The TAG Heuer Skipper: A Turning Point for TAG?
TAG Heuer is one of those brands with a decades-long back catalog of incredible pieces. The Monaco, Carrera, and as you may have guessed, the Skipper have certainly achieved legendary status. However, over the last 15 years or so, the brand has received a lot of criticism about their designs, mass marketing, and production of watches. In recent years however, TAG Heuer has been reconnecting with its roots, re-launching some much loved pieces.
History of the Heuer Skipper
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In 1967, Heuer created the Skipper (pictured above) to celebrate the victory of the U.S. 12-metre yacht, named the Intrepid, at the 1967 America’s Cup. The radial blue dial features contrasting subdials to count down the 15-minute regatta pre-start in three five-minute segments. The colors would help visually mark when to alert crew to start which activities. Orange was used as a bright color to alert the crew that there was just five minutes to go until the race started, lagoon green was used as a nod to the color of the boat’s rigging, and teal was the color of the original yacht’s deck.
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The recently-released TAG Heuer Skipper, a tribute to the aforementioned Skipper, caught the attention of enthusiasts worldwide. The perfectly-sized 39mm Carrera case houses a beautiful blue dial with orange accents. The subdials feature similar pops of color as the original: two shades of green and red-orange to indicate the three 5-minute marks. Additionally, you'll see an open subdial at 6 o'clock that indicates the running seconds. Naturally, the chrono function counts down from 15 minutes, making this watch a useful tool for those who sail and/or participate in regattas.
TAG Heuer's Modern Take on a Historic Design
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Aside from its stunning looks and masterful use of color, the 39mm case (13.9mm thick) is a massive improvement over TAG Heuer’s previous chronographs which are regularly around 43mm and fairly chunky on the wrist. The sapphire case back means you can see the nicely-decorated caliber TH20-00 which features 80 hours of power reserve. The TAG Heuer Skipper is a very wearable watch and comes on a nice blue leather and fabric strap with TAG's signature deployant buckle. However, be careful if you want to wear the watch whilst swimming: despite its 100M of water resistance, it does not feature a screw down crown. Still, the Skipper is a stunning watch and, in my opinion, a turning point for TAG Heuer as they look back in their collection and revisit pieces with rich heritage.
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