TAG Heuer has once again affirmed its deep-seated relationship with motorsport by returning as the Official Timekeeper for the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed. This reunion is more than a simple sponsorship; it's a celebration of a shared heritage steeped in speed, precision, and automotive passion. The festival, a globally recognized pinnacle of car culture, provides the perfect stage for the Swiss watchmaker to showcase its historical and ongoing commitment to the world of racing. The event's theme for 2025, "The Winning Formula – Champions and Challengers," directly resonates with TAG Heuer's own narrative, especially as it coincides with the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, a discipline where the brand has recently resumed its role as Official Timekeeper.
The bond between
TAG Heuer and motor racing is not a recent development. It is a foundational element of the brand's identity, dating back to the very origins of competitive driving. The company's history is a highlight reel of innovations crucial to the sport. In 1911, it introduced the "Time of Trip," the first dashboard-mounted chronograph for automobiles and aircraft. This was followed in 1916 by the Mikrograph, a stopwatch capable of measuring time to an astonishing 1/100th of a second, forever changing the standards of sports timing. The introduction of the Calibre 11 in 1969, one of the world's first automatic chronograph movements, further cemented the brand's place in horological and automotive history. This legacy of timing the world's greatest races and partnering with legendary teams and drivers gives TAG Heuer an unmatched authenticity in the motorsport arena.
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Today, that legacy continues with a formidable portfolio of automotive partnerships. The brand's name is linked with titans of the industry, including Formula 1 itself, the Porsche marque, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, the iconic Indianapolis 500, the prestigious Automobile Club de Monaco, and the legendary Carrera Panamericana road race. The addition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed to this list is a logical and fitting extension of this story, placing TAG Heuer at yet another nexus of automotive excellence and enthusiasm. It is within this context of celebrating speed that the brand has chosen to launch a commemorative timepiece.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, established in 1993 by the 11th Duke of Richmond, Charles Gordon-Lennox, on the grounds of his family estate in West Sussex, has evolved into a pilgrimage for car lovers. At its heart is the formidable 1.16-mile hillclimb, a narrow, winding ribbon of asphalt that ascends nearly 300 feet. Drivers from every conceivable discipline pilot a breathtaking array of vehicles, from priceless pre-war racers to cutting-edge hypercars, in a timed sprint against the clock. The current record, a blistering 39.08 seconds, was set in 2022 by the McMurry Spéirling, demonstrating the serious competitive nature that underlies the garden-party atmosphere.
Beyond the main hillclimb event, the festival is a sprawling celebration of all things automotive. A dedicated Forest Rally Stage offers a different kind of high-speed challenge, while meticulously curated paddocks display collections of supercars, historic competition vehicles, and rare motorcycles. It has become a significant platform for manufacturers to launch new models, with vehicles like the new generation Porsche 911 Carrera GTS making their dynamic debuts here in front of a captivated global audience. The festival's ability to blend historic reverence with future-facing technology makes it a unique and vital part of the annual automotive calendar.
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A towering symbol of the event's prestige is the Central Feature, a massive sculpture erected annually on the lawn in front of Goodwood House. Each year, this installation honors a specific manufacturer celebrating a significant milestone, often adorned with iconic cars from its history. In the past, it has celebrated Porsche for 75 years of competition motorsport and the 50th anniversary of the legendary 911. This grand artistic statement serves as a visual centerpiece for the hundreds of thousands who attend in person and the millions more who follow the events online, solidifying the festival's status as a cultural touchstone.
The event's influence extends beyond mere entertainment. Through its various initiatives and showcases of the latest technology, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has become a crucial platform for discussing and shaping the future of motoring and mobility. It provides a gateway for a diverse audience to share their passion for cars and motorsport, fostering a community that is both knowledgeable and forward-looking. It is this blend of history, competition, and innovation that makes it an ideal partner for a brand like TAG Heuer.
To commemorate this renewed partnership, TAG Heuer has created a special, limited-edition timepiece: the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Festival of Speed. This watch is a direct tribute to the symbiotic relationship between the watchmaker and the event, drawing its design cues from the rich tapestry of British automotive culture. The foundation for this special edition is the well-regarded 42 mm TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph, a modern classic in the brand’s lineup, powered by the sophisticated in-house TH20-00 movement.
Visually, the watch makes an immediate and powerful statement. The dial is presented in a deep, evocative shade of British racing green, a color synonymous with legendary cars from manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin, and Lotus. This specific hue is inspired by the "Goodwood Green" seen on classic vehicles that have graced the estate's track. The surface of the dial is not flat but features a sophisticated hobnail texture, known in watchmaking as clou de Paris. This guilloché pattern adds a remarkable depth and plays with light in a way that a simple sunray or matte finish cannot, lending the watch a distinct character and a premium feel.
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This rich green canvas is punctuated by carefully placed red accents. The central chronograph hand is rendered in a vibrant red lacquer, a detail that immediately draws the eye and enhances legibility when timing events. This touch of red is a classic motorsport design code, often used on tachymeters and dashboard instruments to highlight critical information. It provides a thrilling contrast against the green dial, echoing the excitement and high-stakes nature of racing.
The chronograph functions are displayed across three sub-dials. At the 3 o'clock position, a green counter with a concentric "azurage" pattern tracks the elapsed minutes. Opposite it, at 9 o'clock, a matching sub-dial registers the chronograph hours. At the 6 o'clock position, a permanent seconds indicator is subtly integrated into the main dial's clou de Paris pattern, maintaining the textural consistency. A cleanly executed date window sits within this lower register, providing practical daily functionality without disrupting the overall aesthetic balance.
The applied hour markers are rhodium-plated and filled with white Super-LumiNova®, ensuring clear readability in all lighting conditions. The rhodium-plated hour and minute hands receive the same luminous treatment. The finishing touch on the dial is the applied TAG Heuer shield logo below 12 o'clock, balanced by the "CARRERA" and "SWISS MADE" text printed above the 6 o'clock position. Every element is arranged with a clear focus on balance and legibility, hallmarks of the Carrera collection since its inception in 1963.
The 42 mm stainless steel case serves as the perfect frame for this vibrant dial. It showcases a dynamic interplay of finishes, with finely brushed surfaces on the case sides and lugs contrasting sharply with the mirror-polished accents on the bevels and pushers. This mix of finishes is a signature of high-quality watchmaking, as it catches the light from multiple angles and gives the case a more complex and refined profile. The bezel is a simple, polished steel ring, keeping the focus squarely on the intricate dial.
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Protecting the dial is a domed and beveled sapphire crystal with a double anti-reflective treatment. This not only provides superior scratch resistance but also minimizes glare, ensuring the dial can be read clearly from any angle. The watch is operated via a standard polished steel crown at 3 o'clock, flanked by classic round chronograph pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock. The screw-down sapphire case back offers a view of the movement within and is specially printed with the Goodwood Festival of Speed logo. Each piece is also individually engraved with its unique limited-edition number, "XXX of 100".
At the heart of this special edition beats the Calibre TH20-00, TAG Heuer's in-house automatic chronograph movement. This modern engine is a testament to the brand's manufacturing capabilities, offering robust performance and reliability. It provides the standard hours, minutes, and small seconds, along with the chronograph functions and a date complication. Its construction is designed for efficiency and durability, making it a fitting choice for a watch that celebrates the pinnacle of automotive engineering and performance. With a water resistance of 100 meters, the watch is built to withstand the rigors of daily wear.
Completing the vintage racing aesthetic is a handsome brown calfskin leather strap. The strap is perforated in the classic "rally" style, a design originally conceived to improve ventilation for drivers in the hot cockpits of 1970s race cars. This detail, along with the contrasting white stitching, speaks directly to the golden era of motorsport and provides a warm, organic counterpoint to the cool steel of the case and the vibrant green of the dial. The strap is secured with a steel folding clasp equipped with double safety push-buttons and engraved with the TAG Heuer logo.
The watch's dimensions are thoughtfully considered for modern tastes while retaining the Carrera's sporting proportions. The lug-to-lug distance is 48.55 mm, and the case has a thickness of 14.5 mm. These measurements ensure that the watch has a substantial presence on the wrist without being overly cumbersome, striking a balance that is suitable for a wide range of wearers.
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In the words of Antoine Pin, CEO of TAG Heuer, "Motorsport is not just about the competition, it is a cultural force, just like TAG Heuer, and we are honoured to return as Timing Partner at the Goodwood Festival of Speed." He emphasized the shared passion for automotive artistry and future innovation as a core reason for the partnership, a sentiment echoed by the Duke of Richmond. The Duke celebrated TAG Heuer's "incredible connection to motor racing" and expressed his delight in welcoming them back, noting that the special edition watch "takes its inspiration from the great British motorsport tradition."
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Festival of Speed is a strictly limited edition of just 100 pieces. It was made available in June 2025, with an initial exclusive offering extended to Members of the Goodwood Road Racing Club before a general sale. The price for this commemorative piece is set at 6,450 Great British Pounds, reflecting its special status, in-house movement, and unique design codes that celebrate one of the world's most cherished automotive events.
Case: 42mm stainless steel with fine brushed and polished finishes. Domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment. Steel screw-down sapphire case back. Water resistance: 100 meters. Dimensions: 48.55mm lug-to-lug, 14.5mm thickness.
Movement: Calibre TH20-00 automatic. Functions include hours, minutes, seconds, date, and chronograph.
Dial: Green clou de Paris dial with three green "azurage" sub-counters. Rhodium plated applied indexes and hands with white Super-LumiNova®. Red lacquered central chronograph hand. Date window at 6 o'clock.
Strap: Perforated brown calfskin leather with white stitching. Steel folding clasp with double safety push-buttons and TAG Heuer logo.
Price: 6,450 GBP
Reference Number: CBN2010-NS
Notes: A limited edition of 100 pieces celebrating TAG Heuer's partnership with the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Features a Goodwood FoS logo printed on the case back and a unique British racing green dial.