Well, firstly, I applaud your well reasoned argument. I agree, there are far far too many Heuer 01s, and I also agree to a degree that maybe they could make more of their old pieces (as reissues etc). It seems the Autavia has split opinion, while to me it looks old fashioned, it seems some people don't like it because of it's size etc, and seemingly non-authentic looks. On the other hand, a lot of people seem to like it.
TAG seems to be a company who want to be forward looking (indeed you can't be 'Avant Garde' and 'Retro' at the same time, well not easily), clearly the bulk of their sales are coming from the Heuer 01s and the smartwatch, and it seems the older models aren't selling in that huge a quantity, and yet TAG seem reluctant to close the door on it's past. I guess history still has a part to play in marketing. The retro fans are seemingly very vocal, and I understand it must be frustrating, but if there's only 3 Monacos currently and 120 Carreras then that probably says something.
It seems a bit odd that JCB on one hand seems to be saying we have too many models when talking about the Monaco, and then on the other releasing 27 Heuer 01s a week.
The marketing really doesn't bother me that much, whereas in the past they would spend a fortune creating something horological and significant and twenty people would go 'Wow' that's amazing, five people would actually buy one and then everyone forgot about it. Now they cover a Heuer 01 in diamonds, get that berk to spill paint on it and take pictures of it. It generates interest on Instagram, five people buy one and then everyone forgets about it. If the aim is to promote brand awareness, sadly Monopoly trumps the V4. I know it sucks, but sadly TAG are operating in the modern world and that's a harsh reality.
I am interested to know though, what it is that you would actually like TAG to do?
Yea, I guess it is what it is. However, the only thing I wish for before I hit the bucket is for the brand to align itself somehow. Something like this, which I kind of posted something similar last year.
Heuer
-all pre-TAG models
-limit production on each model yearly ie. 2017 = 1000 Autavias, 2017 = 1000 Monzas etc
-in house movements only
TAG Heuer
-all models created after the TAG buyout
-unlimited production or according to market demand
-third party movements to keep prices down
Marketing slogans can go something like this:
Heuer = Honor the Past
TAG Heuer = Embrace the Future
As you can see, I'm a bit bored at work today....
Well as I've gone to bed and now got up, it looks like
@BPD has come up with quite an interesting idea here. Not far from what I'd say myself... Quite like the taglines too.
If it were me, I would at the very least separate the Carrera, Monaco and Autavia lines and return them to their original intended elegance. The Carrera line should not include any watches with external bezels as that was always the province of the Autavia. Look at the current Carrera lineup - how should consumers know what it is when there are elegant 3-hander dress watches with the same name as the 45mm tuna-can Heuer-01? It dilutes what was once a very strong brand
What of the Heuer-01 then indeed? Well, call it an Autavia - it certainly resembles one much more than a Carrera. A quick change to the lugs, from the bastardized versions of the classic Carrera's to the much-desired compressor case lugs, et voila. Pleases those who like the Heuer-01 now, and pleases those who were disappointed in the Autavia reissue's earlier lug design.
As for the Autavia reissue, it's similar enough based on bezel design to indeed share the lineup with the Heuer-01, and could be called the Autavia Heritage or whatnot. See Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Compressor lineup; it includes their contemporarily-designed sports chronographs with their more elegant-yet-sporty Deep Sea Chronograph models.
The argument that Heuers were 'serious' instruments and TAGs are not is rather bizarre. For one thing, plenty of modern TAGs have chronographs and the Microtimer (for example) is far more precise and accurate than any Heuer you could mention. Are you not falling into the trap of the Rolexites and Omegaites who dismiss TAG as inferior while overlooking the actual quality of the movements?
Before I respond I would like to say that throughout this discussion I have taken care not to make assumptions about you and your affinity for TAG Heuer and would appreciate it if you would afford me the same respect. Now-
The argument that TAG Heuers or any other mechanical watch are serious instruments anymore is rather bizarre itself - your smartphone tells time better than any mechanical watch ever could, has a stopwatch mechanism that measures split times to a degree of accuracy that renders TAG's mechanical chronographs useless, even the haute horlogerie models as cool as they may be. (As to the Microtimer, I will respectfully say that a quartz watch, much less a digital one, cannot be discussed in the same terms as mechanical watches.)
These days, watches are purchased mainly for the style, and brands are chosen for the lifestyles and images they evoke. Mechanical watches are at their heart a nostalgic purchase for the reasons above, and a strong brand identity is what people will ultimately look for. Heuer used to be the go-to watch for automobile racing and in some cases aviation, and TAG purchased Heuer partially because of that - remember, Techniques d'Avant Garde used to be a manufacturer of high-performance aviation and motorsport componentry. In fact, your Microtimer comes from a very impressive lineage of TAG Heuer's professional electronic timing equipment, once used by the likes of Formula 1. Yes, even well into the quartz age, TAG Heuer was indeed innovating on the cutting edge of digital timing equipment.
Nowadays, TAG Heuer is no longer very well associated with motorsport, and is now more the Millennial brand. If they think millennials like something, they will plaster their name all over it - Alec Monopoly, Bella Hadid, Cara Delevignge, Gran Turismo. There are those who don't care about this, sure... but those same people won't care to buy another TAG Heuer once they perhaps begin making a bit more money, and are ready to spend more than $5000 on a watch.
Finally, to address your point about TAG Heuer movements. I have no issue with TAG Heuer's in-house movements, haven't heard of any reliability issues etc and my problem lies not with the movements themselves, but the watch designs they're installed in. In fact I think you may be
overstating the importance of TAG's in-house movements, as their competitors all have their own designs with more being developed every day. Tudor, for instance, has begun rolling out in-house movements across most of its range and just introduced an in-house column wheel chronograph movement that will be sold for around $5000 - and will be shared with Breitling. Omega (yes, once again) has its own whole line of in-house movements, from 3-handers to chronographs, at a number of price points. I would not consider TAG Heuer's use of in-house movements to be a differentiator at all, much less a major one. (Nevermind that to the casual purchaser, TAG's Heuer-01 / 1887 movement appears to be the same as the ETA 7750 they use in the
very same Carrera lineup, at a much lower price point)
