Tag Heuer joins China Mars 2020 mission

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Aug 26, 2016

China’s Mars Exploration Program is now on time thanks to Tag Heuer. The Swiss watchmaker has been named official partner of the Chinese mission to Mars in 2020. The announcement came this week in Beijing as Tag Heuer CEO, Jean-Claude Biver celebrated with scientists and officials of the China National Space Administration the unveiling of the exterior design of China's first Mars rover.

The planned Chinese mission to Mars will see a Tag Heuer timepiece rocket to the red planet with astronauts. And, if successful, will see Tag Heuer become the very first watch brand to land on Mars.

China’s first Mars program will consist of orbiting, landing, and rover deployment on the red planet, building on the success of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. At its most distant, Mars is over 400 million kilometres from earth, which poses technical challenges including powering the rover due the relatively low level of sunlight that reaches the planet and its dusty atmosphere. China has also previously indicated plans for an eventual manned mission to Mars, slated for between 2040 and 2060. Tag Heuer has not disclosed yet if it will take part in the latter.

"Mars exploration is one of the greatest missions in man’s conquest of space. TAG Heuer’s support to the program 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,” said Jean-Claude Biver, in a press release.

Tag Heuer has a longstanding connection to the development of the space industry and space exploration. In 1962, Tag Heuer became the first Swiss watchmaker in space with American astronaut, John Glenn, on board the Friendship 7. More recently, in 2012, Tag Heuer's new Carrera Calibre 1887 SpaceX Chronograph was sent on an orbital mission.