30 Years of TAG Heuer- The 5 Most Important Watches

[Calibre11]

To mark the 30th anniversary of TAG Heuer, I've decided to write a series of articles that look back over the last 3 decades.

The obvious place to start is the watches, so I've had a crack at naming the five most important TAG Heuer watches here:

http://www.calibre11.com/30-years-of-tag-heuer-the-5-most-important-watches/

Look forward to your thoughts!

 

[imagwai]

Good article. Can't argue with the Carrera re-edition or the F1 in that list. Or the Connected for that matter. The other two don't seem quite as significant to me but I guess from a horology perspective, they were.

 

[drunken monkey]

I think the most important aspect of the V4 is that it brought Guy Semon into the fold.

I have no idea how much of the fast paced prototyping culture/method was down to his scientific/engineering background but certainly the HH department came out with things that were truly unique which, in the watch world, whilst said often, isn't always true/accurate.

 

[Aquagraph]

Maybe too new, but surely the new Heuer 01 (being TAG's first in house movement) is pretty darned important? I've tried it on twice and absolutely love it... sorely tempted by Goldsmiths' offer of 4 years interest free credit too, but managed to resist. I'd rather buy cash, just have to wait a while.

 

[Hubert]

Glad we're celebrating this milestone. Whether you are a Heuer purist, no one can deny that without TAG's acquisition, followed by the 1999 sale to LVMH, today's love & celebration of our beloved brand/s would be very different.

For me, the predominant renaissance of Heuer, with vintage inspired pieces or "faithful reissues", have been one of the most joyful developments of the last few years. Yet, there is no denying that my first love of the brand started with TAG Heuer and its F1 range.

The brand's ongoing evolution, transformation, while retaining a direct link to honor its past, have sustained the company's position and ranking on the global scale. Sure there have been missteps, but it has been one hell of a ride.

Given the current situation with the mechanical movements and the Connected-revolution, the need to grow in-house development (both mechanical and electronic) has become an exciting necessity that will make-or-break many of the existing brands. In all honesty, imagine what the next 30 years will bring us.

I applaud David's choices and would love to see the community's top picks.

 

[abrod520]

I think I'd have added the s/el since it was as close to an icon as any 1990s watch could be, but then I've not been much a fan of modern TAG Heuers so far so what do I know

Interesting they didn't really seem to acknowledge it with any special releases at Basel - wonder if that has anything to do with their renewed interest in their past, pre - TAG acquisition?

 

[Hubert]

abrod520

I think I'd have added the s/el since it was as close to an icon as any 1990s watch could be, but then I've not been much a fan of modern TAG Heuers so far so what do I know

Interesting they didn't really seem to acknowledge it with any special releases at Basel - wonder if that has anything to do with their renewed interest in their past, pre - TAG acquisition?

I think celebrating 30 years of 'TAG Heuer' as a combined brand would cause confusion to the average consumer. Instead we've seen the brand focused on showcasing their longevity since Heuer's founding. Given that most people can't pronounce 'Heuer', I doubt the use of 'TAG' will ever be deprecated.
On my Baselworld predictions, I did speculate about the possibility of having an F1 30th Anniversary model, but it never materialized.

Edited: Apr 22, 2016

 

[Calibre11]

Thanks everyone for the comments- it was a fun article to write.

100% agree with @Hubert that it wouldn't make sense for TAG Heuer to make a big deal out of the 30 years...to most people, it would seem odd that the company celebrated its 150th anniversary 6 years ago...and is now celebrating 30 years? This is one for the hard-core only!

Yes, @Aquagraph agree with you on the Heuer-01. I did have it on my short-list but in the end went with the Connected. If I was writing about the 35th anniversary of TAG Heuer in 2021, I could see the Heuer-01 being there ahead of the Carrera 1887.

@abrod520 I also thought long and hard about the S/el and Link. The reason that I left it out was because I kind of feel that the Link has been in limbo for the last 5 years or so...kind of looks like TAG Heuer haven't known what to do with the Link. It's suffered a little from the growth of the Carrera. JC Biver has said that there will be a new Link in the next year or so, and I hope that what I hear is right that the new Link will look very different to the current model and won't look anything like a Carrera.

Other watches I thought about? Carrera 360 inspired the Mikro-watches and the style used by the Carrera Day-Date. In the comments section of the article the Aquaracer was suggested- and I did think about that one. For me the problem was that it's based on the Heuer 2000, and so its origins are really Heuer rather than TAG Heuer. Guess you could say the same about the Carrera re-edition.

Next article will be about the five most influential people..won't spoil the surprise (and haven't finalized the list), but certainly my list doesn't have someone who many people would have....that's not to diminish their role, just that five isn't many people!!

Dc

 

[drunken monkey]

ooooo....
Five most influencial people in n Tagheuer?

Not strictly influencial but those that played a role in shaping Tagheuer since 1985:
I would be tempted to say, in no particular order, Ron Dennis (outsider nomination)
JCBabin
Christopher Behling
Guy Simon

And now JCBiver.

 

[Mspeedster]

Great article! I'm with abrod520 in that I think the SEL should have been on the list.

The original F1 was my very first Tag Heuer. But I was already a fan of the brand as a kid seeing the "Heuer" logo on all those 70's era Ferrari F1 cars. After that, I went on to own 3 different SELs (4 if I count the one I bought for my wife). I thought it was the coolest looking watch ever and it seemed like the "it" watch of the early 90's. The fact that Ayrton Senna always had one on his wrist certainly was part of the "must have" factor for me.