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heuerholic
·I speak Japanese and have had a 30 year love affair with Japan, Japanese people and their culture.
So it is with considerable interest every time Mr Hiroshi Fujiwara, (Fujiwara san) the master of streetwear, releases a piece in conjunction with my beloved Tag Heuer.
Hi first foray into the world of TH was received well by taking a classic Carrera and adding a few simple additions.
Not a lot of risk I thought and well ...too small for my wrists at 39mm so I didn't pursue it for my collection.
Interestingly, this watch seems to have appreciated considerably on the second hand market.
Well if his first attempt was "low in risk", his latest piece seems to have been delivered with boundless freedom and pure design skill.
What made me sit up and take extra notice was the statement from the father of vintage Heuers , Jeff Stein, from ON THE DASH fame.
" it’s the best looking Autavia released by TAG Heuer since the model was discontinued in the mid-1980s."
Big props from Mr Stein, massive in fact. I know exactly where that statement came from. It's a pretty special looking watch in the metal.
I can remember back when we read Jeff's comment. a lot of us on the forums thought, Wow, that's big praise for a watch that seemed to be a little confused about where it came from in terms of it's heritage. But Jeff is quite right in my opinion, linking it to the Autavia's of old due to its case shape and other design facets.
I don't know if I would be as bold as Jeff by stating it the best vintage inspired Tag Heuer, but maaaaaaan, I like it a lot.
masterpiece
Sometimes, I think we can get a little held up on the "closest to the original" approach to judging vintage inspired releases so it's nice to see a watch that has a link to the past but has had an enormous amount of thought and flair added. This watch wins because it's different, it's simple and it's just cool.
What I like:
The first thing that jumps out about this watch is its Jet black face and simple white subdials.
It's not that there isn't anything on the face, it has plenty of text and logos going on, but still manages to fulfil my love of the minimalistic look. I think this is due to the black they have chosen..., it's black, real black and nothing but black. If I wasn't mistaken, I would say that Fujiwara has not only taken cues from the 70's Heuers but also from the Kirium F1 from the early 2000's which was also hero's a very black minimal face.
The black face manages to "POP" ever so much more with the brilliant white of the minute and hour hands standing out it stark contrast.
Then there is the Bezel insert, black ceramic but looks grey / silver a lot of the time.
It shines, some may say it's"Blingy" as my first thought was when I first saw it in the metal. That soon changed as I realised It reflects... picks up the light, changes dependant on it's surroundings. Its quite magical the way it can look black, no grey, no wait....silver....
The back crystal is a star addition to this watch. Sure there have been watch backs with colour before but this is different. As with its mate the Bezel on the front, it changes colour and has an array of hues from the obvious Red, to purple and then on to a mystical green.
As you can tell, I'm quite keen on this watch and I love the 44mm size on my substantial wrists.
Looking at prices and availability, it doesn't seem to have provoked the interest that Fujiwara san's earlier piece did but feel if you ever get to see it in the metal, you may well be as excited as Jeff Stein and I am.
JOMO
Just one mans opinion.
So it is with considerable interest every time Mr Hiroshi Fujiwara, (Fujiwara san) the master of streetwear, releases a piece in conjunction with my beloved Tag Heuer.
Hi first foray into the world of TH was received well by taking a classic Carrera and adding a few simple additions.
Not a lot of risk I thought and well ...too small for my wrists at 39mm so I didn't pursue it for my collection.
Interestingly, this watch seems to have appreciated considerably on the second hand market.
Well if his first attempt was "low in risk", his latest piece seems to have been delivered with boundless freedom and pure design skill.
What made me sit up and take extra notice was the statement from the father of vintage Heuers , Jeff Stein, from ON THE DASH fame.
" it’s the best looking Autavia released by TAG Heuer since the model was discontinued in the mid-1980s."
Big props from Mr Stein, massive in fact. I know exactly where that statement came from. It's a pretty special looking watch in the metal.
I can remember back when we read Jeff's comment. a lot of us on the forums thought, Wow, that's big praise for a watch that seemed to be a little confused about where it came from in terms of it's heritage. But Jeff is quite right in my opinion, linking it to the Autavia's of old due to its case shape and other design facets.
I don't know if I would be as bold as Jeff by stating it the best vintage inspired Tag Heuer, but maaaaaaan, I like it a lot.
masterpiece
Sometimes, I think we can get a little held up on the "closest to the original" approach to judging vintage inspired releases so it's nice to see a watch that has a link to the past but has had an enormous amount of thought and flair added. This watch wins because it's different, it's simple and it's just cool.
What I like:
The first thing that jumps out about this watch is its Jet black face and simple white subdials.
It's not that there isn't anything on the face, it has plenty of text and logos going on, but still manages to fulfil my love of the minimalistic look. I think this is due to the black they have chosen..., it's black, real black and nothing but black. If I wasn't mistaken, I would say that Fujiwara has not only taken cues from the 70's Heuers but also from the Kirium F1 from the early 2000's which was also hero's a very black minimal face.
The black face manages to "POP" ever so much more with the brilliant white of the minute and hour hands standing out it stark contrast.
Then there is the Bezel insert, black ceramic but looks grey / silver a lot of the time.
It shines, some may say it's"Blingy" as my first thought was when I first saw it in the metal. That soon changed as I realised It reflects... picks up the light, changes dependant on it's surroundings. Its quite magical the way it can look black, no grey, no wait....silver....
The back crystal is a star addition to this watch. Sure there have been watch backs with colour before but this is different. As with its mate the Bezel on the front, it changes colour and has an array of hues from the obvious Red, to purple and then on to a mystical green.
As you can tell, I'm quite keen on this watch and I love the 44mm size on my substantial wrists.
Looking at prices and availability, it doesn't seem to have provoked the interest that Fujiwara san's earlier piece did but feel if you ever get to see it in the metal, you may well be as excited as Jeff Stein and I am.
JOMO
Just one mans opinion.
