Watches A Story of Design: The TAG Heuer Aquaracer, Chapter One

TAG Heuer’s HQ is located in the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, often described as the ‘watchmaking capital of Switzerland’. This modern building contains the brand’s own museum, situated on the ground floor. It houses a cornucopia of horological artefacts including numerous historical references from the Maison.

The Swiss marque is justly proud of its rich heritage. ‘Since 1860, TAG Heuer has embodied avant-garde, precision and bold style…’. Edouard Heuer, the founder of the company, was an innovator. He patented his oscillating pinion system in 1887, a device that allows the chronograph to engage with the movement with incredible precision, thereby allowing the stopwatch function to start/stop merely by pressing a pushpiece. Despite the passage of time, the oscillating pinion remains relevant today, featuring in many chronographs of the modern era.

Perusing the assembled watches displayed within the museum, one cannot help being impressed by the numerous models produced over the last 160 or so years. It is a treasure trove likely to whet the appetite of any watch collector and a potential source of inspiration when designing future models. However, the brand doesn’t seek to produce facsimiles of former models, it believes in continuously innovating and improving the watches bearing its name.

Despite some models enjoying huge commercial success, TAG Heuer never rests on its laurels. On the contrary, it wholeheartedly embraces the notion of continuous improvement.

Recently, the avant-garde Swiss firm revisited the Aquaracer. Some firms may have been tempted to leave the model untouched, especially considering it has been one of the brand’s best sellers for a number of years, however, this would be at odds with the brand’s mindset. Indeed, at the heart of the TAG Heuer paradigm is a continued desire to makes its products better and better, a trait that is evident when speaking to Guy Bove, the brand’s Creative Product Design Director.

Guy and his colleagues within the Product Design Department continuously review each collection, looking at every element of a watch in close detail, seeking areas that can be improved.

Design is not limited to the superficial appearance of an object but extends to other factors including ergonomics and tactile feel. The designer will look at various ways of heightening the overall sense of luxury while remaining relevant to the target audience. Likewise, the professional designer always stays abreast of newly developed materials and technologies. Quite simply, design is a specialist field, beyond the skills of most amateurs wielding HB pencils. Indeed, it is best left to professionals.

In conversation with Guy Bove