TAG Heuer can trace its connections to space exploration back to 1962, when it became the first Swiss watchmaker to orbit the earth with an American astronaut.
John Glenn relied on TAG timing for his country’s first manned orbital flight – seven years before the country eventually put a man on the moon.
The Swiss watch maker has sent timepieces into space several times since, including in May 2012, when a Carrera Calibre 1887 SpaceX Chronograph accompanied astronauts on a trip to the International Space Station.
Now the brand is looking further into space by teaming up with a Chinese mission to explore Mars. The project aims to send an unmanned spaceship to the red planet in 2020, and land a robotic rover on its surface.
The mission would aims to technology needed for a Mars sample return mission proposed for the 2030s.
Announcing the partnership, Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and LVMH Watch Division president said: “Mars exploration is one of the greatest missions in man’s conquest of space. TAG Heuer’s support to the programme represents its strong support for human beings’ grand space dream. It is an honour and a privilege to support this dream, the next giant leap for humanity.”
TAG Heuer will use its #Dontcrackunderpressure tag in its promotion of this partnership.
