TAG Heuer - Aquaracer, Making waves
The Swiss brand's constant search for better performance in and on the water has led to some of its greatest luxury design achievements, including this year's new AQUARACER 500M Chronograph and AQUARACER 500M Full Black.
TAG Heuer's passion for the dreamworld of open seas and the demanding challenges of professional diving and sailing is as legendary as its love for the open road and the world of motor sports. The Swiss brand patented its first water-resistant case in 1895 and launched its first water-resistant wrist chronograph in 1939. In 1942, it presented its first regatta stopwatch, the YACHTING timer. The Heuer SOLUNAR (1949) was the world's first watch with tide indicator, and the MAREOGRAPH-SEAFARER (1950) was the first chronograph with a tide level indicator and regatta dial counter on a sub-counter.
In 1968, it began outfitting boats with the NAVIA, a water-resistant instrument for boat dashboards. It also brought out the SKIPPER, a mechanical chronograph with regatta countdown, which was re-edited in 1972 as an automatic chronograph version.
In 1982, the 2000 SERIES was launched. Designed by Jack Heuer, the 2000 was the first line of professional sports watches equipped with the now-famous"TAG HEUER 6 FEATURES":
1) Scratch-resistant domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflection treated interior
2) Screw-in crown with double safety gaskets to prevent dust or water penetration
3) Water resistance guaranteed to 300 meters
4) Luminescent hands, hour markers and bezel scale for easy reading underwater
5) Unidirectional turning bezel to ensure error-free elapsed dive-time measurement
6) Double-safety, quick-action bracelet clasp to prevent accidental opening.
These technical specifications have since become the industry standard for authentic and highest quality dive and sports watches.
In 2002, TAG Heuer went deeper still, strengthening its technical performance and reliability underwater with the AQUAGRAPH. A professional diving chronograph with patented auto-lock turning bezel and optimized underwater readability, it was rigorously tested — and fully approved and endorsed — by the Navy SEALs, the Special Operation Forces of the United States Navy.
In 2003, TAG Heuer turned the 2000 Series into the AQUARACER, a versatile and sophisticated reinterpretation of the 2000 series, faithful to its technical and design codes, but with a higher-end finish and the luxury spirit of a stylish accessory.
In 2007, TAG Heuer brought out the AQUARACER CALIBRE S CHRONOGRAPH, the world's first electro-mechanical movement with regatta mode — a unique, backwards-turning hand for regatta countdown.
In 2009, it launched its most charismatic collection of water sports-inspired watches yet: the AQUARACER 500M. Endorsed by TAG Heuer spokesperson and environmental advocate Leonardo DiCaprio, it is one of the most successful lines in the brand's history.
This year, TAG Heuer celebrates five generations at the helm of Swiss avant-garde design with two prestigious additions to the AQUARACER 500M fleet.
THE AQUARACER 500M AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH (44MM)
In professional diving, pressure is not just a metaphor. It's 1,000 kilos a cubic metre. A watch that can withstand this crushing force, not to 50 or 100 but to 500 metres under water, is no more an "accessory" than a diving mask or an oxygen tank. Without it — to check elapsed time, to time safety stops during ascent — you shouldn't be in the water.
The TAG Heuer AQUARACER 500M AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH (44MM) more than meets the requirements. The first chronograph in the AQUARACER 500M series, its robust, fully functional design addresses very specific demands — great visibility and easy handling under water, extreme resilience, and safety features you can count on in even the most severe conditions.
It is also a sophisticated work of contemporary design. The wide diameter case (44mm) is in polished and fine-brushed steel. The unidirectional turning bezel is in fine-brushed steel with a "soft touch" black coating on the top. The bezel's polished "easy-grip" studs are grooved on the sides to facilitate handling, even with diving gloves. An automatic helium valve is integrated into the case at 10 o'clock. This one-way valve is activated when the differential between the inner and the outside pressure reaches a critical level.
The 3 counters on the vertically streaked black dial give chronograph hour (6 o'clock), chronograph minute (12 o'clock) and running second (9 o'clock). "AQUARACER 500M" is written above the date window at 3 o'clock, which has a magnifying lens for easier legibility. The name of the automatic chronograph's famous movement — "CALIBRE 16 - AUTOMATIC" — is written at 6 o'clock on the chronograph hour dial.
For the strap, there are two classic TAG Heuer options: black rubber or a three-row bracelet in fine-brushed steel with polished central row and edges.Launch date: October, 2010THE AQUARACER 500M CALIBRE 5 "FULL BLACK"
Power, contrast, and strength: the all-black AQUARACER 500M is an audacious watch designed for men who stand out. It houses a TAG Heuer Calibre 5 Automatic movement inside its fine-brushed titanium case, which is 43mm wide and black-titanium carbide coated. The screwed-in crown is black "soft-touch" rubber coated, as well as the unidirectional turning bezel which also bears a yellow luminescent dot at 12 o'clock.
The jet-black dial has a vertical streak effect, with all-conditions readable yellow-green luminescent markers on the black finished hands and indexes, and on the vertical sides of the magnified date window at 9 o'clock. The lettering is in white: "500 M" written next to the date window, "CALIBRE 5" and "AUTOMATIC" at 6 o'clock on the dial. The caseback is in scratch-resistant smoked sapphire. The fine-brushed automatic helium valve is at 10 o'clock.
The black rubber strap has a solid titanium clasp with safety push buttons.
Launch date: September, 2010.
Other standouts in the 500M fleet:
The AQUARACER 500M Calibre 5 (43mm), with fine-brushed steel bezel and case, black, silver or blue dial with vertical streak effect and striking orange-tipped second hand; and the upscale AQUARACER 500M Calibre 5 Steel & Gold (43mm), with black dial and unidirectional turning bezel in fine-brushed massive rose gold (18K 5N), and a steel bracelet or rubber strap.
Resolutely masculine in design, the AQUARACER 500M series are lifestyle timepieces for men seeking the ultimate in authenticity. High-performance, go-anywhere, do-anything, they redefine the codes and conventions of luxury Swiss watchmaking.
A DEEP COMMITMENT: LEONARDO DICAPRIO AND THE AQUARACER
The AQUARACER convoy is captained by TAG Heuer Brand Ambassador Leonardo DiCaprio. A long-time environmental activist, the legendary actor is committed to global water issues — from protecting the world's oceans to ensuring access to clean drinking water. TAG Heuer backs his efforts to bring about real and lasting change through a series of sustainability initiatives at its Swiss workshops and worldwide subsidiaries. DiCaprio has inspired TAG Heuer to implement new environmental measures — recycling, reduced water and fuel consumption, lower-impact building and heating alternatives — that have dramatically reduced the brand's carbon footprint.
TAG Heuer also supports Leonardo DiCaprio's global partners — Green Cross International and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Key to this philanthropic partnership is the AQUARACER 500M LEONARDO DICAPRIO LIMITED EDITION. The first watch co-designed by Leonardo DiCaprio, it is emblazoned with either a NRDC or a Green Cross International logo on its dial. Royalties generated from its sales go directly to the two environmental organizations, as part of a multi-million dollar initiative spearheaded by Leonardo DiCaprio.
In 2010, TAG Heuer proudly celebrates 150 years of pioneering Swiss watchmaking. Founded in Saint-Imier in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, TAG Heuer has set many major milestones of high-end watchmaking, especially in the field of chronographs and ultimate precision. Today, one of the largest and most desired brands in the luxury watch industry, the Swiss legend draws upon its active engagement in the world of sports to create the most accurate timing instruments and watches in the world.
TAG Heuer is the first watchmaker to master luxury chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th and 1/1,000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as official timekeeper for the legendary Indy 500 race, with accuracy at 1/10,000th of a second, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim ever higher. This is reflected in its quarter-century partnership with F1 team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, its 7-year partnership with 2008 Formula 1 World Champion, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, and his new teammate , 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button. TAG Heuer, more than ever, epitomizes prestige and performance through active partnerships with Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, LPGA star Suzann Pettersen and WTA tennis champion Maria Sharapova. TAG Heuer is a privileged member of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the most exclusive club in the Swiss watchmaking industry.
The newest addition to the TAG Heuer legacy is the Calibre 1887, an in-house, Swiss manufactured, integrated column-wheel chronograph movement that pays tribute to the original Heuer oscillating pinion of 1887, one of the brand's first patents and a major benchmark in modern watchmaking. From March through October 2010, TAG Heuer's revolutionary and ecologically conscious "Odyssey of Pioneers" exhibit, the first-ever round-the-world trip in a 100% electric car designed specifically by Tesla Motors for TAG Heuer, will showcase in Olympic flame fashion the brand's past, present and future collections across 15 key cities of the world.
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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