ON THE WALL: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Dealer Clock

Dealer clocks are hugely desirable, you only have to take a quick look at eBay to see pieces being sold for hundreds of pounds with no real way to know if what's being offered is genuine or not. Because generally speaking, dealer clocks are not sold to the public, they are promotional tools given (or maybe sold, I don't know) to authorised dealers and which perhaps have to be returned one day or are quietly sold privately.

There's no real way to authenticate a 'dealer clock', because these pieces aren't made by the brand they represent and the concept of 'genuine' doesn't really apply in the same way as it does to watches. That said I'd wager quite a lot of what's offered on eBay is probably not 'genuine' as they tend to be simple designs and not really quite the same as the kinds of things you see on jeweller's walls.

The chance to buy a genuine 'dealer clock' directly from the brand then is something quite unusual, and this is something way beyond anything I've ever seen on eBay....

I've actually seen one of these before; you may remember I visited a TAG Heuer dealer called AMJ Watches in Newark last May (to see a solid gold 6000 Series, which I think they've since sold as I can't find it on their website now) and they had one there which I drooled over extensively, but I never actually thought I'd see one come up for sale through official channels!

This one (actually there are two available) is currently on display in the TAG Heuer boutique at the Cheshire Oaks retail park (which is an excellent day out by the way, I've been there many a time and rarely spent less than four or five hours browsing!). I gotta say I was quite shocked when I was sent these photos as I really didn't expect to see one of these for sale, I've always hoped for a chance at the 'Aquaracer' wallclock like they have in Bicester Village, but this is truly 'next level' especially as I own the watch that this is modelled on.

Unfortunately, after my initial excitement, I came to the conclusion that this wasn't for me, even though I really like it and I know when these are gone I will probably rue my decision endlessly. The thing is not so much the cost, although at £875 (list price £1750) this is by no means cheap, but more the realisation that this needs to go somewhere with 'scale' and really somewhere with 'modern' decor. I have a friend who has a huge house, onto which he's just built a large extension with a bar / pool room and this would look outstanding in there, but in my little 13ft square lounge with mid brown carpet - not so much!

So it's not for me, sadly... even though I want it badly! But maybe you have the right kind of environment for such an outstanding piece? If so you can contact the Cheshire Oaks store on 0151 356 3298, or if you are nearer the Bicester Village store I am told they could work something out for you, their number is 01869 249008.

I really do think this is a stunning clock and I wish I had the kind of house where it would look good, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on this one.

TAG Heuer Carrera Wallclock Dimensions: Height - 48cm, Width - 42cm, Depth - 12cm.

FEATURE: Dealer Clocks

If you've ever been into a TAG Heuer boutique or outlet store, then chances are you've seen a dealer clock on the wall and thought 'where can I get one of them'. When I was in the Cheshire Oaks store the other day one of the staff guys was telling us (I was with my wife at the time) how so many people ask if they are for sale, and now how there was a guy who constantly asks about the TAG Heuer doormat!

While TAG don't sell their wall clocks (such a shame!) a quick look on eBay will quickly show that there is a strong market for them whether they are genuine or not - and truthfully, how would we know? Clocks like this regularly sell for hundreds of pounds.

And it's easy to see why, genuine or not, they look fantastic. Sure, at the end of the day they are powered by a cheap as chips battery movement, but when they look this good - who cares? Many a time I've looked at these on eBay and thought about bidding, but never quite pulled the trigger. Why? Well... for one thing, there's always another one just around the corner, so for me the 'value' isn't really there. But I must admit it's getting harder and harder to resist, and I think this Christmas I might find a TAG clock under my tree.

To be honest I don't really understand why TAG Heuer don't sell them themselves, perhaps it's because they feel uncomfortable about selling a plastic wall clock, but on the other hand a lot of people clearly like them and judging by what goes on on eBay they are prepared to pay fairly serious money for them too.

I kinda hope this one's fake, because it's a little bit nasty looking.

But then I don't understand why JCB has canned all the TAG merchandise, the belts, the wallets, the glasses... just about the only thing you can buy now is a backpack. It seems crazy to me, people love the TAG logo, it's instantly recognizable even in it's newly revamped form and I personally love the branding on the rubber straps etc. Shouldn't the company be capitalizing on their brand? It seems backwards that the company has made the conscious decision to pull the brand back down to entry level status (ditching the haute horlogerie pieces like the Monaco V4 and the Mikrograph) but at the same time seems awfully shy about selling 'merchandise'.

Still I'm sure Jean Claude knows a lot more than I do about business, so I'll shut up now.