Is my TAG HEUER fake?!

[MaestroDave]

I wonder if the experts here can help me?

I bought this watch second hand (Ebay, so not exactly a reputable dealer) for a few years ago. It was a good price but not suspiciously cheap. No problems until...

A fortnight ago the crown popped up - not the end of the world I thought, it's getting on a bit now and the thread is probably stripped. I start looking for a local dealer to send it away for repair/service.

Then today, I looked at the face, and one of the hands has fallen off the chronometer. Getting suspicious, and not wanting to waste more money having the watch serviced/repaired if it is dodgy, I unscrewed the back and was surprised the movements have no TAG logo... I am no expert though.

So what do you think? Worth getting it repaired or write it off to experience?

(Text above battery: "SWISS TWENTY-SEVEN 27 JEWELS" with a tiny shield logo with something like "ETA" in the middle)

[Steffan]

The absence of any identity internally with the Plethora of external logos suggests it is a fake to me. Sadly I doubt if its genuine others may know more

Good luck with the search.

[RemainAllHoof]

Three second hands?

[Revs_Addiction]

a genuine one would have had an eta movt, so that doesn't ring any alarm bells. try googling some pics of a genuine one and compare it to yours.

I think you might be okay!

[andy_s]

No idea except that's an ETA 27 jewel quartz cal. 251.262 movement, that TAG may well have used. I'm not sure whether it would necessarily have anything stamped or engraved on it apart from ETA etc - it's not really a movement for display I suppose.

I wouldn't be surprised either way, as I really don't know this one, but there isn't anything blindingly obvious to say it's fake I'd say.

ETA

RemainAllHoof said:

Three second hands?

It's a centre minute chrono - like the PRS-17C, well spotted though

Edited by andy_s on Sunday 18th September 12:57

[MaestroDave]

As usual PH comes up trumps! The ETA movement does have the number you mention - hidden down in the battery well.

I think I'll get it fixed!

Thanks,

Dave

[Dominic H]

Hi Dave,

Watch looks fine. Try and find a good independent watchmaker to supply & fir a new crown and re-fit the loose hand. A trip back to Tag Heuer may end up in an estimate to repair that effectively retires the watch.

Try the BHI website to find your nearest BHI watchmaker.

http://www.bhi.co.uk/repairer.html#PRSEE

Dom H

[Disco You]

MaestroDave said:

Then today, I looked at the face, and one of the hands has fallen off the chronometer.

I think you mean chronograph. A chronograph is a timing device, a chronometer is a watch which has been certified to meet certain timekeeping specifications.

[nikaiyo2]

Watch looks 100% real to me. For what its worth I bought a similar age Tag 2000 Chronograph from an AD brand new. I think both chrono pushers and the crown came out at different times in the 1st year of ownership

[Pothole]

Dominic H said:

Hi Dave,

Watch looks fine. Try and find a good independent watchmaker to supply & fir a new crown and re-fit the loose hand. A trip back to Tag Heuer may end up in an estimate to repair that effectively retires the watch.

Try the BHI website to find your nearest BHI watchmaker.

http://www.bhi.co.uk/repairer.html#PRSEE

Dom H

great link, thanks mate. Might have to take a couple of mine which are in need of a service to a local chap from the list. Thanks again!

[MaestroDave]

So... the TAG was sent off to TAG for repair and service... 6 weeks later and has come back with the screw in crown still stripped, and the hand reattached but not alligned to the 12 position correctly (by 2mins!) - albeit with a new TAG warranty card!

Extremely dissapointed.

The dealer who sent the watch in tried to convince me it wasn't a screw down crown (despite him writing "repair screw down crown" on the notes)- funny really because it certainly screwed down until I stripped the thread! Also insisted he could adjust the hand correctly, presumably invalidating the pressure testing in the process.

The dealer is sending it back in and I am assured "outstanding service" this time. Thought for the huge cost I might have got that last time, but hey ho.

I guess I should have listened to the advice above and had it repaired by a local expert.

Dave.

[Justayellowbadge]

Crown obviously a problem, but you can adjust the sub dial alignment with the pushers when you have the crown in set position.

[bry1975]

Dave,

Personally I don't believe TAG wouldn't be able to realign/reset the sub dial hand and I can't believe they didn't fix the crown issue most likely an inhouse repair so not TAG service centre work.


Looks to be a genuine TH but has a replacement movement which is quite quite common with older THs.

90% of the time the threaded case tube strips on TH AND Omega watches, if it's the crown cost could be £40-£50 just for the correct crown.


Bry

Edited by bry1975 on Sunday 13th November 13:45

[andy_s]

bry1975 said:

Dave,

Personally I don't believe TAG wouldn't be able to realign/reset the sub dial hand and I can't believe they didn't fix the crown issue most likely an inhouse repair so not TAG service centre work.

Looks to be a genuine TH but has a replacement movement which is quite quite common with older THs.

90% of the time the threaded case tube strips on TH AND Omega watches, if it's the crown cost could be £40-£50 just for the correct crown.


Bry

I'd have thunk the movement was original to the watch - is there any sign that it isn't? (Just out of interest Bry - not that this affects the OPs problem).

There may be a way to alter the hand-setting as there are (iirc) 3 step motors which drive the hands and setting them involves some 'press button x and hold while repeatedly pressing button y'; but you may have to search around a bit on the 'web for the instructions (if this works). I know it works on a similarly configured Seiko 7A28/38 movement anyway.

As for the crown tube, that's shocking, especially as the instructions were quite clear. As Bry says, it's a simple cheap job - crown thread stripping has got to be one of the commonest problems (along with changing the date at the wrong time of day and water ingress) so shouldn't be more than a ten minute job.

Tag Heuer haven't the best reputation when it comes to customer care, despite charging a fortune, hopefully they'll use a watchmaker next time as opposed to the tea boy...

Hope you get it sorted chap.

[andy_s]

ETA - rather like the 'Hamilton Khaki Air - hand resetting problems' thread just down (up) there... doh!

[bry1975]

The etas should reset about same usually quite easy.

If it's the case tube that has stripped it's usually £5-£10 for the part.