TAG Heuer

When TAG Heuer announced the Carrera Heuer-01 barely three years ago in Basel, I had no idea it would reshape, redefine and refocus my budding collection. THIS was the watch I had been waiting for.

I have always been in awe of those who build a collection specific to their taste. They become the authorities, knowledgeable on the tiniest of details and history of the models that consume their passion. I remember, upon purchasing my first Rolex, all the collectors who had vast assortments of Submariners, GMTs or Explorers. They were well versed in every little nuance that distinguished them from one another. 

When I saw the modular construction of the new Carrera, as much as I liked its look and feel, I was equally in awe of its potential to spawn countless variations. Knowing the marketing prowess of TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver, this strategy was a given. Perhaps THIS was the watch I had been longing for.

In the beginning

After my first couple of Rolexes, I felt there wasn’t enough distinction between the models to really hold my attention. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my Sub and Daytona. However, they don’t evoke in me the passion to acquire every variation of each model. For those who obsess and collect these models, you have my utmost respect.

Then along came Hublot and its brilliant marketing strategy based on Limited Editions in every size, shape and material imaginable. For the first time, I felt the aforementioned obsession when the first King Power came out. “This” was a brand I could (and did) get behind. 

One, two, three King Powers later, the fiscal reality began to set in and I realized that collecting every Hublot Limited Edition was probably not an option ; ) The Carrera Heuer 01 on the other hand, came in at a price that allows mere mortals to partake in what I consider “attainable exclusivity.”  

Also worth note is that TAG Heuer, in my opinion, has been rather judicious in their release of Limited and Special Editions. Rather than flooding the market with a barrage of LEs and SEs, they reserve these pieces for a limited set of strategic marketing partnerships. In other words, they limit their Limited Editions. This is one of the huge differences between TAG Heuer and Hublot. With TAG Heuer, Limited Editions are a part of their business model. With Hublot, LEs “are” their business model. I believe this is an important distinction in the brands’ approach to LEs and SEs.  According to TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver, “The Hublot approach is contrary to that of TAG Heuer.”

Collectible?

It’s difficult NOT to notice the fanatical, almost cult like following that vintage Heuers have developed in recent years as vintage Monacos, Autavias and Carreras have seen prices explode and supplies diminish. Let’s not forget last year’s auction at Christies that saw the rarest of rare, a 1962 Autavia reference 3636 “Indy,” go for $199,000 USD. Even the less rare Carrera 3147 Indy currently commands $15k to north of $50k USD. 

With the success of the brand in the vintage arena, TAG Heuer is committed to preserving its legacy while focusing on the customers of today. This is why the brand strives to create exclusivity without the premiums often associated with Limited Editions. As Mr. Biver explained, “TAG Heuer is concerned about its patrimony and is consistently concerned about giving value to the brand.”

My point in writing this article isn’t to say that you’ll finance your children’s college with a Carrera Heuer-01 Limited Edition, but that right now is the time to start collecting the new Carreras, before the market wakes up to the potential of these LEs.

I would love to talk about how much these pieces are currently worth, but some are already so rare that they don’t exist in the secondary market. Case in point, the first Carrera Heuer-01 Indy500. Shortly after word got out, three of them appeared on eBay, one of which had a reserve nearly double MSRP. I have no idea what they actually went for, but they disappeared quick. There are other Heuer-01 LEs that are even more rare due to their regional release or even smaller production numbers. I’ll cover those in a bit.

In the two years since the first Limited Edition Carrera Heuer-01 was released, there have been a total of 17 Limited and Special Edition 01 models produced by TAG Heuer representing 12 partnerships. One of these partnerships resulted in two Red Bull Racing Special Editions, one on a bracelet and the other on a strap. Since they are Special Editions, there are no predetermined numbers being produced. As such, these models are readily available, for now, through Authorized Dealers and on the secondary market.

For more information on this model, please visit:  

The Red Bull Racing Team sports exclusive TAG Heuer chronograph at the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season

There have also been two Heuer-01 Special Editions resulting from TAG Heuer’s partnership with the Manchester United Football Club. Since they are Special Edition and not Limited, as with Red Bull, they are readily available. At any point, the brand may change or cease production of these models and the supply will most likely dry up.

For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer announces partnership with Manchester United. Releases two Special Edition Pieces!

There is also a Special Edition that honors the legacy of legendary Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna and it’s the first Heuer-01 to be paired with TAG Heuer’s iconic Link bracelet. 

For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer announces Ayrton Senna Limited Editions!

Most recently, the brand announced their partnership with Aston Martin along with a Special Edition Heuer-01. For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer Announces two New Special Editions to Celebrate Collaboration with Aston Martin

 

Enter the Limited Editions

The first Heuer-01s began shipping the end of 2015. The early Carreras, though not Limited Editions had a unique feature that may one day make them quite collectable; they had DLC coated bezels. After about six months, Heuer-01s began shipping with the ceramic bezels that they have today.

In April, 2016, TAG Heuer announced the first Limited Edition piece based on the new Carrera chassis. It would be the only Limited Edition to wear a DLC coated bezel.

Commemorating the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, TAG Heuer produced 100 Indy Carreras, all of which sold out before a Press Release was even issued. I was fortunate to get one only because I accidentally came across a premature announcement on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website. It was a fortuitous stroke of luck that would become instrumental in shaping the direction of my watch collection.

For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer to Announce first Carrera Heuer 01 LE for Indy 500!

As production of the Carrera Heuer-01 ramped up, it would be another year before TAG Heuer released its next LE. Commemorating the 101st Indy 500, this time producing 101 pieces to coincide with the race anniversary. For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer: Carrera Heuer 01 - 101st Indy LE Review

In March, 2018, TAG Heuer released its third installment in the Indy500 series, a smaller, 43mm Drive Timer on a bracelet. For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer Renews Its Support for IndyCar Series - Unveils Limited Editions for 102nd Running of Indy 500

In the case of the Indianapolis 500, there have been 3 models to date, with the number of the Limited Edition corresponding to the anniversary of the race. 100 in 2016, 101 in 2017 and 102 in 2018.

Last year, TAG Heuer produced 10 different Limited or Special Edition Heuer-01s including the previously mentioned Indy model, the Red Bull and Manchester United pieces and the Ayrton Senna Heuer-01.  There was also the launch of the Tom Brady Heuer-01 Limited Edition in September. With 466 pieces made, they all evaporated immediately, even though this was the largest run of Limited Edition Heuer-01s to date. I’ve yet to see even one of these watches surface on the secondary market. I really missed the boat on this one!

For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer Brand Ambassador Tom Brady Releases Heuer 01 Special Edition Watch

The Plot Thickens

If you’re keeping up with the math here, there are still 3 Limited Editions unaccounted for from 2017. This is where things get interesting. Two words; regional release.

The first was a Limited Edition of 50 Carrera Heuer-01s celebrating the Portugal National Football Team. Of the 50 pieces produced, nearly half went to members of the team including brand ambassador Cristiano Ronaldo. Prognosis for finding one of these? Good luck!

In October, 2017, TAG Heuer released the Carrera Heuer-01 AIR-K5 Nishikori in honor of Japanese Tennis Star and brand ambassador, Kei Nishikori. This Limited Edition of 150 was announced and released exclusively to the Japanese market. It came with two straps, black and bright yellow, similar to a tennis ball. Besides the grid pattern on the dial, this piece is unique with its solid date wheel that replaces the number “1” with the letter “K.”

Also in October of 2017, TAG Heuer announced the Carrera Heuer-01 “Mexico Angel” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of La Carrera Panamericana road race from Queretaro to Durango, Mexico. With only 100 made, these too were a regional release. 

2018

Only four months into the new year, TAG Heuer has come out strong with six new flavors of the Heuer-01. Announced in January, TAG Heuer created two Limited Edition models to celebrate the opening of its Las Vegas boutique. Both pieces are all-black, with only touches of red and green to represent a roulette wheel. One piece has 64 black diamonds totaling 1.50 carats nested in the bezel. Only 9 of these pieces were created, numbering 0, 00 then 1 through 7 in keeping with the theme of a roulette wheel. The other piece has a “normal,” ceramic bezel with Tachymetre. 77 of these were produced. For more information on this model, please visit:  

TAG Heuer Announces Two Limited Edition Carrera Heuer 01s During Launch of Las Vegas Boutique

 

In March, two more pieces were announced. The first was the previously mentioned Aston Martin Heuer-01. At Baselworld, TAG Heuer also announced their support for the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. As part of this partnership, the brand released a Limited Edition of 100 pieces representing the Chinese Space Program.

The final piece that I’ll showcase, I stumbled across by accident. While combing TAG Heuer’s Japanese website, I noticed an unusual, black Heuer-01 that I had not yet seen. After further investigation I discovered a Limited Edition Heuer-01 created for the Tokyo boutique. All black with a red date wheel and chrono hands, this is one of the sexiest Heuer-01s I’ve seen. At last check, they were still available on the website.

I believe that during the course of this post, I have managed to cover every Limited Edition and Special Edition Heuer-01 to date. When you take a step back and look at this collection, I think it’s quite fascinating. 17 total pieces so far and not out of reach for the serious collector or connoisseur of TAG Heuer.

My Search for the Holy Grail

Inevitably, someone will ask what the holy grail of Heuer-01s might be. I guess that will always be relative to the individual collector. Still, there is one version that hides in plain sight, without out a doubt “the” grail of Heuer-01s, at least for me …and you’ve all seen it.

I first saw this piece during a visit to TAG Heuer Headquarters in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It was a prototype of the Heuer-01 of which several were made, I’m not sure how many. 

When TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver dazzled us all with the first images of the Carrera Heuer-01 at Baselworld 2015, the images were of the prototype, not the shipping model. As a result, the internet was flooded with images of the Heuer-01 that was never released. After the prototype photos were distributed, the brand continued to refine and improve the design of the Carrera Heuer-01 prior to its release.

Some of these prototypes were even circulated to the media for press reviews of the new Carreras. I was one of those fortunate to receive one of the prototypes for review after the production models began shipping. I was able to write an article that compares the difference between the prototype and production models that can be seen at:

 Hands On with TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01! 

Needless to say, as I continue my quest to acquire all the Limited Edition and Special Edition Heuer-01s, the holy grail for me would be to add one of these rare prototypes to the arsenal.

There is one other Heuer-01 in my collection that I failed to disclose. It’s not a prototype or production model; it’s not a Limited or Special Edition. To say it is Bespoke does not do it justice. Yes, it is one-of-one, but the significance to me goes much deeper than its rarity or price. It is the one Heuer-01, more important to me than any other because of the circumstances of its creation. For this I will refrain until a future post when I share my “special” Carrera Heuer-01 that represents all the passion and appreciation I have for this model and the brand that produces it.  

It’s easy to imagine how, in a few short years, many of these pieces will be increasingly rare. With only four in my arsenal so far, I will continue my quest for all the “original” Heuer-01s. As the Heuer-02 gains popularity, I’ve no doubt that Heuer-01 Carreras will becoming increasingly coveted by collectors. I’m taking my own advice by collecting the new Carreras, not as an investment, but because of my passion for the design and the joy I find in wearing each and every one of them. The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 represents a unique and exciting chapter in the history of the brand and I enjoy being a part of this adventure. 

  login to reply