The Swiss city of La Chaux-de-Fonds may not feature on everyone’s radar. For the seasoned horolophile, however, the locale is internationally recognised as the centre of the Swiss watch-making industry and, in particular, the home of TAG Heuer.
It’s not recorded whether reigning Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button was familiar with the Swiss city’s history before his visit on Wednesday. If he wasn’t, then his tour of TAG Heuer’s headquarters, museum and workshop area – where timepieces are put together with painstaking craftsmanship – left the TAG Heuer ambassador in no doubt as to the significance of the place.
Following in the footsteps of similar ambassadors, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jenson was given an up-close-and-personal tour of the premises, where he saw just why the company is recognised as one of the finest timepiece manufacturers in the world. Afterwards, he held a personal meeting with TAG Heuer president and CEO Jean-Christophe Babin.
Jenson said: “It was fascinating to spend a day studying at close-quarters just how much time, effort and research goes into developing, designing and building every single TAG Heuer timepiece. In many ways, the process is very similar to building my Formula 1 car – it requires absolute precision to ensure the many moving parts operate in perfect harmony.
“Not only did I have a chance to observe as TAG’s current timepieces are constructed, I also got a privileged view of the final stages of the construction of the new TAG Heuer 1887 movement – the company’s brand-new in-house watch movement. It’s a very exciting time for the company, and I’m proud to be involved in such a personal way.”