Re: OTD -- 5th Anniversary / Feb. 12th / Scan or C Posted By: Babin Jean-Christophe <[email address removed]> Date: 2/7/08 06:35:30 GMT

Guys, how often does the CEO of a brand visit a website and ask for input to what their brand should offer? Let's hear some good constructive ideas!

In Response To: OTD -- 5th Anniversary / Feb. 12th / Scan or Chat (jeff stein)

Dear fans of onthedash.

Happy birthday to this fantastic website and Heuer vintage forum.

As CEO of TAG Heuer

WOW! This rocks!

I'm amazed by the passion filtering from the discussions as well as the documentation gathered by onthedash. 5 years ago I had been only 2 years in business with TAG Heuer and we then spent a great deal of time exploring our past with Jack Heuer to identify and capture those glorious pieces of our history which could have been re-edited. We came then with the Autavia Chrono for which we re-developped with Dubois-Depraz a module allowing to position the hour crown at 9:00 like was the Calibre 11 and 12.

This was a nicely executed re-imaging of the Vintage Heuer model. I know that if this model had been equipped with an hour register I would have snapped up one of the new models in the Jo Siffert colors.

We also introduced the Targa Florio which was derived from an aviator watch from the 40's.

Unfortunately, this is another instance when my preference for chronographs equipped with an hour register, and bias towards 2-register chronographs not equipped with an hour register kept me from purchasing a TAG-Heuer Classic model.

Now we are ouselves approaching our 150 th anniversary and plan to have a couple of re-editions. If any of you as any suggestions on the Heuer timpieces we could bring back to life for the occasion, I would be only happy and grateful.

While I am sure I can talk and type all day on this topic, I'll try to keep specific examples to four things for now, with some follow up ideas... Idea/Example One:

I proudly own two TAG-Heuer Classic products. The Silver/White dial 1964 Heuer Carrera Re-Edition:

and I also own an example of it's Black dial sibling. I know that Heuer has come out with newer interpretations of the vintage Carrera models, many based on the ETA-DD piggyback module movement, but the Lemania powered original Classic Re-Edition...

Is closest in mindset and heritage to the original Valjoux 72 powered model which Jeff has documented on this wonderful page...:

In Jeff's comparative pictorial it's plain to see where the 1964 Re-Edition's blood came from. While the movement may be a Lemania, the watch remains true to the original with only modest differences which are important to have [so collector's can easily distinguish an original 1960's Heuer Carrera and the 1990's Re-Edition]. In the nearly six years since Matthias and I posted our collaborative article on the Heuer Carrera's history, I have literally, had many dozens of people enlist my aid in locating an example of the 1990's Re-Edition of the Heuer Carrera. This is a model which appeals to collectors for a number of reasons. Among them: it's closeness to the original, specifically that it displays the Heuer logo and not the more modern TAG-Heuer logo [Perhaps all Classics Re-Editions should have just the Heuer logo, especially on the dial? [!] ], that it has a traditional chronograph movement [not a piggyback module] with good parts supply thanks to Omega's continued use of it in their Speedmaster Moonwatch product line, and because it's a watch which those new to the hobby and old time collectors can meet on common ground and enjoy without completely emptying the college/retirement fund.

One of the questions I have to ask, is: Since we know that the Valjoux 72 is long gone, and that Swatch Group won't sell anyone other than Omega the Lemania 1873 any more, [Idea Number One:] how long will it be until we see an El-Primero/Calibre 36 based Classic Heuer Carrera Re-Edition in either an Automatic or Hand-wind version?

Idea/Example Two:

While I am a big fan of the 510.5xx series of Lemania 5100 based chronographs, both the Cushion Cased 510.511 and the 510.523:

and the 510.50x models [510.503 Olive Drab version pictured]:

and here is a TAG-Heuer 510.500/12 version I picked up last year:

... the problem of Lemania 5100 being discontinued rears it's ugly head, not that Swatch Group would sell that movement to non-Swatch Group companies any more... However, TAG-Heuer can get their hands on the Valjoux/ETA 7750 movement, and indeed makes a variety of Carrera branded models using that movement:

Heuer made a wonderful chronograph back in the day called the "Pasadena":

Now, PVD watches probably aren't as "In" as they were during the 1980's and the PVD wears down and chips... Wouldn't it be nice if that model had been made in Stainless Steel? Whoa-ho! Heuer did make that same watch back in the day in a couple of different Stainless Steel editions:

I also own a Date only version of this watch which is quite similar. In fact, I like this watch so much, it's the watch pictured in the footer of most messages I post in this discussion forum. You'll see a smaller version of this picture at the end of this post... So my idea number two is to produce a Re-Edition of the Stainless Steel 750.500 "Non-Pasadena" Pasadena. I firmly believe if TAG-Heuer was to produce a "Classics" edition of the Stainless "non-"Pasadena with a plain oyster styled bracelet [mine sits on a $20 Oyster-styled bracelet] sans the TAG- portion of the logo at a fair price it would sell like like Hot cakes! Perhaps the tooling for the Pasadena's case survives, if so, it'd be very easy to resume production I would think. The only question is how to differentiate the Re-Edition from the Original Heuer product. Well... Pasadena is a city in Southern California. Heuer had a habit of naming watches after towns or race tracks... On the current NASCAR schedule there are two California tracks: Fontana and Sonoma. There is also a famous race track at Laguna Seca.

I know what you're thinking... ,, Gee Chuck, that's great, but wouldn't be nice to have a name which starts with "P" further linking the new model with the eld Pasadena model?,, ... I'm way ahead of you. The NASCAR Circuit also holds two races each at tracks in Phoenix and Pocono...

The thing I like about the Pocono name is that even though the track is located nearly a continent away in Pennsylvania, the name almost sounds like a California name...

[sounds like it belongs in a Beach Boy's song, like Kokomo]

On the other hand, Phoenix is also a city [so NASCAR and the track at Phoenix can't get very upset at your naming the watch in it's honor], and the track is exactly 1 mile in length, perfect for timing laps with the Tachymetre bezel! It would seem to be a natural as well as the Phoenix name [that of re-birth] could have a double meaning for this particular model, and the Classics line... The only other change I'd make is I'd replace the Day and Date wheels with more modern looking White Text on a Black Background versions...

I firmly believe if this model was produced at a reasonable and competitive price point, it would become a best-seller for TAG-Heuer among fans of the Modern TAG-Heuer and fans of the Classic Heuer firm alike.

Idea/Example Three:

I'm sure that I am not alone when I say that the thing that most excited me about the acquisition by LVMH of both TAG-Heuer and Zenith was the possibility of there being a new slew of interesting Zenith El-Primero based TAG-Heuer models. And while the Monaco Calibre 36's were nice [especially if you are a fan of Monaco's], I know for myself and many other collectors the Monza Calibre 36 was not what we were hoping for:

To be blunt, I'm not even sure why this was named Monza or considered a Classic model, as the original Monza ...

... really looked nothing like the new model.

I'm sure that what many collectors were hoping to see were Classics models which shared the DNA of their namesakes... Perhaps something like the Classic Autavia 12:

but with a modern Calibre 36 or a manual wind version of the El-Primero movement. Something that could be marketed to compete head to head with a rather famous competitor to the Eld Autavia:

There are likely a lot of Omega Speedmaster owners out there who like this style of watch and would like to own a watch to compare and contrast with their Speedmaster but don't have the time or the patience to track down a nice condition vintage model.

So my idea number three is: Why not make a modern equivalent of the Classic Heuer Autavia 12 for this market and all of us Vintage Heuer fans. I suspect it'd be just as popular and avidly sought after as the Carrera 1964 Re-Edition with the Lemania 1873 movement. And having a rotatable 12 or 24 hour bezel would be an interesting variation which few companies offer in this style of chronograph today.

Additional ideas/Thoughts:

I'm sure I'm not alone around these parts in saying that for most of us the high point in the Heuer story were "The Racetrack model years"... In the United States, NASCAR stock car racing is exceedingly popular and in fact is second only to the National Football League [NFL] in terms of TV ratings and advertising dollars. Swatch Group's Tissot is "The Official Timekeeper of NASCAR"... And frankly, they muck it up as often as they get anything right:

Sidebar: Tissot's Tachymetre Goofs:

Take a look at the "Tachymetre MPH" bezel on this Tissot!!! Between Eric, Jeff Stein and myself, the only possible explanation that we could postulate is that perhaps someone decided to convert Kilometers into miles on this bezel, because 37 Miles per hour is roughly 60 KPH, and 50 MPH is roughly 80 KPH, etc.. All a Tachymetre bezel is a scale that divides the 3600 (the number of minutes (60) times the number of seconds (60) 3,600) by the number of seconds to generate a "Units per Hour" indication. The number would be the same if measuring Kilometers, miles, or furlongs. Why anyone would do a conversion when one is not necessary is confounding. All a person has to do is look at a picture of any watch with a Tachymetre Bezel and copy it! This wasn't even a one time goof by Tissot [as shown above]... In fact examples of these models were on display at Authorized dealers at least until an observant sales person noted the gaff and informed the manufacturer! Who was on quality control on these models?!?! Are they still employed?

I doubt there is any reason that would prevent TAG-Heuer from reviving this practice of naming sporting chronographs after race courses. NASCAR is especially popular in the USA and is growing in popularity elsewhere in the world. In fact, Heuer used to make a chronograph named after NASCAR's biggest race:

But, as I'm sure you are well aware, there is a problem with that name... Another firm has a well-known and popular model with that name:

In fact... The example on the lower right even sports an El-Primero based movement, interestingly enough...

But how about this? The biggest track on the NASCAR circuit is the circuit at Talladega Alabama...

So my idea number Four: Why not create an El-Primero Calibre 36 based model which is styled similarly to the Rolex Daytona and call it the TAG-Heuer [or Heuer] Talladega? There are so many people on the waiting list for a Rolex Daytona, why not see how many would just as soon buy a watch of the same Calibre [nearly literally as the previous version of the Daytona] today than wait with their on a list in hopes of getting one for two to three years [and even then taking the luck of the draw on dial color]? Why not sell watches to these people today instead of letting them wait a couple of years to buy the competitors product?

For additional ideas on other "Circuit" models that TAG-Heuer could produce, you can look in the Chronograph section of OnTheDash and explore the fantastic Heuer family tree. There are plenty of models which would do well in today's market.

Oh, last, my favourite Heuer from my personal collection ? A Mareograph from the mid 50's with blue and white dial and internal turning bezel. Waouh ! a great piece.

While I was fortunate that I picked up my Heuer made Abercrombe & Fitch Seafarer before the prices on them went through the roof:

[there is a certain amount of Wabi [patina] on that one!]

By the time I started looking for a Mareograph to be a companion, not only had the prices gone through the roof, but they were [and remain] exceedingly hard to find. So I "settled" for a Heuer made Orvis Solunagraph:

For which I believe I paid a very good price for her. But I surely appreciate "the real thing"!

As for my favorite? My gosh. I don't know if I own as many Heuer's and TAG-Heuer's as Jeff does, but I can't be far behind if I'm behind any. It's really hard to choose just one as my favorite. But I'm awfully fond of the 510.50x case [which is similar to the 7750 based Pasadena models]. And I do wear that Stainless Steel Non-Pasadena 7750 a lot. It's a very clean watch with no pretenses that still looks very fresh and modern some 25 years after it's release. It's a great watch, even though there are so many other great ones in my collection and out there.

Again HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thanks for your passion and suggestions

Well, thank you sir, for your kind regards and interest! As I'm sure you can see, we are passionate about hour watches and the brand, both Heuer and TAG-Heuer. We know and acknowledge that TAG-Heuer the firm needs to be successful and profitable first before anything else. But beyond that, the goal of any endeavour should be to bring to the fore what one is passionate about. Most, if not all, of us here consider ourselves fans, collectors, advocates and in some instances documenters of the firm's "Family Tree" or bloodline. We would love nothing more than to see more of the firm's heritage be revived and presented in a respectful and high quality way to be offered to the public. What better way is there to enhance the brand than to honor it's past?

We are honored to have the CEO of TAG-Heuer take interest in our "little ole clubhouse" and ask us what we think. With the exception of very small niche brands [like Kobald] this is nearly unheard of in this day. Thank you for taking the time and expressing your interest.

I hope that you read the suggestions made in this thread in the spirit I am sure they are offered... Not as anyone telling you how to do your job [never!] but what we as collectors passionately like to see TAG-Heuer pursue in the future.

Sincerely,

-- Chuck Maddox

Chuck Maddox

Chronographs, like most finer things in life, only improve with time...

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