It might be more than 26 years since triple F1 world champion Ayrton Senna died while leading the pack in his Williams at the 1994 San Marino GP, but his name resonates as strongly as ever with motorsport fans the world over.
Just two days before the fatal accident, Senna signed a deal with sponsor TAG Heuer to continue as a brand ambassador and put his name to a special version of its “6000” model, a watch that eventually went on sale six months later with a generous chunk of the proceeds going to the Senna Foundation (the Instituto Ayrton Senna).
The TAG Heuer relationship continued with special editions from 2001 to 2004, after which the Foundation hooked-up with Hublot from 2011 to 2014, before the baton passed back to TAG Heuer the following year, leading to further Senna “specials”.
And now there are two more in the form of a pair of chronographs based on the popular Formula 1 range.
The first features a 44mm steel case containing the Calibre 16 automatic movement. The anthracite-coloured dial, fixed, black ceramic bezel, chronograph start button and winding crown all have details picked-out in a yellow drawn from the Brazilian ace's national flag, as does the stitching on the black, calfskin strap. Senna's name and the distinctive Senna “S” are marked on both the dial and bezel.
For those who want the look for less, TAG Heuer is also offering a quartz-powered version in a 43mm case and with a slightly different dial arrangement (dictated by the battery-powered movement).
This one has a classic “S” link bracelet in stainless steel and costs £1,695 – compared to £2,550 for the automatic version – but, like that mechanical model, it has a tachymeter scale marked to 400kph. As true TAG Heuer-ologists will know, that's 160 more than a regular Formula One watch.
They'll also know the power of a Senna association. The TAG Heuer that Senna was best known for wearing was a quartz S/EL (for “Sports Elegance”) chronograph with a digi-analogue display, a steel case and a gold-plated bezel and detailing. Senna's S/EL was fitted with a leather strap joined to two standard S-links still attached to the watch head, resulting in an unusual and decidedly cool look.
When he left the McLaren team at the end of the 1993 season, Senna swapped the watch (for a Casio) with mechanic Ron Pellat. Around a decade later it appeared at a Bonhams auction in Monaco, where it sold for little more than £10,000 – only to cross the block again in 2007, when it fetched almost £50,000.
From £1,695. tagheuer.com
