2023 TAG Heuer Monza Carbon Flyback Chronograph (CR5090.FN6001)

thingziliketoo
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Sometimes I feel like Tag is in a transitional phase from one regimes past projects in motion and the new future looking regime. It seems like the Heuer stuff will be out and new Tag Heuer pushed forward. Some things I really like, new Aquaracer, Solargraph, Carrera 3 hander - all solid designs and with a few small changes on watches like the Elegant Carrera and making it a panda, can become nice modern watches that pull from Tags Heuer heritage and be a desirable modern watch.
Skeleton and Mario watches can show off the brand skills or that they’re fun, but should be done more infrequently - I think that then when it is done, it would be more accepted or liked.
I didn’t take the video as him bagging on Tag per se, more of saying LVMH crossing elements in the three brands takes away from each of their own identity. Defining each one, Tag Hublot and Zenith, in the long run will strengthen each brand’s recognition and sales for each of the brands. Unfortunately many companies/CEO’s have to churn short turn gains to keep investors happy. Having new direction every 5 years or so doesn’t bode well for having a cohesive identity.
 
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thingziliketoo thingziliketoo
Unfortunately many companies/CEO’s have to churn short turn gains to keep investors happy. Having new direction every 5 years or so doesn’t bode well for having a cohesive identity.

Yeah, but isn't that just the modern world again? It's okay for Rolex to be almost static because they can't make enough watches to satisfy demand. I get the impression that TAG do okay, but they aren't the success story that LVMH think they could be, so they keep switching CEOs and direction to try and find the magic formula.

In1986 TAG kicked off trying to steal market share from affluent Swatch customers, then through the 90s they started to get more ambitious about competing with luxury brands, making chronometers etc... then when LVMH took over the first thing they did was dump the F1 range for four years, meaning the 2000/Aquaracer was their 'entry' point. They clearly had aspirations of taking TAG upmarket but in 2004 they brought the F1 back realising they were losing money from the bottom end of the market.

At the same time began the era of haute horlogerie, peaking around 2012 with all manner of crazy unaffordable watches, before JCB was brought in to sort out the company and repositioned them as affordable luxury (introducing the much beloved skeleton Carrera at an affordable £4000 and the skeleton tourbillon at £12000 IIRC), and also jumping on the vintage re-issue bandwagon with the Autavia H02 and Monza 40th.

Now we have Frederic, who despite his young age probably won't be heading TAG for that long - I can imagine they will want him to move around the brands to gain experience in everything before he takes full control, and who seems determined to change everything all over again and push the company upmarket at the same time.

Now does all that sound like a company who have a clear idea of who they are and what they want to be or are they just reacting to a changing world with a fragmented company that hasn't really had a clue what they are since LVMH took over. Because in the 90s TAG Heuer was pretty clear what it was, the range made sense and was pretty successful. You may not like the S/EL now but in the 90s that was a cool watch.

And I still think the change of name change from Heuer to TAG Heuer was the single stupidest thing that's happened in this companies history, it has caused them untold problems and still does to this day. JCB even said he wished he could change it back but it's too late. Which may be why Freddie seemingly wants to kill the Heuer name?
 
Aquagraph
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But yeah, like Dominic said, the pressure to make money probably overrides any notion of creating a solid identity which takes years and requires patience and in essence waiting for the customer to come round to your way of thinking rather than chasing what you think they want. But when you are targeting a young, ever changing demographic that probably isn't going to work. Especially now when younger people are more interested in the brand than the actual design...... like the other day when I tried on the WOS Panda and the guy in the shop flat out told me that people don't even try it on because it isn't a Tudor. And it's not that they love Tudor designs, it's that they think its a cheap Rolex.
 
THFan346
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I like some of the Tudor designs, but the link with Rolex actually puts me off. 😉
 
Yago
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I for one am happy the Heuer brand is cemented in the past. At least they’re more cautious when releasing Heuer branded watches. Imagine if all F1s would have Heuer shields. The horror
 
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Mspeedster Mspeedster
You might think by the title that this is just another "what's wrong with TAG Heuer" video, but I think he's got some valid points about the new Monza. I'm still quite conflicted about how I feel about this watch.


So the logic goes if X brand has never made a skeleton before and then they make one it looks like a Hublot. Does anyone look at a Defy and think it looks like a Hublot? Just because it is skeletonised? Do gold Rolexes on rubber straps look like Hublots too? 😵‍💫
 
Mspeedster
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Because in the 90s TAG Heuer was pretty clear what it was, the range made sense and was pretty successful. You may not like the S/EL now but in the 90s that was a cool watch.

And I still think the change of name change from Heuer to TAG Heuer was the single stupidest thing that's happened in this companies history, it has caused them untold problems and still does to this day. JCB even said he wished he could change it back but it's too late. Which may be why Freddie seemingly wants to kill the Heuer name?
TAG Heuer really put themselves on the map in the 90s. TAGs were everywhere and worn with pride. Senna had nothing to do with the S/EL's success in the US, most Americans had no clue who he was. There were only a few odd balls like me that were F1 fanatics back then, yet the S/EL was extremely popular in the US.

You and I both like most everything from that era (except I'm guessing you didn't care for the Carrera & Monaco 90's re-editions, while I did.) Another example showing that when a brand, in this case TAG Heuer, has a consistent design language & identity, fans will be fans. Unlike the current era where one TAG fan might feel a certain TAG is hideous, while another thinks it's nice.

The problem is the fashion of TAG's 90s watches are no longer in vogue. But because Avant Garde made TAG what they are, there's this push for more avant garde. If the name hadn't changed and was still Heuer, they wouldn't have this schizophrenic identity issue. They would've been able pick and choose which part of their back catalogue to take inspiration from and ignore the parts of their old catalogue that no longer fit the times. While Breitling has gone through various ownership changes, they're still just Breitling and are freely able to do this as an example.

So there's no easy answer. But I do feel TAG Heuer would be better off staying true to their sporting heritage, whether it be motor sports, water sports or other athletics. Rather than putting out oddities like Macau/Las Vegas gambling themed watches or one's with rabbit fur as part of the design or Alec Monopoly etc.
 
Mspeedster
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So the logic goes if X brand has never made a skeleton before and then they make one it looks like a Hublot. Does anyone look at a Defy and think it looks like a Hublot? Just because it is skeletonised? Do gold Rolexes on rubber straps look like Hublots too? 😵‍💫
I do not like the Zenith skeletons either, that brand has also been Hublotized under LVMH. Rubber straps are fairly generic, but Rolex does have a patented technology on theirs.
 
Aquagraph
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Mspeedster Mspeedster
TAG Heuer really put themselves on the map in the 90s. TAGs were everywhere and worn with pride. Senna had nothing to do with the S/EL's success in the US, most Americans had no clue who he was. There were only a few odd balls like me that were F1 fanatics back then, yet the S/EL was extremely popular in the US.

You and I both like most everything from that era (except I'm guessing you didn't care for the Carrera & Monaco 90's re-editions, while I did.) Another example showing that when a brand, in this case TAG Heuer, has a consistent design language & identity, fans will be fans. Unlike the current era where one TAG fan might feel a certain TAG is hideous, while another thinks it's nice.

The problem is the fashion of TAG's 90s watches are no longer in vogue. But because Avant Garde made TAG what they are, there's this push for more avant garde. If the name hadn't changed and was still Heuer, they wouldn't have this schizophrenic identity issue. They would've been able pick and choose which part of their back catalogue to take inspiration from and ignore the parts of their old catalogue that no longer fit the times. While Breitling has gone through various ownership changes, they're still just Breitling and are freely able to do this as an example.

So there's no easy answer. But I do feel TAG Heuer would be better off staying true to their sporting heritage, whether it be motor sports, water sports or other athletics. Rather than putting out oddities like Macau/Las Vegas gambling themed watches or one's with rabbit fur as part of the design or Alec Monopoly etc.

Yes, all TAG's problems can basically be traced back to them becoming a completely different company for about 15 years and then trying to recapture their 'heritage' once that became popular. I guess they didn't have a lot of choice since the whole watch world become obsessed with heritage and re-issues, if they had just continued on as 'ultra-modern TAG Heuer' they would have become as irrelevant as Ebel. It was a lot easier for other companies to slip into heritage mode...
 
Mspeedster
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Yes, all TAG's problems can basically be traced back to them becoming a completely different company for about 15 years and then trying to recapture their 'heritage' once that became popular. I guess they didn't have a lot of choice since the whole watch world become obsessed with heritage and re-issues, if they had just continued on as 'ultra-modern TAG Heuer' they would have become as irrelevant as Ebel. It was a lot easier for other companies to slip into heritage mode...
The irony is, TAG was so on point in the 90s, they started doing their re-editions back then even before it became a thing.
 
Aquagraph
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Interesting his says 'Limited Edition' on the caseback.... so it certainly was an LE at some point.
 
Mspeedster
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Interesting his says 'Limited Edition' on the caseback.... so it certainly was an LE at some point.
Maybe. But technically his is a One of One LE, so it's not incorrect to have "Limited Edition" on Christian's Monza.
 
Aquagraph
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I thought that, but not exactly a 'limited edition' more a 'piece unique', like Max's Monacos.
 
Mspeedster
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The prototype at LVMH week did have Limited Edition on it as well.
2023-TAG-Heuer-Monza-Flyback-Chronometer-Carbon-CR5090-FN6001-hands-on-1-2048x1364.jpg
 
Aquagraph
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As did the box, before it was removed from the website.... all of which points to a last minute change of heart. But why? Surely an LE would be easier to sell? I wonder if the box still says Limited Edition on it?
 
YG_Rulz
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Found a frankenstein Monza Carbon on eBay today. US based high rated seller, 0.99$ starting price on an auction. Correct serial number, wrong rotor wheel. Is there even a TH20-12 movement?

upload_2023-9-8_14-36-53.png
 
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