For most people, watches are an indispensable part of their wardrobe, as it helps them keep track of time. Yet, when it comes to choices for high-end watches, only a few are truly worth of your time, and TAG Heuer timepieces are amongst them. With a strong history of innovation and ground-breaking developments, TAG Heuer has established itself as one of the world’s leading luxury watch brands available from jewellers in Reading today.
The Choice for Sporting Events
It was in 1860 when 20-year-old Edouard Heuer established a watchmaking workshop in St-Imier in Switzerland. Soon, his company established a reputation for integrating technical innovations in watchmaking, quality workmanship, and precise timekeeping for each piece that the brand has become a specialist in timing sports events.
Heuer watches have also seen their share of the Olympics, particularly at the Antwerp, Paris, and Amsterdam Olympics during the 1920s. The brand also introduced the Autavia in 1933, the first dashboard stopwatch designed for race cars. The Heuer brand was then acquired by TAG (Techniques d’Avant Garde) Group, thus creating the TAG Heuer brand everyone knows today.
The Patented Oscillating Pinion
During Edouard Heuer’s time, movement designers have been looking for ways to develop calibres with fewer moving parts, making watches more reliable and easier to maintain. As an answer to this need, Heuer developed and patented the oscillating pinion in 1887, an innovation still being used by major movement manufacturers today.
This pinion couples and decouples the chronograph mechanism and the timekeeping gear train that powers it, replacing a more complex system and thus simplified manufacturing and assembly of timepieces. This innovation also allowed the production of mechanical chronographs for a lower cost.
On the Road and In Space
Being the choice of timepiece for sporting events, it has also been associated with automobile racing. In fact, the brand became more popular after Steve McQueen wore a Heuer Monaco in the 1971 film “Le Mans”. The particular model McQueen wore for the film is also known by its nickname “McQueen Monaco”.
Whilst the brand is the preferred choice on the road, it also held the distinction of being the first watch in space. John Glen, the man tasked to orbit the Earth three times on February 20, 1962, wore a Heuer 2915A stopwatch on his wrist. This particular watch is still with the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Earth and space is just amongst the many contrasting things that TAG Heuer watches have been able to embrace, as each timepiece is a marriage of heritage and innovation. Take your pick amongst the stylish and reliable TAG Heuer luxury watches from a trusted independent jeweller in Reading and Berkshire: Jacobs the Jewellers.
Sources:
10 Things to Know About TAG Heuer, Watch Time
About Tag Heuer, Tag Heuer