TAG Heuer, Alexander Rossi And The Mystique Of The Indy 500

The Indianapolis 500 is a one-day sporting event but in the minds and hearts of the participants, the residents in this midwestern city and fans it goes well beyond sports.

“It’s the biggest race on earth. It’s the biggest sporting event on earth,” said Alexander Rossi, 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner and TAG Heuer ambassador. “The traditions, the people who have this built into their yearly schedule from the families that come every year to how this city transforms itself beginning May 1. The list goes on. When I look back on 2016, which is my first 500, I didn’t necessarily know what to expect and even if I didn’t win, I could say from the bottom of my heart that day was one of the coolest things I ever been a part of.”

Fans of the spectacle start camping out about four days before the Sunday race. By race day this year approximately 300,000 fans managed to cram themselves into a 250-acre site with a seating capacity of 275,000 for the race, according to reports. That’s about half the size of the entire population of Geneva, Switzerland, the city most associated with the Swiss watch industry.

TAG Heuer’s headquarters in the picturesque city of La Chaux-de-Fonds nearby is considerably smaller. Size certainly hasn’t stopped the timepiece brand from being on the minds and the wrists of car and watch lovers as its association with motorsports is known throughout the world. The last weekend in May each year is a particularly important and busy time for the watch brand as it simultaneously hosts two of the most storied events in motorsports: The Monaco Grand Prix and, of course, the Indianapolis 500, where the timepiece brand has been the race’s Official Timekeeper for 19 years.

The winner of the race each year gets a limited-edition Indy 500 TAG Heuer. When Rossi received his after winning the 2016 race, he said it “was my favorite part of what happened so far.”

This wasn’t hyperbole as the allure of car racing (particularly Formula 1) and TAG Heuer have been intertwined with the Rossi family since he began racing go carts at the age of ten. A few days after the winning the Indy 500, he became a TAG Heuer ambassador.

“There was always this kind of mystique that was associated with Formula 1 and TAG Heuer. It was the timekeeper of the championship and was a brand we always kind of envied and always thought was so magical because it seemed untouchable,” said Ross, who drives the #7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “For my dad’s 40th birthday my mom and I wanted to give him a watch. We knew he liked the TAG Heuer Monza. He would never buy it for himself, and he never had a TAG so we were able to buy one for his birthday and for me that was a cool moment.”

He continued, “I wanted a TAG because my dad had one and always loved TAG so for it was something I admired. When I raced in Europe there were drivers who had a partnership with the brand, and I thought, ‘man that’s so cool.’ So, it means a lot to me to be associated with such a fantastic brand that has such an amazing history in F1, which fell in love with as a kid, and now Indy 1, which I love as an adult.”

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph x Indy 500

For the 107^th running of the Indianapolis 500, TAG Heuer produced the Formula 1 Chronograph x Indy 500, limited to 1,000 pieces. Rossi wore the watch at this year’s Indy 500 race, where he finished fifth.

The quartz-powered watch is designed in collaboration with the IndyCar team, which owns and operates the IndyCar Series that includes the Indianapolis 500. It is part of the TAG Heuer Formula 1 collection, which was created in 1987 as an extension of the Swiss watch brand’s ties with motorsports.

The 43mm polished and fine-brushed stainless-steel watch has a ceramic bezel with “INDY 500” displayed at 1 o’clock. It houses a dial with several gold accents including a brick motif honoring the Indy racetrack’s “The Brickyard” nickname and history. A date display is at 4 o’clock and the TAG Heuer logo is below 12 o’clock.

The caseback is engraved with the iconic Indy 500 logo. Completing the timepiece is a classic stainless-steel bracelet and folding clasp with a double safety system and pilot extension, that allows the watch to fit over a racing suit.