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The TAG Heuer Enthusiast blog.
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Mspeedster
·Having seen the 54 in person, I would 100% choose that over the standard OG BB58 now. Yes, it's a little smaller, but it was honestly amazing. I preferred the non-gilt bezel without the red, I preferred the slimmer case and overall look and it has a better bracelet.
Agreed. Having tried it on, it's something special. If I was buying today, I'd buy the 54 not the 58, but I don't see it selling well because everyone already has a 58 and so far most people have said they would stick with the 58 rather than sell and upgrade.
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McBeardy
·If buying new today, I'd probably also choose the BB54 over the OG 58. But not sure if it's a slam dunk decision. That red triangle would surely be missed. I'm also not sure if I like the broad shoulder look of the 54's case shape (caused by keeping the lugs 20mm, while making the dial area smaller). At the end of the day, I suspect the BB54's wearability and vintage aesthetic would win me over.
I missed that.
Having seen the 54 in person, I would 100% choose that over the standard OG BB58 now. Yes, it's a little smaller, but it was honestly amazing. I preferred the non-gilt bezel without the red, I preferred the slimmer case and overall look and it has a better bracelet.
(But no, I won't be selling my blue 58 to get it!)
I’ve not managed to try one on yet. However I thought I’d like the non gilt bezel (whilst going for some fading on my 58 one) I feel it makes the Watch look cold. I do prefer the newer bezel teeth and crown teeth, but dislike the crown has gone smaller.
Also a big fan of the red triangle.
The T Fit clasp would be great, but also prefer the shield design of the old one.
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Mspeedster
·
It was interesting reading everyone's views on this. But after thinking about it more, I think you're asking wrong the question. The issue isn't Heuer = Good & TAG = Bad, but rather what happened to make TAG Heuer the brand many watch enthusiasts love to hate.
I literally grew up during the golden age of Heuer in the 60s & 70s and my first introduction to the brand as a youngster was seeing the Heuer shield on Niki Lauda's Ferrari 312T. My Swiss watch collecting journey began with the advent of Heuer becoming TAG Heuer. Back then, I didn't know exactly why Heuer had become TAG Heuer. I was perplexed and thought it quite odd. But it was all good, because Heuer was with my favorite F1 team of the 70s, Ferrari, and then TAG Heuer with my favorite team of the 80s, McLaren. I bought TAG Heuer simply because I loved F1, but was pleasantly surprised that it had become very popular in the 90's and into the next millennium. I recall being in meetings with CEOs and seeing TAG Heuer's on their wrists in the early and mid-2000s. It seemed the brand was held in very high regard.
Then, just like the Bee Gees & Disco music, somehow the TAG Heuer brand fell out of grace with a portion of the watch enthusiast community. If the brand still had the same cachet as it had in the 90's and 2000's, the question of Heuer vs. TAG Heuer wouldn't be so much of an issue.
The only way to fix this is for TAG Heuer to consistently come out with home runs, the way Tudor has in the last decade. The new glassbox Carreras have received a lot of positive press, TAG Heuer needs more of this. However, I'm afraid the new Skeleton Monacos will just give the haters another reason to keep on hating.
I literally grew up during the golden age of Heuer in the 60s & 70s and my first introduction to the brand as a youngster was seeing the Heuer shield on Niki Lauda's Ferrari 312T. My Swiss watch collecting journey began with the advent of Heuer becoming TAG Heuer. Back then, I didn't know exactly why Heuer had become TAG Heuer. I was perplexed and thought it quite odd. But it was all good, because Heuer was with my favorite F1 team of the 70s, Ferrari, and then TAG Heuer with my favorite team of the 80s, McLaren. I bought TAG Heuer simply because I loved F1, but was pleasantly surprised that it had become very popular in the 90's and into the next millennium. I recall being in meetings with CEOs and seeing TAG Heuer's on their wrists in the early and mid-2000s. It seemed the brand was held in very high regard.
Then, just like the Bee Gees & Disco music, somehow the TAG Heuer brand fell out of grace with a portion of the watch enthusiast community. If the brand still had the same cachet as it had in the 90's and 2000's, the question of Heuer vs. TAG Heuer wouldn't be so much of an issue.
The only way to fix this is for TAG Heuer to consistently come out with home runs, the way Tudor has in the last decade. The new glassbox Carreras have received a lot of positive press, TAG Heuer needs more of this. However, I'm afraid the new Skeleton Monacos will just give the haters another reason to keep on hating.
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Aquagraph
·This is true. I guess it had it's time... but let's not forget part of the failure was LVMH discontinuing the F1 for a few years (2000-2004) and trying to turn TAG into a luxury brand with prices to match. Then the whole 'mechanical' thing takes off and suddenly TAG is out of favour because of all those 'quartz shitters' they made in the 90s. The fact that those 'quartz shitters' are still running just fine 25 years later without servicing and still running at 2-3 seconds a day is presumably not the point.
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Aquagraph
·Besides, some people are still always going to want Heuer on the dial because it just evokes something, maybe it's not even that it's 'better', because as you said in another thread about the new glassboxes - all new watches are TAG Heuer watches, but some people want to feel they are connected to McQueen, Lauda, Siffert etc, rather than Jacob Wotsit and whichever Asian teenager TAG is peddling this week. I can understand this.... when you spend this much money on something that patently isn't 'worth it' you better be getting the 'fantasy' you want.
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Aquagraph
·The new glassbox Carreras have received a lot of positive press, TAG Heuer needs more of this. However, I'm afraid the new Skeleton Monacos will just give the haters another reason to keep on hating.
As you know, I despise them. I haven't made my mind up about the skeleton yet. But really, positive press is not what they need. What they need is sales. If the skeletons are a sell out (I understand there is already a waiting list with my AD) and the glassboxes don't actually sell that's not exactly inspiring TAG to go in the direction you would prefer. I guess ultimately the 'market' decides what TAG Heuer makes, which is why you get so many 43mm watches.
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Mspeedster
·As you know, I despise them. I haven't made my mind up about the skeleton yet. But really, positive press is not what they need. What they need is sales. If the skeletons are a sell out (I understand there is already a waiting list with my AD) and the glassboxes don't actually sell that's not exactly inspiring TAG to go in the direction you would prefer. I guess ultimately the 'market' decides what TAG Heuer makes, which is why you get so many 43mm watches.
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Aquagraph
·But only if you believe TAG would swap their sales for Tudor's press?
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Aquagraph
·It seems like a chicken and egg situation. To please the press they have to make watches which only a minority part of their audience likes. Even when they make a really nice Aquaracer and improve the quality over the previous version (save for the movement), that doesn't get positive press, because the 'watch press' is heavily skewed towards vintage. Meanwhile the customer base is maybe 20% vintage interest...
So if they head off to please the press their current customers (like me - who actually buy the watches rather than just say how awful they are and buy Omegas) lose interest, but maybe the positive press brings them more sales from other brands. I don't see it as a great business move myself.
The thing is you have to look at where a brand is now, and like it or not TAG is successful as it is, for all the hate the watch community gives it.
So if they head off to please the press their current customers (like me - who actually buy the watches rather than just say how awful they are and buy Omegas) lose interest, but maybe the positive press brings them more sales from other brands. I don't see it as a great business move myself.
The thing is you have to look at where a brand is now, and like it or not TAG is successful as it is, for all the hate the watch community gives it.
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Aquagraph
·Maybe if they had Tudor's press the sales would flow?
I don't see it. Outside of the watch community Tudor doesn't have much clout. In fact I would say the TAG product that is going up against Tudor is the 'vintage inspired' Heuers (and TAG Heuers), which is probably why the super limited WOS Panda is still available in store...
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Anthony.
·I don't see it. Outside of the watch community Tudor doesn't have much clout. In fact I would say the TAG product that is going up against Tudor is the 'vintage inspired' Heuers (and TAG Heuers), which is probably why the super limited WOS Panda is still available in store...
I fear for Tag Heuer. Seeing the slow decline year after year, sliding to 13th on the list and going in the wrong direction.
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Aquagraph
·But TAG have a fickle market (entry level). I would expect them to be more up and down than a brand like Tudor. Plus if Tudor don't come up with some new models soon they are gonna run out of BB customers...
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Aquagraph
·According to Morgan Stanley estimates, Tag Heuer sales were CHF 729 million (£643 million) in 2022, up from CHF 682 million (£602 million) in 2021, with a stable market share (2.2 per cent of the market).
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kappa_md
·Based on the same Morgan Stanley report for 2022, TAG Heuer ranks outside the TOP10 today, from as high as Top8 in 2018 to Top13 currently 🙁
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Jim Dollares
·Based on the same Morgan Stanley report for 2022, TAG Heuer ranks outside the TOP10 today, from as high as Top8 in 2018 to Top13 currently 🙁
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Aquagraph
·Longines are clearly doing something wrong too...
So if TAG managed to increase their sales by $40M but others jumped over them... WTF?
So if TAG managed to increase their sales by $40M but others jumped over them... WTF?
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