TAG Heuer has announced that it will serve as the Official Timekeeper, Official Watch/Chronograph, and Technical Founding Partner of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Formula E Championship, which kicks off next September. The partnership was announced at TAG Heuer's headquarters in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the heart of Switzerland's watchmaking industry, by Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of TAG Heuer, and Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E Holdings. Formula E is a new FIA championship featuring racing cars powered solely by electricity. Through the race, the team hopes to promote the public's interest in clean energy and sustainability, establish a framework for research and development surrounding electric vehicles, and raise public interest. Demonstration runs were held in Rome last December and Los Angeles last month. The world's first official electric car race, featuring 10 teams and 20 drivers, is scheduled to begin next year. The race will take place in the heart of 10 cities around the world, with major landmarks as a backdrop. Candidate cities include London, Rome, Los Angeles, Miami, and Beijing.
TAG Heuer has a deep connection with motorsports, having patented the world's first dashboard chronograph in 1911. In 1969, Swiss racer Joseph "Jo" Siffert was appointed as a brand ambassador. In the 1970s, the brand partnered with the Ferrari Formula One team, and has maintained a partnership with the McLaren Formula One team since 1985. From the oscillating pinion of the Mikrotimer, which is accurate to within 1/100th of a second, to the concept watches Monaco V4 and Carrera Calibre 360, the brand has released numerous racing-inspired items.