I absolutely love Heuer, Tag Heuer, and all that the two evolutions of this brand stand for. Between their synonymy with motorsport, knack for producing both functional and beautiful designs (think Jack Heuer’s original design of the Carrera), and reputation for continuing to update the brand’s most celebrated models, Heuer is truly in possession of one of the most storied pasts and spirited followings, which is why I was starting to get concerned for a second there. I really thought that we had lost Tag Heuer. Allow me to explain.
Niki Lauda, Nordschleife, 1976 – Ferrari Formula One.
Let’s flash back to December of 2014. On the 11th day of this month, it was announced by Tag Heuer that the CEO at the time, Stéphane Linder, would be resigning from his position at the LVMH-owned brand in La Chaux-de-Fonds. After only heading the brand for roughly one year, Linder was to be replaced by Jean-Claude Biver – an industry veteran known within the community to have been somewhat of a mover and a shaker when it came to saving the industry from the quartz crisis, and to have played a major role in the recent success of Hublot. Although I didn’t doubt for a second that Biver knew how to turn the brand around, I was afraid that he would follow the formula that helped him in taking Hublot into the limelight, by going big and bold.
Jean-Claude Biver. Photo via Bloomberg.
With the introduction of Carrera – Heuer 01, and a similarly styled Android Wear watch that I won’t waste my breath on, these fears started being confirmed. The Carrera was now a watch that would be housed by a 45mm steel/titanium case, and would feature a loud (and highly illegible) skeletonized dial. I first saw this as release as a foreshadowing of the brand’s demise, but I’m pleased to say that I was incorrect. Since the Carrera – Heuer 01 Chronograph was powered by the in-house Calibre Heuer-01, a development of the Seiko-derived Calibre 1887, and was priced competitively at just a touch over $5,000 USD, this piece was merely a hype-creating breadwinner for the brand, that would allow the brand to tackle some more heritage-focused projects in the near future.
Tag Heuer Carrera Heuer-01
This brings us to just days ago, when Heuer made it known to the world that due to the significant interest that currently exists for vintage examples of the great Autavia, they intended to re-introduce the watch in 2017, with input from the collectors on which model to re-issue. Like many others, this ignited the fire within me once again, and reminded me that Tag Heuer wasn’t going off track. Now after today’s Baselworld 2016 announcement that the famed Heuer Monza is to return, I think that I can confidently say that at Tag Heuer, Jean-Claude Biver knows exactly what he is doing.
The new Tag Heuer Monza.
First off, the new Monza makes a statement that’s heard loud and clear by featuring a pre-Tag logo on the dial. Over in Switzerland, it would appear that they know full well about the enthusiasm that exists for vintage Heuer sports chronographs, and the passion that goes along with collecting them. Some other noteworthy choices made in designing this piece include the use of custard-coloured, vintage-looking SuperLuminova, the use of the 70’s Monza colour scheme with a blacked-out case and red accents, and the choice to use titanium instead of steel for the case, reducing the overall weight of the watch noticeably.
The two things to take note of on this piece that deviate from the design and availability of the original Monza, are the case shape and layout, that take after the Monza re-editions of the early 2000s, and the fact that this piece will apparently be a limited edition, as indicated by the caseback shots released to the press. Some might call the limited nature of this watch a reminder that Biver hasn’t forgotten some of the tricks he learned while running Hublot, but honestly, I’m not complaining. This new Monza is solid release for Tag Heuer, that I’m sure enthusiasts much like myself will welcome with open arms.
Heuer Monza. Photo via Heuerville.
So what have we learned today? Tag Heuer has big plans for the future. No, they aren’t “selling out”, so to speak, just yet. They too recognize the fact that they have some of the most passionate individuals collecting their older releases, and to alienate those markets in pursuit of a more trendy and avant-garde demographic would be foolish. This new Monza, along with whatever Autavia is to be re-issued in the coming months, represents a step in the right direction for the brand, and an acknowledgement of Heuer’s rich history that mustn’t be forgotten by newer collectors . Well done, Tag Heuer. I’m a fan!
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