Netflix’s “Senna” raided TAG Heuer’s archives for all that wrist candy

“We’re the only [watch] brand that can talk about motorsport as far as we’re concerned,” TAG Heuer’s Nicholas Biebuyck tells me. As the brand’s Heritage Director, Biebuyck oversees one of the most extensive archives in horology. But today, the topic isn’t just Formula 1 or TAG Heuer’s decades-long relationship with motorsport; it’s Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian racing legend, widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time, is the subject of the new six-episode Netflix miniseries dramatizing his tragically short life and enduring legacy. For TAG Heuer, Senna isn’t just an ambassador — their partnership is stitched into the fabric of the brand. So when the production team behind “Senna” asked Biebuyck to loan them authentic ‘80s pieces for the show, he was more than happy to deliver in spades.

“We sent 28 watches,” Biebuyck says, including several two-tone S/EL Chronograph models that were favored by Senna, for actor Gabriel Leone to wear. The collaboration went even deeper when the series’ team revealed a key — but fictionalized — plot line in the show centered on Senna’s father gifting him a vintage gold chronograph. “They approached us and said, ‘We want to include this as a major plot point. What would you suggest? Maybe something kind of precious?’” he recalled. Biebuyck, who has sourced watches for blockbusters like “Barbie” and “Ferrari,” landed on a solid gold, pre-Carrera piece from 1955 that resembled a watch Senna’s father may have worn. “There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve acquired over the years specifically for these kind of purposes,” he explained, referring to the 3,500-strong collection he manages in the company’s Switzerland headquarters. “So it’s great to see it in use.”

To coincide with the premiere of the series last month, TAG Heuer released a limited edition Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Senna timepiece. The late driver’s nieces, Bianca and Lalalli, remain heavily involved in the partnership more than 30 years after their uncle passed away. “They’re not just sitting back and letting us do what we want. They want to have a seat at the table and be part of that conversation — it’s fantastic,” Biebuyck tells me. “It’s one of our most important partnerships that we’ve put together.”

In fact, Senna remains TAG Heuer’s longest-running ambassador. The relationship began in 1988 when he joined McLaren, a team deeply intertwined with the watchmaker. “It was a match made in heaven,” Biebuyck says. “It was the beginning of the MP4/4 [era], which would go on to become one of the most beautiful Formula 1 cars of all time. Senna had this magnetism from the very beginning: not only is he an idol in southern and central America, but he’s also worshiped in Japan. The level of talent and ability that the guy had obviously resonated very well with TAG at the time [because] it was just before we launched these very iconic campaigns: ‘Don’t crack under pressure’ and ‘Success is a mind game.’”

There was also a “duality” to Senna, Biebuyck says, highlighting some of the characteristics that made him more than just a sporting hero on track. “I was lucky to spend quite a lot of time with his family this year and on Senna’s other side [away from the track] he was hugely charitable, he was hugely giving. He was a man of great conviction, a man of great faith, and had a really strong sense of justice. It’s really important that … if we can help to share these ideals, and maybe embrace them a bit more closely across the business, it helps us do something better overall.”

As it turns out, Senna’s generosity likely extended to his wristwear. When I ask Biebuyck if the athlete was known for giving away timepieces, he laughed, “I’m 99.9% sure.” He went on, “We have all these pictures of him on his plane with his briefcase open, and he’s got like, three watches inside. So I do think he was just giving them out, left, right, and center. He was always very keen to present the brand in the best possible way, and he was really professional and dedicated to us.”

When Senna headed to Williams in 1993, TAG Heuer broke protocol in order to maintain its relationship with him. “He was so important to us that we decided to do an individual direct deal, which is, in fact, very unusual in the world of Formula 1 sponsorship, particularly for watch brands,” Biebuyck says. The collaboration resulted in the first limited-edition Senna watch, released posthumously in 1994, after his tragic accident at Imola earlier that year. Since then, TAG Heuer has created 29 watches inspired by the motorsport legend across 19 collections, ensuring that his legacy lives on not only in the F1 history books, but also on the wrists of those remembering the legend’s spirit.