FEATURE: 'TAG' Ruined Heuer: Fact or Fiction?

For a very long time I've found myself frustrated by the perceived distinction between Heuer and TAG Heuer, long term readers will perhaps remember some previous posts I've made on the subject, but recently my ire has been stoked once again by watching a couple of videos made by supposed 'watch experts' pontificating on the merits of TAG Heuer vs Heuer. These people may be watch experts, but they know jack about TAG Heuer (and I'm not talking about Jack Heuer!).

The root of the criticism always follows some small variation on a familiar theme, that being that Heuer are great and TAG are awful because: TAG Heuer abandoned all those lovely mechanical Carreras and Monacos and replaced them with crappy quartz Kiriums and Links.

Obviously I'm biased, because my first TAG was an F1 Kirium... but I never thought it was in the least crappy. However, I am willing to concede that some of the 90s watches weren't exactly top drawer. My 4000 is okay, but nothing special and certainly not worth the original list price. So maybe TAG made some less than great watches and over-charged for them, does that warrant the continued bashing and hate? Are TAG the only company who ever made sub-standard watches and charged too much for them, particularly during the 80s and 90s - I very much doubt it!

It's easy to bash a company for making watches like the Kirium, that in the long run didn't stand the test of time. But we should remember that in the 90s watch companies actually made 'forward looking' watches, the whole industry wasn't completely obsessed with regurgitating the same thing endlessly under the guise of 'heritage' and 'tradition', indeed you only have to look at the recent AP debacle with the Code 11:59 to see what happens now when a company attempts to make a 'new' watch: instant vilification via the tedious medium of 'Social Media' who all jump on the bashing bandwagon, with nary a voice to be heard flowing against the tide. Which is why I was super impressed by Roman Sharf's video on this years AP releases and in particular his thoughts on the Code 11:59.

With the last seven years of vintage this and heritage that, the watch industry has painted itself into a huge corner, but on the flipside, one of the few companies that have made a success of a new model is TAG Heuer with the modular Carrera. Funny that. Maybe it's because while TAG haven't always got it right, at least they didn't stop trying? And you have to accept that if you make a 'new' watch, especially a radical design, you will never know if it will work or not long-term, you just have to wait and see. So now that just about everything worth re-issuing has been, and the industry is finally having to think up something new, it will be interesting to see which companies actually have anything new to offer.

So while I can't completely defend TAG's 90s output, we can at least address the complete fiction that the evil 'Techniques d'Avant Garde' company came along and bought Heuer, suffixed the name and in the process chucked out all the lovely Carreras and Monacos in favour of plastic quartz watches. Well, I'm sure in hindsight they might agree that changing that name was a bad move (indeed Jean Claude Biver said exactly that in an interview a couple of years ago), not least because it handed the haters an absolute gift of a stick to beat the brand with (Heuer - Good / TAG Heuer - Bad, simple right!). But as for TAG being responsible for the downturn in the company's range, well... that's just not correct.

The truth is that when TAG took over, the watches in the range were the 1000, 2000 and 3000 series, the Executive, Titanium and the Golden Hours watches. There was admittedly the Super Professional and the Autavia range of automatic chronographs, but Monacos and Carreras there were not, because Heuer had already discontinued them. And we have to assume there was a good reason for that, if they had still been good sellers then why on Earth would they have been dropped?

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This is the sort of watches that Heuer were making in their final days, and I don't see anyone clamouring for a re-issue of these 'beauties'. This is not a Heuer-bash, the watch industry was in crisis in the early 80s, quartz was destroying the mechanical timepiece and taste was questionable all round. But it's simply wrong to suggest that TAG came along and 'ruined' the company, when in actual fact for the first two years of ownership they didn't do anything much other than put the new logo onto watches that already existed.

But for the 'watch experts' on You Tube, it's far easier to parrot the nonsense that Heuer = good, TAG Heuer = bad, irrespective of the facts, and in the process pander to the preconceived ideas of the majority of their audience. Because let's be honest, it's far easier to do that than to stick your head above the parapet and say 'actually, that's not true'.

After all, it was TAG Heuer who resurrected the Carrera, Autavia and Monaco, and it was only relatively recently that they started putting Heuer back on the dial. Personally I think that was a mistake as it only added to the Heuer = good, TAG Heuer = bad misconception, but then again from a marketing point of view I can see the reasoning.

Again, this is not meant as a Heuer bash, I think the reality is that both TAG Heuer and Heuer have made some good watches and some lousy watches, but with such an easy 'break point' it's even harder to get that message across to those who only believe the 'headlines'.

Unfortunately, with TAG's market position, there's always going to be people who want to bash the brand, entry level is a lucrative proposition, but leaves you open to disparaging remarks from people who value the snob value of their own chosen brands. This is a hard cycle to break, and yes maybe TAG Heuer watches are overpriced, but almost everything that comes out of Switzerland is overpriced to some degree. IWC and Hodinkee have just released a very plain collaboration watch that retailed for over £6000, it sold out in a day and nobody seems to be calling out the blatant profiteering, but unfortunately that's just the way the watch community operates.

Still, that's no reason to let lies and disinformation go unchallenged, is it?

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 'Highlights' Catalogue 1994/1995

Collecting paraphernalia can be an expensive hobby, I know I've spent way more than I should on some of my catalogues (in particular my Grand Carrera hardback catalogue), but now and then comes along an opportunity to bag a real bargain. This 'Highlights 1994/1995' catalogue is quite small (about 5" square) and contains just twelve pages, but it's still a nice little collectible and it cost me just £1.50. I can't really grumble about that now can I?

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 1500 Series GMT Watch

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Over the last couple of years I've pondered over many 1500 Series TAGs on eBay, the most common of which seem to come with a rather nifty silver granite dial. Indeed, when I started looking these were quite affordable, but as time has gone by the prices seem to have increased by a good 50%, but that's just the way it goes sometimes isn't it? One of the issues I had with the watches I came across was that the sizes were hard to pin down, ranging from 35-37mm depending on who you listened to, and I was reluctant to purchase something that was too small for me (this, admittedly, was before my collection started to fill up with 37/38mm watches!) and so I kept passing them over, albeit I knew I wanted to come back to the range at some point.

Then I spotted the GMT variant in a catalogue and thought it looked quite nice, but remained ignorant as to the size of that particular model. So when this one came up on eBay last week and I realised it was actually 40mm in diameter, then it was a case of game on! When I first found the watch it was bidding at £120, but I really expected it to go for between £400 and £500, probably low £400s... so I made a low bid and then sat back until the last day.

During the last day the watch climbed up to £250, where it sat for most of the day. Then about half an hour before the end of the auction it jumped up to £290, and then in the last minute it jumped to £323. I made my bid with 7 seconds to go and it initially jumped to £333, then someone else bid and pushed my bid (which was £387) up to £376. Thankfully the auction ended before they had a chance to bid again!

Two days later, the watch arrived and it fit me straight out of the box (which is great, but rather undermines the seller's claim that it had all it's links and would fit the biggest wrist. I do have a big wrist, but I generally have to have one or two links removed...) which saved me taking it somewhere to get it fitted at least! The box it came in was okay, the barrel case looks a bit past it's best and the cushion inside the case is from a different case, but... well, who cares. For £376, I think I did rather well.

It was a bit of a faff to set the watch properly, especially as I didn't have any instructions! But I got there in the end, the main confusion stemmed from the fact that the GMT hand and the date work from the same crown setting and once I'd figured that out it was relatively easy. As you can see from these pictures I didn't get the date in quite the right place, but I've now sorted this and it changes over perfectly, if rather slowly.

The watch has the old style (six digits) number on the back plate, which tells me it's no newer than 1991. Considering that fact the watch is in fantastic condition. Yes there are some scratches to the bezel and the clasp, but the bracelet has absolutely no play in it whatsoever. Strangely the bracelet (and case) has that bead-blasted kind of effect that you find on the 4000 Series, albeit the steel looks a bit lighter in comparison. As you'd expect, the lume is definitely past it's best, but still lights up dimly.

Overall, I have to say I'm rather chuffed with this. I did wonder if the white dial was what I really wanted (this was also made in black), but for one thing it's not like there's a huge choice of these out there to buy, and on reflection I think the red GMT hand looks better on the white dial anyway. It certainly plays to the 'Rolex Explorer on a budget' narrative! One thing I would say though, I've already misread the time twice in poor light by confusing the GMT hand for the minute hand, but I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually.

Rolex Explorer II - £6250!

Also, I didn't notice until just now but this isn't a million miles away from the very cool but unfortunately very small TAG Heuer Airline that I was watching on an auction not so very long ago. Admittedly it doesn't have the awesome bracelet with the city names printed on, but if I remember correctly that one went north of £500 (before we even talk about import taxes) and at 35mm it's just too small for my 7.3/4" wrist. Yes I do own an original F1, but I made a particular exception there for the sake of history.

So there we are then, my third purchase of 2019 already... and I thought this year was going to be more restrained! It's not doing much for my plans to save for my 50th birthday present, and I've already got my eyes on something else... 

VIDEO: Why TAG Heuer Watches are Perceived to be Garbage by the Watch Community by J Anthony

Another watch 'expert' who doesn't know what he's talking about... 😠

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Alec Monopoly Limited Edition Aquaracer

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Here's a truly limited edition Alec Monopoly piece, just 25 pieces of this Aquaracer have been produced and... well, it's kid of odd isn't it? Alec's art is generally stuffed to the gills with bright colours but this one is completely off message and bizarrely muted in comparison. 

There was an idea put forward on the Calibre 11 forum that this one may have been produced in association with the Beverley Hills hotel, whom Alec has previously collaborated with... and clearly there has to be some reason why this watch is so completely out of character, doesn't there?

This one is being offered for sale on the website 'Chrono 24', for the sum of £4600 - no word on the actual list price, but given that it's a quartz piece it shouldn't really be any more than £2000 even if it is a super limited edition. Presumably this isn't going to be something the owner will be wearing day to day, which is a good thing because a replacemet strap probably isn't going to be something that's readily available and without it, you've got a black, quartz Aquaracer with some doodles on the dial...

This picture taken from the Beverley Hills Hotel website certainly suggests a possible tie in, especially as Alec has or has had an artwork displayed at the hotel in recent months... maybe there's a TAG Heuer boutique in the lobby? Or maybe just a glass cabinet with some novelties for well-heeled guests to buy on their way through? I just can't really see Alec Monopoly fans going crazy for this, it definitely makes more sense as a hotel tie-in.

So then, one of the rarest and mysterious TAG Heuers of recent times, it would definitely be interesting to hear how and why this piece came about, if anybody knows then please leave a comment. I have to say, novelty value aside I'm really not feeling this one too much, the dial just looks a bit of a mess if I'm being brutally honest!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Calibre 5 Link Review by Watches On You

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Beaverbrooks Limited Edition

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Are you in the market for an entry level TAG Heuer, but want something a little more exclusive? Well then perhaps Beaverbrooks can tempt you with this, their new 'limited edition' Formula 1 quartz chronograph, a watch that only 499 other people will own and just £1450 on the wrist. Not a bad opening gambit I suppose, so long as you're on board with the quirky 'one red hand' aesthetic...

Personally I can't quite decide if I like this or not. I mean, as a rule if you take a (nominally) black dial TAG Heuer and spatter it with some red highlights, well... you can't really go too far wrong. But I don't particularly like the red logo and I'm not entirely sure about that minute hand... and I think red on the crown and both pushers is a little bit too much.

But we should remember that this is the Formula 1 range, and this is where TAG should push the boundaries of taste a little (see also the Alec Monpoly F1, which works so much better than the Carrera variant), and actually when you take a step back and view the product as a whole - it somehow works.

When I first clapped eyes on this one I immediately thought back to the CAP2113 limited edition Aquaracer, it has a similar (if slightly less in your face) punch of colour which will probably divide opinion right down the middle, because after all not everyone is going to like this watch. There have been other watches with one coloured hand, but they are usually dive watches and it's usually sold as a 'practical' feature (underwater visibility and all that), but this isn't a dive watch, despite it's 200m water rating and there's no 'backstory' to explain the novelty element...

So really, what you're left with is a pretty run of the mill Formula 1 chrono, with one red hand. Which is fine... but what are you going to say when people ask you why? Watch people love a novelty, but it needs a justification. Am I ever going to use the Helium release valve on my Aquagraph? Hell no, I don't even get it wet, but that's not the point is it? 

But then again, do we need a reason why there's a limited edition green Monaco for the Japanese market? Maybe we should all just chill out and take it as a bit of harmless fun? Given the price range this watch is aimed at I think we can cut it some slack, although I do wonder how long it will take to sell 500 of these if I'm honest... I'm guessing we're going to be seeing these in the windows for a little while. Still, at least it's obvious what it is... the major jewellery stores have in the past had some pretty run of the mill 'exclusive' models, so I guess we should applaud Beaverbrooks for pushing the envelope a little. Can't really see one ending up in my watch cabinet though...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Calibre 7 GMT 'Batman' Pros and Cons by Allos MD

I have to take issue with the comments in this video regarding the minute hand not lining up properly. The owner clearly hasn't set the watch up properly initially, which rather undermines his credibility as a watch reviewer! Still, I thought I would post this anyway since it might be interesting for anyone looking to buy a WAZ211A.

BUYING EXPERIENCE: International Wrist Watch Magazine No15 (1992)

As a self-confessed TAG Heuer fanboy I was always going to struggle to pass this one by and luckily I found it at a very reasonable price - total including postage was less than £6, and in incredible condition for a 27 year old magazine! Admittedly there's not really as much TAG Heuer in here as I was hoping, the article covers just six pages, but still... well worth the money and it's not like I can't read the rest of the magazine is it?

It's actually quite interesting to read what was going on back in 1992, for example there's an article about a Seiko 1/100th of a second quartz chronograph and all through the magazine there's little things that pique my interest, like a photograph of the first 'Basle' watch fair in 1972 and an article about the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar (£15,000 in steel, £25,000 in gold in 1992) which came with a VHS cassette as a instruction manual. How cool is that?

The history of TAG Heuer in just six pages...

This piece was in the news section at the front of the magazine. Can't help but be reminded of those Ellesse watches when I see these straps... (apologies for the reflection on the page).

Also, a 1992 Zenith El Primero, which looks an awfully lot like the TAG Heuer 'Executive' range, don't you think?

An advert for a different Zenith which looks for all the world to me like the worst kind of TAG Heuer S/EL eBay fake!

Finally, inside the front cover there's an advert for this rather lovely looking Hublot, which looks a lot simpler than the modern ones, and with a Rolex Daytonaesque bezel too boot, but I bet it's a bit on the small side for modern wrists.

I think I shall definitely pick up some more copies of this, there seems to be plenty of them on eBay for about £5-6 and it makes the quarterly wait for QP a bit more bearable, plus it broadens my historical knowledge of wristwatches at the same time, which can only be a good thing.

VIDEO: Here's Why You Should Give TAG Heuer a Chance by Watchfinder

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Carbon Collection Rose Gold Calibre 5

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Sheffield, 26th January 2019

I've already made my feelings pretty clear on the carbon collection Aquaracers, but until today I hadn't actually had one on my wrist and so given the opportunity I decided to approach it with an open mind and see what transpired.

On the whole the watch is nice enough, I'm not crazy about the straps these come on and never have been on the other Aquaracers I've tried... The watch is quite light as while the case is not carbon it is titanium and only 41mm in diameter. The carbon bezel looks great and looking at it objectively, if I didn't know already that the dial wasn't carbon, I wouldn't have picked up on it. Which surprised me because when I looked at these in the Oxford Street boutique it appeared the dial was quite poor... so that has confused me somewhat.

I've said before though, you know... this watch costs £3300, it should not have any components which are 'faux' anything. If the watch was £500 then you can make the case, this is beyond ridiculous. That aside, from the pictures I really liked the look of the rose gold version - but on the wrist it's absolutely illegible. The gold reflects the black around it and to be honest it's harder to see the time on this than on my 'phantom' 4000 Series. It's definitely harder to read than the actual 'phantom' Aquaracers released a few years ago. Maybe it's the lighting in the Sheffield store? I don't know, but maybe that also accounts for my attitude to the dial as well, I mean looking at the picture above, the dial looks pretty bad... 

Well, I tried, but to be honest I found myself completely disinterested... and after a pretty brief period of time my attention was wandering from my wrist to the other watches on display, most notably the 'Racing Tires' limited edition tourbillon with blue accents, but that's a post for another day.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Quartz Watch

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer S/EL Catalogue / Price Lists

This was an unexpected bargain, which I got off eBay for just £10! Amazingly not only did I get the 1996 S/EL catalogue and price list, but I also got a 1994 'Selection' price list and a 1992 Selection Catalogue (which I already have, so that's going back on eBay). The S/EL catalogue is really nice, featuring a dark green cover and some translucent pages into the bargain, something I've never seen in a TAG catalogue before.

Needless to say looking at this has re-ignited my desire to add to my single SEL, but it's amazing how many SELs there were compared to what's actually available on the pre-owned market. Where on earth did they all go?

VIDEO: Jean Christophe Babin Talks Haute Horologie by Revolution Watch

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16

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Goldsmiths / Sheffield, 26th January 2019

Meadowhall has not one, but two Goldsmiths stores, a larger one on the upper floor which sells the higher end brands like Rolex and Breitling and a slightly smaller one downstairs which sells the less expensive brands like Tissot and Tudor. Understandably, when Goldsmiths opened their TAG Heuer boutique right next door to their main store they stopped selling TAG in there, and moved them downstairs. 

So it was in the downstairs store that I tried on this beautiful new Carrera chronograph (assisted by the very friendly and professional Laura). This is the new incarnation of the Calibre 1887 Carrera and while I know some people are disappointed that they've put the Calibre 16 movement in there instead, I have to say from an aesthetic perspective, they've got it bang on! They had the black and the blue dial in the window and this was the obvious choice, the black is nice, but this has the WOW! factor going on in spades!

Like the Calibre 1887 before it, the Calibre 16 has the chronograph subdials configured in a 6/9/12 format, which I don't mind at all. I know the Heuer 02 is the big thing now, particularly because of it's 3/6/9 layout which provides greater symmetry on the dial, but for me this layout works great as long as they don't try to force too much else in there. In my opinion the problems only really arise when the watch includes a day function as well as a date, which leaves nowhere for the TAG Heuer logo to go and it gets squeezed up into the 2 position.

Undoubtedly the blue dial isn't quite as flexible as the black, but it is by far the more striking. It's a nice darker tone so it won't look too out of place with your suit, but it really comes alive when the light hits it just right. The dial also features polished markers which are tipped with small oblongs of lume, and quite surprisingly for such a dressy piece it also features well lumed hands.

The case is 41mm in diamater which is the perfect size for this design I feel, and around the back there's a sapphire caseback giving you a nice view of the Calibre 16 movement. I quite like the pushers on this, I find them preferable to the 'mushroom' style pushers found on the Calibre 1887 Carreras I think, although to be fair I never found them particularly offensive. This Carrera also features a water resistance rating of 100M, which means you can swim in it on the surface (no diving at all), but why you'd want to I have no idea...

Sporting a Calibre 16, the watch is not particularly slender, but it's not unpleasantly thick either. I'm guessing it's around the 12-13mm mark and should work with all but the tightest cuffs. The bracelet very much reminds me of the one I had on my recently departed Grand Carrera, right down to the clasp. There's no fine adjustment on this style of clasp though, which is a little disappointing, but it does look neat and stylish and as you'd expect on a piece of this quality the clasp is activated by two push buttons.

Price for the CBK2112 on the bracelet is £3500, which seems reasonable for a stunning looking Carrera like this. I must admit I'd really love one of these for my collection, but I fear it may be a little too dressy for me. I can't fault it though really, they've done a lovely job and it makes the perfect alternative for people who perhaps like the new Link chronograph but find the bracelet a bit too much...?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 3000 Quartz circa 1984 by Birth Year Watches

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Super Professional 1000M Dive Watch

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As the proud owner of an Aquagraph (or a 2000 Aquagraph to give it it's original name), I can't help but have a soft spot in my heart for this Super Professional 1000M dive watch. While perhaps not a direct predecessor, the Aquagraph being a chronograph and 'only' water resistant to 500M, this is nonetheless another of the great TAG Heuer hardcore dive watches.

The pictures here are taken from a listing on eBay which, while relatively expensive, is extremely tempting nonetheless. It's up for £1995, with the option to make offers, which isn't cheap by any means but nor is it completely outrageous. What's particularly nice about this one is the condition, I've seen several of these in the past but they often seem to have lived hard lives and usually one or more of the prominent bezel mounds has taken the brunt of something or other. Secondly of course, there's the fact that it comes complete with it's original diving 'kit'.

Although the watch looks massive in pictures, it's actually only 42mm, which is smaller than a lot of Aquaracers and Formula 1s of recent years and significantly smaller than the original modular Carrera released in 2016. Admittedly when it was released it would certainly have been one of the larger watches in the range, but times move on and sizes have increased dramatically, and so now this looks distinctly reasonable.

It also strikes me that the dial itself is significantly smaller than the case around it, which is very similar to the Aquagraph in that it could give the impression that the watch is smaller than it is. On the other hand its shape means it probably will wear larger than its size suggests, there's no getting around that bezel after all, and it's unlikely to slide under a cuff easily. But then this isn't really a watch to be worn with a suit, is it?

I'd really like to get my hands on one of these, albeit I'm not sure I want it badly enough to pay nearly £2000 for it. As a collectible item I'm sure it's well worth the money, particularly in the condition it appears to be in and with the diving kit complete. But looking around I did get rather excited when I found one in very good condition (albeit without the diving kit), on a bracelet, for less than £1000 on Est1897. Unfortunately, it was an old listing and the item in question had been sold. But it does give me hope that one of these might pop up again at some point at a more affordable price.

I have to say, it's really nice to see this one complete with its accessories. Chrono24 has a handful of WS2110s, but only this one with the complete kit, and the bracelet looks a decent length as well. Hmm... makes me wonder if it wouldn't make a nice 50th birthday present for someone! :)

This watch was also available in a PVD variant, but finding one for sale in comparable condition will probably be a little bit of a challenge. There was one on Chrono 24 (which is still listed as 'SOLD') but unfortunately it doesn't indicate the sale price realised.

Looking at it again, I kind of think I prefer the steel version, as I can imagine this looking a little 'grey' close up and the thought of a PVD bracelet/clasp just doesn't bear thinking about. Can you imagine the stress every time you put your wrist on a desk or a table?

Finally, here is a short video from 'Swiss Watch Trader' which gives you a nice look at the TAG Heuer Super Professional.

Unfortunately this one has been sold as well, and again the website doesn't show the sale price... which is frustrating.

If you are tempted to make an offer on the full set, here's the eBay link. But please bear in mind I have no connection to the sale and can't vouch for the watch or the seller:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-Tag-Heuer-Super-Professional-Ref-WS2110-2-with-Box-Papers/183609060086