Meet The Brand – TAG Heuer. Photo credit: Unsplash.com

With their collection of irresistible yet affordable timepieces, TAG Heuer is a firm watch favourite with the Robert Gatward team and customers alike. Over the years, its innovative watches have graced the wrists of the world’s elite. There are famous fans aplenty, including Matt Damon and Barack Obama, who have both been spotted sporting a TAG Heuer timepiece on many occasions.

The history of the TAG Heuer brand

Back in 1860, a young man called Edouard Heuer, who was aged just 20 years old at the time, set up a company called Heuer Watch Company. In 1985, TAG (Techniques d’Avant Garde), manufacturers of high-tech items such as ceramic turbochargers for Formula 1 cars, and British businessman Ron Dennis, acquired Heuer, and TAG Heuer was born. The name TAG Heuer combines the initials of “Techniques d’Avant Garde” and the founder’s surname.

A TAG Heuer wall clock in Switzerland. Image credit: Sorbis/BigStock.com

The evolution of the TAG Heuer watch

TAG Heuer has more than 150 years of experience in watchmaking, and there have been, as you can imagine, many developments and innovations along the way.

TAG Heuer brought about major technical revolutions such as the oscillating pinion in 1887, aesthetic revolutions embodied in iconic models such as the TAG Heuer Carrera launched in 1963, and commercial revolutions that very quickly brought them legendary ambassadors such as Juan Manuel Fangio.

The brand is always ready to push boundaries and develop itself and its products, modernising while retaining the first-class excellence of design and manufacturing that it is known and loved for.

TAG Heuer in the sporting world

Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer, said:

“The world of TAG Heuer is closely connected to motor racing and marking infinitely small times, but its appeal extends much further: its masculine styling speaks to intrepid women; its collections that are waterproof to 500m perfectly meet the demands of yachting and surfing alike. Over the years, we’ve expanded our horizons and our company has made a mark in areas as varied as lifestyle, art – contemporary music in particular – and sport including basketball football and baseball, as well as so-called ‘extreme’ sports.”

The brand was destined to be closely linked to the sporting world, and soon became associated with superior timekeeping after its launch in 1860. Since then just a handful of its sporting achievements include being part of three Summer Olympics, and developing a watch for the McLaren F1 racing team. The iconic Monaco timepiece was named after the Monaco Grand Prix, and it recently released the Senna collection too (named after Ayrton Senna). Of course, when TAG Heuer was formed from TAG and Heuer, TAG was well known for manufacturing ceramic turbochargers for Formula One cars too.

TAG Heuer ambassadors

TAG Heuer ambassador: footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. Image credit: LevanteMedia/BigStock.com

TAG Heuer brand ambassadors include people who excel in sport, music and art, as well as those who just love adventure. All are chosen for their ability to not crack under pressure – in fact, TAG Heuer’s current advertising slogan is #DontCrackUnderPressure, which reflects both the robust nature of its beautiful timepieces, and the robust nature of those who wear them.

CEO of TAG Heuer, Jean-Claude Biver, said:

“The values of boldness, daring, pioneering spirit, non-conformism, quality and reliability have served to shape our company’s identity since its creation and continue to give us direction today.”

Recent and current TAG Heuer ambassadors include:

• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Cara Delevingne
• Tom Brady
• Kai Lenny
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Bella Hadid
• Angelababy
• OneRepublic
• J. Balvin
• Alec Monopoly
• David Guetta
• Martin Garrix
• Chris Hemsworth

Heritage ambassadors include:

• Steve McQueen
• Muhammad Ali
• Ayrton Senna
• Fangio

Iconic TAG Heuer timepieces

Image courtesy of tagheuer.com

Each and every TAG Heuer timepiece is built with quality workmanship for precision timekeeping and are therefore always well-received, however, over the years, some TAG Heuer watches have really stood out from the others and become truly iconic. These pieces include:

TAG Heuer Monaco

Image courtesy of tagheuer.com

Originally introduced by Heuer in 1969 in honour of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Monaco automatic chronograph wristwatch collection is equally as popular now as on its release – if not more so. The (TAG) Heuer Monaco was the first square-faced chronograph, and also the first automatic wristwatch on the market, making it a truly cutting-edge design. Nowadays, the Monaco is iconic – instantly recognisable and a true classic.

Discontinued in the mid-1970s, the Monaco made a comeback in 1998 with an updated design, and again in 2003 with new mechanisms. It is now part of the permanent collection.

Hollywood film legend Steven McQueen wore a Monaco watch is his 1971 film, Le Mans, and the two became synonymous, even long after the actor’s death. McQueen’s character wore the B model (blue) Calibre 12 Monaco.

TAG Heuer Carrera

Image courtesy of tagheuer.com

The TAG Heuer Carrera is a classic yet contemporary automatic chronograph sports watch, inspired by car racing, and some say it captures the spirit of the brand unlike no other of its products. The Carrera takes its name from the Spanish word for “race”. First launched in 1963, it was on sale until 1982, when Jack Heuer left the company. The Carrera was then re-launched in 1996 by Jack Heuer, when he re-joined the company.

The changing importance of the TAG Heuer Carrera was shown by its position in the TAG Heuer printed catalogue over time. In 1997, it was on the third-to-last page. In 2005, however, it featured proudly on the front cover. This was due to the watch being moved from a limited edition to the permanent collection, thanks to its ever-building popularity.

TAG Heuer Connected Watch Modular 45

The TAG Heuer Connected Watch Modular 45 is the brand’s second smartwatch offering, and is set to be a classic. It has been dubbed ‘the smartwatch for people who love watches’, highlighting the quality of this piece and the reliability of the brand. Running on Android Wear, this Swiss-made timepiece is smart and highly customisable, yet looks and feels like a mechanical. The ‘45’ in the name refers to its case diameter in millimetres.

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