It's time for our third interview of 2020 and I thought we should probably introduce a new 'victim' for you today, so please welcome to the T.H.E blog, Calibre 11 forum member Imagwai.
Welcome to the blog Imagwai, since this is your first time here could you please start by telling everyone a little bit about yourself?
Hi, I'm 47, I live in the UK and work in IT for one of the big banks. I work to live, though, and my three passions in life are my family (I have two girls, both nearly teenagers), golf and of course, watches.
Of course 'watches'! So how did you get into watches, what was your first (or first ‘good’) watch?
I've always liked watches and had a small Swatch collection growing up but was never seriously "into" them until I started looking for a nice watch for my 40th birthday. Before that, I had a Tissot PRC200 quartz for a while and that helped me appreciate Swiss manufacturing, but when it came to the special piece, as a motor-racing fan, I turned to TAG Heuer first and bought one of the 39mm Carrera reissues - CV2113. It took me quite a while to get over spending so much on a watch, but that has become much easier over time
Do you have a favourite piece in your collection?
Not really, I like to rotate often and go through phases of liking a particular watch. However, if I had to prune my collection down to just one, I think I would have to keep the Rolex Explorer 114270. It's not my favourite as such, but at 36mm it wears perfectly and really is the definition of a go anywhere, do anything watch. I'm not sure I'd be without a Carrera chronograph too, though!
So you mentioned Swatch earlier... how do you feel about quartz? Do you have any quartz watches?
Quartz definitely has its time and place but I think most watch enthusiasts would agree there's something encapsulating about mechanical movements. I have a Casio A164W which is similar to the F91W I had as a kid, only in steel. I keep it in my watch box alongside all the mechanicals and use it to set the time on them, plus it gets worn when I need a genuine "beater". I also have a Garmin GPS watch for the golf course.
So you clearly appreciate other brands outside of TAG Heuer and the 'Swiss' industry then...
Absolutely! TAG Heuer (and Heuer) was my first love. But there are very few brands I dislike. Basically, I'd consider anything if I really liked the look and feel of a watch. Besides TAG, I've owned quite a few Omegas, Seikos and a handful of Tudors. I've also been through a phase of backing microbrands, but have realised that I prefer to have fewer, higher quality pieces rather than lots of watches that I don't have the time to wear.
Do you know what your next piece will be?
I've just (re)purchased a Squale Vintage Master this week, so I'm probably not in the market for another watch right now. There are always a handful of watches I have my eye on, though, should they crop up at the right price. I'd quite like to add an IWC pilot or a Grand Seiko to the collection at some point. I am very tempted by the new mountain glacier Seiko Alpinist LE.
Do you have a 'money-no-object' grail watch?
This is liable to change, but right now, it's this blue Grand Seiko 1960 recreation (SBGW259G).
You said you prefer to have fewer, high quality pieces and despite all appearances to the contrary, I kind of agree with you. So with that in mind, how many watches is too many?
I have 8 slots in the watch box. I've found that once it gets full, certain watches start to become redundant. I try not to go past 8, and then if I want to buy something else, operate a one in, one out policy.
I totally get that and if I was starting over I might well follow the same path, but it's a bit late now!
So the next question is one that always seems to get a similar answer. Have you ever ‘sneaked’ a watch into the house?
Sorry to say that yes, I have, but only to avoid the "not another watch" conversation! Actually, my wife is really good about it, and hopefully she appreciates my argument that it's not really money down the drain!
Have you ever bought or sold a watch and regretted it?
More than a few times unfortunately! Luckily there haven't been any really costly mistakes. I definitely shouldn't have sold my blue Squale Vintage Master, but luckily I have been able to reacquire the silver dial version. The other big regret I have is selling my Tudor Big Block chronograph. It was in stunning condition, and although it turned a profit, I have missed it immensely and prices have now risen to a level where I don't think I could reacquire one in that condition at a sensible price. Same goes for my blue Tudor Submariner actually too, but it's the Big Block I miss more.
Are you more excited by re-issues or new pieces?
I won't lie, I much prefer vintage styling to modern styling. That goes for cars as well as watches. For me, a reissue doesn't have to be a carbon copy, but it does have to be well executed and crucially, wear well - I think watch manufacturers used to make more effort to sculpt their watches to fit people elegantly, whereas now the priority seems to be all about making a piece stand out as much as possible. A good example would be the larger-cased vintage Autavias. Even though the modern interpretation was a similar diameter, it didn't hug the wrist and wear as comfortably as its vintage equivalent.
Is there a watch would you like to see TAG Heuer re-issue?
I think I've covered this a few times before on the forums, so it probably won't come as a surprise that I'd like to see a panda or reverse panda 39mm Heuer Carrera most of all. In fact, if and when they finally do my perfect watch, I can probably retire from watch collecting.
So watch companies these days are 'all in' on the limited edition bandwagon, do you care about watches being ‘limited edition’and does it sway you into purchasing them? Does the ‘packaging’ excite you or does it just clutter up your house (since we've already established you have a watch box).
I have a love-hate relationship with limited editions. I love them when I've managed to get a very desirable piece. But hate them when I either can't get one, or they become unattainable due to price inflation and scalpers. A nice box and package can make a piece more attractive - my Squale came with 2 straps, a hand-crafted watch roll and a pocket knife - but I am of the opinion that smaller is better. Omega are pretty bad with their huge and heavy wooden boxes. What am I meant to do with that?
Quite, I only have one limited edition myself and while the box is nice (it has a red stripe on it) it lives on top of the wardrobe with all the others! Pointless really. I guess if you only have two or three watches and they still live in the boxes they come in that's a different matter.
It's been somewhat quiet this year really, in fact since Mr Biver handed over the reigns, but what do you make of TAG Heuer's collaboration with Bamford?
In theory, I like the concept of being able to customise your watch. In practice, I think it has a way to go yet. I'm not convinced the website gives you an accurate picture of what your watch will look like, and the options are fairly limited.
I probably shouldn't ask this question, but is there a TAG Heuer you really dislike?
I wouldn't say I have a strong dislike for anything. I feel a bit embarrassed saying this, since I know you're a fan of this era, but I've never really appreciated the look of the Link bracelet or the whole aesthetic of 1980s Tag Heuer watches.
I am shocked! Hahahaha.... but it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things. I cannot get excited about anything pre 1980 myself so I completely understand.
Which leads us rather neatly onto the next question I guess.... that being how you do you feel about two-tone or gold watches? Would you / do you wear them?
I would say on the whole, no. Bling is definitely not in my nature as I'm quite reserved, but if done subtly then it can be OK. I liked the warmth given to the Black Bay 58 by the gilt touches, and I also like the simplicity of the Calibre 7 glassbox Carrera. I could see myself wearing that.
Okay, let's look back to last year. How did you feel about the 50th Anniversary Monacos?
Great concept and I really liked the diversity and originality of these watches. I was particularly drawn to the olive green 1970s watch as I'd never seen a dial like that before.
How about the 160th Anniversary pieces, where they winners in your book?
Overall a success I think. They produced two watches with a very different feel. I was very tempted by the silver dial Carrera but as you know, I'm holding out for a panda. Until then, my Calibre 18 Telemeter scratches that itch. The Montreal didn't really work for me personally. I do think that Tag Heuer have their newer flagship watches like these Carreras priced on the high side, though.
I'm guessing the Carrera 'Dato' wasn't your cup of tea?
It's a watch which I can certainly appreciate but you're probably right. 44mm is simply never going to work for me, plus I find the watch a little "busy" with the external bezel. The new 42mm Carreras are very handsome watches, but I find even the older 41mm Carreras too chunky for my 6.75" wrist. Put it this way, if they did a <40mm version of the new Heuer02 Carreras in a slightly slimmer case, <48mm lug-to-lug for a couple of thousand less, then I would absolutely be buying one!
Yes, I'm afraid that higher pricing seems to be becoming a bit of a familiar refrain all round... and it's something I am looking to address in a post soon, albeit I don't know if people are going to like what I have to say on the subject.
Ah well, moving on... do you have a watch 'horror-story'?
Thankfully I've been really lucky on the whole, despite the number of watches that have passed through my hands. I bought a Speedmaster Reduced once where the timing hand fell off the first time I activated the chronograph - luckily the seller refunded me.
Is it wrong that that made me laugh? I'm sorry, that must have been a horrible experience, but at least you didn't pull the crown off a brand new watch like I did. I'm glad you got your money back though!
Okay, so the forum has a LOT to say about brand ambassadors (mostly negative unless it's Steve McQueen or Ayrton Senna), but how do you feel about brand ambassadors? Is there anyone you’d like to see TAG Heuer use as an ambassador who isn’t already?
Ambassadors work, otherwise brands wouldn't use them. But I think the best ambassadors are those who aren't paid to wear the watches. For example Dermot O'Leary who proudly wears his Jack Heuer 80th and Calibre 18 Telemeter on TV. What I don't like to see is people being paid mega money to promote a brand, when you know they probably don't wear the watches at weekends. David Beckham and Tudor springs to mind. Rory McIlroy is an Omega ambassador but I also know he's really into his watches and has a number of really unique pieces. It would be nice to see more celebrities showing us their collections I think.
In my last interview (with Otto) I mentioned about the platinum Monaco V4 that was worn as a daily wearer and ended up looking rather 'second hand', what are your views on that and indeed ‘saving watches for best’ in general?
I like to wear my watches, but I also like to look after them when I do. I don't think I'd ever buy something to keep in a safe. In general, I think what people choose to do with the watches they buy is completely up to them, though.
And finally, when you set your watches, do you set them to the second (like me) or are you more relaxed about that sort of thing?
I usually set them to within a second or two when first winding them up, yes, but provided they're not more than a minute out, I tend not to worry too much about it. It's easier with my Viceroy Autavia since it doesn't have a running seconds Believe it or not, though, you can still tell the time really accurately with it, as it is easy to read and keeps brilliant time, despite being the same age as me!
Excellent! Well, many thanks to you Imagwai for taking the time to talk to us and hopefully we can catch up again in my 2021 interview run.
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