FEATURE: Coming Up on Seven Years of the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blogspot

 

Hello friends, and thank you for continuing to visit my blog. This year has been a bit different for me, with my watch collecting coming to (pretty much) a screeching halt as I came to realise that simply buying more and more and more watches simply wasn't sustainable, or desirable. This caused a bit of a dip in momentum since I wasn't constantly getting new watches to talk about and this coincided with an absolute glut of releases from TAG Heuer which meant it felt like I was constantly having to write one 'First Impressions' post after another.

While I do want to continue to cover every new release (excluding the Connected) recently it seems like the blog has become a little bit too much of a 'billboard' for modern TAG Heuer. I mean of course it is, but I also want it to continue to be a place to celebrate the last 37 years and not just the last 6 months. While I'm not buying any more older models at the moment, I still own plenty and my enthusiasm for the 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s models has not dimmed.

To this end I am trying to think about how the blog can shift slightly; perhaps some of the less interesting new models don't really merit a full 'First Impressions' post - maybe I should do a monthly round up of new releases and only focus on the more interesting ones instead? As it is, the enthusiasm of the C.O.C.O. for scoring ladies watches is waning, with a third of the members choosing to opt out of future scoring on those pieces. But at the same time I want to ensure that all new models are covered so that this continues to be a valuable resource for the future. 

This will be a gradual process and you might not really notice much change in the immediate future - although it seems we've hit a bit of a break in the release schedule (still plenty to come though, don't you worry - and probably more than I know about), which should give me an opportunity to write some 'Spotlight On' posts and 'Features'. 

Also in the last couple of weeks I've been working hard on the long awaited 'History of the TAG Heuer Carrera'. So far this has had to be spread over six posts, but it might end up being seven, depending on how long the final part turns out. This is a very time consuming process and I still have to enter all the text throughout, which is going to be very slow and very tedious. While I'd like to say it will be ready soon, there's a good chance it will be nearer Christmas... though I am absolutely determined to get all six/seven posts up before the end of 2023.

I've been pretty happy with the growth of the blog this year, with views steadily rising. On average we are getting around 600 views a day, which is probably 50% up on last year, not too bad considering this is a single brand blog. I still find it rather surprising that no one else is really covering TAG Heuer in any depth considering how popular the brand is, but I guess I should be pleased since I don't need anyone else muscling in on my little niche, especially people with hands-on access and fancy cameras! 

But then who in their right mind would want to write about the 35mm quartz powered 'Executive' watches of the 1980s, or the 'Golf' or the 'Microtimer'? Where is the currency in any of that? No, I'm sure any new competition would only focus on the here and now, because like most of the internet the only thing that matters is 'clicks', 'affiliate links' and all that jazz. Frankly I'm too old to care about all that, besides... I already have a proper job, I don't need or want another one thanks. You might also have noticed that my Instagram account is less than active... again, I simply can't be bothered with it and deleting Instagram from my phone is undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have made in recent times. If you enjoy Instagram then that's great, personally it felt like my IQ was dropping through the floor with every reel I scrolled through.

Okay, so finally I have to report that I am inching closer to making a rather hefty purchase, which will consume most of the funds realised from my recent downsizing escapades. I have been thinking for some time that I wanted to buy something to top off my collection and recently I rediscovered an older model that will fit that bill nicely. I won't say too much about it now, except that it features a Calibre 36 movement, so it's definitely a show-stopper. I'm pretty set on this model now, and if it doesn't come off soon then I may have to wait for another one to come my way. But that's okay, it's nice knowing what I want even if I don't exactly know when I'm going to get it. 

Okay, well, thanks again for all your support. I will endeavour to keep improving the blog and hopefully people will continue to find and enjoy my little corner of the internet. It's very nearly five years to the day since I was lucky enough to visit the TAG Heuer manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, if I have time I may revisit that in a post soon since it was a obviously a very memorable occasion for me.

The blog hits '7' on the 6th of October, hopefully I will have something interesting to talk about on that day. 

Rob (Aqua-G)