Racing Colors: The TAG Heuer F1 Solargraph Limited Edition In Red And Green

I missed the first generation of TAG Heuer Formula 1 watches, somehow – they were introduced by TAG Heuer in 1986, and they have the distinction of being the first watches to bear the TAG Heuer name, having been launched right after Techniques d’Avant Garde acquired Heuer the same year. These watches were small by today’s standards, at 35mm, but they were available in very brightly colored cases (fiberglass, in the original series) and the basic design would go on to be used in a very wide range of watches, all designated Formula 1 models. The original series would eventually be produced in 28mm cases as well, would be produced up until 1993/94 (TAG Heuer’s extensive in-house history of Formula 1 watches identifies a total of four series, the last of which were produced in 2004 as both time only watches and chronographs).

The original series Formula 1s became cult watches and they rung the nostalgia bell hard for those enthusiasts who had encountered them early in their journey as collectors, and it was a pleasant surprise, therefore, when in 2025, TAG Heuer announced the release of limited editions based on the original first series, in partnership with Kith. There were quite a few fans of the original who both welcomed the Kith Heuer watches but who also had mixed feelings about the fact that they were limited editions, but it was certainly clear that there was a quite large audience for these watches which in their original iteration had meant so much to so many, and this year at Watches & Wonders, TAG Heuer released a new range of Formula 1 watches – updated to a 38mm case size, and powered by a light powered Solargraph movement. Of course, TAG Heuer has a lot to celebrate this year; they are once again the official timekeeper for Formula 1.

There were three core collection pieces announced, all three in stainless steel with stainless steel bracelets, and six limited editions. The watches were all announced at the same time, but they’re all associated with different races on the F1 calendar and they become available on the dates of each race; the green and red model we have here, with a white opaline dial, ref. WBY1160.FT8085, is associated with the Monza Italian Grand Prix, and is available for pre-sale on September 2nd (Monza this year takes place on September 5th through 7nth).

This particular model comes with an interesting connection to the original F1 watches; it is the same basic color scheme as the reference 384.513, which was one of the three first F1 watches in the first year they were in TAG Heuer’s catalog. The case is of course, a bit larger than the original at 38mm, with the case middle and bidirectional bezel made of a material TAG Heuer calls TH-Polylight. This is a so-called organic polyamide (organic in this case doesn’t mean it’s derived from a natural source; it means that the internal structure is made up of carbon based molecules) which are a group of tough plastics used extensively for their combination of lightness and strength.

The colors are bright and very eye catching; this particular LE is one that really captures the sense of fun of the originals. The bezel is 60 click, and bidirectional; feel is smooth and very exact at each click. Water resistance is 100 meters and the crown is non-screw down, so I wouldn’t necessarily take this watch scuba diving but it’s more than tough enough, and water resistant enough, for it to make a good general purpose watch. Design-wise, it’s a pretty exact match except for size to the 384.513, including the green minutes track.

One thing you definitely won’t see on the dial of a vintage F1 first series watch is the word “Solargraph.” The solar powered movement is TAG Heuer caliber TH50-00, which is based on Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology, and provided to TAG Heuer through La Joux Perret, the Citizen Group movement manufacturer based in Switzerland. I think if you are going to have a quartz watch at all these days, solar quartz is really the way to go – Citizen has been at it since 1976, when the company released the Quartz Crystron Solar Cell; their mastery of the technology is based on five decades of experience and hundreds of patents and you can’t ask for better than that. The charging technology is very efficient – two minutes exposure to sunlight gives you a full day’s power reserve and once fully charged, the watch can run for ten months in complete darkness.

Along with the colorful case and bezel, you get quite a lot of lume; nighttime legibility is excellent, with the green emission SLN giving you plenty of glow-in-the-dark enjoyment.

The caseback is steel, and screws into an inner steel movement container. The watch is extremely comfortable to wear, with a very supple rubber strap, and although the polyamide case and bezel make for a quite light watch, it still feels reasonably substantial. My biggest question was whether or not the watch might feel a bit toylike, but it’s got enough precision in construction to keep the feel reasonably substantial.

I think TAG Heuer did a great job with this one. At $1850 it’s not quite the cheap and cheerful pleasure that characterized the first series but the quality is higher and the use of a state of the art solar movement more than justifies the price, especially relative to the current market. You can of course get solar quartz watches for a lot less, but a big part of this re-issue’s value proposition is nostalgia and connection to history – TAG Heuer’s, and possibly your own as well.

Doing a re-issue of a watch that meant so much to so many people – TAG Heuer sold the first series in the millions and I have yet to hear anything from an original owner other than deep nostalgic fondness – is tricky but these are highly respectful to the originals in spirit and given today’s watch market, reasonably respectful in terms of price as well. I missed out on a lot of things in the 1980s – Apple stock, watches at bargain prices too numerous to mention, cheap real estate in Brooklyn, to name just three– but missing out on the original first series of the Formula 1 is not something anyone needs to regret, with the new models offering all the accessible exuberance that made the originals a hit. Plus, if you’re an F1 fan, and if you’re considering grabbing one of these chances are good that you are, you get the added pleasure of seeing the TAG Heuer shield right up there on the big board.

The 1916 Company is proud to be an authorized retailer for TAG Heuer.