TAG Heuer Luxury Watches

TAG Heuer S.A. (English pronunciation: /ˌtæɡ ˈhɔɪ.ər/ TAG HOY-ər) is a Swiss manufacturing company that designs, manufactures and markets watches and fashion accessories, as well as eyewear and mobile phones manufactured under license by other companies and carrying the Tag Heuer brand name.

TAG Heuer began as Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG, founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer in St-Imier, Switzerland. In 1985 TAG Group purchased a majority stake in the company, forming TAG Heuer. In 1999 French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH bought nearly 100 percent of the Swiss company.

The name TAG Heuer combines the initials of "Techniques d'Avant Garde" and the founder's surname.

History

TAG Heuer is based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and is led by President and CEO Jean-Claude Biver. Jack Heuer, the great grandson of the founder, is the honorary chairman.

TAG Heuer maintains a watchmaking workshop in Cornol, Switzerland and a watchmaking factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The TAG Heuer slogan is "Swiss Avant-Garde Since 1860".

Watches

2008 Tag Heuer CV2010 CarreraTAG Heuer Grand Carrera RS

TAG Heuer's current lines include Formula One, Aquaracer, Link, Carrera, Monaco, Connected, and Grand Carrera.

TAG Heuer, in keeping with its image as a luxury brand with an innovative spirit, has long-standing links with the world of sport and Hollywood. TAG Heuer has been the official timekeeper of the three Summer Olympic Games of the 1920s, The Formula One World Championships and has developed a watch for the McLaren F1 team.

The brand has also had a long list of sports and Hollywood ambassadors.

Some of the more recently announced models include the Monaco V4 (the movement of which is driven by belts rather than gears); the Carrera Calibre 360 (the first mechanical wrist chronograph to measure and display time to 1/100 of a second and the Monaco 69 (with both a digital chronograph accurate to a millisecond and a traditional mechanical movement, with a hinged mechanism allowing wearers to flip the watch between its two separate dials).

London-based Christoph Behling has been the lead designer for TAG Heuer since 2004. The collaboration has resulted in some of the brand's most celebrated pieces including the world's fastest chronograph, the Mikrogirder 1/2000th, launched in 2012.

Many TAG Heuer watches feature chronographs. In January 2011 TAG Heuer announced the new Carrera Mikrograph, the first TAG Heuer to use the in-house Mikrograph movement, which is accurate to 1/100 of a second. Additionally, TAG Heuer has also released the limited edition Carrera MP4-12C to commemorate the launch of the McLaren MP4-12C supercar. TAG Heuer has been a partner of the McLaren F1 team for over 26 years.

At the Basel 2011 show in March 2011, TAG Heuer announced the Mikrotimer Flying 1000, a concept mechanical watch capable of accuracy of 1/1000 of a second—ten times faster than the Mikrograph.

This mark was superseded in January 2012 with the Mikrogirder model, precise to 5/10,000ths of a second.

Items to Consider when Buying a Luxury Watch

1. Overall Design and Materials: Does it appeal to the buyer's eye? What are the materials used? Beyond the staples of Gold, Silver and Titanium there is a wide range of new materials on the market which work beautifully in luxury watches. Avoid anything plated, i.e. gold-plating.

2. The Watch Maker and History: Pick a seller or watch maker with a solid reputation and a untarnished history of making great products. Last place you want to make an exception is when buying an expensive timepiece.

3. Complications: Complications are number of different functions a watch can perform. Do your research of these as the price of a mechanical watch increases exponentially with the number of complex movements.

4. Movement: These are the intricate movements and design on the inside and can be either made in-house (considered better but more costly) or by third-party. If it's done by third-party, look up the reputation of that third-party.

5. Materials & Jewels: Check for number of jewels on the inside as well as out-side displayed jewels. Inner-jewels contribute to smoother and longer lasting mechanical parts.

6. Return Policies: Most reputable watch sellers and makers allow for easy returns if the piece is not to your liking. Sometimes it takes a few times of trial and error to get the right watch your comfortable with and enjoy wearing. A No Hassles return policy is best.

7. Budget: Considering many luxury watches are high in price, some more than a car or home, it may be a good idea to consider your budget or plan to get into a nicer watch. Many places will let you trade in and trade up with additional deposits. This way you can work your way up to a nice mechanical watch after some time and while getting the feel of the type of watch you prefer.