Something REALLY COOL from Tag Heuer!

Courtesy of Tag Heuer

Earlier this afternoon, a press release snuck into my "in"box from Tag Heuer.  It announced a new Tag Heuer co-branded model - the Gulf Special Edition Tag Heuer Formula 1.  I am not going to lie, a first I was somewhat dubious.  All due respect to Mr. Biver and the team at Tag Heuer - I am a wee bit done with all of the partnerships that have been proffered lately.  My bone of contention is that these are, by and large, mechanical and, well, expensive.  

BUT -
to be clear, Tag Heuer has a much longer track record than Yours Truly, and although I was a successful brand manager, my own modest little brand was very nearly still-born.  So my own judgments aside, even if I don't agree with every move, they seem to be doing okay ; )

Courtesy of Tag Heuer

So I was very, very pleasantly surprised to find out that this is truly a watch made for BOTH watch and auto racing fans.  Yes, it is quartz.  You might remember quartz from such watch articles as:

"The Most Accurate Time Measurement Available"

Isn't that appropriate for a piece that pays tribute to time, speed and the race against both?

And best of all, this is priced at a level that will attract new people to Tag Heuer who might have felt that they were previously priced out of the market.

And it will do something else - it will give some of those people their first REAL taste of a cool watch, and perhaps it will kindle a love affair with Tag Heuer, which then in turn will probably lead to the creation of walking, talking ambassadors.  And maybe, just maybe some of those new devotees will then aspire to a more expensive mechanical model?  Stranger things have happened!

So a very hearty (and sincere) congratulations to the team at Tag Heuer!  This might fly in the face of what the "purists" deem as "horology", and fair enough.  Let them poo-poo it.  I think it's bitchin'!  

And I expect a lot of "as yet to be discovered" Tag Heuer ambassadors will agree!

Here are the pertinents -
 

DIAL
Blue dial with Gulf stripes
3 counters for chronograph
Indexes and hour/ minute hands with white superluminova®

CASE
43 mm diameter
Steel case
Aluminum blue tachymeter fixed bezel
Flat sapphire crystal
Black PVD steel screw-down crown
Steel crown protector
Steel screw-down case back
GULF logo special engraving
Water resistance : 200 meters

MOVEMENT
TAG Heuer quartz movement, one of the most reliable and accurate made in Switzerland
Powered by a battery
Regulator (time-measuring device): quartz crystal.
Electrical current that causes the crystal to vibrate very consistently and at a very high frequency (32,768 times per second).
Almost perfect precision (a variation of only a few seconds per month.)

STRAP
Blue calf skin strap with asphalt texture
Brushed steel pin buckle