FEATURE: It Seems Like Maybe TAG Heuer Really ARE Bringing Back the Classic Formula 1...

You may remember I wrote a post a while back referencing an article on 'Hodinkee' about the idea of bringing back the original Formula 1. Well now we have another article appearing on Time & Tide about how TAG Heuer should bring back the original Formula 1. This is surely no coincidence... any more than Hodinkee lauding the Heuer Skipper and Solid Gold Carrera 1158CHN as the best Carreras ever earlier this year - just you wait and see. These guys are in TAG Heuer's pocket and they know what's coming, their job is to sow the seeds of interest, and in the process make themselves look like they have their finger on the pulse.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2023 Releases with Frederic Arnault by Wristcheck

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Sports 'Green' Heuer 02 Chronograph

 

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Considering it's supposed to be the 'Year of the Carrera', it seems like the 44mm 'Sports' range has been rather ignored in 2023. But here, finally, we have something new for those of you with a larger diameter wrist, with this green dial and bezel Heuer 02 powered chronograph. 

There has of course already been a green dial / steel bezel 44mm Sports, but this is a much darker shade with a hint of teal about it and while I am only now writing my First Impressions post, the truth is I have already tried this watch on.

VIDEO: Why TAG Heuer's Glassbox is a Breakthrough by ID Guy

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Two-Tone' Calibre 5 & 9 Watches

 

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Spitalfields, London 15th April 2023

Spitalfields isn't an area of London I know all that well; I remember going there a few years ago to visit a gallery for Nathan Sawaya's 'Art of the Brick' show, but I hadn't been back since and the only reason I was back there now was because I had tickets to the Dali Immersive Experience in Brick Lane. However, somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered that there was a TAG Heuer boutique in the area, and as we turned up way too early for our 12:30pm ticket time my wife and I decided to go check it out.

The store is a bit anonymous from the pavement to be honest, and it's not exactly on the busiest street either... which all seems a bit strange. But once inside it's very nice and cosy and we were greeted warmly by Rafiq and his crew who had several new pieces for us to try on.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco 'Titan' Titanium Calibre 11 Chronograph by Swiss Watch Expo

 

FEATURE: Should TAG Heuer Revert to Using the 'Heuer' Name?

 

Back when he took over the reigns of TAG Heuer in 2015, the ever quotable Jean Claude Biver said that he would love to change the name back to what it once was, but that it was 'too late' to do so. And yet the name is to this day a thorn in the side of the company, since it provides an all too easy stick for the detractors to beat the brand with; Heuer = Good, TAG = Bad. 

It's an argument that is as stupid as it is oversimplified, because in a lot cases what people are really saying is 'I like vintage style, I don't like modern (large) watches', this could apply to other watch brands of course but there isn't an easy way to say it. For instance you may favour the style of the Railmaster over the Planet Ocean but because they both wear the same 'Omega' branding the distinction is harder to make.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 Chronograph by Brent Miller Time

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Monaco 'Dark Lord' Tribute Special Edition Heuer 02 Chronograph

 

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 22nd April 2023

It's almost a year since the release of the TAG Heuer Monaco 'Dark Lord Tribute' and to my great shock and surprise a few weeks ago I finally got to see one! In fact, in the weeks since I saw this particular one in the TAG Heuer boutique in Sheffield's Meadowhall centre, I've seen another one - this time in the flagship boutique in Oxford Street (London). I guess Dark Lord's really are like buses huh?

I suppose I shouldn't be quite so surprised, since after all the 'Dark Lord' is a limited release model, rather than a blink-and-you'll-miss-it-never-to-be-seen-again limited edition of 600pcs like the purple and green dial Monacos, and now that the initial rush of interest has abated they are slowly starting to appear on the high street. But even so it's hard not to be somewhat in awe of this long awaited legend of a watch, or at least the 2023 interpretation of it.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Classic F1s by Birth Year Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Hawaii' Limited Edition Calibre 5 Watch

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Credit where it's due, this one was flagged up by THF Forum & C.O.C.O. member 'Mspeedster', who spotted this new Limited Edition while vacationing in Hawaii. Who knows when or if, we would ever have found out about this one otherwise since Googling the part number and 'Aquaracer Hawaii' has drawn an absolute blank. So huge thanks to Michael for bringing it to our attention and also for the great pictures!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2023 36mm Carreras by Time & Tide

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Indy 500' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph

  

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In 2020, TAG Heuer released one of the best 'Indy 500' branded watches they've ever produced (for me, of course, the Heuer 01 skeletons are the pinnacle of the genre), a black PVD coated model on a rubber strap with red bricks covering part of the dial which garnered a very respectable 6.5/10 from the Council of Considered Opinion in the big end of year vote. 

For some reason, perhaps due to Covid(?) the 2021 race didn't get a watch, but last year TAG Heuer released a rather underwhelming black and gold model featuring the supposedly 'iconic' control tower. Frankly it didn't inspire much positive comment from anywhere much and seemed to disappear without trace. I've still never seen one and I don't suppose I ever shall now. I don't even know for sure how many pieces it was limited to, I heard 500 although that seems a bit unlikely.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Releases for 2023 by About Effing Time

 

FEATURE: Watches & Wonders Part 3: Cartier, Chanel, Baume & Mercier, Tudor & Hublot (with Jim Dollares)

 

It's finally time for the third and final part of our irreverent look at Watches and Wonders 2023, this time we are focusing on Cartier, Tudor, Hublot, Baume & Mercier and Chanel.

ROB: Okay, let's continue with something completely left field... the Chanel J12 Cybernetic. I'm torn on this one because as a Chanel I expect it to be elegant and tasteful, but this is neither. On the other hand I kind of like it because it reminds me of artworks by Salvador Dali (who I like a lot). I don't know, it just seems a bit too gimmicky, especially at a cost of £12,000.

JIM: If you hadn't shown this to me I never would have even noticed it. I think it is a very cool piece for ladies. The design is definitely 'out there' but for this one I think it somehow works. It looks very glossy, is it made from ceramic?

VIDEO: Heuer 73325T Chronograph by Birth Year Watches

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera '39mm Glassbox' Calibre TH20 Chronograph

 

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 22nd April 2023

Oh boy, I am kinda dreading writing this post to be honest. So, it's fair to say that in some quarters I have a somewhat 'undeserved' reputation for hating Heuer... which is not true. Yes I am mainly interested in TAG Heuer, but mostly I just don't buy into the accepted watch-community narrative that 'Heuer is better' and at times I have probably voiced this opinion in ways that have rubbed people up the wrong way and given the impression that I hate everything that came before 1986. Since I own and have owned several watches that originate in the time before Heuer became TAG Heuer this is clearly not true.

These people are probably expecting me to hate these new 'classically inspired' 39mm Glassbox Carreras just as I hated the old 39mm 'Glassbox' Carreras. Except I didn't 'hate' the old ones. I didn't hate them at all. I don't think I've ever scored a 'Glassbox' Carrera less than a 6, and in fact I'm pretty sure I scored one of them as high as an 8.5. Because while they weren't my style I could still appreciate them for what they were. And sadly, I feel like I need to lay this out because otherwise people are just going to dismiss what I'm about to say as the rantings of a 'Heuer-hater' (which again, I'm not).

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco 'Dark Lord Tribute' Calibre Heuer 02 Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

MAGAZINE FEATURE: Interview with Jack Heuer from QP Magazine 2010

 

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH...

Jack Heuer tells QP of his surprise that the brand founded by his great-grandfather is still thriving in 2010.

"To be quite honest with you, I never thought I would see this moment - not because I wouldn't be here, but because I didn't think the brand would survive this long." 

So says Jack Heuer of this year's 150th anniversary of the watch firm founded by his great grandfather, Edouard Heuer, that established its credentials as one of the world's leading producers of sports-orientated timekeepers back in 1916 when it created the astonishing Micrograph stop watch that could record elapsed times down to an accuracy of 100th of a second.

MAGAZINE FEATURE: The Latest TAG Line - 150th Anniversary Feature in QP Magazine

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Early in 2010, the decidedly 21st-century McLaren Technology Centre proved the perfect venue for TAG Heuer's launch of its 150th anniversary celebrations. QP was there to hear the speeches, toast the future, witness the rebirth of a classic watch - and see Lewis Hamilton being sent home for an early night...

Yes I'm as cynical as the next hack. But that didn't stop a lump arriving in my throat when out of the black of a rain-soaked Surrey night a 1986 McLaren Formula One car - spectacularly illuminated by pink fibre optics - came snaking along the approach road to the front door of the MCT. It didn't take long to work out that the driver was Lewis Hamilton and suspicions were confirmed when he pulled off his logo-bedecked crash helmet to reveal an expression of pure delight at having experienced an albeit short drive in the actual car that helped Alain Prost win the F1 World Championship for the second time.

Hamilton is paid to talk at events such as this - but for a few seconds he seemed genuinely lost for words, marveling at how different Grand Prix racing must have been before electronics played a pivotal role in motorsport. He is also likely to have been reflecting on the fact that he was not even one year old when Prost last drove the car in anger.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 200 Professional Green Dial Automatic Watch

 

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Long term readers (and THF Forum members) will be painfully aware of my... obsession with the original green dial / steel bezel Aquaracer which was released back in 2019. When it was released I kept waiting for it to turn up in stores and it just never did. The Oxford Street boutique told me they had a grand total of two, which were sold within hours of going on display, and despite me asking in lots of ADs on my travels, I just could not find one. 

Of course, back in 2019 I was a bit less savvy than I am now and rest assured I would be a lot more pro-active about finding a watch I was that interested in these days. But frankly it was always the one that got away, and it never did turn up at Bicester Village (as far as I know - unlike my other dream Aquaracer, the WAY208C), so I was a little surprised the other day when our Swedish correspondent Jim Dollares told me that he saw one back then in some backwater town in Sweden!