Wednesday 26 June 2019

INTERVIEW: THJunkie (Calibre11 Forum Member)


We're starting a new feature today, something I've been working on for a little while now and hopefully something that I will be able to expand on over the coming months and years. Our guest today is Calibre 11 forum member and watch collector THJunkie who lives in the Midlands, UK and recently added a Calibre 17 Carrera to his collection when he visited our friends at TAG Heuer Cheshire Oaks. Hopefully THJunkie will be penning a 'guest' buying experience post for us about that in the near future, I'm looking forward to sharing that with you all and hopefully some more pictures of this beautiful piece.


So, obvious first question, how did you get into watches?

I suppose this is a tale of two halves. I originally got into watches around 20 years ago when I was working in the City of London. My wife bought me my first nice watch as an engagement present. I knew nothing about watches at the time. We lived not far from Hatton Garden so were spoilt for choice, if maybe not budget. Kiriums were all the rage for those that could not afford Rolex, so I went with one of those; a stainless steel, white face Kirium Chronometer.

After that I added to the collection a similar design, but this time two tone steel and gold Kirium which was a wedding gift. But for a long time those were the only watches in my collection. My first ever watch as a child would probably have been a Casio of some sort, probably the one with the calculator as I recall that was all the rage. My first “good” watch was the aforementioned Kirium.


Of the pieces you currently own, is there one that stands out above the others?

It is hard to pick one out. I suppose the piece that I tend to wear the most is my Carrera Calibre 17 (CV5111). If the house was on fire and I could only grab one watch, it would be a tossup between that and the Omega Speedmaster Blue Side of the Moon Moonphase.


So let's take a different tack and ask something slightly more contentious, how are you with quartz watches, is there a place in your collection for them?

There is certainly a place. One of my first 'real' pieces was a quartz, though it does remain the only one in my collection. But I don’t rule out adding more in the future. I think there a limit to how much I would spend on a quartz watch verses a mechanical though, regardless of the case material and design.


Excellent, I love quartz pieces myself so that's nice to hear. Speaking of what's coming next, what's coming next?

I’ve bought quite a few pieces in the past year. I went through a bit of frenzy and added a lot to the collection, so I have to slow down and make the next additions something really significant. My heart would like it to be the gold 50th Anniversary Speedmaster. My head says it will more likely be the Apollo 8 Dark Side of the Moon or one of the 50th Anniversary Monaco Watches - but those are going to be very hard to come by. I missed the boat on those for sure.


Is there a grail, a real 'money no object' watch that you'd love to possess one day?

Currently it is the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon (reference 740.056). A snip at 285,000 Euros!


Wow, well... work hard, save hard and hope you inherit a fortune from somewhere I guess! So, how does your wife feel about your collection?

She wonders why I need more than one watch. I reply same reason she needs more than one handbag. But to be fair she is quite supportive and understanding of the hobby. She has a “nice” watch of her own so she appreciates the craftsmanship and quality of a good timepiece.


Aha, yes, get them on board with a watch collection of their own, it certainly hasn't done me any harm, hahaha. So, go on, have you ever maybe had to 'sneak' a watch into the house?

Yes. More for embarrassment that I’d bought yet another than for any other reason. But we’ve moved on from that now, so there’s not need to be bashful.


So, can you put a number on it... how many watches is too many?

That’s a difficult one to answer. I’m not sure there is a right answer to that. I’ll go with “one more than you can afford to look after” - by that I mean if you can’t afford to service and store the watches (neither servicing or watch boxes are cheap) then you probably have too many. 



So, inevitably I guess, we turn to the subject of buyer's remorse, have you ever bought something and regretted it?

Yes, I bought a Baume et Mercier Santos which at the time seemed an amazing deal. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it. It is a perfectly good watch, but I think the 75% off factor was more of an influence than the desirability of the watch itself. I don’t wear it that often. It’ll probably become my “beater”. 


Totally get that, bargains are hard to resist and not always the best decision. Changing tack a little, I'm very much focused towards modernity, or certainly the last thirty five years (essentially the 'modern' history of TAG Heuer) when it comes to my collection, you seem to go for a different approach with old and new style pieces, which excites you more?

Neither as a hard and fast rule. I think it depends on the brand. All but one watch in my collection are Tags (including Heuer) and Omega. Almost equal split between the two brands. With Omega I have definitely gone down their modern pieces (e.g. Speedmaster Racing, and “Side of the Moon” range) rather than their reissue range. though I have picked up one re-issue LE recently. The 1948 Seamster Small Seconds.

With Tag Heuer it has mainly been the re-issue or at least the recent variants of heritage designs that have appealed to me. Carrera Calibre 17, Monaco, Carrara Cal 18 Telemeter etc. Even the more modern piece I bought this year has been from a few years ago. The Grand Carrera Cal 36 RS. Whilst I do admire some of the more recent TH pieces, from the Carrera “H02” range for example (Tete De Vipere especially). I have not yet taken the plunge.


As someone who appreciates 'vintage' style pieces, I'm curious to know your thoughts on faux aged lume.

If it works it works. I like a few watches that employ it. I think I even have one - The Seamaster 300. I think it looks good. So you could say I’m ambivalent so long as the overall look of the watch works. Tudor seem to employ it to good effect on the Black Bay range. 


I don't know if it's as prevalent as it used to be, but TAG Heuer more than any other watch brand of a similar level seems to attract way more than it's fair share of hate / negativity, do you have any ideas why that might be?

I would say it is down to two factors. They are available in almost every shopping mall and chain jeweller and their range is so wide that you have £500 to £50,000. So it is difficult to know where they reside in the grand scheme of things. They make some amazing watchers and a whole lot of forgettable ones too. I think a lot of the “hate’ if it does exist today is snobbery and somewhat unjustified. It would go a long way I think on their more expensive pieces if they increased their warranty from 2 to 5 years. on a £500 to £2000 watch maybe you don’t expect a long warranty. But beyond that you are going into the territory of brands which offer much longer backup. 


The TAG Heuer / Bamford partnership also seems to have stirred mixed feelings, what's your take on that one?

I like the concept. But most of the executions have, to my taste left a lot to be desired. There are a few gems. I am especially partial to the Black Monaco with orange highlights - but I am a sucker for orange watches. I also quite like the new LE Monaco they have done. The Bamford Carbon Monaco is growing on me, but still think it looks a little cold.


Are you swayed by 'limited editions' and the associated packaging?

I primarily tend to buy a watch based on the overall aesthetic. The history is not ‘that’ important to me. So it being limited in production and therefore more exclusive is a bonus I suppose. I also don’t see watches overall as an investment so the potential for an LE to increase in value is not something I really take into account. I only have one real LE in my collection to date and the discussion to by that was more to do with the unique (within the range) look of the piece. I don’t really care about the packaging. It all ends up in the storage room packed away so once the watch itself is in the watch collection box, the packaging goes out of sight and out of mind. 


Is there a TAG Heuer you really don't like or perhaps a model you'd like to see reissued?

Sure there are some that I like less than others, enough to not consider buying one. But in terms of an entire range, no. There's usually a redeeming or stand out piece in each of the ranges. But in general terms it is the gimmick/novelty versions. e.g. Senna, Ali, Fragment, Monopoly, Football teams etc. I’m not a big fan of multiple logos on a watch. Ideally they would simply say Heuer. The only exception to this is the Gulf Monaco. As far as a watch I'd like to see re-issued that would be the Bund or the Camaro.


Is there something you'd like to see used more often in watch design, maybe a particular colour on a dial?

In general no. As there’s a watch or brand out there that caters for every conceivable budget or taste. For TH specifically, I would like them to increase the quality of their straps and deployment clasps. Oh sorry, yes I forgot... More Orange! Definitely more Orange Tags!


Maybe you should have a look at the CAU2012 Calibre 16 F1, that's got a good splash of orange on it! What about gold and two-tone watches, you've already mentioned that you have a gold bezel Kirium (which I like a lot incidentally)...

Yes, actually I own two, two-tone watches; the aforementioned Kirium and an Omega Planet Ocean. I’m also a big fan of the new Rolex two tone Sea Dweller. So yes I like them and have no problem wearing them. One day I also hope to add the “American Psycho:” watch to the collection.


Fantasy time. Say you were in charge at TAG Heuer, how would you have marked the Monaco's 50th birthday?

50th anniversary and no Gold piece? Come on, that’s a clear missed opportunity for a super rare showcase piece? I was really hoping for one. If it does land it will be hard to resist unless they make it a Tourbillon (and therefore out of my price league). I was really hoping that they’d do one. Maybe it was too obvious a play. I was skeptical of the 70s model, though it grew on me. The Red looked drab in leaked photos, but turned out to be stunning so I’m gutted to have missed that. I can’t justify the box set in terms of money and of the others I only fancy the “grey” one but I’ve already spent that budget on something else in the meantime...


You obviously have an appreciation of both TAG Heuer and Omega watches, are there any other brands that you admire?

I admire all the usual suspects. Patek, ALS (A Lange & Sohne), Rolex. I doubt I’ll ever own a Patek or ALS. I’ll never have the discipline to save up enough for such a high end grail. There will always be something more attainable that will come along and empty the piggy bank. There are quite a few Omegas on my wish list, as there are Tags/Heuers. I do see myself buying a Submariner and Daytona at some point, maybe when the bubble bursts on their sports range. 


How do you feel about the Hodinkee limited edition phenomenon and leading off of that would you like to see some sort of TAG Heuer VIP club where special editions were offered first or possibly exclusively?

I quite liked the Hodinkee LE Skipper. But it was a take on a historic design so not entirely new or unique. It is also based on the Carrera case which is really hard to ruin with a bad dial. I love that overall design of the heritage Carrera. It is a novelty marketing approach the probably benefited Hodinkee more than Tag Heuer. Their take on the Speedmaster was in a similar vein. 

As far as an exclusive club is concerned, then I’m not a big fan of the idea. It would possibly lead to all the interesting things being channeled through that and where would it end? Paying a subscription fee to the club? Membership based on minimum purchases per annum? I prefer the more traditional route of building a relationship with an AD and trusting that. If it was all centralised through an online VIP club, then you can guarantee we’d all be paying full list on every item too. No thanks to that!


Finally, a contentious subject I know, but who if anybody would you like to see as TAG Heuer's next ambassador?

I’m not a big fan of the concept of Ambassador. But if watch brands must use such personalities to promote their product, then I would rather see someone who is directly connected to the use of the brand in the endeavour for which they are well known. Not some ‘celebrity’ who’s simply being paid to wear a nice watch because they are famous. That cheapens the brand in my eyes. And TAG Heuer are by no means singularly guilty in this regard. Other options would be people who are doing something meaningful and impactful in the world. For example Greta Thunberg, the young lady who’s campaigning for climate change awareness.


Well, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this first T.H.E. interview, I have a few more irons in the fire albeit I will space them out a bit so that it doesn't get repetitive. Hopefully my questions were adequate, but if anyone has a question they'd like me to pose to future interviewees then please leave a comment below. Finally of course, a massive thanks to THJunkie for taking the time to answer my questions and for providing the photos of his superb collection!

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