Over the last few months Tag Heuer seem to have been very busy on the marketing front. Recent updates include the introduction of a new Chinese ambassador called Li Yifeng and a promotional event with Shah Rukh Khan in Mumbai. I am very fortunate that the company’s Public Relation’s Director Marine Lemonnier-Brennan is so proactive. Even though Tag Heuer has a corporate identity (part of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) I have always found Marine to be very professional and approachable. She truly is a rarity as I find it generally hard to get a response from the members of the other groups. This is a shame because I want to offer my readers the broadest variety of content as possible. I have always maintained that Total Watch Reviews is merely a creative platform to celebrate beautiful timepieces. Ultimately this means I am more interested in good design than brand importance.
Tag Heuer has always been very popular but with Jean-Claude Biver’s midas touch they seem to be going from strength to strength. Clearly Tag Heuer’s primary objective is to make lots of money but they are also producing some great looking timepieces. Back in May I had the pleasure of reviewing the brands first ever forged carbon watch called the Monaco V4 Black Phantom. In my opinion it is one of the best looking watches they have ever produced. In the same meeting I also got the chance to try on their wonderful and more affordable Carrera Heuer 01.
Normally at Baselworld the time allocated to meetings is fairly short. On this occasion I spent about 30 minutes with Marine and literally tested the Carrera Heuer 01 for five minutes. Fortunately this was enough to appreciate the watch’s finer qualities. Dimensionally the timepiece exudes generous proportions and has a diameter measuring 45mm. Generally I found the watch sat comfortably on my wrist and I would be happy to wear it on a daily basis. Primarily this is down to the elegant case design and choice of 316L stainless steel in production.
Visually the Carrera Heuer 01 delivers a very bold and impressive statement. It also signifies a new direction for Tag Heuer because the watch displays more contemporary clean lines. What makes this timepiece so impressive is the striking skeletonized dial. This gives the watch a really modern and distinctive feel. Details like the anthracite bezel (with tachymeter scale) and the chronograph sub counters give the timepiece a cool sporty appearance. Other features include rhodium brushed raised indexes/hour minute hands and exposed date wheel (with red window located at 3 o’clock). Overall the design is cohesive and the finishing is absolutely first rate.
Beneath the stylish façade lies an in house manufacture developed self-winding movement. The Calibre HEUER 01 comprises 39-jewels and oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. This entire splendor is visible through the sapphire crystal exhibition case back. Functionally the Carrera Heuer 01 features hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph timers and date facility. The timepiece also has a power reserve of 50-hours and is water resistant to a depth of 100 metres.
The Carrera Heuer 01 has a durable black rubber strap with matching steel deployant buckle. Priced competitively at: CHF $4,900 (approximately $5,179).
For more information about Tag Heuer visit the company’s website: http://www.tagheuer.com
