Thanks so much, Darren !!!!!

: I have the urge to write about the Heuer Collectors Summit for
: those that did not attend and try to share with you my own
: experiences there. I have to start with the fact that i'm very
: grateful to Tag Heuer for the opportunity to participate in what
: could only be described the greatest watch related event i've
: ever attended.

: There was definately the feeling that there were three events
: running parallel to each other during our time there. The Tag
: Heuer tour & program, the preview of the new Autavia &
: then the social networking by the collectors that attended. No
: need to worry as to whether these were at odds to each other, as
: there were plenty social opportunities between the Tag Heuer
: tours & the new Autavia preview for collctors to share their
: thoughts & passions.

: Lets start with showing the program so you can see how it all hung
: together :

: SUNDAY 11

: People made their way to Hotel Palafitte in Neuchatel, Switzerland.
: It was not a matter of everyone arriving at the same time but
: rather a procession of collectors & media checking in &
: then making their way down to the open restuarant area to begin
: the social buzz. There were introductions & reunions as
: random groups of watches were piled up for photos & stories.

:

:

:

: People were very good at mixing, crossing nationalities & their
: own tastes/collecting genres to share with those around them. It
: seemed to me that we fed off each others excitement on this
: occasion with everyone getting the chance to see & hold some
: extremely exotic watches.

: The group were drawn together in the late afternoon sun upon the
: shores of scenic Lake Neuchâtel for the arrival of Jean Claude
: Biver ( the new CEO at Tag Heuer ). He then gave a welcoming
: speech that set the tone for the summit. It was very emotional
: & impressive in the fact that he admitted that Tag had not
: done enough in the past to support its own heritage and thanked
: us profusely for our own efforts & passion for the vintage
: pieces we admire so much. Very bold words indeed but it did not
: feel at all staged, it really gave me the feeling that they want
: us to survive & thrive with their support. May i add that he
: was wearing a very nice compressor case Autavia 2446 at the
: time!

: MONDAY 12

: An early start to the day as were shuttled to the Tag Heuer
: headquarters. We were taken in smaller groups through the
: factory.

:

:

: We saw new watches being hand assembled & then we shuffled
: through into the vintage Heuer workshop where a few specialist
: watchmakers were servicing the watches we cherrish so much.
: Shock and awe is probably the best way to describe our reactions
: as we spotted a set of cupboards filled with vintage dials &
: bezels for nearly any model you can imagine.

: Dial anyone

:

: Or maybe a bezel

:

:

: It was almost too much for us to bear and we progressed with a
: barrage of questions for the guy in charge of the area.

: You may well have seen pictures of these already but its astounding
: to be in the presence of so many vintage spare parts. I can only
: imagine i had the same expression on my face as a 15yo girl
: meeting her favourite pop idol !!!

: Its worth noting that we were not going through the stockpile of
: parts ourselves & that we did not receive any spare parts as
: souvenirs !!!

: From the excitement of seeing that amazing stock of vintage parts
: we were in for another treat as we shuffled in a trance to the
: next location. Next stop was the design teams CAD virtual
: Autavia & then suddenly ( & i do mean without warning )
: BOOM, we saw the prototype 2017 Autavia !!

:

:

:

: There were even mock ups of the grains of rice bracelet & an
: orginal Gay Freres double rice for inspiration.

:

: We were crawling over each other to photograph and hold it but
: there was time for us each to handle it. There was definately an
: air of excitement within the collectors group & the feedback
: i heard was very positive indeed.

:

: Here's a photo of my own 1962 Autavia 2446 next to the 2017
: prototype - i think the heritage & styling cues are clear
: for all to see. I really like it & predict it will be a
: successful model for them when you cosider its powered by an
: inhouse movement, it really comes down to where they set the
: price at but i think there's a good chance i will buy one
: myself.

: Coming back to earth from the dizzying experience of seeing the
: vintage watch workshop & the new Autavia we met with Jack
: Heuer & he gave a speech in the Tag Heuer boardroom. I would
: add that he is still sharp and seemingly active gentleman,
: always a pleasure to meet him.

:
: --

: There were a numbers of workshops after lunch & in between was
: the perfect opportunity to relax in the themed Heuer museum. For
: anyone planning a tour to Tag Heuer i would strongly suggest an
: email to them prior to travelling to make sure the museum is
: open as its unlikely you will ever see a better range of
: dramatic and important Heuer's produced throughout the companies
: history.

:

:

:

: Late afternoon we were asked to go out behind the factory where
: Tesla had set up a makeshift drag strip. We were invited to
: drive the 95D model Tesla's upto the christas tree & give it
: everything they've got. My own explanation of the experience is
: that i have never driven anything with 4 wheels that accelerates
: so hard. Whoh yeh !!

:

: This was my own pass on the strip ;-)

: [Editor -- here is link to video, in case it does not display in
: your browser -- Darren's Drag Strip Video ]

: Dinner was held up in the mountains in a chalet style restuarant
: where we ate the classic swiss dish fondue, great for the taste
: buds but probably not recommended by your cardiologist !

:

:

: There were more than just a few chronographs being passed around
: the various tables and i will say there were moments where food
: was far from everones priority as you would suddenly found
: yourself in the presence of yet another exotic watch.

: The drinks flowed, the stories followed & a good time was had
: by all.

: TUESDAY 13

: Another early start as we were on buses again on our way to the
: case factory. The current production is geared to make womans
: link watches & standard Carrera's but were shown every part
: of their process. It was explained that Tag had recently
: invested in premium equipment & machinery and this meant
: they can now produce cases to a much higher standard, a
: promising sign for the forthcoming Autavia.

: We moved on to a second location where Tag has also upgraded its
: movement factory. This is the location where the inhouse Autavia
: movement will be produced. Formerly named the CH80 ( due to its
: 80 hour power reserve ) the movement will be known as the Heuer
: 03 when the Autavia goes into production.

: After lunch there were thankyou's & farewell's as we split away
: from the group & were shuttled to our various airports &
: and points of departure.

:

: My review of the summit :

: My most prevailing impression of the trip was the deeper level of
: commitment Tag Heuer is making towards the vintage Heuer
: community. It was not an attempt on their behalf to dominate us
: as collectors but more recognition for the good work we have
: done maintaining the prestige of the Heuer name. They made it
: clear that its also in their best interests to fly the vintage
: Heuer flag as high as possible in a market where they themselves
: are appealing to customers romantic link to the past.

: I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the summit. The staff & support
: from Tag Heuer were second to none. It takes a lot of planning
: to make such an event flow for a large & diverse group but
: Catherine & her hard working team made it look effortless.
: It was also clear to see that her team were enjoying the contact
: with us - i salute every one of them !!!

: The collectors were an outstanding blend of people. I've never seen
: such a large and cohesive group maintain their sense of unity in
: any subject. There were many new friends made & the promise
: to meet up again at the first opportunity.

: My thanks to everyone i met whilst in Switzerland, a great time was
: had by all.

: I hope i have succeeded in relaying to you all just how amazing
: this event was. I wish there had been space for everyone to
: participate but thats just not a reality with the popularity of
: vintage Heuer.

: All my best - Darren