Cover Patrick Dempsey speaking at the Tag Heuer keynote session in Watches and Wonders 2026
Patrick Dempsey speaking at the Tag Heuer keynote session in Watches and Wonders 2026
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Tatler GMT snags a quick chat with actor and Tag Heuer ambassador Patrick Dempsey at Watches and Wonders in Geneva
There are brand ambassadors who pose for the camera, and then there are those who live the campaign. Patrick Dempsey belongs in the latter category.
Dempsey has been a brand ambassador for Tag Heuer for more than a decade. Unlike most such partnerships, his feels less like a contract and more like a calling. For one, he is genuinely passionate about racing, not merely as a fan, but as an avid participant—notably at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He even owns his own endurance racing team, Dempsey-Proton Racing.
Read more: Tag Heuer reinvents the chronograph with the Monaco Evergraph
Above Patrick Dempsey was the first to own the new Tag Heuer Monaco Evergraph
Patrick Dempsey was the first to own the new Tag Heuer Monaco Evergraph
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Tag Heuer famously built its name producing timing instruments for motor racing, a legacy that continues unabated with its return as Formula 1’s Official Timekeeper. Add to that Dempsey’s status as a Hollywood star, and it could hardly be a more fitting partnership.
Dempsey visited Tag Heuer at Watches and Wonders this year, but he offered more than the perfunctory duties of a celebrity hired gun. Grey’s Anatomy’s McDreamy joined then CEO-designate Béatrice Goasglas and movement director Carole Forestier-Kasapi on stage to deliver a keynote address before helping to launch the Monaco Evergraph. He also became the first official owner of the groundbreaking new timepiece.
Later, at a media roundtable, Dempsey proudly showed off his Evergraph with blue chronograph counters. “Yeah, I’m lucky to have the very first one!” he exclaimed. “It’s a very cool watch, and so lightweight that I forget I’m even wearing it until somebody asks to see it. When I look at it, I think of the team of people assembled on stage earlier who helped make this watch a reality. Even though this watch is an inanimate object, there’s so much humanity there.”
The Monaco may be one of the most recognisable watches today, but its 1969 debut wasn’t quite so auspicious. Considered too avant-garde at the time—with its square case and left-side crown—it sold poorly. It was discontinued a few years after launch before being revived in 1998, this time promoted alongside images of Steve McQueen wearing the Monaco in Le Mans. The association with cinema’s King of Cool worked, and the Monaco finally became a success.
“It’s interesting because it was a total failure in the beginning. It wasn’t until many, many years later that it became an icon. And it makes you think about life. You see certain people who have done something when they were alive but never got the recognition. It’s only when they pass that they were discovered. What it taught me is that things happen in their own time. You can’t force it. I always try to remember that,” mused Dempsey.
Above Patrick Dempsey at the Tag Heuer booth in Watches and Wonders 2026
Patrick Dempsey at the Tag Heuer booth in Watches and Wonders 2026
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Indeed, he recalled how grateful he was when Tag Heuer came on board to sponsor his racing team more than a decade ago. “They have transformed my life by allowing me to realise my dreams—having them on the car as a sponsor, given their incredible history in motorsports. To be able to stand on the podium at Le Mans, to win in Japan, and to represent the brand at the highest level—that means so much to me,” he said.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be able to stay with Tag Heuer for as long as I have because I truly love the brand. I can’t imagine being with any other brand.”
Setting aside the Evergraph on his wrist, Dempsey revealed the two favourite Monacos in his collection. “The first one that I received in the paddock right before the start of Le Mans, and the vintage 1972 Monaco I bought on my first trip to Spa-Francorchamps that I wore in the race.”
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Brian Cheong leads the watch (Tatler GMT) and jewellery content at Tatler Malaysia, combining sharp editorial insight with years of luxury lifestyle experience. A seasoned journalist in luxury watches based in Kuala Lumpur, Brian had previously helmed World of Watches, Men's Folio and Prestige Malaysia.
