From the history of the Swiss-made TAG Heuer brand, to some of the most iconic TAG Heuer watches out there, we discuss all in our TAG Heuer brand story.
Impeccably designed, expertly crafted and oozing luxury Swiss style, it’s no wonder that TAG Heuer is one of the most sought-after watch brands in the world. From their reputation for timekeeping excellence to becoming synonymous with motorsport, particularly the glamorous world of Formula 1, TAG Heuer is all about bold innovation, contemporary design, and undeniable style.
Here we’ll explore this iconic brand’s history, from its humble beginnings in 1860 to becoming the innovative powerhouse of Swiss technical excellence that we know today. We’ll also identify who owns TAG Heuer, look at some of the very best TAG Heuer watches and touch upon which vintage TAG Heuer watches are the most collectable.
TAG Heuer: A history
In 1860, and at the tender age of just 20, Edouard Heuer set up his eponymous watchmaking company, Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG, in the Swiss municipality of St-Imier. At this time, the company was exclusively producing pocket watches. But it wasn’t long before young Edouard Heuer began to demonstrate his ability to innovate, with the first of many patents being granted in 1869, for a keyless, crown-operated winding system.
Spotting the emerging demand for the highly precise timekeeping required for sporting events, the company designed its first pocket watch chronograph in 1882. Five years later, Heuer made a seminal breakthrough with a pocket watch that could start and stop timing using just one button. His improved oscillating pinion, a module used in chronograph devices, is still in use today. At the beginning of the 1900s, Heuer was granted a patent for the ‘Time of Trip’ the very first dashboard chronograph, a rugged design for planes and cars.
The ambition and innovation of Heuer led to many remarkable engineering feats. A key development that was to shape the business, was the launch of one of the first chronograph wristwatches in 1914. Another great accomplishment came in 1916, with the production of a stopwatch capable of measuring to 1/100th of a second.
Such precision and expertise were widely recognised by many sporting events, and Heuer was appointed as the official timekeeper at three Olympic games, from 1920 in Antwerp through to Amsterdam in 1928. This was just the beginning of the company's long and illustrious relationship with sporting bodies and events, which was to become even more prominent in the ensuing years.
Current day partnerships include a wide range of sports events, teams, and individuals, with brand ambassadors including the likes of leading golf professional Tommy Fleetwood, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová and racing driver Jean-Eric Vergne.
WHAT DOES TAG HEUER MEAN?
Heuer, and many other luxury Swiss watchmakers who crafted high-quality mechanical watches, were hit hard by the invention of quartz movements in 1969. These battery-powered movements were much cheaper to manufacture and didn't require hand finishing, so they could be sold profitably at much lower prices.
Over time, Swiss watches lost market share and, ultimately, TAG Heuer was formed when Techniques d’Avant Garde, known as the TAG Group, acquired Heuer in 1985. Today, TAG Heuer honours the work of the four generations of the Heuer family who had nurtured the brand. So much so that Jack Heuer returned as Honorary Chairman in 2001.
TAG Heuer: The Golden Years
When Jack Heuer, the great-grandson of Edouard, took over the running of the family business in 1958, the company began to focus exclusively on the design and manufacture of chronograph wristwatches, stopwatches, and dashboard instruments. An association with many forms of motorsports quickly followed, which is famously reflected in most of the stunning watch models Heuer designed from the 1960s onwards. Vintage watches from this era have become very sought after by collectors.
Where are TAG Heuer watches made?
When Edouard Heuer first set up his watchmaking business, it was initially located in the Swiss municipality of St-Imier, at his family’s farm. Today, the company has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, where all watches by TAG Heuer are precision engineered to remarkable tolerances and using only the very finest materials. After exhaustive testing of the movement and casing, each watch is carefully and expertly finished by hand. TAG Heuer watches showcase Swiss engineering at its finest.
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