BY JOVAN K
TAG Heuer just dropped a brand-new racing piece that instantly grabs your attention, and if you are a fan of classic endurance racing, you already know exactly what you’re looking at. The brand has pulled the sheets off the new Formula 1 Automatic Chronograph x Gulf (Ref. CBZ208B.BF0009), and it is a serious nod to the iconic blue and orange livery that dominated Le Mans back in the day and was immortalized by Steve McQueen in 1971.
TAG Heuer and Gulf have a partnership that spans decades, but instead of taking a vintage, retro route with this piece, they decided to lean completely into modern, high-tech materials.
The first major shift is the housing. Rather than using the standard heavy stainless steel you see on a lot of standard Formula 1 models, this piece features a beefy 44mm x 14.5mm case entirely crafted from sandblasted Grade 2 titanium. It gives the watch a sleek, dark matte look while making it incredibly lightweight and durable on the wrist. They also squeezed a bright orange ring right between the titanium case and the bezel, adding a sharp pop of color that frames the face perfectly.
Speaking of the bezel, that is where the real technical fun is. It is a fixed tachymeter bezel, but TAG Heuer went with a forged carbon insert. Because forged carbon is made by compressing carbon fibers randomly under massive pressure, every single bezel has a totally irregular, unique surface pattern. No two watches in the production run will look the same. To complete the stealthy look, the screw-down crown and the chronograph pushers are finished in a black DLC-coated titanium, with the crown getting a neat little orange lacquer accent.
The dial layout keeps things incredibly clean and legible for a tri-compax chronograph. You have a black opaline center that features the signature vertical Gulf racing stripes cutting straight down the right side. The outer edge is framed by a blue running track, and the sub-dials are arranged in a classic layout: a 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and the running seconds over at 9 o’clock. The hands on the registers are lacquered in Gulf colors, and the central chronograph seconds hand is a stark, bright orange.
Underneath the hood, the watch is powered by TAG Heuer’s automatic Calibre 16. It is a legendary, cam-actuated workhorse movement known for being an absolute tank when it comes to reliability. It beats at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and keeps things running with a solid 42-hour power reserve. Flip the watch over, and the titanium screw-down caseback is heavily engraved with the official Gulf logo, helping seal up a strong 200 meters of water resistance.
The watch comes paired with a matching three-row sandblasted Grade 2 titanium bracelet with a folding safety clasp and a comfort extension system, packaged inside a custom blue and orange Gulf presentation box.
This one is strictly a limited run of just 1,000 pieces worldwide, retailing at CHF 5,950 / €6,300 / $6,300. It is a fantastic, premium execution of a historic racing partnership, and I wish the team the absolute best with this rollout.
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