As those of you who love cars will know, McLaren Automotive will launch its MP4-12C sportscar in 2011, its first new model since the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and, you could argue, its first proper car since the seminal McLaren F1 of 1992.
The good news is that just like the McLaren F1 and the SLR, TAG Heuer will produce a watch to commemorate the new model- the bad news is that the watch will only be available to those who buy the car.
The TAG Heuer McLaren MP4-12C will be launched as part of the pre-Basel package, meaning that we won’t see any official photos for a few months yet, however thanks to Shelton Kwan, an eagle-eyed McLaren and TAG Heuer enthusiast, we have a sneak preview of the new watch.
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The highlight for me of TAG Heuer’s Baselworld watches was the TAG Heuer 300SLR, a new limited edition heritage watch to be released in October alongside the Monaco 24 and the new Grey Heuer Monaco re-edition.
While I didn’t manage to take any photos of the new watch, Hodinkee did manage to get some shots, which you can see here.
The 300SLR (ref. CAR2112) is based on the new Carrera Calibre 1887, but loses the external bezel and carries no Carrera markings. The dial itself is a metallic bronze colour, reminiscent of the Heuer Carrera 150.173F of the 1970s, and is finished with orange detailing.
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The Monaco 24 Concept that was shown at Baselworld last year is being prepared for an Q4 2010 launch. The watch has a titanium PVD case and the Calibre 36 (El Primero) movement.
A quick re-fresh- The Monaco 24 uses the same case as the Monaco LS, with the curved crystal wrapping around the side of the case. The Monaco 24 has bespoke pushers and crown, and swaps the LS-layout for more traditional sub-dials.
The dial has the famous “Gulf” colours also used on the Limited Edition Gulf Monaco released last year.
The real magic to this watch is firstly the black PVD titanium (reminescent of the famous Heuer Monaco PVD) and secondly the “floating” round dial that sits suspended in the case.
TAG Heuer will release the Monaco 24 in the fourth quarter of 2010 alongside the new Grey Heuer Monaco….and a third “heritage” watch.
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Its been a busy week for TAG Heuer- releasing the new Silverstone re-edition, celebrating its 25th anniversary of working with the Mclaren F1 team and announcing a brand new in-house movement, the Calibre 1887. Like may Swiss watch makers, Heuer/ TAG Heuer gave up making their own movements in the early 1980s and began to reply upon suppliers such as ETA and Lemania- both controlled by the Swatch Group.
For the last few years Swatch has been trying to eliminate supply of its ETA movements to customers outside the Swatch Group- however, the EU has intervened and forced Swatch to scale down external supply over a number of years, rather than to cease immediately. This uncertainly around supply of movements has shocked the Swiss houses into action, and TAG Heuer has been at the forefront of developing its own movements- the V4, the Calibre 360, the Calibre S and the Microtimer.
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Back to the world of modern TAG Heuer watches, below is a photo of the new TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Day/ Date “Carbon Fibre”- essentially this is the same as the Singapore Limited Edition, but with more tasteful red highlights instead of Green and a nicer looking strap. The dial has a carbon-fibre finish, which is tough to see in the photo below, but looks pretty good.
Another reason to reconsider that Carrera Calibre 360 purchase…
Great news: The Heuer Silverstone is coming back!
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Good news for both Heuer and TAG Heuer fans- a new re-edition series is on the way, in part to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the company coming up next year.
So what is it? I wouldn’t leave you clueless:
- Has not been offered as a re-edition series previously
- Was initially launched by Heuer in the 1970s
- Was offered with two movements over its lifetime
- Is named after a place in Europe
All will be revealed on Saturday….
So, what will future TAG Heuer’s look like? Typically, new designs are kept under wraps until the Basel show to ensure maximum exposure and impact. However, if you have a new design that you intend to patent, then you have to submit a patent application..and the secret is out.
TAG Heuer have developed a strong relationship with the designer Christoph Behling, who has designed several products for TAG, including the Meridiist, the Grand Carrera and the Golf watch (an in particular the way that the Golf watch attaches to the wrist).
So what is this new design?
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Cheers Arno
