When you think of precision, luxury as well as innovation, it shouldn't take long for TAG Heuer to come to mind. The brand has operated at the top of its field for decades and – in addition – iconic master of design have worked side-by-side during a number of era-defining moments. Every so often, we publish a post of some of the most popular TAG Heuer watches. Prepare yourself to see some of the most popular watches by TAG Heuer as well as how the legend started all those years ago.
5 OF THE MOST ICONIC TAG HEUER WATCHES
Tag Heuer is most well-known for its chronographs: a watch genre it has shined in so systematically that at one point it was producing these types of watches for many of its storied Swiss rivals, as well as Rolex. Its founder, Édouard Heuer, was an inventor – as well as innovator and something of a maverick - setting up his 19th century watchmaking business in the village of St-Imier and then becoming a key part of the history of watchmaking.
Heuer took out his first patent on the chronograph in 1882 and five years after this came up with the oscillating pinion which is the part which allows chronographs to be stopped and then started, which is still utilised today. The organisation went on to design chronographs for planes, cars as well as boats. During the Thirties its advances in dashboard chronographs resulted in the Autavia (a portmanteau of 'automobile' and 'aviation'), which developed one of its key lines.
The company also came up with the first wrist chronograph in 1914 and, very soon after, started making stopwatches. Heuer timepieces were utilised for three Olympics during the Twenties, so starting an association with sports which stands to this day.
By the Seventies, on the other hand, the company was beginning to falter and a private holding company, Tag (Techniques d'Avant-Garde), bought a majority stake. The resulting business, which is now known as Tag Heuer (which is pronounced "tag hoy-yur", btw), was in turn purchased by the LVMH luxury conglomerate in 1999, for almost half a billion pounds. Tag Heuer now is part of the same stable as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co and Moët champagne.
1. TAG HEUER ISOGRAPH
This
Ticking in the watch is the Calibre 5, which is based on the reliable Sellita SW200. One point worth noting is that this edition of the Calibre 5 bereft of the carbon composite hairspring which made the generation 1 Isograph special. The movement delivers a power backup of around 38 hours when wound fully and – in addition - is also COSC certified making it accurate to within -4 to +6 seconds every day. The watch retails between £2,158 and £2,877 depending on the choice of strap.
2. CARRERA CALIBRE 16 DAY-DATE
There's no way that you can go wrong with a watch that's been the best seller for the brand itself, for so many years. Recognisable dial, trademark Arabic numerals, iconic tachymeter bezel, day-date display and a powerful movement are the ingredients of this iconic Carrera.
The Carrera Day-date is a significant watch in the brand's roster as well with an illustrious history behind it. And with the tried and tested, ever efficient calibre 16 under the hood, there's no reason why this watch shouldn't be in any watch lover's bucket list.
3. CARRERA NISMO (SPECIAL EDITION: LE MANS)
TAG's association with this race started back in the 1970s with Ferrari, the then leading team. But this time on the brand has partnered with the Nissan Nismo Team, who currently race in the top category of LMP1, and thus released a special edition 'Carrera Nismo' to celebrate it. TAG Heuer announced their partnership with the Nissan Le Mans team, leaders of the competition, only very recently.
What's special about this watch? Apart from its trusted Calibre 16 chronograph movement, the 43mm case is made of titanium, micro-blasted with titanium carbide with makes the watch lighter than steel. If you're a fan of Nissan's in-house tuning 'Nismo' and/or own one of their street cars, then this watch may well and truly be the one made for you.
4. TAG HEUER MONACO 02
The TAG Heuer Monaco Watch is one most widely recognised TAG Heuer watches out there. Since its inception, the watch has maintained its peculiar square-shaped case. On this newest iteration of the Monaco, the stainless-steel case measures 39mm in diameter. It features angular pushers, a nice grippy crown, and 100 metres of water resistance.
What makes this watch special is that the new bracelet which flows down seamlessly from the lugs to the clasp which gives the watch a cohesive and sporty look. The dial like the case remains to be quite familiar with applied hour indices, circular lume plots as well as contrasting squared twin registers. In order to add visual interest, the chronograph functions have been presented in a bright shade of red.
Yet another detail that is worth noting is the floating second's hand on the dial above the date at the 6 o'clock position. This is owing to the modern TAG Heuer 02 movement which powers this watch that can be understood through the transparent case back. The watch goes for £4,854 and comes mated to a brushed steel bracelet with polished centre links. Also, the watch can be purchased on a black leather strap.
5. CALIBER 5 DRIVE TIMER
This the most unusual Carrera you might have ever seen. And the simplest one as well, considering it has no chronograph counters or a filled dial, even very unusual numerals! But the watch is called a 'Drive Timer' for a reason.
If you notice, the watch has two crowns, one is at its usual 3 o'clock position, which performs the usual functions (of setting the time). The second one at 10 is what rotates the inner bezel and makes this simple watch a 60-minute timer. The Drive Timer is a clever watch with minimal looks and a 60-minute drive timer, controlled by the second crown at 10 o'clock.
Rotating the bezel until the 'red' triangle sits level with the minute hand means that you now have a 60-minute timer on your wrist without a cluttered dial. So feel free to time your drives while you zip through the hilly roads of Rishikesh in your BMW, or when you're battling traffic to the market in your Volkswagen.
DO YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR TAG HEUER SERVICED?
If you need to have your Tag Heuer serviced, or want to find a watch repairer near you, visit