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The History of TAG Heuer: From Carrera to Connected
April
25,
2016
- The History of TAG Heuer: From Carrera to Connected -
Since the brands inception in 1860, TAG Heuers' philosophy to be synonimous with the words "Prestige, Performance, Avant-Garde Technology and Absolute Reliability" has always been its driving force behind making it the iconic brand we know today. From the creation of the worlds first crown-whinding mechanism for pocket watches in 1869 to the newest form of wearable technology in 2016, TAG Heuer has continued to revolutionise to world of watches throughout the generations and continues to do so today.
- 1860 - Edouard Heuer founds a small watch-making workshop in Switzerland at the age of 20 years old.
- 1969 - First Crown Whinding Mechanism - Edouard Heuer patents one of the worlds first crown-whinding mechanisms for pocket watches.
- 1876 - Heuer goes to London - Edouard founds his first subsidiary in London
- 1886/1887 - The Worlds First Oscillating Pinion - Pivitol in the advancement of the mechanical chronograph, Heuer creates the "Oscillating Pinion". Still widely used within the brands watches today, this creation proved iconic to the brands mechanical "forward thinking" attitudes and execution.
- 1892 - Death of Edouard and Birth of the Transfer Process - Edouard Heuer dies at the age of 52, the same year the transfer process for the creation of watch dials was created.
- 1895/1910 - Innovation is the word - 1895 saw the patent for the first water-resistant cases for pocket watches followed by the legendary silver case and enamelled dial pocket watch in 1910.
- 1911 - The Heritage - The Heritage pocket watch was dedicated by Jules-Edouard to his nephew Charles-Edouard for his confirmation.
- 1911 - "Time of Trip" - The first dashboard chronograph patented by TAG Heuer and was designed for aircraft and auto mobiles. Its 11-cm diameter and its size are well suited for installation on all types of dashboards.
- 1916 - The Micrograph - The Invention of the "Micrograph", the world's first sports stopwatch with a precision of 1/100th of a second. This model revolutionized timekeeping, particularly during the Olympic Games sprint competitions and for technical research.
- Olympic Games: TAG Heuer beat off all of the competition to be selected as official watch used for the Olympics on 3 separate and consecutive occasions: Antwerp in 1920, Paris in 1924 and Amsterdam in 1928. TAG Heuers split second pocket chronographs were selected as the official stopwatch and set the precedent for TAG and sports. Later, in 1927, TAG Heuer decided to push their limits by also testing their watches as timekeepers for skiing, bob sledding and car races.
- 1950 - Launch of the "Mareograph" -called the "Seafarer" in the United States. The world's first chronograph with a tide level indicator and dial for regattas was introduced to the world.
- 1955 - The Twin-Time - Introduction of the "Twin-time" model, a self-winding wristwatch with a second time zone indicator.
- 1962 - TAG Heuer in Space! - TAG Heuer becomes the first swiss watch-maker in space!
- 1965 - Welcome to the Carrera - Possibly the most recognisable TAG Heuer watch and collection to date, Jack W. Heuer launches the "Carrera" in tribute to this exciting race “Carrera Pan-American Rally” in the 50’s. The first chronograph with a pure and functional dial design featuring a wide dial opening and a 1/5th of a second scale on the flange. This model rapidly becomes the watch of the champions and a best seller worldwide and sets the precedent for TAG Heuers future within the watch industry.
- 1966 - The Carrera Evolution - TAG Heuer improves the "Carrera" model with a major innovation which sees world's very first wrist chronograph with a digital date display printed on a disc. It supplements the traditional "Carrera" model fitted with a 12-hour register and with a second hand register.
- 1969 - Launch of the legendary “Monaco” and Steve McQueen - the world's first chronograph with a water-resistant square case.This iconic watch was the clear favourite of several Hollywood icons, including Steve McQueen. It's signature square case has become instantly recognisable of the TAG Heuer brand and has continued to be used as part of the brands new releases each year. McQueen was also made the brands first Ambassador and wore the watch during the filming of Le Mans in 1970. This say the introduction of celebrity ambassadors for the brand, the latest being Liam Hemsworth in 2016.
- 1970 - TAG Heuer, Jacky Ickx and Formula 1 - the former Formula 1 driver, Jacky Ickx, is sponsored by the brand in the 1970's during his collaboration with Ferrari.In 1976, TAG Heuer also saw the creation of the Formula 1 transponder technology, which saw the automatic car identification system enabling the recording of cars at all times.
- 1986 - The return of TAG Heuer and Formula 1 - Following the "Ferrari era" the victory of the TAG McLaren team, with Alain Prost, marked the return of TAG Heuer on the Formula 1 circuits.TAG Heuer had spent some of the previous years dabbling in boat racing but made their return this year.This relationship between TAG Heuer and Formula 1 would prove pivitol over the following years with TAG Heuer being selected as the official F1 time keeper on several occasions.
- 1999 - Alter Ego : The First TAG Heuer Exclusively For Women - Launch of the first TAG Heuer watch exclusively dedicated to woman: “Alter Ego”. To commerate the iconic piece, the watch had 5 new women ambassadors, including: 3 world class champions and 2 world famous actresses: Kristen Scott Thomas and Helena Bonham Carter
- 1999/2001 - Official Timekeeper of the FIS World Championship - Furthering its relationship with the sporting world, TAG Heuer is made the official timekeeper of the 1999/2001 FIS Alpine Ski World Championship.
- 2001 - Introduction of the Kirium Forula 1 - Crafted for the avant-garde, the TAG Heuer “Kirium Formula 1” is a feast of technical achievements: The modern analogue watch with digital chronograph functions, accurate to 1/100th of a second.
- 2002- BMW AND TAG Heuer - TAG Heuer sponsors the Oracle BMW Racing team, the Americas Cup challenger, during the Louis Vuitton Cup
- 2002 - What are you made of? The TAG Heuer spirit! - The What are you made of? campaign becomes a symbol of the brand's prestigious avant-garde stance and the TAG Heuer spirit. Stars that were part of the campaign include Tiger Woods, Ayrton Senna, Inès Sastre and Steve McQueen.
- 2003 - New Link - Launch of the “New Link”, associated with its legendary ambassador, golfer Tiger Woods.
- 2003 - Autavia Chronograph, Link Calibre 36 and Monoco Sixty-Nine - 2003 saw a number of new additions to the TAG Heuer family, pushing the limitations of design and craftsmenship.
- 2004 - The 2000 Aquaracer - Now one of the favoured models of the collection, the 2000 Aquaracer threw TAG Heuer into the world of diving and deep sea professional watches.
- 2005 - CALIBRE 360 - the very first mechanical wrist chronograph accurate to 1/100th of a second, TAG Heuer again demonstrates its avant-garde spirit and precision craftsmanship in mechanical watch-making by pushing the boundaries of previous movements such as the CALIBRE 11.
- 2004/2005 - Celebrity Ambassadors - 2004 and 2005 saw celebrity ambassadors such as Brad Pitt, Jeff Gordon, Uma Thurman and Juan Pablo take on the brand. Setting itself out as a watch for the very best, the relationship between Hollywood and TAG Heuer continues today.
- 2004 - The Monaco V4 - TAG Heuer stuns the watchmaking world by unveiling what industry insiders said would never see the light of day: The Monaco V4, the world’s first belt-driven watch.
- 2012 - 5/10,000 of a second! - TAG Heuer wins the world’s most coveted watchmaking award, the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix with the timepiece " Mikrogirder,” precise to 5/10,000 of a second.
2015/2016 - THE CONNECTED - TAG Heuers latest innovation, the connected stands out from the competition as a health and lifestyle tracker with its far advanced technological innovations. With over 4000 available apps, both android and iOS capability, fully customisable interface, 4GB of memory, wind and weather monitoring systems and 7 different colour straps available, The Connected is the health tracker for every personal taste.
The Connected is availble to pre-order from Johnsons Jewellers NOW! Proving highly popular, the piece is expected in store between May and June. Email [email protected] or call 02476 347038.