10 Things to Know About TAG Heuer


TAG Heuer is one of the world’s leading luxury watch brands, offering a strong history of innovation, deep connections with sports timing and automobile racing, and more recently, a series of groundbreaking developments in the field of ultra-fast mechanical chronographs, an innovative tourbillon watch priced under $20,000, and the launch of a luxury smartwatch. Here are 10 other things you should know about TAG Heuer.

1. Sporting Roots

10 Things to Know About TAG Heuer
Left, founder Edouard Heuer. Right, the Autavia dashboard stopwatch for race cars.

Heuer Watch Company was founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer. His first watchmaking workshop was located in St-Imier, in the Swiss Jura region. The company soon built a reputation for quality workmanship and precision timekeeping. That, coupled with a series of technical innovations dating to the 1880s, led the company to become a specialist in the field of timing sporting events. During the 1920s, Heuer watches were used at the Antwerp, Paris and Amsterdam Olympics. In 1933, the brand launched the Autavia, the first dashboard stopwatch for race cars. Other more famous developments receive individual attention below. The affinity with precision timekeeping in sports, and with automobile racing in particular, continues to this day.

In 1985, Heuer was acquired by TAG Group (Holdings) S.A. TAG is an abbreviation for Techniques d’Avant Garde. TAG Group combined the TAG and Heuer brands to create the TAG Heuer company we know today. LVMH purchased the TAG Heuer subsidiary in 1999.

2. Simplifying the Chronograph

tag heuer oscillating pinion
Left, a drawing from the oscillating pinion patent, and an actual pinion pictured in front of a movement in a holder.

Back in the days when good engineering trumped marketing concerns, movement designers sought to develop calibers with fewer moving parts, to make them more reliable and easier to service. In 1887, Edouard Heuer developed and patented the oscillating pinion, which simplified the chronograph. This construction is still used by major movement manufacturers today.

In a nutshell, the pinion couples and decouples the chronograph, or stopwatch, mechanism and the regular timekeeping gear train that powers it. The pinion replaced a more complex system, simplifying manufacturing, assembly, adjustment, and service, all while delivering excellent timekeeping and reliability. This development allowed more mechanical chronographs to be produced at a lower cost, which sounds like a win all the way around.

3. Faster and Faster

TAG Heuer original Mikrograph stopwatch
The original Heuer Mikrograph stopwatch, which went into production in 1916.

Another major technical achievement came in 1916, when Charles-Auguste Heuer launched the original Mikrograph. It was the first mechanical stopwatch able to measure 1/100th of a second. To accomplish this, the movement’s rate was 360,000 vph – ten times faster than the 36,000 vph chronographs that we usually think of as “fast.” The original Mikrograph revolutionized sports timekeeping and served as the official stopwatch for the 1920 Olympics.

4. First Swiss Watch in Space

Heuer first Swiss watch in space
Astronaut John Glenn enters the Friendship 7 capsule wearing a Heuer stopwatch on his wrist.

When you think of mechanical watches in space, you think of, well, not TAG Heuer. But you should, because as it turns out, Heuer was the first Swiss watch in space.

Heuer first Swiss watch in space
A closer look at the Heuer 2915A, the first Swiss watch in space.

In May, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced his goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. The first step toward that goal was to put a man into orbit. That man was John Glenn, flying the Mercury “Friendship 7” mission on February 20, 1962. Glenn orbited the Earth three times wearing a Heuer 2915A stopwatch on his wrist, on top of his spacesuit, held in place by a custom-made elastic strap. The watch served as the mission back-up timer, and it was used in space. Today, the watch is kept at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

5. The Carrera

original Heuer carrera
An original Heuer Carrera, named after the Carrera Panamericana automobile race in Mexico.

TAG Heuer’s most iconic models are associated with automobile racing, and one of the most famous is the Carrera. Jack Heuer suggested the name shortly after taking control of the company from his uncle (more on this below). The name comes from the Carrera Panamericana, a dangerous race run on public roads in Mexico from 1950 to 1954.

Jack Heuer wanted to create a watch for race car drivers. It had to be perfectly legible and tough enough to withstand the vibrations drivers experience during a race. The result is a watch that has achieved cult status.

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  1. Two months back I was gifted a brand new Tag Golf watch, which was bought from the factory-owned shop at full list price. First-up I noticed that the watch is made in China, so much for the “Avant-Garde Swiss” brag line that Tag uses. It didn’t work out of the box, had no instructions, so after much fiddling, I took it back to the dealer, who then proceeded to waste a couple of hours trying to make it work, I had to stand around as he needed access to my iPhone. He then eventually swapped it for a new watch.

    It then worked for three weeks during which I found that a) the battery life with the GPS is less than 6 hours, b)difficult to read the screen in sunlight, which is when I play golf, c) the GPS disconnects if you receive a call, restarting it is fiddly, not ideal on a golf course, d) Unlike my Garmin which has 1,000s of golf courses preloaded, you have to individually download the course onto the watch from your phone/Wifi,e) unlike Apple or Garmin this watch is not intuitive and has no instruction manual.

    Now the watch has stopped working again, I took it back to the dealer who fiddled with it again whilst I stood around with my phone. After a brief struggle, he sent it off for repair. I am back using my three-year-old $200 Garmin for golf, which is simply awesome, as opposed to the Tag that costs 18x more. I otherwise love my Rolex GMT for regular wear. The dealer thus far refused to refund my money. I am seemingly stuck with this junk, I have never spent so much time fiddling around with a damn watch, life is too short for such struggles.

    I may sell this on eBay, hopefully to a Tag junkie- any takers?

    Reply
  2. A J Hall

    The worst product I have ever bought with even worse aftercare I bought my Tag Monaco watch at the end of October and it went wrong after day two it’s been back six times since I have emailed them at Paris Switzerland and even the chief executive, not a reply from any of them, this is a 6,000 euro watch, I would council everyone not to trade with them, the product and the company are rubbish

    Reply
  3. Leonardo Mastache

    Sported the Black Coral ’81. Looking forward in having a companion on my wrist to guide me in the sport of diving. Graphite black

    Reply
  4. Oliva Boco-Young

    For 30yrs I’ve been saving for a women’s tag h watch, but as a single mom my son’ educational expenses takes priority. Now am 68 yrs and my dream to own such good quality watch is almost impossible. Is there a way I can get good discount?

    Reply
  5. Colin hawkins

    My tag watch 2116-0 has no 200 MTs on the face but on the back is this usual

    Reply
  6. stephen Day

    I have a Link and blue face morocco. I am not wealthy but have fallen for the technical beauty of watches. I live life by not giving in or giving up to my disabilities. I visited la loce area in Switzerland recently but missed getting to the Tag Heuer factory. I will probably never have that opportunity again unfortunately. Thanks Tag Heuer for two great watches and never give in

    Reply
  7. Robin L Robson

    How many different movements does TAG produce; how many of the movements or different calibers are COSC certified.

    Reply
  8. Paul Carroll

    I have a Tag that only keeps good time when I ware it and it is battery powered Any explanation?

    Reply
  9. Gwendolyn Jones

    I am new to the jewelry business and will be working at a location that sells the most beautiful piece of wrist art, Tag Heuer, So glad Tag was my first connection to what is great in watchmaking. Your article is very informative and to learn all of these trivias about the birth and blooming of Tag Heuer is so exciting for me. I can only wish I could own one!
    Thank you!
    Gwen

    Reply
  10. How can you mention 10 things about Tag Heuer and omit discussion of the Monza? The 2016 version won various awards and is absolutely comparable to a entry level Rolex, Omega, or Breitling.

    Reply
  11. João Bosco @webRelogio

    Fantastic pioneering in Car Racing and the Olympics, but very unknown about the Space experience…

    Reply
    • GenBeck

      Do you mean +5 a day or week? COSC specs are -4/+6 per day.

      Reply
    • Matt wightman

      Automatics tend to drift a little from what I understand. You may need to take it in for adjustment.

      Reply
  12. Roy Joseph

    Thanks .., for the information , last day i got an heuer 140th millennium 2001 edition .. I like to know more about that model .. Waiting for your valuable reply .., have a NYC day pal.. Thanks ..

    Reply
  13. James Pearce

    I have a lady’s pocket Wallthamwatch, 14k gold, triple covers, floral/ shell patterned back and front covers, mfr. showing as Dueber, Special, No.4452062.
    This was given to my grandmother in England
    sometime between 1880 to 1894. I believe as an engagement or marriage gift.
    I have searched the Walthem sites but unable to find any information or photos of a similar watch.
    I would appreciate comments and possible value estimate.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  14. How many times do we have to see the same old Steve McQueen image? Exercise some creativity and create something new please.

    Reply
    • Bill levine

      Amen…we all get it…it is a great watch,but let’s move on..I am not one to judge a watch,by what celebrity wears it…

      Reply
  15. Kathryn Campesi

    My husband bought me a Tag Heuer for Christmas 2016. I truly am disappointed in this watch. It has spent most of the time in the shop. The clasp comes undone constantly. The crown will not tighten. I hate it!!! I also own a Rolex and a Breitling. They are so much better than this Tag piece of junk!! Do not waste your money on this marketing scam. Take my adivice buy another brand. Breitling is great! My Rolex is probably over 20 years old and is still working. This Tag Heuer is a piece of junk!!!

    Reply
    • Larry Jenkinson

      I agree.the winding mechanism on my 2016 aquaracer is junk compared to my 2000 Rolex.
      The tag is going in for repair on Saturday.
      Pity as the Tag makes the Rolex look plain

      Reply
  16. Johnny Tank

    But why do they continue calling the company ‘TAG Heuer’, when it is no longer under TAG ownership? IMO the TAG logo, and name, looks cheap and takes away from the long, outstanding history of this brand. I will never buy a watch with the TAG logo on it.

    Reply
  17. OK, the article says 10 things about TAG Heuer, almost all of this is about Heuer and what a great watch company it was and the innovative things they did and I agree it was an iconic brand that did good stuff but Tag Heuer is a totally different company and not as revered by real watch collectors.

    Reply
      • Craig McBride

        I don’t agree. If you want to live in the past that’s ok, but if you can’t revere the mechanical brilliance of Guy Semon just because he’s in the age of TH rather than H then you’re a jewellery collector rather than a watch collector. I guess Breguet and Omega are on the nose too now that they’re owned by Swatch?

        Reply
  18. Dell Deaton

    TAG Heuer was, quite significantly, the first Swiss-made James Bond wristwatch with a quartz movement. Two models were worn by actor Timothy Dalton in his first movie appearance as Ian Fleming’s 007 in “The Living Daylights” (1987): PVD reference 980.031 Night-Dive, and 980.013 stainless steel. Jack Heuer has specifically cited the latter as having pulled Heuer back to profitability for the first time since the Quartz Revolution.

    Reply
  19. Richard Kalina

    I thought that Accutron was the 1st watch on the moon? I also thought Accutron was the mainstay of the Space program, guaranteed accurate within 1 minute a month. It was the 1st electronic watch-based on the adjusted tuning-fork vibration system and set the standard of accuracy at that time. It was made here, at home in the U.S.A. All U.S.A. made and assembled. Maybe watch brands should have to say where the components of both the movement and the case/dial/attachments were made and what was assembled where? Than we’d know what we were paying for.

    Reply
    • Mike Disher

      Hi Richard. Thanks for your comment. The reference in the article is to the first Swiss-made watch in space, not the first watch on the moon. Actually, the first watch on the moon was an Omega Speedmaster, on the wrist of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. (It is not Neil Armstrong because he left his Speedmaster in the Eagle because its on-board clock was not working properly.)

      Reply
      • Randy Rogers

        Great clarification Mike, the article clearly states “in space” not the Moon as to the claim Richards claim. The confusion comes about, as Accutron first conceived I the early 1950’s, had been from the beginning part of the Kennedy and NASA Space Program. I would wager in fact that on John Glenn’s wrist was an Accutron Astronaut, the then Timepiece worn by all in the Space Program. The Space Program was moving very quickly in these years following JFK’s goal of placing us on the Moon and, the ‘delivery system’ was still an open issue, following Freedom 7 by a few Months, placed Bob White in outer space on the first winged aircraft, the X-15. To the Moon Landing and “One Step”, an Accutron to this day resides in the Sea of Tranquility placed there by Apollo 11 Astronauts, the same redundancies that NASA employed for safety, are most probably the source for the Omega Speedmaster in this argument, as I know one was worn, as presented by the Norman Morris Co., then the U.S. Distributor of Omega Watches. For the USA, this continued the history of Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 flight across the Atlantic wearing a Bulova. But I digress, it is TAG-Heuer which is the subject and their contribution to Timekeeping which is equally historic.

        Reply
  20. I just have to make this correction.

    The Steve McQueen movie Le Mans has nothing at all to do with Formula 1 racing in any way. The movie is about the 24 hours of Le Mans, a sports car race. Completely different disciplines. To a racing fan this is like calling a quartz watch an automatic.

    Reply
    • Mike Disher

      Hi Steve. Thanks for pointing out this obvious error. All I can say is “DOH!” I’ve removed the reference to Formula 1.

      Reply
    • Love the reference to Quartz and automatic, he is absolutely correct.

      Le Mans, 2015 here I come.

      Think I’ll wear the Monaco :)

      Reply
      • I own a Carrera,Monaco,Formula 1 (quartz) and recently got a Tag Huer Connected 45. I have never had any problems with any of them other than my Carrera Chronograph. It’s an automatic and I have epilepsy and had a grand mal siezure and I guess I pounded it as hard as I could for about 4 minutes on concrete. It’s also the Juan Fangio limited edition. The sapphire was fine but I had to send it in for some internal work. So I guess what I’m trying to say is a watch is like a companion. Everybody is going to like certain things and not like certain things. As far as Steve McQueen , he made the watch partly the icon it is today. Kinda sad we don’t have role models any more. Thanks for correcting the F1 comment. Very true. Big fan.

        Reply
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