THÉLIOS invites press to TAG Heuer
- By Clodagh Norton
The world of the heritage watch brand, Tag Heuer has inspired a highly technical eyewear collection, designed by Renato Montagner and produced by LVMH Group’s eyewear division, Thélios. 20/20 EUROPE’s Editor in chief, Clodagh Norton, joined THÉLIOS for a tour of the world-renowned watch Manufacture and a presentation of the eyewear in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
For 166 years, TAG Heuer has demonstrated an avant-garde watchmaking spirit and commitment to innovation with revolutionary technologies that have included the oscillating pinion for mechanical stopwatches in 1887, the Mikrograph in 1916, the first automatic-winding chronograph movement – Calibre 11 – in 1969, and the first luxury smartwatch in 2015. Today, the brand’s core collection consists of two iconic families designed by Jack Heuer – TAG Heuer Carrera, and Monaco – and is rounded out with the contemporary TAG Heuer Aquaracer, Formula 1, Link, and Connected lines. TAG Heuer’s headquarters are located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the heart of “Watch Valley”, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The press visit to the highly acclaimed Manufactory with THÉLIOS included a guided tour of the Manufacture, its assembly floor – where teams of experts are working with extraordinary dexterity performing multiple steps with meticulous attention to detail – and extensive workshops where vintage watches are restored. The group also visited the TH-Lab, the heart of innovation at TAG Heuer, where new projects and innovations are realised. This is where the TAG Heuer team have developed ground–breaking projects and the material TH-Titanium, a technical textured form of titanium which has multiple performance properties and a unique visual identity – now a feature of some of the brand’s top-of-the-line designs.
The tour ended with a visit to the iconic TAG Heuer Museum, a one-of-a-kind “space capsule” spot–lit archive room which presents the complete history of the brand. The collection here is a feast for the eyes, described as an archive of 4,000 timepieces in total, displayed alongside helmets, photos and documents that trace the history of the brand. Among them are some astonishing pieces: the HeuerMonaco 1133B, immortalized on Steve McQueen’s wrist in the film Le Mans (1971), and the watches that Ayrton Senna wore during his racing career, including the TAG Heuer S/el Chronograph (Ref. S25.706C) he wore in the late 1980s.
TAG HEUER EYEWEAR: A “DISRUPTIVE” PERFORMANCE COLLECTION
During the press visit, Renato Montagner, Creative Director, TAG Heuer Eyewear explained the evolution of the eyewear collection by TAG Heuer since the launch of the collection with THÉLIOS in 2024. Drawing on TAG Heuer’s dedication to combining performance, sport, functionality, designand innovation, the sunglasses and prescription eyewear offer quality, functionality and comfort without compromise – via an approach to design that Montagner describes as consistently avant-garde with “an intelligent approach to the product” – only achievable with the most advanced materials, often sourced outside the industry. Immediately visible was the complete alignment with the philosophy and technical precision of the Manufactory which the tour itself highlighted. Montagner, whose formal training in architecture is instrumental in the creation of this collection,presented a series of exemplary models produced in the collection since 2024, each one reflecting the avant-garde spirit of the brand and its Swiss heritage – which dates back to 1860 and founder, Edouard Heuer. Montagner also cited his admiration for TAG Heuer icon Jean Campiche, the Swiss engineer and timekeeper for Formula 1® known as “the Pianist”. “Campiche was a creative, an innovator, a sporting legend in the field.”
As a designer, I’ve always loved the idea of the avant-garde…the challenge of new ideas…and of changing the rules
Explaining each product and particular innovations and technical features incorporated into the eyewear designs – including bespoke concepts such as nosepads designed in different sizes for an ideal “custom” fit, Montagner recalls moments of TAG Heuer history and references several key influences in the development and creative processes for specific frames: “before we even started on the eyewear we began by learning about the DNA of TAG Heuer here in the Manufactory, the deeply inspiring story of industrial design, the influence of Bauhaus and a long-standing principle, that of “form follows function”. Today the “TAG Heuer Line design”, winner of the Silmo D’Or in Paris (Optical Frame Labels Category) in 2025 is perhaps most representative of the innovative spirit of the collection with its accomplished combination of advanced materials – injected carbon fibre, bio nylon lenses and titanium and Dyneema cable bridge. The sports performance category is also fundamental to the collection. Since its launch, the collection has featured some already “iconic signature” styles such asShield Pro, a lightweight, high performance shield style in graphite which boasts multiple technicalqualities. The frame is ventilated, hingeless and fitted with interchangeable lenses to cater to all conditions, an excellent example of “harmonious fusion of performance and style” in TAG Heuerframes.
This year, the new TAG Heuer Golden Age, featuring acetate and rubber, inspired by the Golden Age of Formula 1 expresses the collection’s design evolution through very meticulous research and development. These bold sunglasses have a temple pattern replicating the bracelet of TAG Heuertimepieces. For optimal comfort, the frame also integrates rubber nose pads and rubber temple tips.Further attention to detail is seen in the lens colours directly inspired by TAG Heuer timepiece dials. All the performance details of each design are carefully tested and checked by a collaborating team oftop-class athletes, and, more recently, Montagner relates, with direct feedback from Patrick Dempsey, the actor and professional racing driver, who since 2025 has become the official face of TAG HeuerEyewear. Dempsey wears the signature model from the collection, the Jack Heuer, a sunglass designed to pay tribute to a tradition of innovation in the world of motorsports. Featuring 1960s-inspired pilot frames crafted from Japanese titanium, the style blends vintage elegance with modern precision, paying tribute to Jack Heuer’s enduring influence across both design and performance.
