This is a listing for a TAG-Heuer Automatic Chronograph, Model Sel, Re. CG 2120-RO, ETA 7500 (Calibre 16) 25 Jewels Movement.  My eBay item # 479.  (CER2).

DESCRIPTION:

Manufacture: TAG-Heuer, Switzerland.

Model Name: Sel (Sport/Elegance) Automatic Chronograph.

Model Reference Number: CG 2120-R0.

Style or Type: Chronograph. Three (3) Register with Date Window.

Movement: Swiss Made Automatic ETA 7500 25 jewel movement. The Movement is signed "TAG-Heuer 3.95" and "25 JEWEL TWENTY-FIVE SWISS". The movement keeps excellent time and all functions work correctly.

Case: Stainless steel case. The case back is signed with the famous TAG-Heuer shield. It is also signed "SWISS SINCE 1860" and "CG 2120-RO". Below this is the serial number, "F86030". The case back has minor scratches. Please view the pictures.

Case size: 41MM including crown, 40MM not including crown.

Crystal: Original Sapphire Mineral Crystal. No scratches or chips. Crystal is in perfect condition. See pictures.

Dial: White face dial with three White sub dials outline with bright GOLD rings that appear dark in the pictures. The indice or hour markers are GOLD outline with luminous interior. The hour and minute hands are outlined in GOLD with luminous interior. The sweep second hand counter is Black. The sub dial hands are Black. At the 3 o'clock position is the Quick Set Date window, which is also outlined in Black. The TAG-Heuer shield is in GOLD. The sub dial at the 12 o'clock position is the 30 minute register. The sub-dial at the 6 o'clock position is the 12 hour register. The sub-dial at the 9 o'clock position is continuous second register. White Tachymeter outer ring with Black numbers at the outer dial area. The dial is signed, "TAG-HEUER" within the GOLD shield logo. The dial is also signed, "AUTOMATIC" and "200 METERS" in Black below the GOLD TAG-Heuer Shield. At the bottom of the dial it is signed "SWISS" and "MADE" in Black. The dial is in PERFECT condition. The luminous filling in the hour hand has faded slightly.  The minute hand is in PERFECT condition, NO FADING. The luminous filling in the hour indice -  markers are in PERFECT condition, NO FADING.

Bezel: Original shiny Gold Plated Stainless Steel bezel with back numbers and markers. Bezel turn to the left only which is correct with a nice clicking sound. Excellent condition. See pictures.

Crown: Original Gold plated Stainless Steel crown with the TAG-Heuer logo. In perfect condition with no wear. Crown screws down to make water resistant. Crown unscrews and pull once to set date. The second pull to set the time. Quick Set Date. See pictures.

Pushers: Original Gold plated Stainless Steel pushers in perfect condition with no wear. Pusher function correctly and perfectly. See pictures.

Bracelet: Original TAG-Heuer Gold Plated stainless steel bracelet. The bracelet has 14 links. Will fit a 7.5 inch (7 1/2") wrist. Has very minor scratches on bracelet clasp. The Gold Plated & Brushed Stainless Steel links are in excellent condition without any wear. The bracelet locking clasp has the TAG-Heuer logo shield. The clasp is also signed, "TAG-Heuer", "ALL STAINLESS STEEL" and "BB0424-MO". See pictures.

Gender: Men’s / Gents full size

Color scheme: White Dial with Gold outline and Black numbers. Stainless steel case and bracelet with Gold plating & brushed Stainless Steel every other link.

Condition: Excellent Condition overall.  The luminous material in the hour & minute hand is perfect without any separation or cracks. The luminous filling in the hour indice - markers are in great condition, NO FADING. Gold Plated Stainless Steel crown with the TAG-Heuer logo, in perfect condition with no wear.  Minor scratches to the bracelet clasp.  Run perfectly keeping excellent time and all functions work correctly.  Please view pictures as they are accurate.

Accessories:  None

PAYMENT:  Payment can be made by any method that is approved by eBay.

SHIPPING:  Shipping within the USA is FREE.  International Shipping by eBay Global Shipping Program.

GUARANTEE:  The only guarantee that comes with this TAG-Heuer is my personal guarantee that this is a genuine TAG-Heuer Automatic Chronograph Model S/el, Re. CG 2120-RO, with ETA 7500 (caliber 16), 25 Jewel Movement.  I also guarantee this Chronograph to keep perfect time and that all Chronograph functions work correctly.  

NOTE:  This TAG-Heuer Chronograph has been in my personal Heuer & TAG-Heuer collection for the last 25 years.

HISTORY: TAG-Heuer launched the S/el (Sports and elegance) watch in 1987 with the signature double-S shaped bracelet. This was the favorite model of the legendary Ayton Senna (Formula-One Driver and a TAG-Heuer Brand Ambassador from 1988). In 1985 , TAG-Heuer teamed up with McLaren-Mercedes, forming what would become one of the longest-running and most successful partnerships in Formula One history, linking the TAG-Heuer name to some of the team's most famous drivers, including Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger, Mia Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montya, and the team of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. In 20 seasons, no fewer than 8 Formula One World Championships have been won by drivers wearing TAG-Heuer chronographs.

The following is from the 1990 TAG-Heuer Catalog: "SEL stands for 'sports elegance'. It's an appropriate description for a range of watches that bring together the finest functions and specifications of TAG-Heuer's sports watches, and presents them in a truly original design. The watches are made from solid stainless steel. They have an elegance built on smooth, flowing lines. All the material used in the construction are integrated to have a functional purpose as well as an individual look. The glass, for example, is sapphire for its high resistance to scratching. The screw-in crown ensures maximum water resistance to a depth of 200 metres (660 feet). Some models include a unidirectional turning bezel to ensure the accurate setting of diving time. Lastly, in many cases, gold plate has been added to the bracelet and body of the watch to enhance the look. It makes every SEL watch as much an accessory to a dinner suit as to a driver's wet suit."

MORE HISTORY from the CALIBRE 11 website: The TAG Heuer S/el came to symbolize the revival of TAG Heuer in the late 1980s/ early 1990s as the first watch in a new generation of models. The brand had suffered from a lack of investment during the Piaget / Lemania years and it was only when TAG acquired Heuer in 1985 that we began to see new ideas and watches appear. It’s debatable which was the first true TAG Heuer watch - yes, the Formula 1 was released in March 1986, but given that TAG’s acquisition of Heuer was only completed on 1 January 1986, it’s likely that early development work was carried out before TAG’s time. But with the S/el there is no debate- it was conceived and born under the new red and green banner.

The S/el was a huge success during the 1990s, going on to be the best-selling TAG Heuer watch of its era. The series continued through to 1999 when it was renamed the “Link”, still today a core part of the TAG Heuer range.

The name “S/el” derives from “Sports Elegance” and was designed by the same man who earlier drew the 2000 series- Eddie Schopfer. Some 25 years on, Schopfer is still designing watches for major Swiss brands, for example being responsible for the Breitling for Bentley line and Emergency Breitling.

The series was one of the first to explicitly be designed with the “Six Features” that came to define TAG Heuer in the 1990s:

1.    Water resistant to 200m

2.    Screw-in crown

3.    Double safety clasp bracelet

4.    Unidirectional bezel

5.    Sapphire crystal

6.    Luminous markings

Sticking so closely to a prescriptive set of features did help define the new TAG Heuer brand, even if it eventually proved detrimental as the range began to look the same.

The idea with the S/el was to take the range upmarket and position the watch above the mainstay models of the day- 1000, 2000 and Formula 1. The idea behind the series was that it was “designed to be worn with a diving suit as well as a dinner jacket” and until the arrival of the 6000 series in the mid-1990s, it was the flagship of the TAG Heuer range.

The bracelet of the S/el was without doubt its defining feature. How many other watches can you identify from seeing just one link of the bracelet? It is one of the most distinctive watch bracelets ever designed and, arguably, one of the most comfortable, with each large, chunky link made up of two curved ingots

The watch case itself seems to have been designed around the bracelet and on the early models the case wouldn’t accept a traditional leather strap, as the ends of the case were designed for the link to act as an end piece. Whether you like the S/el, the watch is a wonderful piece of integrated design, with the watch case and bracelet working together perfectly.

The rest of the watch continued this soft, organic look, providing a contrast to the blunter edges of the existing TAG Heuer range of the time. The bezel had a saw-tooth finish, while the case and bracelet were available in a range of finishes, with the plated gold/ stainless steel combination being the signature look of the era.

The dial and hands were relatively conventional, using the “Mercedes” hands offered throughout the rest of the TAG Heuer range.

The S/el was in the TAG Heuer range from 1987- 1999 and during this twelve years there were seven major model lines: Watch, Chronograph and Digital Chronograph (all quartz), Watch, Chronometer and Chronograph (automatic) and the S/el Leather series.

The S/el was launched as a quartz-only range, with the 3-hand watch taking centre stage. There were three sizes offered (Men’s, Mid-size and Ladies) and various dial options, including a short-lived Roman numeral option. There were stainless steel cases, combination Steel & plated gold and rare black chromium and Gold models. Check out the strap below which has an embossed link pattern- clearly, TAG Heuer were enamoured with their new bracelet design.

 Around 1990, the dials were updated slightly, adding “Professional” to the dial (early dials only have “200 Meters”) and when looking to avoid replicas, note that the name S/el never appears on the dial of any model.

S/EL AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH                                                The mechanical revival continued in 1996 when an automatic chronograph S/el was introduced. Most of these models have a wonderful 2-part dial with “azurage” finish in both the centre of the dial and inside the 3 registers. Like the second-generation Chronometer, these watches feature an applied TAG Heuer logo.

While a variety of movements were used across the range, especially with the smaller women’s models, the key movements used in the men’s range are as follows:

Quartz

– Watch: ETA 955.112

– Chronograph: ETA 251.262

– Analogue/ Digital Chronograph: ETA 251.265

Mechanical

– Automatic/ Chronometer: ETA 2892 (today called the Calibre 7)

– Automatic Chronograph: ETA 7750 (today called the Calibre 16)

Of course, while the S/el finished in 1999, the series continued today as the TAG Heuer Link. Over time those bracelet links have become squarer and flatter, but you can clearly still see the DNA of the S/el in today’s Link. It was odd that in 2012, the 25th anniversary of the Link/ S/el, TAG Heuer did not mark the occasion with a special edition- you’d think being the first “true TAG Heuer”, we would have seen some mention of the S/el, but I guess this reflects the way that the S/el is seen today- a fine watch to be sure, but one forever part of the 1980s.