The History of TAG Heuer Watches
A company with its roots firmly planted in motorsport, TAG Heuer watches started off as just Heuer watches, under the talent of Edouard Heuer. A watchmaker with a passion for innovation, he founded Heuer watches at the tender age of twenty. Such was his enthusiasm for his work, that with just nine years under his belt with Heuer watches, he had already patented the crown winding mechanism - a device that still prominently features on TAG Heuer watches - and all watches - today. Not twenty years later, he had also patented the oscillating pinion; a compact component that allowed precise engagement of the chronograph function.
This interest in chronographs founded Heuer watches' penchant for timing equipment. After Edouard Heuer's death in 1892, Heuer watches continued to develop its products, the Heuer 'Time of Trip' dashboard mounted stopwatch receiving its patent in 1911. The main, centrally mounted hands of the instrument measured time as per other Heuer watches, but an additional pair of smaller hands at the top of the face also measured elapsed time. A top mounted crown started, stopped and reset the timing hands. This developed into the first wrist worn chronograph, released in 1914 - adapted from a Heuer pocket watch, the crown was mounted at the twelve o'clock position, and accuracy was improved to 1/100th of a second. A timing split function was added soon after, which allowed the interval between contestants to be recorded.
The Heuer dashboard chronograph evolved into various forms right through until the 1980's; the Heuer Super Autavia, a name derived from the two main users of the instrument, the auto and aviation industries, the Heuer Master Time, which contained a movement that could run for eight days without winding, the Heuer Monte-Carlo, a twelve hour stopwatch, the Heuer Sebring, a sixty minute split-second timer and the Heuer Auto-Rallye, a sixty minute stopwatch.
The obvious connections with of Heuer watches motorsport garnered the inevitable interest of Formula 1, the most exotic and prestigious of all auto racing. The Formula 1 link was cemented further with the amalgamation of TAG, and Heuer. TAG (Techniques d'Avant Garde) manufactured technology used in Formula 1, such as the ceramic turbochargers that gave the cars their fearsome reputation.
Motorsport wasn't the only industry that displayed an interest in the chronographs of Heuer; John Glenn, the astronaut piloting the Mercury Atlas 6 spacecraft, used his Heuer stopwatch to manually time the first manned orbit around the Earth. The aviation industry also relied heavily on Heuer watches; the German air force commissioned many Heuer watches for their pilots throughout the world wars and onwards, well into the sixties. A notable development in this field was the 'Bundeswehr,' a fly-back Heuer chronograph that immediately began timing the next segment when the previous was reset.
TAG Heuer watches, pre and post TAG acquisition, have always had an understated and desirable 'cool' to them. For all their functionality within the various industries that used them, their clean designs and usable features have made them as sought-after by the public as by the professionals. And - let's face it - if Steve McQueen wore Heuer watches, then they've got to be cool.
TAG Heuer Series
In 1999, TAG Heuer released their first series of watches dedicated specifically to women, The TAG Heuer Alter Ego. The design was a... read more
The TAG Heuer Aquagraph, only produced for a few years, is a seriously underrated diver's chronograph. It is... read more
Launched in 1982 as a water-sports inspired watch for professionals, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer offers everything a... read more
Named after the gruelling Carrera Panamericana race held between 1950 and 1955, the celebrates... read more
After eleven years with no championship titles, Ferrari finally managed to break the dry spell in 1975 at Monza, thanks to Niki Lauda... read more
The Targa Florio, a famous Italian road race founded in 1906, forms the basis for the theme of the eponymous TAG Heuer. Based on... read more
The TAG Heuer F1 was the first watch to be released after the acquisition of Heuer by TAG (Techniques d'Avant Garde), a company... read more
The TAG Heuer Kirium represents the end of an era before the acquisition of TAG Heuer by LVMH. Penned by Jorg Hysek using the... read more
Making its first appearance as the TAG Heuer S/el in in 1987, the TAG Heuer Link is one the most popular models in TAG Heuer's... read more
The TAG Heuer Microtimer started life in 2002 as a limited edition modern interpretation of the Heuer Mikrograph originally made in 1916... read more
Made famous by Steve McQueen in the 1972 film 'Le Mans,' the Monaco is one of TAG Heuer's most iconic designs, hand-picked by... read more
Originally introduced with little backing by Heuer in the 1970's, the Heuer (and later TAG Heuer) Professional series became a... read more
