A day trip to the TAG Heuer Museum (and about that Rolex robbery).
Another Berneron on the block, a photo report from TAG Heuer's archives, and lots more.
Packed free newsletter today. About that Rolex robbery, another Berneron hits the market, and a couple of timekeeping tchotchkes from Jaeger-LeCoultre. Then, a short photo report from the TAG Heuer Museum in Switzerland.
The Roundup
That Rolex robbery in Chicago. The Bucherer-owned Rolex boutique on Michigan Avenue here in Chicago was robbed last week. In what had to be one of the worst-planned heists of all time, six guys were quickly arrested after smashing the store’s windows and taking five watches worth $170k. I was out of town the day of the robbery, but walked by the next and was surprised the windows had already been replaced. Very Rolex:
Back to normal—sans watches in the window—the day after the robbery. Watch retail has changed a lot in Chicago over the past few years, mostly moving away from Michigan Ave. Frankly, I don’t go there much anymore. Some brands have moved to higher-end Oak Street, where Cartier and AD Burdeen’s recently opened large boutiques. Retailers are also moving into trendy West Loop, where Geneva Seal is opening a boutique soon, anchored by Omega, among others. When I interviewed Breitling CEO Georges Kern last year and mentioned Chicago, the first question he asked me was about West Loop—apparently, he’d been looking at expanding into the neighborhood with a food-and-beverage concept. I know of one other rapidly-growing brand that’s planning to open a West Loop showroom next year. Meanwhile, Lange & Söhne is opening its new boutique on Michigan Ave. this fall, and CD Peacock has its massive new Mansion out in Oak Brook. All this to say: It’s not a great look, but I also hope the robbery isn’t spun into some larger narrative about the city.
The second Berneron Mirage to hit the market closes in three days at Phillips. The “Prussian Blue” currently sits at CHF110k. I covered the first Mirage “Sienna” to sell on the secondary market, which was listed at $200k.
Audemars Piguet released a statement saying that no, Ilaria Resta is not departing as CEO after Miss Tweed reported that she’d be departing after just about two years on the job. The exact ins-and-outs of these executive musical chairs aren’t terribly meaningful to collectors, but worth keeping an eye on. More importantly, I’ve been working my way through this epic AP Chronicles guide on Royal Oak calendar watches (an 80-minute read!)
The price tag for Rolex in Australia? $90m. Mega retailer The Hour Glass acquired four Kennedy Watches & Jewelry flagships and its Rolex distribution agreement for $90m (about $60m USD). “The manner in which manufacturers are selling to end consumers, there’s the possibility that could be something that [Rolex does] one day, and I’m deleveraging myself from that,” CEO James Kennedy said of his decision to sell.
This 3D-printed case that turns an Apple Watch Ultra into a phone-like device to help you disconnect from your phone is cool. And it’s only 30 bucks.
The second official Rolex book is coming, and it’s about the Datejust. Hitting stores in October. A tip: Wait for a sale to purchase. The Submariner book is $37.70 as I write this, the cheapest I’ve seen. These books are worth having, but no need to spend full price.
Watchlist. If you’re looking for something vintage, equal parts rad and pointless, check out this Jaeger-LeCoultre key watch or this Art Deco lapel watch with leather case.
Crown & Buckle’s Defence NATO straps honor the legendary MoD design while delivering smart, modern upgrades [Sponsored].* Unbound by MoD supplier constraints, we improved the fit + feel by using Jacquard-woven fine textiles, mil-spec dimensions, tighter width tolerances, accurate colors, and upgraded stainless hardware. Shop Defence NATO Straps at Crown & Buckle.
*This is an Unpolished Classified, a place to promote cool things to our 11k+ subscribers. Promote your event, sale, app, book, tools, or accessories. No watch brand ads. Price: $500 for four ads. Max. 300 characters. Drop a line if interested: tony[at]unpolishedwatches.com.
Photo Report: A day trip to the TAG Heuer Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds
Before Watches & Wonders in April, I took a short trip to La Chaux-de-Fonds to visit TAG Heuer. As you enter the manufacturer, there’s a small museum filled with archival watches, laid out as a timeline stretching back to the brand’s founding in 1860. There are a bunch of early pocket watches and chronographs, but the real highlights come from Heuer’s racing ties in the 1960s and 70s. I’m also a bit of a sucker for its Profession Divers from the 80s and 90s—I’ve bought a handful over the past year or so.1
The museum is dark and I think TAG’s working on a new display space. I’d bet the watches in its archives number in the thousands—there are hundreds of Formula 1s alone.
Some of the Carreras with the most interesting stories feature double-signed dials. This was the first Carrera discovered with the logo for Car and Driver Magazine, and here’s the Carrera made for actor James Garner that TAG Heuer acquired at auction for $176k in 2022.
While most manual Carreras have a standard silver dial, very early examples can be seen with a matte “eggshell” dial, like this Beyer-signed ref. 2447, and it looks much better:
TAG Heuer launched its first real dive watch in 1978, ref. 844. It has red 24-hour numerals on the dial, cathedral hands, and early examples are signed “Made in France.” Heuer had sworn off time-only watches in the 50s to focus on chronographs, but by the 70s, there was a rise in recreational diving, and the North American market wanted more dive watches. So Heuer turned to Monnin in France to make the cases for its first divers. The result is a cushion-shaped 42mm case that would soon be expanded into a full collection.
The Monnin and other early Heuer dive watches have automatic movements, but Heuer soon started using quartz. Those automatic watches, or really any pre-TAG diver featuring the Heuer-only logo, command a premium.
The TAG Heuer 1000 Professionals are great everyday wears—38mm case, jubilee-style bracelet, reliable ETA quartz movement. You can find them in black, blue, burgundy, two-tone (Leo’s Wolf of Wall Street watch), and full lume (all refs. 980.xxx).
As a testament to the fact that people actually like these watches now, apparently, there are even fakes floating around. Here are a few key tells to look for; also check out On the Dash’s comprehensive overview of TAG Heuer divers.
Heuer’s dive watches were a success, and enough to keep the brand alive, but not enough to keep it in family hands. TAG (Techniques d'Avant Garde) acquired Heuer in 1985. Then came the Formula 1 and all kinds of wild stuff in the 90s and 2000s.
Get in touch:
tony@unpolishedwatches.com
Or (my favorite), tap the heart, leave a comment, or send a message in the Substack app.
They sell for about the same as many Formula 1s, which are fun don’t get me wrong, but the divers are, like, real watches with real steel cases.
Thanks for the tip on the Sub book, Tony! I placed my order. Hopefully you get a referral commission on my purchase.
The Bernerons already at $170k if you take into account the hammer fees and exchange rate.