Ayrton Senna rejoins the TAG Heuer Ambassador family

• In tribute Swiss watch brand launches Special Senna Collection
• Unique event in Barcelona sees attendance by Bianca Senna, Ayrton’s niece and Fernando Alonso from the McLaren-Honda team

Fernando Alonso 

Bianca Senna watch

Alonso with Senna Hologram

Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer breathed new life into one of motorsport’s most enduring legends last week when the great Ayrton Senna appeared as a stunning hologram at a star-studded launch in downtown Barcelona.

The event, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Swiss brand’s partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 team, was held inside the ‘Teatre Principal’ – the oldest playhouse in Barcelona – and included appearances from double world champion and McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso, and Bianca Senna, Ayrton’s niece.

Endorsed by the Senna family for the occasion of the launch of Senna collection with TAG Heuer, the hologram of Ayrton Senna was a world premiere. It painstakingly recreated the Brazilian Legend in classic racing attire, dressed in overalls and with his helmet held beneath his arm. Using a sample of pre-existing audio, Ayrton glanced at his watch before addressing the audience:

“I just love racing. I just love the challenge of beating somebody else.”

“When you are under a lot of pressure, the objective is to be the one that can put together the combination of aggression and calculation that will get the best result. And, more than anything, you need a very clear mind to understand exactly when to be aggressive and when to be calculating.

“To win the championship, you need the combination of those elements.”

Ayrton was then joined on-stage by Spanish hero Fernando Alonso, who spoke about his memories of growing up watching the Brazilian. Fernando also explained the feelings he experienced when, earlier this year, he achieved a childhood dream and drove Senna’s most iconic and successful car, the 1988 McLaren-Honda MP4/4, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Fernando said: “I grew up watching Ayrton race – he was my idol. And I still vividly remember seeing those iconic red and white McLarens battling at the head of the field during the 1980s and ’90s – it’s one of my earliest memories of Formula 1, and it remains a formative experience for my own desire to race.

“To be able to sit inside one of Ayrton’s cars was a genuinely moving experience; to do it in the very chassis with which he won his first world championship – one of the most iconic and successful cars in F1 history – was simply incredible.

“Thank you TAG Heuer for making this unforgettable moment possible.”

Fernando’s drive in the MP4/4 was captured for a promotional film, and was shown to the audience during the event. The footage includes him battling teammate Jenson Button, who drove this year’s McLaren MP4-30, the car that reunites McLaren, Honda and TAG Heuer for the first time in 25 years.

Ayrton Senna’s return to TAG Heuer also marked the reveal of the Senna Collection comprised of four new special-edition timepieces and new dedicated advertising campaign. Each watch features the famous stylised Senna ‘S’ in red lacquer, on the dial, case back and bezel, complete with a tachymeter scale, giving the timepiece real racing spirit and Senna’s performance touch. The iconic ‘Legend’ bracelet, with its S-shaped links, also makes a return – the same style worn by Ayrton but redesigned and rounded for optimum comfort.

The range includes:

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Senna Edition; A43mm-diameter quartz chronograph measuring to the nearest tenth of a second and with date function. Anthracite grey dial, three counters and elegant touches of ‘Legend’ red to give it the racing spirit – the same red as the famous stylised Senna ‘S’, on the dial, case back and bezel, complete with a tachymeter scale. The timepiece is completed by the famous ‘Legend’ steel bracelet to give a unique exclusive style touch of the Senna brand.

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Senna Edition: A 43mm-diameter quartz chronograph measuring to the nearest tenth of a second and with date function. Also available with a black dial, three counters, and touches of yellow and green – a reference to the colours of Ayrton’s racing helmet, which are also the national colours of Brazil.

The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Senna Edition: A 44mm-diameter automatic chronograph with date function.

Anthracite grey sunray dial and three counters. The watch also features the famous stylised Senna ‘S’ in red lacquer, on the dial, case back and bezel, with a tachymeter scale. Elegant touches of ‘Legend’ red, the same shade as the Senna ‘S’, also accentuate the watch’s racing spirit and Senna brand´s performance style. The timepiece is completed by the ‘Legend’ steel bracelet. 

The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Senna Edition: A 44mm-diameter automatic chronograph, available in an ultra-light black titanium version, equipped with a rubber strap with a dynamic tire-tread design. 

Colombo Jewellery Stores, located at No. 1 Alfred House Gardens, Colombo 3, is the sole agent for TAG Heuer Watches in Sri Lanka.