The Yin Yang Watch is one of the timepieces in the Ladies Formula 1 collection. As the name of the watch suggests, the Yin Yang symbol is part of the design of this timepiece. The Yin Yang logo is one of the most well known symbols in the world and part of the Eastern-Oriental culture. The timepiece is stunning, sexy, modern, and elegant. One of the most noticeable features of this watch is the long rod diamonds that adorn the edges of the stainless steel bracelet. They are nicely contrasted by the black center of the bracelet. The central link is made of shiny black ceramic. The baguette-cut diamonds can also be seen inside the case forming the TAG Heuer shield at the 12 o’clock and on the bezel. These diamonds give the watch a rich and luxurious look. The stainless steel case, which measures 32 millimeters in diameter, has a beautiful dial that is made of 18-carat white gold. The Yin Yang symbol that is very visible inside the case is made of black and white diamonds. The Yang is made of white diamonds while the Yin is made of black ones. All these stones, which are intricately and meticulously placed on the watch, are striking and give this timepiece its unique beauty. The baguette-cut diamonds have sharp and geometric shapes that nicely complements the spherical cut round diamonds inside the case.

Pros

One of a kind beauty

Stainless steel case and bracelet

Black ceramic central link

Dial made of 18-carat white gold

Baguette-cut diamonds covering bezel and edge of bracelet

Cons

No hour or minute markers

This beautiful watch is the perfect accessory to accompany you to any special event or occasion that calls for a little bling and style. It is beautifully designed with care and precision for dependability as well as beauty. You will be in style and on time with this lovely watch.

1933 marked the time when Heuer launched the “Autavia,” a dashboard device used for cars and aviation. It’s counterpart, the “Hervue” was a clock that could run for 8 days without being wound up. Around 1945, Heuer extended its line of chronographs including a chronograph that functioned as a calendar with the day, date, and month on the front.

Heuer began to produce watches for Abercrombie and Fitch in the early 1950s. The dial on these watches would be used to follow the moon’s phases.

Tag Heuer's aquaracer watch.Tag Heuer's Carrera Men's Watch.

John Glenn wore a Heuer stopwatch when he piloted the Mercury Atlas 6 spacecraft, making Heuer the first Swiss watchmaker in space in 1962. This watch is currently on display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

One of Tag Heuer’s more popular chronographs is the “Carrera”, a contemporary sports watch inspired by motor racing. This watch has a dark black face and goes from 0 to sixty seconds. The Carrera also has the day of the week and the numbered date on the inside of the face. This particular watch is a part of the Tag Heuer men’s collection.

The “Monaco” is a slightly more modern model, with a square head and a black band. It has a series of notches where the numbers should be to indicate time. The legendary Steve McQueen in the Hollywood racing film, Le Mans, wore this particular watch.

The “Link” combines boldness with style its black face gives the watch a unique look, while still holding true to the quality of Tag Heuer. Not only is this watch charismatic, but also its S-shaped bracelet makes for a unique wear.

Tag Heuer doesn’t just make men’s watches, but women’s watches as well. Some of the more popular collections of women’s watches are the “Aquaracer, the essential sports watch inspired by the aquatic world.” This gorgeous silver timepiece is one that would look beautiful on any woman. The Aquaracer has luminous hands making it thoroughly reliable.

Not unlike the Aquaracer, the “Tag Heuer Formula I” is a casual sports watch. It has diamonds lining the face and larger number for telling time. This all-luxury watch is just to die for.

The Swatch Group, home to such esteemed brands as Breguet, Blancpain, Tissot, Omega and Tourbillon, had a record year in 2011, posting a sales increase of 21.7 percent and an operating profit of 12.4 percent over the pervious year. Even while European economic turmoil and exchange rates had negative effects on the ultimate bottom line, the watches and jewelry sector still showed a gain of approximately $1.5 billion. According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, “The group’s leading brands recorded very impressive rates of growth not only in the enlarged China, but also in all other regions and in all price segments. Despite the unfavourable economic situation, the Swatch Group maintained its consistent policy of renouncing short-term price increases, preferring to focus on gains in market share.” Stepping up marketing efforts within the watches and jewelry sector, instead of raising prices, the Swatch Group saw its operating profit grow by 8.4 percent.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA reported sales growth of 16 percent last year, with an operating profit increase of 22 percent and a net profit of $4.12 billion. The watches and jewelry group within LVMH recorded astounding increases of 98 percent in sales and 107 percent in operating profits. (Equating to +23 percent and 41 percent based on comparable structures.) Dedicated consumers in the Western Hemisphere responded well to marketing and innovative additions, while growth in Asian markets added to the LVMH global marketplace. Tag Heuer successfully launched the Mikrograph and Mikrotimer; Hublot introduced a popular new Masterpieces collection; Zenith and Bulgari brought back some well-loved classics.

Tag Heuer Mikrograoh (right) and Mikrotimer (left)

Hublot Masterpiece #1 (on left) and #2 (on right)

Richemont, the Swiss luxury holding company that boasts subsidiaries such as Baume et Mercier, Cartier, Piaget and Montblanc, increased its sales by 33 percent and gross profit by 38 percent – a gain of approximately $1.6 billion. Operating profit grew by nearly double that amount – 63 percent. The highest sales growth occurred in the Asia-Pacific region, at 48 percent (or, by $3.67 billion) and sales in Japan were up by 18 percent. “We will continue to invest in their organic growth through higher levels of capital spending in manufacturing capacity and in the further development of the group’s own retail network,” said Richemont CEO, Johann Rupert. “Particularly in growth markets.” To that end, the company grew its freestanding boutique stores to a total of 876 last year – primarily in growing Asian markets.

While the Asian continent currently represents the largest growth market for the industry, Australia, South America and Africa have also been the focus of luxury brand marketing efforts. Tag Heuer, an LVMH brand that began opening North American retail boutiques only last year, has established stores in Australia, South Africa as well as across the Middle East and India. They have a retail location in Argentina and a customer service location in Chile also, catering to a small but dedicated (and growing) clientele in those regions.

Map of Tag Heuer Brand Boutiques Worldwide

It would certainly seem that a truly global reach is the safest buffer against increasingly unpredictable western markets. But it probably doesn’t hurt to be well known and widely respected for beautiful and high quality products either.

Aventura Mall, near Miami.

After 150 years in business, Swiss luxury watchmaker, Tag Heuer, has recently begun establishing a more noticeable presence in the United States with the opening of brand boutique stores in two southern states. Typically sold through high-end jewelers and other luxury purveyors, the company – which produces eyewear and fancy cell phones as well as watches – has only 115 freestanding stores worldwide. Until recently, there were none in North America.
But last year, as parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton was having a banner year largely due to sales of luxury timepieces, TAG began opening its first flagship boutique shops in the US. March 2011 saw the opening of the 800 sq. foot store in Las Vegas at the prestigious shopping center, Crystals at CityCenter. In January, another in store was opened near Miami at the Aventura Mall (technically in Aventura, Fla.), and another store is in the works for Orlando, Fla. this coming spring. The company has cited heavy international travel and a growing consumer base in these areas as the reason that they were chosen over other possible locations in North America.

Both stores were designed by renowned architect, Eric Carlson, and have been referred to as “leisure lounges.” According to the company, this design is intended to create, “a warm and inviting environment that allows customers to easily interact with the product without pretense.” Customized display casings, hand-brushed aluminum, dark zebrawood and leather are enhanced by meticulous lighting and original customized furniture. Rather than traditional countertop viewing, the merchandise is displayed at eye level throughout the store and separated into separate niches by design. Carlson did the design work for the London and Paris shops as well, and has been involved with several other notable LVMH projects in Paris, Tokyo and Switzerland.

Tag Heuer boutique in Las Vegas

All of this is good news for American TAG fans, of which there are more than a few.

Once the Orlando store is complete, one has to wonder where the company will turn its attention next. The smart money is on a northern location, to reach those customers who prefer to avoid the heat and debauchery of Vegas or the humidity and gigantic bugs in Florida. If New York City is too obvious, then perhaps San Francisco or Chicago – both are cities with a glamour that is more subtly chic. Or, conceivably, further north in Montreal. It seems unavoidable, however, that LVMH will eventually get around to opening a TAG Heuer flagship in the Big Apple too.

On Jan. 16, 2012, President and CEO of Tag Heuer Jean-Christophe Babin announced the revolutionary new technology at a live webcasted press conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Babin called the new regulator “game changing”, saying “it hardly ever happens in the life of a watchmaker, in the life of an engineer, in the life of a watchmaster, so I’m very emotional obviously, tonight, to be part of this page of history.” Hailed as the biggest development in watch technology in three centuries, the Mikrogrider is 250 times faster than a basic watch, functioning at 1,000 hertz (7,200,000 beats per hour, about 95 times faster than a hummingbird’s heartbeat). Babin demonstrated the speed of the new Mikrogrider during the press conference by showing the near-invisible central hand rotating an unbelievable 20 times per second. The new mechanical system does away with the classic hairspring for a new blade/girder and linear oscillator system that allows the watch to measure one-two thousandth of a second.

Tag Heuer's revolutionary ultra-fast Mikrogrider watch.

Tag Heuer celebrated its technological breakthrough with a memorable “Time for Rebels” exhibit to showcase the new Formula One watch collections. Tag Heuer’s “beautiful rebels” support their aggressive challenge of watchmaking standards. “Reject the unexceptional. Think ahead, and differently. Be free-minded and rebellious to the very core. Give time a new look, a new allure. Don’t just evolve, revolutionize. In a word: innovate. In two words: Tag Heuer.” The displays featured lenticular prints of Tag Heuer’s celebrity ambassadors such as Lewis Hamilton, Maria Sharapova and Leonardo DiCaprio: figures Tag Heuer believes to embody the rebel attitude. As the centerpiece for the men’s Formula One collection, a Mercedes McLaren Formula 1 racing car accompanied the watches.

Tag Heuer's haute-joaillerie Formula One Yin Yang watch with black and white diamonds.

But Tag Heuer’s famous style didn’t end there! In another room of the exhibit, Tag Heuer featured their most luxurious watch ever. The Formula 1 Yin Yang is the haute-couture flagship for Tag Heuer’s haute-joaillerie collection, proving they can top the fields of both innovative engineering and audacious luxury design. Tag Heuer designed the diamond-studded Yin Yang timepiece as a tribute to “beautiful rebel” Maria Sharapova. The “ideal of feminine glamor”, Maria Sharapova’s complimentary nature of beauty and attitude is symbolized in the watch’s yin and yang design. Visually, the Formula 1 Yin Yang is more yang than yin with one-fifth of the watch face (one to four o’clock) displaying black diamonds for the Taoist feminine quality and the majority of the watch set in white diamonds for the masculine element. The entire watch boasts 7.36 carats: 234 baguette cut diamonds (in the bezel and bracelet) and 245 brilliant cut diamonds in the watch face. Ever the artists, Tag Heuer continues the Formula 1 Yin Yang’s dualistic theme by adding central links of durable black ceramic to the steel bracelet. Tag Heuer calls the iconic women’s watch an unconventional and stunningly gorgeous haute-couture masterwork of symmetries and asymmetries. To display the Formula 1 Yin Yang, Tag Heuer commissioned a 2.5-meter-tall high heel shoe from British manufactures Dick George Creatives (responsible for such impressive constructions as the cryptex in the 2006 film “The DaVinci Code” and the automaton for Martin Scorsese’s recent “Hugo”). The red and chrome peep-toe stiletto proved a worthy display case for the impressive Formula 1 Yin Yang watch.

A giant high heel shoe showcases the Formula One Ying Yang watch with portraits of Tag Heuer's "beautiful rebels".

The showmanship of Tag Heuer is rivaled only by their commitment to innovation and development in watchmaking. The breakthrough technology of the Mikrogrider revolutionizes the watch industry and paves the way for dramatically increased precision in timekeeping. At the close of the press conference, Babin expressed his dedication by calling the Mikrogrider technology “A new art for strong emotions because, eventually, ladies and gentlemen, luxury is all about art and emotions and, today, for the first time ever, Tag Heuer is proposing a new art for brand new and very strong emotions.” The “Time for Rebels” exhibit closed on Jan. 19.

Tag Heuer traces its roots back to 1860. Edouard Heuer founded The Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG in Switzerland. The company has been making timepieces ever since. Current Tag Heuer collections include Formula One, Aquaracer, Link, Carrera, Monaco, and Grand Carrera. The brand has served as the official timekeeper of three Summer Olympic games, the Skiing World Championships, and the Formula One World Championships.

Leonardo DiCaprio has had a long career as an actor, starting out in commercials and television as a teenager and later branching out into film work. Nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards, including winning once for his work in “The Aviator”, DiCaprio has appeared in successful films such as “Titanic”, “Catch Me if You Can”, “Gangs of New York”, and “Inception”. In addition to his work in the film industry, DiCaprio is a committed environmentalist. Some of DiCaprio’s commitments to the environment include driving a hybrid car and installing solar panels on his home. He has also donated money to environmental causes, including relief for Haiti and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Leonardo DiCaprio is a brand ambassador for Tag Heuer with a focus on the environment.

The partnership between Tag Heuer and DiCaprio has resulted in the design of the Tag Heuer Aquaracer 500M Leonardo DiCaprio Limited Edition Watches. The sale of these watches will generate monies for the NRDC and Green Cross International.

Tag Heuer continues to find ways to be sustainable and care for the environment. With the partnership with DiCaprio, the brand continues to found ways to continue it’s environmental commitments.

Tag Heuer has opened its second boutique on Monday, January 23^rd  at the Aventura Mall in Aventura, Fla.  This store opening comes consecutively after the opening of their first freestanding store in Las Vegas in March 2011.The store is an estimated 800 square feet and will be placed in Aventura Mall’s new luxury wing.

Tag Heuer boasts about 115 stores internationally. According to Alyssa Mischon, Tag Heuer’s vice president in charge of strategic and marketing planning for their North American sectors Miami is among their top markets within the United States. Their high level of tourism and their constantly growing consumer base within the community are cited as possible reasons for such a booming market for Tag Heuer in this region.

Aventura Mall receives an estimated 24 million visitors a year. Often times these visitors are international customers. Mischon cites the steady inflow of customers of Aventura Mall as the perfect venue to attract even more customers whether international or Miami residents and US citizens alike. Tag Heuer has much success with their wholesale businesses. However, from their success in Vegas, they’ve noticed many dedicated shoppers desire to shop within a brand store.

The Aventura store was designed by award winning architect Eric Carlson.  Its appeal parallels that of the brand’s worldwide concept. Instead of watches being traditionally encased in traditional counters common to many jewelry and watch stores they are displayed at eye level for the customers to get a more intimate gaze at them throughout the store.

Tag Heuer has plans on adding another door this coming spring in Orlando Florida.

Limited Edition Carrera Mikrograph Watch

In November Tag Heuer’s Carrera Mikrograph watch was voted by the public as the best watch of 2011 at the Watch of the Year award ceremony in Geneva.

The Carrera Mikrograph is the first ever watch to utilize a column wheel to integrate the chronograph which displays the most accurate time keeping technology. The Mikrograph distinguishes between fractions of a second to provide time accurate to one one-hundreth of a second, using two different balance wheels. One wheel powers the watch itself, while the second powers the stopwatch. The secret lies with the second hand, which sits at the center of the watch face, which is powered by the second balance wheel.

This is the first watch in the Tag Heuer collection to feature both a watch and stopwatch in the same model, as previously the two functioned on a different objective. The two used to interfere with the function of the other, which is no longer the case, increasing not only the efficiency but also precision of the watch’s function.

Tag Heuer released just two sets of limited edition Mikrograph watches, with only 150 pieces each, one in rose gold and one in anthracite grey. The name, Mikrograph, pays tribute to the groundbreaking 1916 Heuer Mikrograph stopwatch used for its precision in timing high speed sports. Whereas the original model was only accurate to one-fifteenth of a second, the increased accuracy of the new Mikrograph model makes the stopwatch technology even more appealing as the preferred method of timing competitive sports.

In addition to taking home the prize for best watch, the Carrera Mikrograph also received honors for Best Campaign supporting the launch of the watch, making it the only attendant to receive dual honors on the same night. Tag Heuer President and CEO Jean-Christophe Babin stated that he is “incredibly proud of…those who developed the Mikrograph as well as those who designed the advertising visuals that made it stand out.”

TAG Heuer has long been known to make the finest sports and luxury watches and the honor bestowed upon their Mikrotimer Flying 1000 in Geneva further solidifies their elevated standing in the watch world. What is so stunning about this achievement is that the watch is the first mechanical chronograph ever to display time to one one-thousandth of a second. This technical achievement, along with the watch’s sleek and uniquely beautiful design, were all factors in the watch winning the very coveted, “Best Sport Chronograph” award in the 2011 Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève.

In ten years, TAG Heuer has won seven Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève. This confirms that TAG Heuer is elite and unparalleled in its master craft of wonderful timepieces. TAG Heuer’s dedication to beautiful design may hide how technically complex the watches they create are. Do not think for one one-thousandth of a second that their attention to aesthetics means that they pay less attention to their technical mastery and complexity!

The Mikrotimer Flying 1000 is the world’s fastest mechanical chronograph; that is no easy feat and recognition of this accomplishment keeps coming in the form of awards. Just in September, the Mikrotimer Flying 1000 won the prestigious SIAR award for “Best Concept of the Year.” The SIAR award is the most prestigious award for watch making in South America. In November, the Mikrograph 100, which displays and measures one one-hundredth of a second with a central hand, won the Montres and Passion 2011 “Grand Prix du Public” award. The Mikrograph 100 was the technological starting point and foundation for the technology in the Mikrotimer Flying 1000.

The Swiss watch industry’s most prestigious and competitive awards competition is the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève. Winning it seven times in the past ten years is unrivaled by any other watch maker. TAG Heuer has previously won in the Sports category two times: in 2006 TAG Heuer won the award for the CARRERA Calibre 360 Rose Gold Limited Edition watch; and in 2008 TAG Heuer won the award for the Grand CARRERA Calibre 36 RS Caliper Concept Chronograph watch.

TAG Heuer has achieved something once thought impossible in the watch making industry. A mechanical watch that measures one one-thousandth of a second was long thought a fool’s dream but TAG Heuer has achieved it and now have created a whole new leap and a paradigm shift in watchmaking.

The TAG Heuer Monza is Magnificent

Guys, if you want a watch, with stand out, good looks you want a TAG Heuer.  Don’t get me wrong, there are other great Swiss watch makers, but TAG Heuer has perfected “avant-garde”.  They have worked very hard at creating the ultimate blend of high tech craftsmanship with contemporary design, and they do it, brilliantly.  The TAG Heuer Monza is one TH creation you may have overlooked, until now.  The Monza men’s watches were produced for those of you, who for one reason or another are partial to the large square look of the Monaco.  The Monza has a softer, more rounded dial.  The sizing is still large, but the Monza watches are a bit more fashion forward.  The Monza watches are made for men, and come with both polished and brushed steel cases.  The styling of the dial, is reminiscent of the Monaco watches, but with subtle differences.  The bands are all in luxurious alligator leather, which are presented in various colors.  The Monza has a striking look and offers exceptional functionality.  The TAG Heuer Monza watches retail from around $2,000-$3,000, depending of the accessories.  This is a totally masculine timepiece, which you could easily wear for the next 20 years.