SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer S/EL Leather 'Montreux Jazz Festival' Limited Edition Quartz Watches

 

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It amazes me how after five years of research I can still come across TAG Heuer watches that I have never seen before and had no idea they ever existed. Such was the case today when I came across not one, but three examples of pieces made specifically for the Montreux Jazz Festivals of 1995 and 1996.

First this example with its unique 'Jazz' dial, two pieces of which I found on eBay (both from the same seller), one minty looking one on a green strap and one on a tan strap (which unfortunately has some slight bezel damage).

The backplate shows that these pieces carried the standard model number, and also carries an individual piece number - though it doesn't say how many pieces were made. Fortunately for that we have the letter from the then CEO of TAG Heuer (Christian R Viros) which was sent out to the VIP recipients of the watches.

Quite a cool thing to have, even if like me you're not a jazz fan. Regardless of that the dial is pretty cool and knowing that there were only a hundred pieces makes this pretty collectible. This watch was made for the 1995 festival, but when the 1996 festival came around TAG Heuer produced another watch which at first sight looks a bit unimaginative in comparison, but does feature some concentric grooves in the centre part of the dial, which is presumably to make it look like a vinyl record...

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Again the backplate features the 'Montreux Jazz Festival' logo alongside the year and also this time the watch itself tells us that there were seventy pieces made of this version of the watch.

When I first discovered this cool triumvirate of watches they were looking like potential steals, but as the days passed the bids started to roll in and by the time they finished they were all beyond what I was realistically willing to pay for them. In fact, in the end the 'Jazz' dial on the green strap finished at £511, while the other two both ended up at £400. Not massive money admittedly, but more than I was prepared to stump up for watches 'just' because they were unusual pieces.