2022 and the hits keep coming.  The core range has grown with hot drops like the Formula 1 Senna Special Edition and the brash TAG Heuer x Red Bull Racing models.  Fans will recognise the double S-Senna logo and understated pops of red, while Red Bull’s special edition came out in two fresh liveries.  As a contemporary chronograph, it made the most of the team’s dark navy blue, searing red and yellow – resulting in a vibrant and brash take on the now classic Formula 1."
 
"'One of my earliest watch memories was the TAG F1 with a luminous dial and amazing bezel,' says British watchmaker and perennial disruptor George Bamford.  'It was such a strong answer to the Swatch hype and I love what it’s done for the watch world.'  When looking at the popsicle orange of the early ref.373.513 with its light fibreglass case and matching rubber strap, it’s hard to disagree.  The Formula One continued to capture minds and hearts with the inclusion of quartz chronographs, and firsts like a diver’s watch with an electronic alarm.  'The vintage ones should be appreciated and need to be part of any watch lover's collection,' adds Bamford."
 
"Today its core range brags (it’s a humble brag) more than 40 references, ranging from monochrome to two-tone glamour, and thanks to its continuous evolution, the timeline of accessible sports watches remains unbroken and stronger than ever."
 
Dimensions: roughly 16.5 inches wide by 11 inches high - advert is the first three images, not the last three