STORIES Time Out: The new TAG Heuer Formula 1 viewed by Mads Perch

2 min

In our landmark new Time Out series, The Edge is asking breakout photographers to showcase a TAG Heuer watch through their world and lens, focused on a theme related to the timepiece itself.

This week we asked Danish-born London-based photographer Mads Perch to take a brand new TAG Heuer Formula 1 out for a spin. Known as a master of colour who pushes his creative and technical limits, Mads plays with exposure, light painting and shutter drag to create striking and often futuristic images. His work in fashion, music and beyond often blurs the boundaries between commercial photography and high art. 

The new TAG Heuer Formula 1 is being released, along with three other references, for the debut of the 2021 F1TM season in Bahrain. Originally launched in 1986, this sporty timepiece is reintroducing itself in full throttle technicolor. The new models — available in 3-chronograph and three-hands — come with a 43mm diameter steel case and ceramic bezel, an asphalt textured dial and, on certain models, a nylon strap, evocative of a cockpit. Racy yellow and orange, hallmarks of TAG Heuer panache, are back and bolder than ever. Some of you may recall the 70’s-era “Orange Boy,” Jack Heuer’s bold update of the Autavia, and for those of you who don’t, consider yourselves caught up.

Thanks to long exposures and the orange light, we get a sense of fast movement around the watch, as if it were in the middle of a racetrack.

For Mads, his instinct was to play up the watch’s sporty, colourful legacy. He worked with a technique called motion blur to create a feeling of speed and high energy. And by playing with an orange LED light strip and long exposure times, he created a sense of movement within a visual space that feels like a racetrack.

So, what happens when Mads treats a TAG Heuer Formula 1 to a full-blown portrait session? Scroll on and see for yourself…

« Living in a city like London makes time fly. Photography is my way of stopping time. »

Mads Perch Photographer

To create feelings of speed and energy, Mads used a technique called shutter drag.

When shooting the new TAG Heuer Formula 1, Mads was immediately inspired by its sporty, colourful legacy.