TAG Heuer Factory visit

We had a super nice opportunity to join the Finnish TAG Heuer Boutique on a visit to the TAG Heuer Factory situated in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland). TAG Heuer is a very know brand within car enthusiasts and even stronger in motorsports.

It was quickly apparent that car enthusiasm goes very nice together with watch enthusiasm and most of the people we met had a classic or sportscars. One gentleman had altogether six Porsche 911 Carrera RS 1973 models, which is serious business.

At the factory we met up with Ethan Freer, who is responsible for over 120 TAG Heuer Boutiques in the Eastern Europe region. The Heuer brand dates back to 1860, when a local gentleman set up the business. Heuer has through time been linked strongly to sporting events and all sorts of time taking equipment have been build through time. The TAG brand was added in 1986 and has become a very important part of the brand identity. There is at the moment no plans to use the name Heuer as standalone on products. 

Mika Häkkinen´s & Lewis Hamilton´s helmets

What strikes me at the factory tour, is the calm and almost silent atmosphere. Quality is paramount and endless hours are allocated on keeping everything clean and dustless. The enthusiasm towards the company can be sensed in the employees we meet.

Together with wallpapers of ambassadors like Alexandra Daddario, Patrick Dempsey and Ryan Gosling there is also a wallpaper linking the TAG Heuer brand towards Porsche. Furthermore there are straight sponsorships towards Formula 1 and Red Bull Racing. Within brands that have the same customer base, it is not directly about sponsorship, more like bringing strong brands together for good visibility and brand imaging. Heritage Director Niccolas Biebuyck shows us the factory museum and back office, where some very special watches are stored. The Steven McQueen driving suite from the cult movie LeMans dating to 1970 is one of many outstanding memorabilia stored. In the display of known Formula 1 driver helmets, it is easy to find Mika Häkkinens helmet as well. Mika get´s a big thumbs up from the factory team, when they recall on the McLaren days when Mika was one of their ambassadors.

Sincerely yours, Sebastian