TAG Heuer Le Petite Aiguille Watch Review
Wednesday - 15 February 2012
TAG Heuer has captured yet another honour, this one the coveted “Le Petite Aiguille” Best Watch of the Year Award. This citation for excellence was issued at the recent 2010 Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève competition. Not only is the award by itself an outstanding achievement, but the Grand Prix is generally considered the Swiss watch industry’s premiere contest.
Specifically, TAG Heuer’s prize, “La Petite Aiguille,” is given to the best timepiece that costs less than 5,000 Swiss francs. It would seem that lighting does indeed strike multiple times. This is the sixth year out of the past ten in which TAG Heuer has taken home this particular trophy.
The qualifying watch was the TAG Heuer Carrera 1887 chronograph. This beautiful piece is assembled and produced at the company’s modern manufacture in Switzerland, and features the Calibre 1887 movement at its heart.
Yet the Carrera line is nothing new. First issued in 1964, it’s receive numerous enhancements and improvements over the years. For example, three years of were devoted to engineering the Calibre 1887 movement. Overseeing this process was none other than Jack Heuer, the company’s Honorary Chairman. President and CEO Christophe Babin noted that Mr. Heuer has overseen every Carrera generation since its launch so many decades ago.
He also provided some fascinating insight into how the production of elegant TAG Heuer timepieces has evolved. All production occurs under a single roof, where robots stamp, mil, and finish cases. The precision is remarkable, and allows TAG Heuer to offer luxury Swiss watches at more affordable prices. Forty years ago, when the Carrera was first introduced, the notion of robots executing the construction of cases and movements would have seemed absurd. But today it’s standard practice at TAG Heuer, and it’s thanks to this technology of the future that we’re able to enjoy watches like the Carrera 1887 today.
