Back in the mid 2000s and under the control of Jean Christophe Babin, TAG Heuer had aspirations to move upmarket and part of this was the drive to showcase its technology, which in turn led to the brand winning numerous awards for horological achievements (the TAG Haters never want to talk about those do they?). While TAG Heuer made some real high end haute horlogerie movements like the V4 for the Monaco and the Mikropendulum for the Carrera, they also created during this period an 'in-house' electro-mechanical movement that was attainable for those of us with more modest budgets.
The Calibre S was announced in 2005, but it wasn't until 2007 that it first appeared on the market. Initially it was offered in just two product lines and right off the bat it was available in two variations: the standard Calibre S in the Link and the Aquaracer and the Calibre S 'Regatta' in the Aquaracer.
The 'Regatta' version of the watch had a countdown function, which was intended for use in yacht racing. When the ten minute signal is given you would activate the watch and it would count down the ten minutes until the start of the race and then automatically switch into standard chronograph mode to start timing your 'elapsed time'. This feature was also available at various times in the 2000 Series and Link Searacer models.
In 2008 TAG Heuer launched the Calibre S 'Laptimer' variant in the much overlooked/forgotten 'SLR' range, a year later it would also appear in the Carrera line, albeit only for one year - thereafter the Carrera carried the standard Calibre S while the 'SLR' only ever featured the 'Laptimer' variant. When the 'SLR' was discontinued in 2011, the 'Laptimer' movement went to the grave with it.
The Formula 1 range received it's first 'Calibre S' model in 2009 and another in 2011; both of these models were gone by the following year and the Calibre S was then only available in the Link and Carrera model ranges until the 2013/2014 catalogue after which the movement was discontinued.
It seems like a lot of people have never heard of the Calibre S and even those who have don't really know too much about it and what it is capable of. I personally own the CAF7103 Aquaracer with the yellow dial (only available for one year according to the catalogues) and I absolutely love it. If you love fiddling with your chronograph then how can you not love a watch where the hour and minute hands move to the '12' position on demand, ready to be set in motion in the normal way by depressing the upper pusher? What's even more astonishing is that once in operation you can press the crown in to return to standard time and again to revert to the (continuing) chronograph function. Endless fun!
Furthermore, the 1/10 and 1/100 second subdials have two functions; in normal use they display the date (one digit each) but in chronograph mode they both reset to zero and rise to their respective indicative positions once the chronograph is stopped. It's hard to overstate just how cool this movement is and how fascinating it is to watch the hands do their thing on demand.
It's a shame the Calibre S didn't last longer, but I imagine it was probably a niche product and a hard thing to sell priced as it generally was just a few hundred pounds cheaper than a conventional Calibre 16 automatic. I wonder if the Calibre S was a victim of Mr Biver's 'back to basics' philosophy, maybe... but it feels like the watch was already in it's twilight stages by the time of his arrival as CEO of TAG Heuer.
My only slightly negative comment on the Calibre S is that I find the minute hand doesn't always seem to fall on the markers very accurately which actually makes it quite hard to reliably read the minutes elapsed. This could be a problem with my watch, or it could be a common thing with them, I'm not sure as I've only really ever had the chance to play with my Calibre S, perhaps if any reader has one they could give some input?
That aside, this is a super cool movement and a great thing to show off with, should you feel the need. Nobody, but nobody expects the hands of a watch to move themselves at a touch of a button, and even now three or four years down the line I still haven't tired of its little performance piece!
CALIBRE S 'REGATTA' (2007-2008)
The Calibre S Regatta was featured in the TAG Heuer catalogue for just one year (2007/2008) and was only available in the Aquaracer model line. In the catalogue only the blue and black dial variants are shown and only on bracelets. In addition the watch was also available on the FT8010 black rubber strap and there was also a limited edition model made for the 'China Team' participating in the America's Cup yacht race.
CAF7110.BA0803: Blue dial, blue bezel, steel case and bracelet (2007-2008)
CAF7111.BA0803: Black dial, black bezel, steel case and bracelet (2007-2008)
CAF7112.BA0803: Black dial, black/red bezel, China Team limited edition (Not in catalogue)
CAF7111.FT8010: Black dial, black bezel, steel case on a black rubber strap (2007-2008)
CALIBRE S 'LAPTIMER' (2008-2012)
The Calibre S 'Laptimer' first appeared in the 2008/2009 catalogue, effectively replacing the 'Regatta' variant, albeit in a different model line. It first appeared in the 'SLR' in 2008 and remained until the entire SLR range was deleted in 2012. The 'Lap Timer' was otherwise only available in the Carrera line between 2009 and 2011.
CAG7010.FT6013: Black dial, black bezel, steel case on a black rubber strap (2008-2012)
CAG7011.BA0254: White dial, steel bezel and case on a bracelet (2008-2012)
CV7A10.BA0854: Black dial, black bezel, steel case and bracelet (2009-2011)
CV7A10.FT6012: Black dial, black bezel, steel case on a black rubber strap (2009-2011)
CV7A11.BA0854: Silver dial, black bezel, steel case and bracelet (2009-2011)
CV7A11.FT6012: Silver dial, black bezel, steel case on a black rubber strap (2009-2011)
CALIBRE S 'STANDARD' (2007-2014)
Over its lifetime the standard Calibre S movement appeared in four product lines: Link, Aquaracer, Carrera and the Formula 1.
LINK MODELS (2007-2014)
The Calibre S Link debuted in 2007 with the CJF7110 and CJF7111 and received a bracelet update the following year. A year later a blue dial version was added (CJF7113) and also another black dial, this time with a polished case and bracelet (CJF7112), these stayed in the catalogue for the next two years. For the 2011-2012 catalogue two new (CAT) models were introduced replacing all four CJF models, these then remained unchanged in the catalogue until they were deleted in 2014.
CJF7110.BA0587: Black dial, steel bezel, brushed case and bracelet (2007-2008)
CJF7111.BA0587: White dial, steel bezel, brushed case and bracelet (2007-2008)
CJF7110. BA0592: Black dial, steel bezel, brushed case and bracelet (2008-2011)
CJF7111.BA0592: White dial, steel bezel, brushed case and bracelet (2008-2011)
CJF7112.BA0596: Black dial, steel bezel, polished case and bracelet (2009-2011)
CJF7113.BA0592: Blue dial, steel bezel, brushed case and bracelet (2009-2011)
CAT7010.BA0952: Black dial, steel bezel, case and bracelet (2011-2014)
CAT7011.BA0952: Silver dial, steel bezel, case and bracelet (2011-2014)
AQUARACER MODELS (2007-2011)
The standard Calibre S was available in the 'classic' style Aquaracer from the off, but only as Limited Edition pieces for Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton (who were famously driving for McLaren in Formula 1 in 2007 at the time). With a new look Aquaracer available in 2008 TAG Heuer presented seven pieces in the catalogue (for some reason the blue dial was not show on the rubber strap), however by 2009 the yellow dial variant had already been removed and the remaining five references stayed in the catalogue unchanged until 2011.
CAF7113.FT8010: Grey dial, grey bezel, steel case on a rubber strap L/E (Not in catalogue)
CAF7114.BA0803: Grey dial, grey bezel, steel case and bracelet L/E (Not in catalogue)
CAF7114.FT8010: Grey dial, grey bezel, steel case on a rubber strap (Not in catalogue)
CAF7113.BA0803: Grey dial, grey bezel, steel case and bracelet L/E (Not in catalogue)
CAF7010.BA0815: Black dial, steel bezel, case and bracelet (2008-2011)
CAF7010.FT8011: Black dial, steel bezel and case on a rubber strap (2008-2011)
CAF7011.BA0815: Silver dial, steel bezel, case and bracelet (2008-2011)
CAF7011.FT8011: Silver dial, steel bezel and case on a rubber strap (2008-2011)
CAF7012.BA0815: Blue dial, steel bezel, case and bracelet (2008-2011)
CAF7012: FT8011: Blue dial, steel bezel and case on a rubber strap (Not shown in catalogue)
CAF7013.BA0815: Yellow dial, steel bezel, case and bracelet (2008-2009)
CAF7013.FT8011: Yellow dial, steel bezel, case on a rubber strap (2008-2009)
CARRERA MODELS (2010-2014)
The Calibre S first appears in the Carrera line in the 2009-2010 catalogue in the 'Lap Timer' variant. By the following year these are gone, replaced by new models utilising the standard module. For some reason the silver dial version was never shown on the black rubber strap but it does seem to have been available. These pieces remained in the catalogue until the end of the Calibre S line.
CV7A12.BA0795: Black dial, black bezel, steel case and bracelet (2010-2014)
CV7A12.FT6012: Black dial, black bezel steel case on a black rubber strap (2010-2014)
CV7A13.BA0795: Silver dial, black bezel, steel case and bracelet (2010-2014)
CV7A13.FT6012: Silver dial, black bezel, steel case on a rubber strap (Not shown in catalogue)
FORMULA 1 MODELS (2009-2012)
There were just two Formula 1 models fitted with the Calibre S movement; the CAH7010 in 2009 and the CAH7011 in 2011.
CAH7010.BA0854: Black dial, black bezel, steel case and bracelet (2009-2012)
CAH7010.BT0717: Black dial, black bezel, steel case on a rubber strap (2009-2012)
CAH7011.BA0860: Grey/white dial, alu bezel, steel case and bracelet (2011-2012)
It's hard not to conclude that the Calibre S was a brilliant idea that somehow didn't quite 'fly'. It feels a lot like TAG Heuer moved it around the product range, trying to find the best place for it but never quite managed to make it fit anywhere. To be fair, the late 00s weren't the best times for the brand, with three product lines (SLR, Grand Carrera and Golf) launched and deleted within a relatively short space of time.
Also, as mentioned at the start of this post, TAG Heuer were in the process of trying to move themselves upmarket, something the brand seems to do every so often before eventually repositioning itself once more as an affordable luxury mainstream brand. It kind of feels like we are in this cycle again now in 2021 with the prices of the Monacos and Heritage Carreras climbing ever higher and out of the reach of 'normal' people, to the point where people are actually commenting in forums that the prices are just getting that little bit too high, without commensurate increases in quality to justify it.
But that's a moan for another day, personally I think the Calibre S is absolutely fantastic and, as usual, writing this has made me desperate to get hold of a SLR Lap Timer; which fortunately for me are always freely available because they just aren't that popular. Better yet - as far as I'm aware fakes are not an issue because there is no cheap alternative movement! :)
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