Tag Heuer - Respected in Watch Circles?

[LukeBird]

DjSki said:

Totally disagree there gents, they are both well respected brands.

I didn't say they weren't respected, just that one many people start to 'get into' watches they realise they aren't nearly as special as the PR and marketing would make you believe.
That's not to say I wouldn't have either, (I've had both and there are models of both I want) but I 'know' what they are now.
They are the reverse of Sinn IMO (just as one example in a sea of hundreds), who are largely only appreciated by 'watch people' and are ignored by those who aren't interested in watches, as they are too plain; whereas we appreciate them for the engineering and what goes into making them.

[douglasr]

I was looking to buy a sub £1K watch for my wife. We looked at Tag, Longine, Oris and Raymond Weil. In terms of build quality, the Tag was last (Cheap strap and no weight). The Longine and Raymond Weil equal and the Oris better than all of them (better strap and general finish) and it had a automatic movement which has proved surpringly accurate. I know the Oris is not a respected brand in watch circles, but it felt like a superior product.

A colleague at work bought a Tag for £2.5K and sent it back twice as the second hands would not hit the markers. When it was returned the second time the same he was told it was a "feature" (according to Tag), he wasn't happy and the dealer offered him a full refund against another watch. He added some cash and bought a Breitling instead.

Edited by douglasr on Monday 3rd January 23:42

[Ikemi]

douglasr said:

A colleague at work bought a Tag for £2.5K and sent it back twice as the second hands would not hit the markers. When it was returned the second time the same he was told it was a "feature" (according to Tag), he wasn't happy and the dealer offered him a full refund against another watch. He added some cash and bought a Breitling instead.

Edited by douglasr on Monday 3rd January 23:42

The second hand on my Link Calibre S used to wobble a good -/+ 1 second when reset in the 12 O'Clock position. I'm sure this movement in the second hand appeared a few months into ownership. I had the watch sent back to Tag, as I didn't feel this was fitting of a £2K watch, which happened to be my first serious watch.

The watch was returned with a message from Tag: The Calibre S movement is known to have this 'wobble' and nothing further can be done. I wasn't best pleased and sold the watch on, which paid for my Planet Ocean

Would I buy a Tag again? Probably. However if I had £2K in my pocket, I would be looking at other manufacturers first ... Ball, Sinn, Omega?

[Parsnip]

Currently sporting a Tag Aquaracer quartz - yes it was overpriced for a quartz watch (think I ended up paying 625ish for it) but as a daily wearer, it can't be faulted - keeps perfect time, I'm not too bothered if it gets bashed around a bit and looks pretty nice - plus it was for my 21st, so means a lot to me and probably wouldn't sell it even if the resale was through the roof.

I guess it comes down to what you are buying the watch for - I'm not bothered if "watch people" think it is a bit common, same way I wouldn't care if the same people approved of it. Trying to think of a way to relate it to cars - closest I can come is that I would rather buy one of the reproduction DB5s than a real one - much less prestige, but it would make me happy, and other than that, I'm not too fussed.

Edited by Parsnip on Tuesday 4th January 07:38

[al1991]

douglasr said:

I know the Oris is not a respected brand in watch circles, but it felt like a superior product.

I'd say it is.

[pattyg]

Have to defend TAG a little here. The case and Link strap on mine are real quality and have taken a lot of punishment with no visible marks to the face. Movement ain't so good but overall a great looking watch with a nice image. Oris to me look cheap and I hate that shiny bling cheaplooking metal Breitling use.

And yes, I suppose I did buy into the brand a little...bit like I did with my BMW, Specialized bike, Mizuno golf clubs etc etc. Nowt wrong with that.

Each to their own.

[Ikemi]

Quinny said:

Say what you like about Tag..... I think this is a true thing of beauty

El primero movement display back and a chronograph... Lovely dial what's not to like??


http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t...

Oh my ... Not a lot of money either!

[tertius]

Quinny said:

I know.... Tell me about it.......if I hadn't just splashed out on my LV, well you know the rest...

I think I'm right in saying that El primera runs at 36000 bph, if so it's the same as a daytona, and the second hand sweep is sublime....

Umm, the El Primero does indeed run at 36,000 bph, and indeed the El P was previously used by Rolex in the Daytona, however Rolex slowed it down to 28,800. I'm pretty sure the current Daytona in-house movement also runs at 28,800.

So in short the "native" El Primero runs faster and more smoothly than any Daytona.

[tertius]

Actually that Monza doesn't appeal at all, it may be the case shape that I don't like.

Moreover another El Primero would just be greedy ... ... and would seriously impact my plans for something from Kalbe ...

[LukeBird]

I'd much sooner have the Zenith HW Class Chrono.
The Monza is nothing like as pleasant IMO.

I will have an El Primero at some point.

And tertius is correct, the Daytona never ran the EP at 36000vph, it was reduced to 28800. Presumably for reliability?

[GC8]

al1991 said:

douglasr said:

I know the Oris is not a respected brand in watch circles, but it felt like a superior product.

I'd say it is.

As would I. Ive avoided this thread because the OP asks such an expansive question. Added to this are many points (both worthwhile and less) from other contributors...

Heuer were, and still are, an extremely respected brand. Technique Avant Garde bought them out in the early eighties when they were on their arse, along with most of the Swiss watch industry.

The first decent watch that I bought, in 1991, was a TAG-Heuer 4000 automatic. Automatics were quite rare then, but this was true of many manufacturers (even Oris were offering quartz models!) and fakes were mostly limited to Rolex and Cartier. This changed after a couple of years and TAG-Heuer became the watch of choice for the aspirational charver, and fakes soon followed.

Now referred to as 'a Tag' and derided by many, their reputation is a little tarnished, but the knowledgeable enthusiast will still find something to catch their eye. They do use an ETA ebauche, yes: but so do virtually all other premium watch manufacturers and Heuer use the same grades, so misplaced snobbery is a little foolish. The automatic 4000 and 6000 mocels (the 6000 a COSC chronometer) that I am most familiar with are certainly the equal of Omega products from the same period. I have several Omegas, mostly Seamasters, from the 1960s and, with the exception of the Chronostop which comes close; theyre all inferior to equivalent Heuer products!

[LukeBird]

NeMiSiS said:

Talking of off the shelf ETA movements I would Just like to add,

In 2007 OMEGA introduced its new family of in house manufactured movements with Co-Axial calibres 8500 and 8501, entirely designed and produced in-house and equipped with the third generation of the OMEGA Co-Axial escapement.

The movement in my PloProf is the caliber 8500, with its co-axial escapement and a 60 hour power reserve. In the Six months or so I've owned it, it hasn't missed a beat and has been running for that whole duration of time. I set it when new to www.exacttimenow.com and re-set it on newyears day as it had gained 48 seconds.

The "entirely designed and produced in-house" is a bit of a stretch of the imagination though!
George Daniels designed the co-axial escapement for Omega!

[LukeBird]

Ok, fair point!

PR rubbish though...!
Much akin to the Tag Heuer Calibre 1887, "Swiss Made" tag.

[Ikemi]

LukeBird said:

Ok, fair point!

PR rubbish though...!
Much akin to the Tag Heuer Calibre 1887, "Swiss Made" tag.

270 of the 320 parts that make the Cal. 1887 are Swiss made by Tag, Cortech and Nivarox ... Providing 50% of the components in the movement are Swiss, then the 'Swiss Made' label can be applied.

There has been some controversy over the '100% in-house movement' claims, what with the Cal. 1887 being based on a Seiko movement. However it does seem the new movement has undergone some major changes and improvements. The Cal. 1887 movement is a bit different (a step away from ETA) and the watch itself isn't priced overly high either ... I like it

Here is an interesting article on the Cal. 1887 production:

http://www.calibre11.com/calibre-1887-story/

[wibble cb]

Speaking as an owner of both an Oris and a Tag......I would say the Oris is a good choice, mine is 6 years old and hasn't missed a beat yet, it saved my wrist from damage when I dropped my car engine (the watch took most of the weight with nary a scratch to show for it).The Oris is a little smaller on my wrist than the Tag (Carrera in my case)but its a handsome watch and gets regular comments. The Tag was my personal choice as a wedding gift from my wife, I love the size and the weight of it, my only real criticism is for the bracelet,which scratches easily and could do with a polish after a year, while the Oris seems to be made of sterner stuff.

Both keep excellent time, I haven't had any issues with loss/gain

[LukeBird]

Very interesting article.
I appreciate what TH have done, but I still think it's a bit of play on words.
The same as "Home Made" and "Home Cooked" food in a pub I guess!

Will you be on the look out for one chap?

[Miguel Alvarez]

Agreed it is an interesting article. What did the original Heuers use for their movements?

[tertius]

Miguel Alvarez said:

Agreed it is an interesting article. What did the original Heuers use for their movements?

Chronos were typically Valjoux.

[douglasr]

al1991 said:

douglasr said:

I know the Oris is not a respected brand in watch circles, but it felt like a superior product.

I'd say it is.

I'm glad you said that, I have a Divers Date and a BC3 Advanced (in black). I love them both. I also have a Seamaster, which is beautifully made. Comparing it with an £800 oris (the Seamaster retails at £2050 now) you can see the difference in quality, but not to the tune of £1250.

My next watch will be from one of the smaller companies like Sinn, Stowa, Glycine etc that don't spend as much on advertising or promotion.

[Ikemi]

LukeBird said:

Very interesting article.
I appreciate what TH have done, but I still think it's a bit of play on words.
The same as "Home Made" and "Home Cooked" food in a pub I guess!

Will you be on the look out for one chap?

I'm really tempted! I've been following the Carrera Cal. 1887 ever since it was first mentioned, but I'm doing my best to save for a JLC, which means I'm doing my best not to be side-tracked by other purchases Unfortunately my car has been running up some high bills recently too

As for the Ball on TZ-UK ... That went fast! Seems to be a popular model! If you don't have much luck obtaining discount from Jura, give Chisholm Hunter (www.chisholmhunter.co.uk) a bell. I bought my Ball through CH and couldn't be happier with the service (and discount!) I received