Hello again Jim, it’s been over a year since I first interviewed you for the blog and a lot has happened since then… not least TAG Heuer have appointed a new CEO and celebrated their 160th Anniversary. But before we get ahead of ourselves let’s think back to last year; when I interviewed you we were only part way through the release schedule for the 50th Anniversary Monaco pieces, in fact I think when we last spoke there were still two or three pieces left to come out, so given the benefit of hindsight what is your opinion of the five pieces overall.
Oh yes, I'm with you there on the numbering, it really does seem like penny pinching to me, and yes I think it was a smart move to do them all separately, otherwise some would have shone at the expense of others. So you didn't like the red 80s one? That's a little bit surprising as I thought that was a lot of people's absolute favourite.
Haha, and I presume as you are tactfully avoiding them that the last two didn't ring your bell?
I agree and that can easily change everything. I must admit I didn't really get excited about the last two, especially the last one... and no I haven't seen them either, I don't think hardly anyone has except the people who actually bought them, so we can only go on the available evidence.
Okay, so before we leave the subject of the Monaco, I just wondered what you thought of the new Heuer 02 version that came out this year?
You know there can never be too much talk about the Monaco! But sure, about the Heuer02 version I do like it a lot actually. At this point I have accepted the weird running seconds and the overall look of the watch is more premium than before I would say. Last couple of days I've been having sexy dreams about the silver and red Heuer02 limited edition celebrating the Monaco historique grand prix! Unfortunately though it costs waaay too much for me. That is actually something that is bothering me more and more, when I fell in love with Tag they were more decent in pricing and felt within reach for me but now with Heuer02 models going for 7-8000 Euro I am actually looking around for a more affordable brand that I can nerd out on.
I must agree, even a couple of years ago £4300 was the sort of benchmark price for a top-end TAG Heuer, only the gold and carbon models and tourbillons were above that, but now it feels like £5500 is the new £4300! That's pushing it way above my pay grade and to be honest I get just as much pleasure out of an 'eBay' quartz TAG Heuer from the 90s, so that's kinda where my money is going right now. It's a shame and I think the problem is I'm not sure the quality is keeping up with the price rises, especially when it comes to the Calibre 5 movement watches.
Before we leave the Monaco altogether though one final question. A while back I did a post called 'Definitely a Monaco, but which one?' which compared the relative merits of the Calibre 11 blue dial and the Gulf. Could you tell us which one you would choose, or perhaps you would rather substitute the Historique Monaco you've just mentioned?
Even though the shade of blue is not perfect I would go for the Gulf version. The thought of wearing a watch with an oil company's logo on it, during times when socialist extremists in Sweden believe that the world is ending in 10 years because we drive cars, just makes me smile.
Haha, excellent. Soooo... moving on, this year is TAG Heuer's 160th Anniversary and so far we've seen not one but two limited edition 'Heritage' Carreras in celebration of that. I wonder what are your thoughts on those pieces and also your wider feeling about the anniversary and what you'd like to have maybe seen.
Aaah yes, another anniversary. Seems like watch brands always have something to celebrate with special editions. In this case I have to say I have fallen completely in love with the 39mm anniversary Carreras, especially the silver one. The only thing I would have changed on them would be two things, adding a date and replacing the rotor with another one. The gold plated rotor introduced on the new 42mm Carreras would have suited these anniversary models perfectly! Honestly I don't have any thoughts on what else TAG could have or should have done, 160 years feels like a non anniversary to me. 150 years sure and eventually 175 years will make sense to make a big fuss about.
Which brings us neatly onto my next question... I know you are a big fan of the Formula 1 range and next year sees the 35th anniversary of that one. I mean, 35 years is not really an anniversary year, and there were 4 years when it was out of production (but since we had the 50th anniversary of the Monaco which had more than ten years out of production...) but even so, isn't it about time the F1 range was shown a little more respect and in 2026 shouldn't we expect some kind of proper 40th anniversary celebrations?
Yes indeed, Formula 1 is my favorite range in the TAG Heuer family! It feels like TAG has gotten a bit lazy and playing it safe there though, what we have seen is releases of new but often similar color combinations and dials with a variation of the same bracelet or straps. The F1 might not need a complete overhaul but I would really love to see an upgraded clasp, I mean is there any modern brand that has a clasp this bad at this price point? I just recently upgraded my Red Bull F1 with a 25 Euro canvas strap and now the whole package feels luxurious compared to the bracelet and clasp combo I have worn it on for two years now.
For the 40th anniversary, imagine a collectors box with 4-5 watches with a modern interpretation of each generation but the fifth piece being an introduction to a brand new generation. That would be very cool but also something out of proportion expensive that I could not afford hehe. But still, I would like the idea of something like that being presented by TAG.
I think that is a fantastic idea Jim, and really I think the Formula 1 range is due for a new case in the not so distant future anyway so why not? I agree on the pressed clasp, it is shocking to still be seeing that on a watch at this price point. While we are on the subject of the Formula 1, I wondered what you thought of the new Red Bull model seeing as you own the original CAZ1018?
The very little I have seen of it I like a lot! I'm just disappointed at how little attention it has received, seems like they had to rush getting this one to market despite Corona. Probably due to Aston Martin and Red Bull parting ways next year. One thing I miss with the new one though is a fabric strap, since I bought my caz1018 on a bracelet, I would have liked to own the new one on a matching fabric strap instead.
I have to say I am in two minds about it... on the one hand the colour scheme is much more appropriate for the Red Bull F1 team, I mean to be be honest your watch never really made sense to me as a 'Red Bull' watch, it's like TAG Heuer had already designed a blue and white F1 and they just stuck a Red Bull back plate on it - whereas the new one, is much more 'Red Bull' in it's colouring, but in truth I think the old one looks much, much nicer. So much so that it's now right near the top of my 'wants' list...
Okay, so let's move on to something else now. About six months ago TAG Heuer updated their website, is it something you use and if so how would you rate it? Is there anything you think could be improved or added to make it better?
Yes I try to use the website from time to time but being located in Sweden I find it quite frustrating. Prices are no longer shown on any pieces at all, back in the day we at least got the price shown in local currency for maybe 70% of the pieces but now I cant see any prices. I can only "locate a store" which I can call and ask about the price.
Improvements of the website... oh boy where to start. I find it very strange that Tag is so freaking bad at advertising the features of the watches! As an example, if I click on the dial info of a watch it might just say "grey" and index "applied". Why not state that the indices are rhodium plated? What type of lume is used? That the logo is applied with rhodium plating? What the hands are made of and the surface treatment of them?
Other improvements on the top of my head. Why not add 5-10 real life pictures of how good the watch actually looks? The renders never look as good as the actual watches.
Really, you can't see prices? What the hell is up with that? That's bizarre I've been on the US and Swiss sites and even the Chinese site, they all had prices....
I think another idea that was floated on the Calibre11 forum (though I can't remember by whom) was that they could list all the watch straps that were available to fit that watch. But TAG Heuer seem very guarded about that information, possibly because it would be a lot of work to make sure - as we know from experience, some straps are pretty much only made to fit one specific piece!
I think it would be wise for them to showcase suiting bracelets and straps though! Other brands seem to do this and I can imagine that it would drive sales, don't you think?
So let's talk about your collection, have their been any additions to your collection since our last interview?
When was the last interview again? I think it was prior to me buying my first mechanical chronograph? A watch you are very familiar with and have a couple of blog posts about! Speaking of course about my titanium Heuer01. I am actually wearing it at the time of this interview, on the alligator strap that does not fit so well, hehe. But still, the Heuer01 has actually become my favorite piece in my humble collection. Thanks again for helping me get it!
It was last September, so yes that was before you got your Heuer 01 Carrera, which was my pleasure to assist with! I am only sorry that the alligator strap doesn't fit that model properly, I guess we learnt a lesson about making assumptions right there!
Okay, so as I mentioned earlier in the thread TAG Heuer has a new CEO in Frederic Arnault, imagine if you can being able to sit down with him (perhaps in a plush restaurant just off the
Place de Vendome) and him saying to you 'Jim, you are a 'genuine' TAG Heuer customer, tell me what are we doing right and what can be improved?'
Wow that is one tough question. Starting with what they are doing right then I am first of all thinking about the Heuer02 movement. I am very impressed with the specs of that movement and glad to see TAG continuing to add it in more models. Another thing I think is a sign of, hopefully more good things to come, is that sizes seem to come down a little. We have reasonably sized new Autavias, 39 mm anniversary Carreras and 42 mm Carreras with shorter lugs. Hopefully we start to see an end to the "look at this gigantic 45mm skeleton watch" era of TAG. I also think TAG is very good when it comes to details and finish of their watches. Rhodium plating, different types of finishes, applied details on dials and most of the new stuff done with an ambition to be perfect is making the watches feel more luxurious than for maybe 5 to 10 years ago. This is a very good thing, even though prices seem to increase a lot constantly.
Speaking of prices, lets dive into the negatives and what TAG should change. The first thing to change is the insanity of price increases! Looking at the prices of Carreras and Monacos I think TAG has lost their mind! Have we seen 5% price increase every year now for the last 3-4 years??
Second thing that would be easy to change, is the usage of plastic movement holders!Among people online TAG keeps getting hate only due to this detail and embarrassing way of saving money. You know the other day I was looking at photos of some older TAGs and they did not have a plastic movement holder so there it's the other way around, TAG is not improving luxury but rather cutting corners to increase their margins. Another thing, which I think you agree with, is the usage of the so called "Calibre 5", actually being either the ETA or Sellita. When it comes to these cheap off the shelf movements we keep reading reports of issues with winding, rotors getting stuck or crowns locking up. You have issues with your Aquaracer right? If I was in charge of TAG I would ensure to develop a modern spec three hander movement with, lets say, 70h power reserve. This way TAG would be up for competition with for instance Tudor and Omega in this area.
Yes, unfortunately there is definitely something amiss with the crown on my WAY208C Aquaracer, thankfully it's under warranty, but on the Calibre 11 forum the Calibre 5 movement is not held in high regard for sure and the other day you sent me a link to another forum where people where discussing problems with that movement, so it's clearly a problem.
What else could be improved. Hmmm. I would probably make it easier for customer to mix and match straps and accessories. Encourage and market which straps go with which watches. I think this is a missed opportunity for TAG currently, it's impossible to find out what strap fits which watch. Like we just spoke about earlier... I was told by my local AD that my brown alligator strap would fit my Heuer01 which was not the case once I got the strap.
I agree, wouldn't it be great if the website showed every strap that you could order for each available model, and even for older models... you would think that they'd want to sell straps, after all I imagine they are quite profitable, we know some of them are £200-300a piece!
Sometimes we see that TAG Heuer is regarded (and indeed regards itself) as a 'gateway' brand, and yet while I'm sure it is for some people I do not see it that way. Perhaps it is because I am at the lower end of the earnings bracket for the customer base (at least judging by the '
garage' thread on Calibre11!), but the notion that I would buy a TAG Heuer and then progress to more expensive watches is somewhat alien to me, because as much as I would love an AP Royal Oak Offshore, I could not in all seriousness walk around with one watch on my wrist that cost nearly a year's salary. I think I could stomach a Submariner, but not much more than that. So I'm wondering, Jim, where you draw the line as far as feeling 'comfortable' wearing an expensive watch?
Well I think for the average, non enthusiast, customer it is probably not the case. They buy one maybe two luxury watches during their life and many people consider TAG to be the ultimate luxury brand. However, based on the years spent in online nerd communities, I think its safe to say that many enthusiasts fall into the "trap" of constantly seeking more and more. More luxury, more prestige, more hand made, more unique, more expensive.
I was raised in a family where we were taught a huge respect for money and how money is spent. Money should not be wasted and you work hard to earn it. I started working extra when I was 13 and my first proper bike took me a year to save up to so I could pay for it myself. This is probably why I, still today, am very cautious with money, I save a lot and think long and hard before making any major purchases. For me it is just purely irresponsible to spend, say, 10,000 Euro on a watch. That money should rather go to house improvements, saving for my son and similar. Anyhow, to answer your question I think the limit for me lies somewhere around 4000 Euro, I can't imagine spending more on a watch.
Perhaps I phrased my question badly, I can't imagine spending more than £4000 on a watch either, but I could maybe 'wear' an £8000 watch if someone gave me it.... ;)
Ahaa I misunderstood the question. Well if you put it like that... no limit for me! I would be perfectly happy rocking a solid gold perpetual calendar from IWC if you gave it to me!
Leaving TAG Heuer for a moment, I wanted to ask you a little bit about Breitling. I know it's a brand you are/were keen on, but over the past year you have been pretty vocal in the C11 forum about everything they were doing wrong, but lately they seem to be heading in the right direction again (especially with those very TAG-like 'Endurance Pro Breitlight Black Superquartz' pieces that came out recently). Are you more receptive to the 'new' Breitling now?
Breitling ey? You had to go there didn't you. Well sure they have taken some small steps in the right direction lately but to be honest. Every time I read something from Kern or see his face in interviews I just want to punch something. So I will not buy anything from Breitling as long as he is in charge but then who knows, hopefully the brand can find its way back to its glory days once he is gone. Just look at IWC! They have made so many improvements after they finally got rid of Kern!
And there was me expecting you to say something really positive - you really don't like Mr Kern do you!
Haha yes well if Kern were to bring back the solid gold Schneider logo I could say something positive about him.
So, okay, let's bring it back to TAG Heuer. We've seen an absolute slew of Carreras just recently with the 'Sports Manufacture' and 'Elegant' models, which have been greeted with something of a mixed reaction on the Calibre11 forum. How do you feel about the Carrera family? You mentioned earlier that you are pleased to see they are moving away from the giant 45mm skeletons (pah!!!), but do you think there are too many varieties of Carrera now or are you all about giving people choice?
I think TAG needs to make up its mind with what a Carrera is. They should not be afraid of introducing new model lines and stick to something that makes sense. Remember the thread I created in the forum about browsing the TAG website from the perspective of a non nerd? I made many points about for example what is a Carrera? There is everything from diamond quartz models to skeleton tourbillions in 45 mm and so on.
I agree, there is a massive reluctance to release 'new' watch models from all the big players, they've really painted themselves into a corner with this idea that everything has to have a back story and 'heritage' so now they are shoehorning everything into existing lines where it could just as easily have been a new line with a brand new name. But given the AP 'Code 11:59' debacle I don't see anyone putting their head above the parapet for some time, and social media is no help since anything genuinely 'new' will be trolled to death before it can even get into the stores.
Today we've seen the release of a new black dial Heuer 02 Monaco (to complement the blue one that's been out for some time now), but more importantly it is available on the first new Monaco bracelet we've seen in aeons. I have my own opinions about it, but as someone who is perhaps more in tune with the 'heritage' side of Heuer/TAG Heuer, I'm interested to know if you think they've got it right with this one?
Yes I really like actually. It doesn't bother me that it is not super retro heritage looking, it's a perfect mix between modern and retro and suits the Monaco perfectly. About the black Monaco however, hmm black Monacos is not my thing and does not seem to be for others either, at least judging from the prices on the used market where black Monacos are very cheap and seem to be a hard sell in general.
Let's be honest, most people only want a blue Monaco, either because of Steve McQueen, or perhaps because they believe the blue one is 'the' one to have. And as you say, if you want the value to hold you get the blue one... personally if I was going to buy a Monaco it would most likely be the
CAW2119 with the carbon dial and red highlights. Oddly enough I had an email today from an online retailer who informed me that they have that watch in stock and sure enough a few hours later it's already been sold, so clearly I am a man of impeccable taste.
Ahem...
So, let's talk about the new Omega Speedmaster Snoopy. Generally speaking I am no fan of the Speedmaster (or Omega in general really) but the previous Snoopy Speedmaster was one that really caught my eye. Of course, it was a limited edition and it sold out very quickly and now it trades at double its RRP. Typical. Now as far as the 2020 model goes, I'm not actually sold on the gimmicky back with the spaceship on a stick, and it's not as nice as the previous one, but it is probably my second favourite Speedmaster ever, even though they've clearly made a mistake by changing the dial from white to silver. I mean, what where they thinking there?
Hahaha well this is the first Omega I have ever been in love with and main reasons are the silver dial, the shade of blue and the amazing caseback! I wish other brands could be as inventive! Do I think it is worth the ridiculous price though? Of course not, Omega is not providing value for money but then again value is in the eye of the customer and I suppose Omega will sell a ton of these, people willing to pay whatever the price is... Do you think you will ever buy an Omega? Or maybe I should ask, will you ever buy any other brand than TAG?
I should hope not! Hahahaha.... well, it's not like I've never wanted to buy a different brand - I wanted to buy the Breitling Hurricane Avenger 45mm but again it came down to cost, I couldn't justify spending what was it... £6500 on a watch, even though I really liked it. Part of what I really like about TAG Heuer is that they provide a modern luxury product at a relatively affordable price, I mean if you are into vintage or retro watches the world is your oyster - at every conceivable price point from £200 up. But if you want something 'original' and modern, your choices are much more limited, obviously because then you are incurring the costs of 'designing' something new rather than just ripping off someone else's past design. Of course there are microbrands like Zelos but most of those are pretty hideous with meteorite dials up the wazzoo! I did really like those Breitling superquartz 'Formula 1s' I mentioned earlier and they are much more reasonably priced (than the Hurricane Avenger), so maybe that's an option... but then I can think of several TAG Heuers I'd have to buy first so no, probably not, haha.
It's interesting that you bring up the question of 'value' because it's something that I've been thinking about lately in regard to the watch world. It's quite funny really because people will tell you that Rolex are good value for money because they 'hold their value' or even in some cases 'appreciate', while at the same time completely ignoring the fact that they are charging £8000 for a pretty basic three hand watch in a stainless steel case. Not that I'm singling out Rolex here, you can say the exact same thing about Audemars Piquet with the Royal Oak or Omega (though the basic Speedmaster is relatively reasonable it must be said), but just because something retains it's monetary value (which let's not forget could change in the future) it still doesn't alter the fact that relative to its 'cost' there's not much argument for 'value for money' in the Swiss watch world.
But it's funny, because TAG Heuer get a lot of grief for being 'over-priced' (which I wouldn't disagree with incidentally) but it seems to me that it's unfair to single them out when all the big Swiss watch companies are pulling figures out of their asses and the more people buy the more they put them up! And this whole 'automatic' scam is hilarious... if you get a quartz watch and an identical automatic watch the price will be £1000 different, but the cost-difference of the movement simply does not warrant that at all. Which is probably why brands higher up the ladder no longer do quartz watches (or keep them under the counter) as it's just embarrassing for all concerned!
Yes indeed I agree with you completely. Many brands are waaaay overpriced in my opinion. I just wish TAG would settle down a bit because its no fun if my favorite brand gets too expensive for me.
Okay, rant over! I know you said you have made your first visit to an AD for six months and I'm curious to know what you saw and what impression the new watches such as the Autavias made on you?
Oh yes my first visit to the AD for a very long time, I think it was late 2019 actually so almost a year now! The big reason I wanted to go was to finally see the new Autavias. The store had two steel versions, the black and the blue as well as the brown dial bronze. The blue was almost everything I had hoped for. It felt well built, it had a gorgeous dial, felt luxurious, cool Arabic numerals, big crown and so on. The only thing I did not love about it is the movement, winding the Sellita or ETA inside of the Autavia is not something to write home about. But still, I would really love to own one!
While in the store I also tried on the Gulf Monaco, I think this is the fourth time I have one of those on the wrist and boy oh boy, every time I feel an urge to get one! Another piece which caught my eye was the cream white 39mm three hander Carrera on an alligator strap. This is an old model, it still has the old TAG Heuer logo with the arrow. This was a typical case of where TAG's bad renders on the website really don't do the watch justice. On wrist the polished case, crisp dial and rhodium plated details really popped! It looked classy and would be perfect for times when wearing a suit. My humble watch collection is missing a dress watch, maybe this could be the one? Only problem, again, is the movement. On the Carrera there is also a display caseback so unfortunately you can see the not so sexy Calibre 5 movement!
I kinda like the Gulf Monaco too, but wouldn't it bug you knowing that there was a better one out there... even if it's totally unavailable and even if it was the price would be horrendous? I'm speaking of course about the Gulf 50th anniversary watch of which TAG Heuer made just fifty pieces...
Haha yes maybe, but at the same time its a bit like with cars. I still love my car even though the manufacturer has better and more "perfect" models. The ordinary Gulf is definitely good enough for me!
Kinda makes you wonder why they bother making display backs for uninspiring movements... I guess it's a selling point for the 'public at large', but it's a bit like putting a glass bonnet on a Ford Fiesta. I do like that watch though, it looks very classy - too classy for me, haha, but I'm sure it would look good with a suit.
So you've mentioned rising prices a few times during the interview and you've mentioned to me that you can save quite a considerable sum of money simply by travelling to Germany, it makes me wonder why it's so expensive to buy TAG Heuer in Sweden?
Yes its a very good question about the prices. One thing might be vat, in Sweden its 25% but that does not explain the whole difference. Maybe the distributor has a higher markup? There is one player who owns the TAG Heuer market for the Nordics. Maybe TAG considers themselves to be more of an upper luxury brand on this market? Who knows... only thing I know is that next purchase will not be locally made, hehe.
Okay, so one thing we haven't mentioned so far is that since our last interview we have lost someone from the TAG Heuer family, someone who wasn't welcomed by several members of the Calibre 11 forum, but who some of us secretly rather liked having on board. I speak of course of the 'Art Provocateur' himself; Alec Monopoly! So Jim, do you miss him and which (if any) of his four watches would you choose to own?
I do actually miss him as an ambassador and I am still to this day upset about not getting the awesome 200 pieces limited Formula 1 that was made with him! Remo (Calibre11 forum member and previous THE interviewee) offered to sell me his, but he was, of course, asking for somewhere around market price which at that time was just above 3000 Euro I believe!
Yeah I'm still annoyed about missing out on that one too, I remember it being available on the website for a good 48 hours, but I dithered and now it's way too expensive to even think about buying it pre-owned. It does seem like we are in this position now where it's almost like we have to be ready at any moment with cash available in case something super crazy and super limited pops up. But that really plays to the people with lots of money who can afford to make mistakes rather than the likes of us who like to be sure in our own mind before we commit ourselves. Still I don't suppose that is TAG's problem, they just want to sell watches... so you can't really blame them, after all most of the other watch companies do similar things, especially Omega, although their limited editions seem to be on a much bigger scale (and yet still sell out just as quickly).
Yes I agree, for me it usually takes a year or two before I have fully decided if a watch is something I would like to seriously consider buying! Can't do any limited edition impulse purchases then.
Moving on, you mentioned earlier that you were half looking for a cheaper brand to nerd out on since TAG Heuer is slowly (or maybe not so slowly) getting too expensive for you. Are there any brands in particular and are you aware of the microbrands out there like Zelos, Spinnaker, etc... if so do they hold any appeal to you?
Well other brands that are a bit cheaper that I am curious about are mainly Longines, Stowa, Christopher Ward and Bell & Ross. There are many models I love from these brands and prices are usually reasonable. But I have not made a purchase yet because I keep coming back to "X number of that type of watch could get me this Tag Heuer". Micro-brands I've never been much of a fan of actually, I know of many since I read watch related news and see a lot on Instagram.
Isn't one answer to buy pre-owned? I'd say 3/4 of my watches have been less than £600 and probably half of those were less than £350, don't you have a craving for some 90s pieces in your collection?
Pre-owned might very well be the answer going forward for me indeed! Not craving any 90's Tags yet though, still modern current pieces I want to get my hands on first.
So, finally... during the (rather long) interview process TAG Heuer revealed the last of the 160th Anniversary pieces, the Carrera 'Dato' in 44mm. I must admit I was expecting a massively negative response from the Calibre 11 forum, but it seemed to be fairly muted. What's your initial reaction? Has it shot to the top of your 'wants' list, and by the way what is at the top of your wants list?
I think the 44mm Dato Carreras look ok but not something I will dream about owning, at least I did not love them at first sight.
Top of my wish list right now is an easy question! The 2017 Autavia Rindt, the 2016 Monza, the 1996 Carrera re-edition in 36 mm, Monaco Gulf and the silver Calibre 6 Carrera, I believe released in 2015, (ref is WV5111).
Yes I know what you are thinking! Jim is going faux Heuer anytime now!
Yes indeed! And on that bombshell, I think perhaps the time has come to put this interview to bed - lest it carries on for another 5000 words! Thanks for taking the time to talk to me again Jim and kicking off this year's interviews, I hope you will enjoy reading everyone else's views as much as I will.
LINK TO JIM DOLLARES INTERVIEW #1 (July 2019)
LINKS TO POSTS ABOUT JIM'S WATCH AND STRAP PURCHASES
