A Little History
TAG Heuer name: "Techniques d'Avant Garde" and the founder's surname. Edouard Heuer opened his first watchmaking shop in 1860 to fashion silver pocket watches. This Swiss watchmaker was quite innovative and among other patents, he designed a keyless stem winding system. The company became a leader in chronograph watches. As time moved on, the company marketed stop watches, watches for fishermen, hunters, and for other mainstream and niche markets.
In More Recent Times, the Rigngmaster Stopwatch was introduced in 1957 having several vari-colored timing rings that were changed out for specific events. Jack Heuer, of the family's fourth generation, took over management of the company in 1958. Jack had close ties to the auto racing world and so inspired, he began the Carrera line of watches in 1963 with a nod to the Carrera Pan American, a border to border auto held in Mexico from 1950 to 1954.
In 1985, the Heuer brand was sold to Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG), a Luxembourg company. TAG had been investing in high-tech industries, Formula 1 racing, and aviation. The resulting new brand was Tag Heuer. TAG stopped producing Carreras soon after the union of the two companies but re-started the line in 1996. The company was later sold to LMVH, the owner of about 75 luxury brands including Hublot and Tiffany. The sales figures of Tag Heuer are presented in combination with other companies in its division but estimates are that annual sales are about US$900 million.
Birth of a Rallye Model
Jack Heuer was a Driver and Navigator in a 1958 Swiss Road Rallye. Many of the cars, including the Heuer car, were fitted with a Heuer Autavia timer. As his car was speeding along, Navigator Jack misread the timer. The Heuer entry finished third. Jack Heuer resolved to re-design an easier to read Timer. The result was an improved watch, marketed as the Monte Carlo. In a short while, many rallye cars had switched to the improved Monte Carlo timer.
The example described here is Model WAR211B.FC6181, fitted with a Brown Alligator strap with Folding Clasp. Has a Two year manufacturer Warranty.
The folding strap found on some Calibre 5 models has quite a useful design feature. Instead of the usual "pin in the hole" adjustment, the Heuer strap clasp has a lock that can be flipped open to allow the strap to move to any position making it very easy to select the perfect fit with minute touch up; possible to adjust just a slight bit needed for a warm or chilly day...not restricted to a hole position, there are no holes in the strap. Very nice. Perhaps more watches should adopt this design.
This example was purchased in January 2020.
Sapphire crystal both sides, Anti-Reflective Coating
Balance frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: about 38 hours
Face: White (concentically etched), with Applied Rhodium Indexes
Hours - minutes - seconds
Date Window at the 3 hour position
Sweep Second Hand.
Luminescent filled Hour and Minute Hands
Face is surrounded by a printed scale showing 5 Minute, 1 Minute, and 1 Second divisions. Oscillating Rotor and its platform bear "Côtes de Genève" decoration. The movement rim is marked: Twenty-Five Jewels Swiss Made"
Face engraving: "Carrera TAG Heuer - Calibre 5 - Automatic - Swiss Made"
Reverse side Bezel has the Model and Serial numbers etched...the inner Reverse Bezel is inscribed: "AUTOMATIC 100 METERS Carrera Swiss Made Since 1860"
The Rotor seen through the rear window is marked: "Tag Heuer Calibre 5 Swiss Made" The Winding Stem Crown bears a Tag Heuer mark.
Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 has come in many variations over the years.
Some rotors are solid while others have cut triangular spaces. One dealer displays 18 Calibre 5 models. Comes in a date-date version and Replicas have been seen.
A few more images.
The crown winder follows traditional function: set the time by pulling out to the 2nd position...set the date by pulling out to the first postion. As mentioned before, pulling out the stem will stop the second hand to permit setting to a spercific second if desired. The watch cannot be overwound. The Power Reserve is about 38 hours. There is no Reserve indicator. To keep it wound: Wear the watch during the day (or twist it vigorously by hand) or overnight it in a watch winder. Can also be manually wound if preferred.
Precise Time Setting
The TH Calibre 5 movement has a Hacking function. The Seconds Hand will stop when the Crown is pulled out to the Time Setting position. The Hack function allows the watch to be set to a precise accurate source such as time.gov
Set the watch to a few minutes in the future. Keep the setting crown pulled out so the Seconds Hand does not move. Now look at the source time. When the Source Time reaches the exact setting of the watch including the Seconds Hand position, immediately push the crown in to start the Seconds Hand moving at the exact time shown on the Source.
The accuracy of the watch can be determined by comparing the watch time and the Source Time say a month later. This is effective only if the Automatic Mechanism has not stopped during the month.
Packaging and More
The example watch came packaged in a nicely designed box within a box, possibly hard plastic, covered in a rich looking grey material. The Inner Box contained a mounting cushion, the instruction booklet, Warranty terms, and the International Warranty card.
Service and Maintenance
The only authorized Tag Heuer Service Center in the USA as of 2020 is in Springfield NJ
Tag Heuer Website
The TH website has some historic information about the company in addition to displaying the current models. A Web search can be made for more information. Some watch interest websites have Tag Heuer forums.
A few Comments about the Brand
Tag Heuer is considered by some to be a luxury brand as that term is loosely defined. It is not positioned to be the among the most costly of watches but is placed in a more afforadable and comfortable price place,
The Heuer tradition goes back over 150 years, indicating that the brand has been innovative and satisfying to the buying public for many years.
About the Carrera Line of Watches
The Carrera line had its origin and roots deep in 1960's auto racing. This has driven a search for elegant, attractive, uncluttered design...easy to read faces, balance and simplicity. A Carrera Calibre 5 can be worn equally well with blue Jeans or Tuxedo, as the ocassion demands.
Source
The source for some of the information here: The Times of My Life, An Autobiography by Jack Heuer, Honorary Chairman, Tag Heuer. Bern, 2013, 290 pages, illustrated.
One copy of the autobiography of Jack Heurer, The Times of My Life , is available for $20 plus postage by sending an email as below. USA address only.
This website is not related or connected to LMVH, Heuer, or Tag Heuer. Niether the watch nor the brand are endorsed or recommended. Any copyrighted material or images are shown here for educational and informational non-commercial purposes only. The opinions and comments here are those of the website owner and are for information only. Nothing on this website should be relied upon for any purpose.
© Richard Madison 2020