Tag Heuer
Tag Heuer has been making smart and stylish watches for a very long time. So if you´re looking for a timepiece for a motoring caper you´ve come to the right place...
San Francisco. The car ignites sparks from the cable car rails. The vehicle is handled with the consumate skill of a professional and there is not a dent on the car though there are several on the one being pursued. The man driving the car is welldressed in a casual way. He has almost reconciled himself with the fact that he is wearing a pair of awful, big brown shoes. Right now though his mind is on the pursuit. He is a man whose shit-list you simply don´t want to be on.
His name is Frank. Rewind.
In 1860 Edouard Heuer, as a result of a passion to take the making of precision timepieces to greater heights, started his first watchmaking workshop in St-Imier situated in the Swiss Jura region. And since then Tag Heuer has been in the avantgarde of Swiss Watchmaking. The focus has always been on innovation and several impressive patents are the results of this progressive stance towards technology.
With a patent for a chronograph mechanism registered as early as 1882 and the first chronograph to measure 100ths of a second in 1916 the corporate history of Tag Heuer compares well to other watchmaking companies. The present has been secured through clever marketing and some very high-profile product placement (the latest Bond movies for instance) and the past is still very much present in their “retro“ re-issues of several Heuer classics. Since late 1999 Tag Heuer has been owned by LVHM (the Louis Vuitton-Moet Hennessy luxury group) a fact that certainly won´t diminish the companys place as one of the premiere watchmakers.
Most watchmaking companies occupy quite specific consumer segments. In fact the image and association to certain lifestyle activities is the watchmakers bread and butter. Quelle surprise...
And Tag Heuer is no exception. With Tag Heuer being the official timer to the Formula 1 Championship and the...ehrm, World Ski championship, the company occupies a high profile in the public eye.
Monaco
The connection with driving and motorsports becomes very interesting when you start examining the Tag Heuer classics line. The Tag Heuer Monaco was worn by Steve McQueen in racing-flick “Le Mans“. Imagery from the film featured heavily in the promotion of the relaunch of the watch some years ago. This re-issue had a limited production run and has been re-issued once again with some slight changes in the design much to fans and watch collectors pleasure. With the strong connection to motorsports this is probably one of the worlds most wellknown “retro-modern“ reissues.
The watch itself is quite square and both case and face are rather big. Nothing for slender wrists. The push-buttons that govern the chronograph functions are streamlined so as not to detract from the distinct shape of the case. In accordance with the chronographs history the Monacos black or white dial is protected by plexi-glass (as most were during the 60.s and 70.s). The strap comes in black calfskin or brown Newport Gold leather. If you at this point are disappointed that you can´t get the strap with perforations (to evoke that driving-glove ambience) it might be worth noting that most dealers are quite forthcoming about these sort of wishes. With the price of the watch in mind this is not so surprising..
Monza
Should you have been blessed/damned with more slender wrists the Monza might be suitable as it is a tad bit smaller than its larger cousin the Monaco, but quite similar in style if not in actual design. The Monza has an essentialy square case but with rounded sides. The dial features hand-applied details and arabic numeral for the 12 o´clock mark which makes the face of the watch very minimal and discreet. The way both the Monza and Monacos dials slightly resemble gauges usually found on the dashboard of a vintage sportscar is very pleasing to the eye. Luminescent markings on both dials and arms are other details that reflect the time when the original was designed. This little marriage-breaker comes with a crocodile strap in either black or brown and in contrast to the Monaco comes furnished with a sapphire glass.
The functionalist ideal is carried through all of the design giving the Monza less of a “busy“ appearance in comparison with most “modern“ watchdesigns. In fact both the Monza and Monaco looks like they´ve been designed for occasions when you just have to wreak havoc on the suspension of a very expensive sportscar, or at least for the moments when you´re feeling that way. The Monza is my alltime favourite watchdesign and if you haven´t seen one, take the time to go and check it out.
Carrera
This lands us in the lap of the Carrera Model. More slender and rounder than both the Monaco and Monza, the Carrera is not so much a watch for the lad as maybe for the cad. A bit more discreet than it´s chunkier cousins, the Carrera is the watch for those who have grown quite comfortable with their “progressive banker“ haircuts. The original Carrera (Panamerica Mexico as the route goes) was launched in 1964 and nowadays comes in three versions: the Carrera Automatic, the Carrera GMT Automatic and the Carrera Chronograph.
The Carrera Automatic and the Automatic GMT are almost completely alike with the difference being that the GMT Automatic has an additional smaller hour hand that indicates the time of an alternative timezone of your choice, as long as it´s on this planet of course. This function combined with measuring your precise alcohol intake will enable you to predict jetlag accurately when travelling. If that´s not clever I don´t know what is. Both versions come with a calfskin strap with perforations... Wrooom, wrooom...
The Carrera Chronograph features a hand-wound movement (as the case is quite thin they couldn´t fit a garden gnome inside it see?) and sports a case in 18-karat gold. And because it´s a chronograph (you have read the article covering that haven´t you?) it also features the necessary push-buttons for these functions.
Basically the Chronograph is just a bit more than the other watches and I think the additional functions spoil the otherwise clean design. And then there´s the gold but that, I assume some would say, is just down to varying tastes. It does come with a crocodile strap though and in a stainless steel version.
All in all the Tag Heuer range of classic watches is worth checking out if you are thinking of spending quite an amount of money on a watch. In fact they´re worth checking out even if you´re not prepared to fork out the cash to acquire one. Personally I´d go for the watch rather than the car, but on the other hand I´m not allowed to drive.
The only questions in my mind is: what sort of wristwatch did Paul Newman wear when placing himself and his Porshe 935 on the second place in the Le Mans 24 hours in 1979? And in Bullit, is that a Tag Heuer Carrera on Steve McQueens wrist or is he just happy to see Jacqueline Bisset?
Ah, those eternal questions...
[Published 1 October 2001]
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| Comments: | |
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| Bob G | okt 8 2001 1:37PM |
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| Thanks, Jules! However, you're explanation has irritated me somewhat because for years I pronounced it like you just said (I got an A in german A-level) and loads of people I know insisted on pronouncing it "tag-errrr". I knew I was right!!!! | |
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| Jules Olivier | okt 4 2001 9:34PM |
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| Bob> I´m not that knowledgeable in the area of fonetics (phonetics?) but here goes: Tag= the "a" is pronounced like in Affinity. Sharply. Heuer= hoier I think (but Tom will probably have my hide for this...) | |
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| Bob G | okt 4 2001 1:14PM |
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| Jules> how do you pronounce it? Boy, do I feel sheepish!! | |
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| Richard Karström | okt 1 2001 10:25AM |
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| Please Santa, give me a Monaco this x-mas... | |
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