EYES ON THE ROAD: After more than a decade, Tag Heuer and Patrick Dempsey are shifting gears in their relationship.

The actor and professional race driver is expanding his remit as a longstanding ambassador of the Swiss watchmaker and is becoming the face of its eyewear line, Tag Heuer revealed Wednesday.

“Patrick Dempsey is more than a brand ambassador, he is our family. He doesn’t just share our brand values, he lives them every day,” said George Ciz, Tag Heuer’s chief marketing officer. “He is the perfect embodiment of the ‘Designed to Win’ mindset and he is able to beautifully blend relentless pursuit for performance with unmatched elegance and style which can be felt both on the big screen as well as on the race track.”

A brand ambassador since 2014, Dempsey has taken part in events such as the celebration of the Carrera Chronograph, several Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix and its historic counterpart.

“It’s been a remarkable ride [for] over 10 years now,” he told WWD exclusively. “We’ve had some great adventures, some great watches and now, the sunglasses.”

He also counts Tag Heuer as a sponsor of his own racing team — Dempsey Proton Racing, in partnership with Porsche — clocking four participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, where he placed second in his category in 2015, and attending Rennsport Reunion 7, the 2023 edition of the largest meeting of classic Porsche racing cars — and their drivers.

And that also made him uniquely placed to take the eyewear, designed in partnership with Thélios, for a spin — or several.

In his opinion, the eyewear “complements what Tag Heuer is all about,” namely motorsports, timing and competition but also being athletic in general.

“You have a lot of that going into the technology behind the glasses, as far as lightweight practice, practical usability and then quality [go],” Dempsey added.

As a race driver, the best feature is the weight, or lack thereof.

“You want something that is lightweight and doesn’t distract you. You put it under your helmet or in your helmet, it disappears and you don’t feel it,” Dempsey said. “Titanium is really a good material to help support that and it’s [derived] from the watches so it complements each one.”

Dempsey will have plenty more occasions to test drive Tag Heuer’s latest eyewear this year. Through his ongoing collaboration with Porsche, he is working on releases around the 50th anniversary of the automobile manufacturer’s Turbo car, and preparing for cup racing.

As a producer, he’s putting the final touches to a documentary about American ski and snowboarding champion Jessie Biggins’ road to the world championship.

In the meantime, with the high school graduation of his twin sons Darby and Sullivan coming later in the month, the first half of 2025 has been all about “enjoying this last chapter before they go off to university and begin their life in a new way,” he said.

But Dempsey and wife Jillian Fink have their eye on the road ahead. “We’re already planning our road trip,” he revealed. “Monaco will be one place to kick it off.”