Case #669 — Tag Heuer Formula One (David Guetta) Ref. WAZ201A.FC8195

Case #669 — TAG Heuer Formula 1 Calibre 7 GMT "David Guetta" Special Edition

Ref. WAZ201A.FC8195

Status: Available

Condition: Good Pre-Owned

Scope: Box, Papers, and Cards

🔎 Case Notes

Most Formula 1 references are quartz, bright, and built for the paddock. This one is not. The WAZ201A.FC8195 is the blacked-out, automatic GMT variant created in 2015 as a special edition in collaboration with TAG Heuer ambassador David Guetta — a 43 mm darkened case, a black dial, and a black-and-blue 24-hour bezel that gives the watch its whole personality.

That bezel is the headline. The black and blue aluminium bezel is one of the most striking elements in the design, and because the 24-hour scale is split into day and night halves, the colour break is functional rather than decorative — it tells you at a glance whether your second time zone is in daylight or darkness. The design brief was explicit: the watch was designed with travel in mind thanks to its GMT function and "day/night" indication, in black and blue, colours chosen for a man who works nights in a different city every week.

Inside is the TAG Heuer Calibre 7 GMT, the automatic self-winding movement that separates this reference from the quartz bulk of the Formula 1 line, with approximately 42 hours of power reserve and 200 metres of water resistance.

This example is graded Good Pre-Owned. The case sides present very well for a darkened sports watch, which is where this finish is usually unforgiving. There is one honest flaw to report: a small fleabite in the sapphire crystal near the date window. It is a contained, localised mark rather than a crack, and it is disclosed here because it is the one thing a buyer should know before deciding.

The watch is presented on a TAG Heuer NATO strap rather than the black aged calfskin cuff strap this reference was originally delivered on. It ships with Box, Papers, and Cards, and the NATO fits an approximately 8-inch wrist with room to adjust.

🕰️ The Evidence

• Reference: WAZ201A.FC8195
• Model / Collection: Formula 1 Calibre 7 GMT — "David Guetta" Special Edition
• Year: Unknown (reference introduced 2015)
• Case: Black titanium-carbide-coated case, fine-brushed; BST inspection records the case material as titanium
• Case Diameter: 43 mm
• Thickness: Approximately 12.5 mm (per period retail specification)
• Dial: Black with applied stick indices, luminous markers and hands, date at 3 o'clock
• Crystal: Sapphire, anti-reflective coated
• Bezel: Black and blue aluminium 24-hour GMT bezel
• Crown: Screw-down
• Caseback: Solid
• Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre 7
• Movement Type: Automatic, self-winding
• Power Reserve: Approximately 42 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, second time zone (GMT)
• Water Resistance: 200 metres / 660 feet
• Strap: TAG Heuer NATO strap (not the original calfskin cuff strap)
• Clasp: Tang / pin buckle
• Fit: Approximately 8-inch wrist
• Condition: Good Pre-Owned
• Included: Box, Papers, and Cards

🌟 Collector Provenance

The Formula 1 is TAG Heuer's entry point and its highest-volume family, which is precisely why the automatic Calibre 7 GMT versions are the ones enthusiasts tend to single out. The overwhelming majority of Formula 1 production is quartz; a mechanical Formula 1 with a true second-time-zone complication sits at the top of the collection rather than the bottom, and it borrows its movement architecture from the same Calibre 7 GMT used in TAG Heuer's Aquaracer line.

Positioning matters here too. At 43 mm with a darkened case, this is the Formula 1 at its most assertive — closer in spirit to TAG Heuer's professional dive and travel watches than to the colourful, lightweight F1 pieces of the 1980s revival. The combination of a coated case, an aluminium bezel insert and a GMT hand puts it in a category collectors recognise immediately, and the black-and-blue insert inevitably draws comparison to other two-tone bezel sports watches — hence the nickname that has attached itself to it on the secondary market.

As a configuration, the darkened 43 mm Calibre 7 GMT is encountered less frequently than the standard steel Formula 1 references, and secondary-market listings for this exact reference are consistently few in number at any given moment. The reference is no longer in TAG Heuer's current catalogue.

🌟 Collaboration Provenance

This watch exists because of a specific person. TAG Heuer created the special edition Formula 1 for its then-new ambassador, David Guetta, one of the artists most responsible for moving electronic music into the mainstream charts. The ambassadorship is documented, and the watch was developed around his working life rather than simply carrying a signature.

That shows in the specification. The Calibre 7 with GMT function was chosen as essential for an ambassador who travels constantly, and the colour scheme — black case, black dial, blue bezel accent — was selected for the environment the watch was meant to be worn in. The original delivery strap continued the theme: a black aged calfskin strap supplied with a removable cuff backing, giving the watch a bund-style profile straight from the box.

A note on terminology, because it is frequently misstated online: this is a special edition, not a numbered limited edition. Several retail listings have described it as "limited", but no verified production quantity or individual numbering is associated with the reference, and BST will not claim one.

🧾 From the Case File

Practically, this is a travel watch that happens to be dressed for the evening. A true GMT hand against a 24-hour day/night bezel is one of the few complications that earns its place on a daily watch — home time stays readable without mental arithmetic, and the colour split removes the usual am/pm confusion.

At 43 mm the proportions are deliberate, and the darkened finish has a flattening effect that makes the watch read as purposeful rather than oversized. The 200-metre rating and screw-down crown mean it tolerates swimming, rain and ordinary carelessness without ceremony.

The NATO strap it arrives on suits the watch's character and makes it genuinely easy to live with: it is quick to adjust, comfortable in heat, and currently sized for roughly an 8-inch wrist. Buyers who want the original look should know the factory calfskin cuff strap is not included, and that the 21 mm-class lug opening leaves plenty of aftermarket options for anyone who wants to change the mood.

The condition grade is honest. This is a watch to wear, not one to preserve under glass, and it is priced into the Good Pre-Owned category because of the crystal fleabite near the date window. What it offers in return is a discontinued, automatic, GMT-equipped Formula 1 with a documented collaboration behind it, arriving complete with Box, Papers, and Cards.

🗝️ BST Verdict

A Formula 1 that behaves like a proper travel watch: automatic Calibre 7 GMT, darkened 43 mm case, 200 metres, and a black-and-blue 24-hour bezel that is as useful as it is recognisable.

The collaboration is real and documented, the reference is out of production, and the configuration is one of the more interesting corners of a collection usually associated with quartz. Disclosed crystal flaw aside, this is a complete, characterful example of a TAG Heuer that rarely gets the attention it deserves.

👉 Every case deserves a closer look.