Interesting information and good reporting. I operate the vintage Heuer website, www.OnTheDash.com, and a related discussion forum and have been following the vintage Heuers for the last 10 years. I also keep an eye on developments at TAG-Heuer, especially when they are doing the re-issues, commemorative editions, etc.

While I would agree that the introduction of the Caliber 1887 seems to have suffered from a PR or marketing blunder, I believe that their decision to use the Seiko platform and adapt it for TAG-Heuer's purposes is a fantastic solution. They can develop their own caliber, on a white board, and we will wait years and pay thousands more for each of the watches. Instead, they have taken a fantastic Seiko movement, and they will improve it. In my view, a very efficient, effective way of proceeding . . . an elegant solution to the problem of sourcing movements. They will have reliable, proven movements, suited for high-volume production, on favorable economics.

In terms of Jean-Christophe's going onto the discussion forums, do a search of our vintage Heuer forum -- http://www.chronocentric.com/forums/heuer/ -- and you will see that Jean-Christophe has made several appearances on our forum. He has engaged in dialog with the vintage enthusiasts, to share his ideas and to seek ours. So he is not a stranger to the discussion forums (though his visits to WatchUSeek may not have been in the plans for the roll-out of the new movement.). I applaud these visits to our forum, as they reflect genuine dialog and interest in the vintage community.

Here's a prediction: In five years, watch enthusiasts will have forgotten the problematic press releases and messaging associated with the roll-out of the Caliber 1887 (though some journalists and forum junkies will still be giggling). The watch enthusiasts will be celebrating a great line-up of TAG-Heuer chronographs, powered by an awesome movement, that was made better by TAG-Heuer.

Of course, I will extend a warm welcome if you will reciprocate with a visit to our vintage Heuer discussion forum.

Cheers,

Jeff Stein
Atlanta, Georgia

Bottom line: The approach to the new movement seems brilliant; the execution of the roll-out / announcement seems to have been flawed . . . which will matter more, five years from now?