SPRINGFIELD, N.J., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Heralded by watch enthusiasts as one of the most coveted collector's pieces from the TAG Heuer archives, the brand's Silverstone Chronograph will be re-issued in February 2010 as a limited-edition timepiece. The release corresponds with TAG Heuer's year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary.

Originally introduced in 1974, the Silverstone chronograph's hallmark feature is its cushion cut-shaped case. This beautiful blend of square and round emulates the curvature of the Silverstone Circuit, a famous English racing track for which the timepiece is named. The chronograph's design also was inspired by the distinctive square case of its predecessor, the Monaco. Prior to the Monaco's debut, watchmakers had been unable to create perfect water-resistant square or barrel-type cases, forcing them to produce only circular dials. TAG Heuer's patented water-proofing system allowed for a break from convention, and the creation of the Monaco's clean, geometric shape.

For the Silverstone, TAG Heuer's design team softened the bold angles of the Monaco, while retaining its technological legacy. Both the original Monaco and Silverstone housed the Chronomatic Calibre 11, the first-ever self-winding automatic chronograph with micro rotor. This revolutionary movement provided wearers with precision timing comparable to the standards of professional chronometer instruments. Before the Calibre 11, chronographs had to be constantly hand-wound to keep accurate time, and watchmakers placed the crown at 3 o'clock for easy accessibility. Because the development of the Calibre 11 freed TAG Heuer's designers from this constraint, Jack Heuer decided to place the crown of the Monaco and Silverstone at 9 o'clock.

The re-issue of the Silverstone is powered by an updated version of the Calibre 11 with Dubois-Depraz module.

The latest iteration of the Silverstone also celebrates TAG Heuer's history by featuring the brand's original Heuer logo, which is flanked on the dial by two silver counters at 3 and 9 o'clock. Stainless steel pushbuttons at 2 and 4 o'clock, a hand-applied date window at 6 o'clock and curved, sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment complete the watch's look.

Available with a rich blue or brown dial on a matching, perforated alligator strap, the Silverstone is available in a limited worldwide quantity of 1,500 pieces per color. It will retail for about $6,500.

TAG Heuer Celebrates 150 Years of Watchmaking Innovation

The year 2010 marks TAG Heuer's 150th anniversary - a milestone that celebrates the brand's evolution from a small workshop in the Swiss Jura Mountains to its status today as a leader in the luxury watch market. Since its inception, TAG Heuer has demonstrated a passion for accurately measuring even the smallest increment of time. It is the only watchmaker to develop a mechanical automatic chronograph movement that displays 1/10th and 1/100th of a second, as well as the only brand to capture 1/10,000th of a second. The brand's 150-year legacy is peppered with displays of engineering prowess, including the world's first oscillating pinion, patented in 1887, and the recently launched Monaco V4, which features a double-patented belt-driven movement that shatters the basic tenets of how a watch keeps time. Through a constant pursuit of excellence and innovation, TAG Heuer creates timepieces that are a defining symbol of state-of-the-art originality.

The History of Silverstone Circuit

Originally used as a World War II bomber base, the Silverstone Circuit is a world-renowned racing track located in the English village of the same name. The circuit is best known as the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted in 1948. Two years later, on May 13, the opening race of the first-ever FIA Formula One World Championship started at Silverstone. Today, Silverstone remains one of the most historic and challenging tracks.

TAG Heuer's relationship with Silverstone is deeply rooted in the brand's motor racing heritage. In 1949, TAG Heuer's first-ever ambassador, Baron Emmanuel de Graffenreid, won at Silverstone. Over the last three decades, several other brand ambassadors and F1 team partners, including Jo Siffert, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton, have raced to career-making victories on the track. In 1974, Jack Heuer paid homage to this impressive lineage with the introduction of the Silverstone series of chronographs.

About TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer, the leader in prestigious sports watches and chronographs since 1860, is one of the largest and fastest growing luxury Swiss watch Brands. The Swiss watch making legend draws upon its active engagement in the world of sports to create the most accurate measuring instruments and sports watches in the world. TAG Heuer is today the first watchmaker ever to master luxurious Chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th and 1/1,000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as official timekeeper to within 1/10,000th of a second for the legendary Indy 500, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim ever higher, as reflected in its partnerships with Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in Formula 1 and its two aces: Fernando Alonso, youngest ever and already two times Formula 1 world champion and Lewis Hamilton, GP2 world Champion in 2006. With two times Formula 1 world vice-champion and Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen, with world number 1 golfer Tiger Woods and WTA number 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova, Champcar four-time world champion Sebastien Bourdais, promising talent Bruno Senna as well as Hollywood and Bollywood icons Leonardo DiCaprio and Shah Rukh Khan, TAG Heuer more than ever epitomizes Sport and Glamour !

SOURCE TAG Heuer

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