Heuer Heritage Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic Chronograph Jack Heuer Edition
Made in collaboration with TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer Museum in Motion Sets a Vintage Course for Miami and beyond
TAG Heuer’s vintage focus shifts into high gear at Watches & Wonders.
By Josh Shanks
Contributor
For 2018, La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker TAG Heuer is presenting a US tour of their Museum in Motion exhibition. The traveling exhibition of vintage HEUERs kicked off this weekend at Watches & Wonders in the Miami Design District and will tour the US for most of 2018. Including stops in 10 different cities where the timepieces will be on display in TAG Heuer boutiques.
We saw some incredible watches at the curated exhibition including 27 rarely seen TAG Heuer timepieces from the brand’s archives. The brand also sprinkled in contributions from local collectors which makes each event date unique and special. On display in Miami were vintage HEUERs from the sixties, seventies, and eighties. Particular highlights include a number of Carreras such as a 1970 Calibre 12 Carrera and a rare 1965 Carrera during the peak of Le Mans racing. A highlight of mine is a vintage Autavia stamped with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo. Other special pieces include a limited edition 1979 Kentucky Derby piece with unique horseshoe-shaped case. Presented front row centre of the exhibition is the 1968 “Easy Rider” Chronograph aka the “Jacky Ickx” edition.
The Miami Connection
Miami has a deep connection to the world of motorsports. Museum in Motion includes some very importing racing related pieces. Including Autavias, Carreras, and Camaros produced at the peak of F1, Lemans, IndyCar, and NASCAR.
While Formula 1 has never officially hosted a Grand Prix in Miami, there was a very notable Grand Prix at nearby Sebring raceway in 1959. In recent years, there has been mounting speculation that F1 could return with a 2020 street race in downtown Miami. In addition to F1 rumors, there have been a number of Indy Car and CART street races at now defunct road courses throughout the city. All races (mostly Indy Car and NASCAR) take place at Homestead-Miami Speedway which is a fully modernized raceway capable of holding 46,000 screaming fans.
TAG Heuer operates numerous boutiques and retail relationships in the Miami area. For the Miami edition of Museum in Motion, the brand selected their Miami Design District boutique to showcase these incredible novelties. This strategic play positions these vintage timepieces smack dab in the middle of Watches & Wonders Miami edition.
Embracing the vintage HEUER trend
In a glitzy opening reception prior to the official unveiling, TAG Heuer treated a contingent of vintage collectors and press to an evening of vintage HEUER to being off the Museum in Motion tour. Notable collectors in attendance included OnTheDash’s Jeff Stein who we interviewed on the occasion of the brand’s 50th anniversary.
We had the opportunity to sit down with one such collector, founder of CHRONODECO Sherman Craig Bergsma to discuss his collection and love of vintage TAG Heuer. Mr. Bergsma recalled when he purchased his first vintage piece in 1999 with a gold-plated Carrera from eBay for $160. This watch gave Sherman the vintage HEUER bug and shortly thereafter he began buying and restoring vintage TAG Heuer timepieces. He now has a backlog of six months and is a trusted watchmaker for many collectors of the brand’s vintage novelties. When we asked him why vintage HEUERs were so special he responded:
“I loved mechanical things and I love the simplicity of TAG Heuer’s vintage novelties which give you a little bit of everything.” – Sherman Craig Bergsma (Chronodeco.com)
Bergsma’s personal collection includes hundreds of references and he’s learning something new about the brand every day.
Interview with Kilian Muller, North American CEO, TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer’s North America CEO Kilian Muller spoke with Watchonista about the inspiration for the Museum in Motion. The event was months in the making and Muller was very excited for the US debut. The inspiration for the show was described as:
“We had the Globetrotter worldwide tour, but this show is about the US. We worked with local collectors to supplement our museum pieces and put them on tour. It’s really about educating our fans and end consumers about our heritage and craftsmanship” – Killian Muller (CEO, TAG Heuer North America)
Shifting the focus beyond tradeshows was an important element of Museum in Motion. We asked why this was so important to the brand.
“For us it’s a very good opportunity to show our products to the broader public outside of a tradeshow. It’s great to show it to different people than we might normally interact with. The Museum in Motion brings together our heritage and very vast history. Especially in motor racing. At the end of the day, it brings together collectors and their stories which is a fantastic moment.” – Killian Muller (CEO, TAG Heuer North America)
The Museum in Motion is a special moment for enthusiasts and collectors of the brand. With many collectors providing pieces from their own collections for this unique traveling exhibition. This mutual trust between brand and collectors is a coveted bond that goes to show just how much TAG Heuer cares about their collector base. It’s refreshing to see a brand embrace owners of their vintage pieces.
Summary and Museum in Motion tour information
We had the opportunity to visit the Museum in Motion during Watches & Wonders and can attest that there are some incredible references on display. See below to find an exhibition date at a city near you. This is an event not to be missed!
TAG Heuer’s Museum in Motion exhibition will visit 10 major US cities starting in Miami.
Tour Dates
February 19 – February 22 | Miami, FL
February 27 – March 8 | Houston, TX
March 13 – March 22 | Dallas, TX
(Photography by Liam O’Donnell)
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