A first for Calibre 11- some news of a new model in the TAG Heuer ladies range.
Ahead of Basel TAG Heuer have released information about two new models in the F1 Lady series.- both of which have a ceramic finish and are reminiscent of the Chanel J12 series that has been so successful over the last few years.
The use of ceramic appears limited to the bracelet and around the bezel. While using ceramic “bricks” in the bracelet seems purely for styling, it does make sense to look at the use …

With only three weeks to go until the Baselworld 2010 show opens, more details about what TAG Heuer will show are starting to emerge. The key piece of news is the name of the “new concept movement” that was detailed first in the Calibre 11 Baselworld Preview in late January. The new movement is called the TAG Heuer Pendulum.

One of the reasons that I have spent time looking into the history of the Heuer and Lemania relationship recently was to find out more about the heritage of a watch that I’ve recently bought- a Heuer 510.500.

The watch on the right is a series two 510.500, distinguished from the first series by the Day/ Date feature (the first series 510.500 was date only) and often coming with the TAG Heuer logo on the bracelet, even though the dial is “Heuer”.

The 510.5XX watches were the only Lemania-powered Heuer to survive into the TAG Heuer era, with the TAG Heuer version having the reference number 510.500-12. This different model number signals more than just the addition of the TAG Heuer logo to the dial- it also signifies that most of these watches use the slower-beating 5012 Lemania movement rather than the 5100.

Heuer’s relationship with Lemania in the early 1980s was brief, but intense. As the first part of the Heuer/ Lemania story detailed, Heuer was actually owned by a consortium involving Lemania for a few short years before being sold to TAG in 1984/5. This relationship explains why there were so many Heuer models using the Lemania 5100 movement in the early 1980s.

However what this doesn’t explain is why are there so many other brands that sold almost identical version of these Heuer watches. Based on the trusty formula of two-parts research mixed with one-part assumption and one-parts guesswork, the conclusion is perhaps surprising: Because for the most part, they were not Heuer designs in the first place.

The re-editions of the Carrera are generally considered the best executed of the various classic watches bought back to life. The Carrera re-edition of 1996 was the first attempt by TAG to tap into its history and was successful in bringing the Monaco, Autavia, and Silverstone, to a new generation of  collectors.
Of these various re-edition models, perhaps the most sought-after is the 1964 limited edition (Ref. CV2117), known as the Jack Heuer 40th anniversary Carrera. The watch was announced at Baselworld in 2005 to mark the 40th anniversary of the …

Update
Looking for the review of the Carrera Calibre 1887? Click here
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The first photo of the Calibre 1887 powered Carrera is out a few weeks ahead of Baselworld 2010.
TAG Heuer have been in touch to say that there was a mix up with the embargo dates for the photos of the Carrera Calibre 1887 and so have asked all websites to take down the images. So, if you didn’t get a chance to read the story earlier this morning, sorry…but you ‘ll have to wait another couple of weeks to see …

A while back I bought this Heuer Autavia 11063 GMT on eBay. Its the first time that I’ve bought a watch for a restoration project, although I hasten to add that I will be doing none of the work myself due to a complete lack of relevant skills.

So, in the time-honoured tradition of restoration projects, here is an overview and a few photos of the “Before” watch with the “After” photos to follow when the project is complete.

There is now a Calibre 11 Facebook page that can be found here (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calibre-11/286869854826)

So why Facebook? While Twitter is great for quick updates and alerts, the Calibre 11 Facebook page will offer photo galleries of vintage Heuer and TAG Heuer watches, as well as links back to new posts on the Calibre 11 homepage.

If you’re on Facebook, become a fan of Calibre 11 for more great content.

The TAG Heuer Targa Florio was released in 2001 and marketed as tribute to the famous Italian road race, despite actually drawing its inspiration from the Heuer Flieger (German for “Pilot”) watches of the 1930s.
The early 2000s were a renaissance period for lovers of the TAG Heuer re-edition series, with TAG releasing a steady stream of watches that drew their looks from the old Heuer catalogue.
The Targa Florio was one of three new re-edition watches announced as part of the classics series. The highest profile of these 2001 releases was …