INTERVIEW: Otto William (Calibre 11 Forum Member)

Hi Otto and welcome back to the TAG Heuer Enthusiast blog. It's a particular pleasure to have you back as, you probably don't know this... but your first interview is still the most viewed page on my blog (viewed over 1800 times!). In fact if you scoot right down to the bottom of the page there is a list of 'Popular posts' and your interview is right there at the top! How do you explain this huge popularity? Do you have an army of Ottofans out there, or just a big circle of family and friends? :)

Hahaha. I think first and foremost it's your growing T.H.E.B. page that plays the major role. Your genuity and sincerity of love for Tag Heuer can be very contagious.

I am very happy to be back. You can count me as Tag Heuer fans still. That haven't changed.

It is funny how watch collecting can be very different from one person to another. For most, Tag Heuer might be the first serious watch they ever had and things start to branch out from there. For me it was quite different. I found the love for Tag Heuer since my wife (who despite the fact that I told her not to give me a Tag Heuer) gave me Tag Heuer as wedding gift. Definitely Tag Heuer was not my first serious watch. But in the end I became serious about my Tag Heuer collection.

Also many of Tag Heuer (or Heuer for that matter) pieces came from racing or Formula 1 enthusiast. Although I like racing and especially Formula 1, I was very far from being an enthusiast, but after I joined the Calibre11 forum, I started following a thing or two about Formula 1. I even took time to study the rules and the current league position etc. My favorite team? You've guessed it! The one that is sponsored by Tag Heuer or the driver is the Tag Heuer ambassador.

Well, we're very pleased to have you back Otto!

So it's been an odd year this year, what with most of the world being shut down to some extent... but TAG Heuer soldiers on and of course this year we had the celebration of their 160th year, marked by two very different 'classic' Carreras and two 44mm Dato Carreras. So my obvious first question is do you like the anniversary models and do you think TAG Heuer should have / could have done something different to celebrate? Or is the 160th anniversary perhaps a bit of a non event?

Well I like the rather "classic" Carrera. This time around they came with "Heuer02" and "80 Hours" on the dial and while I like the overall look of that watch, I'd still rather have the "Heuer02" and "80 Hours" engraved on the caseback instead of printed on the dial. But it is not the deal breaker for me.

I like the current Dato release but I would prefer it with the "classic" Carrera case instead of the "sport chronograph" case. The 12 o'clock date would be reminiscence to vintage Carrera, this is something that I think they could do differently... but of course, some more avant-garde minded will prefer the newest case.

I can't really comment on the timing of the release. Yes, it is has been a very odd year. I don't think we have ever seen a pandemic on a global scale like this. But certainly the professionals at the headquarters knows something we don't for releasing new product at this time. Maybe the watch market overall is still okay at the moment. I pray we will never see anything close to the "quartz crisis" ever again for the watch industry.

Anyway it is still another decade of milestone for the brand. 160 years! Naturally they would have prepared something special.

In this regard, I am also curious as to what your view is about it as well. Do you think it's a bit of non event?

Umm, well no... but obviously there are those milestones like 100 years, 150 years, then there are those lesser ones like 125 years and 175 years and then you have those inbetween ones. It's clearly too long to go between 150 years and 175 years, especially for an industry that is obsessed with anniversaries of everything from the first man on the moon to the first time Steve McQueen looked cool in a photograph - but, undoubtedly some anniversaries are 'bigger' and 'better' than others.

I think they pitched it fairly well; for the 150th they re-issued the Silverstone, produced a limited edition Carrera and a limited edition Grand Carrera / mobile phone box set... so for 160 years what they've done seems proportionate. It makes you wonder what they will do for the 170th and 175th anniversaries... and indeed the 180th (which will be rather soon after the 175th)?

Speaking of anniversaries, last year we celebrated 50 years of the Monaco (technically about 28 years but whatever...) and your interview was conducted before the completion of the releases. Looking back over that celebration how do you think the pieces stacked up and were you at all tempted to buy one?

I am always tempted to buy a Monaco, even more so the limited edition. But I am realistic and sometimes the limited edition or new releases came in the time when I am not in position to buy a new watch, let alone a rather expensive one like Monaco.

For me, still even now, Monaco is the pinnacle of the Tag Heuer collection. I know, a lot of people would disagree but in my mind that is the way it is. The second Tag Heuer ever that I ever owned was a Monaco. It is no longer mine now, but sometimes I still have seller remorse about it.

Someday I'll find a Monaco that I will never sell. Finger crossed.

Was there one of the five that stood out to you, for good or bad? Jim had some reservations about the red dial 1980s model for example...

Style wise I liked the last one; the black dial without the white inner ring. I always gravitate towards a  black dial watch. I have to be honest though, that last one probably looked the least like a limited edition among the five... so if I have to purchase just for the sake of the limited edition collection then I will choose the first one, the green dial. That one is special in every way and probably it might take a while before that kind of dial, both color and finishing will be seen again, if ever.

Yes, I rather liked the green one. It was such a shock when it was released especially as the leaked images we all saw beforehand showed what looked like a 'brown' dial! It's funny how no one ever talks about the 1999-2009 model (the one with the thick white circle around the dial), it's like it never existed... perhaps because it was the least 'unusual', I don't know?

Moving on, let's talk about your own collection, has there been much movement since our last talk? I know you've sold your gold Heuer 01 skeleton (which I really loved)...

Very much changes for this year only. I officially do not own any Heuer01 movements anymore; sold both on different occasions. I managed to get an Autavia Chronograph and one vintage Heuer 844 Monnin case which I hold very dearly to grail level.

A lot of people love that gold Heuer 01 skeletonized dial. Which makes me wonder why all the fuss about when it was first released? I do miss both of the watches sometimes but I have to look forward. Watch collecting for me sometimes is about evolving and adapting too, as well as sacrifices made along the way. It is truly some sort of path way to find yourself.

Overall I am happy with my collection at the moment. Albeit with little bit of an itch to get some Tag Heuer pieces that I fear it might be out from the catalog soon.

Oh do tell, what are you looking at?

I am looking at Aquaracer ceramic bezel and Aquaracer ceramic bezel Chronograph. Especially at the Aquaracer Chronograph, it might be either discontinued from the looks of it or upgraded into H02 movement. The one that I really like is the Aquaracer Chronograph Grey Phantom already gone from the website and the Tag Heuer boutique in my country also sold their last piece of it.

Ah yes, I know those models well... I always thought the Calibre 5 (WAY218B) was slightly nicer myself and I believe the three hander was a limited edition whereas the chronograph (CAY218B) wasn't for some reason. Not really sure why, but anyway... either would be a nice addition to the collection for sure.

Do you think they will put the Heuer02 movement in the Aquaracer? I'm not so sure, it will push the price point way up. I always think of the Aquaracer as the stepping stone from the Formula 1 range up to the Carrera and making the Aquaracers £3-4000 would be a mistake in my opinion.

 

Yes the biggest concern will be the price after they put the H02 inside the watch. You've seen the trend from Carrera, Monaco and probably will also be the Aquaracer later, but yes I think they will do it. There is something about the Aquaracer that really attracts me, whether three hander or chronograph.

Maybe they could do some kind of special edition, maybe a 500m Aquaracer... perhaps even a modern take on the Aquagraph with the Heuer 02 inside? For sure if the Aquagraph was on the market today it would be £3500-4000 so that could work. But I don't think they would want the regular Aquaracer to be so expensive.

500m Aquaracer with H02 movement will be awesome. And don't forget H02 will give different layout to the subdials, it will give the watch an entirely new look. I think it could work.

Imagine a watch that have everything in one packaged. In house movement, check. Water resistant, check. Rotating bezel, check. Chronograph, check.

Well the Heuer 02 has a similar layout to the Calibre 60 in the Aquagraph, so yes I'm sure it would work. :)

Oh since you mentioned it a 'new' Aquagraph would be an epic comeback if they decided to pay tribute to the not so old. It is your namesake* as well as a very solid watch. Wish I could have got one brand new in a box from the boutique itself, that would have been quite an experience.

(*Aquagraph is my user name on the Calibre11 forum)

You know, I just looked on the TAG Heuer website and there's only a handful of Aquaracer chronographs on there and they are all quartz, not a single Calibre 16 to be seen. Maybe you better snap one up while they are still in the stores!

Yes! This is exactly what I am worried about! If the Aquaracer chronograph is gonna be things of the past I think I will be a bit sad. Okay enough about Aquaracer now, it just makes me want it even more!

Talking of Aquaracers (sorry Otto), one of the most lauded releases of 2020 has been the Aquaracer 'Batman' GMT, with it's gorgeous blue dial. Has the WAY201T grabbed you at all?

Yes. It does looks really well made in my opinion but I already have the blue&red version with black dial, so that's that for me. It would be different if it was a black dial instead of blue dial.

Okay, is that because it's a more 'authentic' Batman with a black dial, or is it like me that you don't think the light blue GMT works so well with the (gorgeous) blue dial? Would you really buy it with a black dial even though you already have the Pepsi or were you thinking to trade 'up'?

With the current price of Tag Heuer recently, I think I can only think about trading up! But it is all hypothetical. I still love the blue and red version as well (I refuse to call it Pepsi or Batman. I think Rolex coined that term and let's just say it is different, the bezel doesn't even share the same shape). I think the dogecagon bezel is what attracted me the most to the Aquaracer line, it's just different and nice.

Speaking of which, I really want to see with my own eyes the Aquaracer green dial with steel bezel. That one didn't even made it to my country before it sold out world wide. Now they have the green bezel with green dial but I still want the previous one instead.

Me too, the green bezel version does not work for me, the bezel insert is so dull it just seems to sap all the life out of the dial. I'm sure the steel version must look so much better, but like you I still haven't been able to find one anywhere... my wife has the green one with diamonds on the dial and the green is fantastic, so, I don't know, I guess we just have to be patient and hope one turns up somewhere.

Well I don't have high hopes if it is from Tag Heuer themselves. Sometimes Tag Heuer make very few of watches that I like, like the Isographs for example! Maybe that's just my luck, but yeah maybe it will turn up from somewhere. Who knows?

Okay, moving on... as you know TAG Heuer has a new CEO in the shape of Frederic Arnault (son of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault), I wonder if you could have an audience with Frederic what you would like to say to him regarding the company and where you see TAG Heuer going in the future?

I would probably asked him what will be the future for the 'Haute Horlogerie' (cause you always need to write Haute Horlogerie in italic style. It just the way it is. Don't ask.) department at Tag Heuer. Will we see another V4 ? Micrograph ? Etc...

I also wanted to know like if he could choose to take any one brand to lead within the LVMH group, which one will he choose personally and why? Will it still be a watch brand or one of the others ? Will it be Tag Heuer in particular? or Zenith? 

Something like that...

Oh that's a good answer... and it brings me nicely on to my next question!

A few months ago David (Calibre11) posted a photo on the Calibre11 forum of a platinum Monaco V4 that had been worn daily and was scratched and beaten up. As someone who doesn't even wear their Microtimer to work because it scratches too easily, I was horrified to see such a beautiful watch in such a state, but then again maybe this person is very rich and sees it as a 'beater' watch. I wonder what you thought about that?

I am a big believer that watches are meant to be worn and enjoyed. I mean, there's obviously a difference between abusing a watch and wearing it daily. But to be able to wear the watch that you love daily itself is a blessing, rather than wearing a watch but wishing that the weekend would come sooner so that you would be able to wear the watch you love again. I agree there are occasions when it is better not wear a watch, i.e. when you are running and gonna sweat all day it might be better to keep your dress watch with leather strap at home and don't go wearing your your racing chronograph while swimming !

All of that even coming from person with an OCD such as me ;). I used to check my watch all the time for scratches when I just got my first Monaco, but times change. I still wear my watch 'consciously' but now I can accept that it will show "signs of wear" eventually.

You know what is a good therapy that works for me to desensitize the fear of 'signs of wear'? Buy and maintain vintage watches! They usually carry 'battle scars' before it gets into your hand, so you need to learn to accept the not so perfect condition.

Absolutely, I am still a bit 'precious' about my watches for sure, but I am better since I started buying pre-owned. The 2000 Multigraph I'm wearing right now has a chip in the back edge of the case which you can't see when wearing it, and my 500M Aquaracer also has some damage in almost the same place (which again you don't notice on the wrist), but it does make it easier to wear these watches knowing they are already 'worn'... on the other hand it doesn't help when I put on my F1 Kirium that I bought brand new in 2004 and is still almost mint! Hahaha...

And in respect of the guy with the Monaco, on the one hand I wish I could afford to wear a watch like that everyday, but on the other even if I could it would still grieve me to see it scratched up like that so I don't think I could. Maybe it would be different if I was born wealthy, I'm sure if I was I would have a somewhat different attitude to things like that, and maybe there's a lesson there about only owning watches that not only can you afford, but that you can wear without being stressed about wearing them.

Talking of being OCD, here in the UK we've just had to put our clocks back an hour as we move from BST (British Summer Time) to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) which is a bit of a headache when you have more than a few watches! I was just wondering, firstly do you have 'daylight saving' or time alterations in your country and also when you set your watches do you set them to the exact second like me? And do you align the minute hand with the seconds so that when the second hand hits the 12 the minute hand is on the minute markers exactly, or does it not bother you so much?

We don't have daylight saving in my country, Indonesia. But I know what you were talking about because I used to lived in Australia where they do have daylight saving. I set my watch down to the second like you, that is why accuracy is such a big deal for me. If let's say 3 days from when I started the watch the watch is already too fast or too slow, I will categorized it as "not so accurate" whereas if I can only notice the difference after a week, then I label it as 'fairly accurate'.

Oh by the way I don't own a quartz watch, so I wouldn't have so much headache if there is a change in time like daylight saving. For additional information, normally I rotate my watch once a week manual or automatic doesn't matter.

Since you don't own a quartz watch at least you are spared the irritation of the second hand not hitting the minute markers properly. My wife's watches (and her green dial Aquracer in particular) all seem to have this problem and it would really do my head in!

Okay, since you neatly side stepped my earlier question about Frederic Arnault... is there anything you think TAG Heuer could change for the better, anything that niggles you?

Although I love to see that Tag Heuer have raised their prices and are still doing well, I miss the time when Tag Heuer offered me a very good value for money at entry level price. Now I feel Longines have sort of taken that place.

And finally, we've already spoken about the Monaco a few times during this interview, so now gun to your head - Calibre 11 (obviously) blue dial or Gulf?

Okay, gun to my head, I will choose the Gulf. A harder question will be black dial Monaco H02 or Calibre 11 Monaco Gulf. But let's save it for the next interview!

An excellent idea, thank you again for taking the time to talk to us and hopefully we can have our third interview sometime next year.

LINK TO OTTO'S 2019 INTERVIEW:

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2019/07/interview-otto-william-calibre-11-forum.html