On the back of the hefty, 10-year LVMH-Formula 1 sponsorship deal signed last year, TAG Heuer now returns as the official timekeeper of Formula 1, just in time for the sport’s 75th anniversary in 2025.

This is a homecoming of sorts of TAG Heuer, which was official timekeeper for F1 for a decade from 1992. In fact, the brand’s roots in motorsports go back several decades — Heuer was the first luxury watch brand to display its logo on a Formula 1 car in 1969, and the first to sponsor a team in 1971 when it partnered with Scuderia Ferrari. And TAG Heuer famously signed Ayrton Senna as an ambassador in 1988, just before he became a champion driver.

Jack Heuer (centre, in blue) at Ferrari in Maranello

In fact, the brand name itself references F1: well before TAG Group acquired Heuer in 1985, the Saudi-owned group was already shareholder in McLaren and only sold its stake in the automaker and racing team last year.

TAG Heuer’s return to F1 comes at an opportune time, with the sport having evolved into a global entertainment franchise under the ownership of Liberty Media. According to F1, it now boasts an audience of 750 million fans, many of whom are drawn into the sport by the hit Netflix series, and also an upcoming film starring Brad Pitt.