La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland – October 7, 2021: From his brooding wheelman in Drive to his all-singing, all-dancing Oscar-nominated turn in La La Land, Ryan Gosling is an actor who defies easy categorisation. The attributes his roles do have in common: a willingness to be fearless, to constantly challenge himself and push what’s possible.

Who better, then, to join luxury Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer as its ambassador: where passion, effortless style and commitment to excellence are as central to the man as they are to the brand. And who better than the actor who could be seen as the heir apparent to the legendary Steve McQueen, two men for whom style and substance are one and the same, to drive the brand forward. But Gosling also represents something else: a new breed of masculinity that’s both sensitive and low-key, a confidence that is by definition effortless, much like the brand itself.

“We are thrilled to announce Ryan Gosling as TAG Heuer global ambassador, for his first ever brand partnership. A star since his early days, he has grown to become an icon – one both enigmatic and inscrutable. He is a true artist who chooses his projects with utmost care and dedicates himself to them like no other, not only shaping his character but the entire creative direction. The movie Drive represents the strongest link with who we are today, and we are excited about the creative projects we have together,” says TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault.

Ryan Gosling: “TAG Heuer has quietly and consistently been a classic and iconic pillar of excellence in its field for over a hundred and sixty years. Partnering with them was an easy decision and time, in general, is just something I think a lot about now. My kids are growing up fast so I keep an eye on the clock in a way I never used to.”

Gosling has become Hollywood’s most versatile leading man by always daring to be different. Few other actors would have taken on such challenging early films as The Believer, Half Nelson and Lars And The Real Girl. Yet they earned him rave reviews, Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, and a reputation as the most exciting young actor in Hollywood.

But it was Drive that turned Gosling from acclaimed actor into a new type of leading man – one who could also lend himself to whip-smart ensembles (Adam McKay’s The Big Short, which co-starred Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Brad Pitt).

Furthermore, in three short years, Gosling went from the smash-hit musical La La Land (which earned 14 Academy Award nominations and won a Gosling a Golden Globe) to iconic sci-fi revival Blade Runner 2049 (co-starring Harrison Ford) to prestige biopic First Man (in which Gosling played astronaut Neil Armstrong).

Gosling isn’t only fearless in his choice of roles, but fearless when he films them too, shooting many of his own stunts. It’s work that clearly fascinates the actor – not only did Gosling play a stuntman in both Drive and The Place Beyond The Pines, but recently signed on to play one in The Fall Guy, to be directed by a former stuntman in David Leitch. The forthcoming The Gray Man, meanwhile, will be Gosling’s most action-packed role to date.

His commitment to excellence even extended to his very first TAG Heuer ad campaign photoshoot – handpicking the award-winning photographer Pari Dukovic and collaborating with him in every step of the creative process. The result: a campaign of vibrant visuals, inspired by Gosling’s own desire to shoot a campaign unlike any other, and one that marks yet another daring departure for the star.

“Ryan said he wanted to do something completely different. Colour has emotion and it’s completely unexpected. In creating these portraits it was about creating something timeless and timely at the same time. TAG Heuer’s watches have a timeless quality to them and that’s exactly what we wanted to do with the campaign,” says Dukovic.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that Gosling’s performances have often drawn comparison to the late Steve McQueen, another leading man with a passion for motoring, stunts and spectacle. And who, like Gosling, became a style icon as well as a movie star. A new generation of TAG Heuer’s timeless sporty and elegant three-hand watch – the TAG Heuer Carrera Three Hands – could hardly provide a better way to start Ryan Gosling’s partnership with the brand.

The watches represent a showcase for the brand’s motor racing heritage, where elegance and fearlessness go hand in hand. As a committed motoring enthusiast, few would appreciate the dedication to clean lines and an obsession with readability more, with the collection representing the company’s purest and most elegant watch in the TAG Heuer portfolio.

Gosling: “I appreciate its timeless design. I like clean and simple design generally. Growing up, we lived on a pretty tight budget. I gravitated towards things that were simple and timeless so I didn’t have to think about keeping up with trends.”

The new collection of 13 pieces reinterprets and reimagines the horological icon in four versions: the TAG Heuer Carrera Day Date 41 mm, the TAG Heuer Carrera Twin-Time Date 41 mm, The TAG Heuer Carrera Date 39 mm and the TAG Heuer Carrera Date 29 mm.

For over 60 years the TAG Heuer Carrera has been designed for those pushing the limits in mind and spirit. Charismatic CEO Jack Heuer’s goal with the introduction of the Heuer Carrera chronograph in 1963 was to create a watch that was uncluttered and perfectly harmonious – ideal for drivers who needed to tell the time at a glance while under pressure.

Legend has it that the company’s obsession with readability began in 1958 when Jack Heuer dropped from first to third in a Swiss rally he was competing in because he could not read the dashboard timer correctly. The Heuer Carrera, introduced five years later, was radically different to any other watches the company had produced before, embracing a clear and minimal design language to create unrivalled readability.

That commitment to legibility and clarity remains unwavering – the new line projecting a piercing modernity alongside a sporty refinement that stays true to its storied roots.

In Spanish, carrera doesn’t just mean but road and race, but also career or course – fitting, perhaps, as the TAG Heuer Carrera Three Hands is for all owners who demand clarity in order to chart their own paths. Those, like Gosling, who push the limits, but do so needing to know where the limits lie. TAG Heuer, founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, is a luxury watch brand that is part of LVMH Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton SE (“LVMH”), the world’s leading luxury group. Based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and with four production sites, TAG Heuer has 1470 employees and is active in  139  countries. TAG Heuer products are available online on the watchmaker’s website, select countries and in 160 boutiques and 3,500  points of sale worldwide. The company  is headed up by Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer.  

For 160 years, TAG Heuer has demonstrated pure avant-garde watchmaking spirit and a commitment to innovation with revolutionary technologies that have included the oscillating pinion for mechanical stopwatches in 1887, the  Mikrograph in 1916, the first automatic-winding chronograph movement – Calibre 11 – in 1969, the first luxury smartwatch in 2015, and the ground-breaking  Isograph technology in 2019, made possible through a unique collaboration with the TAG Heuer Institute. Today, the  brand’s core collection consists of three iconic families  designed  by Jack Heuer – TAG Heuer Carrera, Monaco and Autavia  – and is rounded out with the contemporary Link, Aquaracer, Formula 1 and Connected lines.  

Capturing TAG Heuer’s motto, “Don’t Crack Under Pressure”, are prominent partnerships and brand ambassadors  that express the brand’s  passion for action and  high performance. These include the Formula E World Championship, of which the brand is a founding  partner, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team, the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team, the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, the World Endurance Championships, the Indianapolis 500, legends  Steve McQueen and Ayrton Senna, actors Chris Hemsworth and Patrick Dempsey, ATP next-generation tennis players Alex de  Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, and surfer Kaie Lenny, among others.