Timeless
Comments: 33
More than a decade ago I bought a low-range Tag Heuer watch (second-hand) when the cheap plastic one I was using at the time finally died. I’ve never been one for fancy watches but I wanted something that was fairly rugged and waterproof and a fellow I worked with then was moving up watch-wise and let me have his old one cheap.
I wore it in a couple of oceans, a sea or two, a strait here and there, and more hot springs than I can remember and it never once complained. Until a month ago, when it didn’t just complain but stopped dead, drowned like a sackful of kittens when I wore it into a hot spring in Hakone.
The only explanation I can think of is that when I had the battery replaced recently the guy who did it didn’t seal the case properly. Kind of difficult to prove though. Apparently the only thing I can do with it is send it to the workshop for a complete overhaul, but maybe it’s time for another cheap plastic watch.
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Posted to General Rants • 2003.08.19 (Tue) • 22:17
Comments
Posted by Margaret Green 2003.08.19, 22:50
I always wondered what the men did on their side in the hot springs. They’re checking to see if its time to go yet. :-O
I enjoy your blog.
Posted by rob 2003.08.19, 23:50
man, the same thing happened to my tag watch as well. worked for years, had the battery changed, and the next scuba trip it got water in it and was ruined.
Posted by Jerry Halstead 2003.08.20, 00:20
WD-40…
Posted by Blake 2003.08.20, 00:22
Don’t revert back to another cheap pastic watch. See how much an overhaul will run ya…then compare that price with a new (decent) watch.
Posted by tomas 2003.08.20, 00:25
Blake: I can appreciate the value of a “decent” watch. As a matter of fact, I used to prefer “decent” watches, sun glasses, etc. But that changed dramatically when I dropped my Ray Bans and accidently stepped on my new cheap sun glasses.
Any way you want to put it, the risk of losing ones “decent” watch or stepping on ones “decent” sun glasses is just not worth it.
Posted by Garret 2003.08.20, 02:36
I have a similar Heuer [pre-TAG]. I’m very hard on watches, so I managed to crack the mineral crystal shortly after getting it for a very economical deal. It ‘rained’ inside the watch for years, but I wore it anyway. Kept perfect time. Finally, after about six years of rain, it jammed. I sent it out, had it fixed. Expensive. Came back, and the little hands that point to the stopwatch dials fell off, jamming the minute and hour hands, depending on the position of the dial.
So repair wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I purchased a Seiko self-winder TAG-Heuer lookalike. It’s taking the beatings, and keeps on ticking. The gold plating is wearing off, and the pins in the metal bracelet push out from time to time, savaging my clothes and arm. Eventually, I’ll take it to a watch repair place and get those damned little things replaced.
The Heuer’s still in my closet, a piece of my history. In my family, everyone seems to have a drawer of old pens, and old watches …
Posted by john 2003.08.21, 19:41
If you can, remove the back and remove the battery and leave somewhere dry and warm so the “rain” is allowed to leave. You should also find a dried up old rubber seal that the battery fellow should have replaced… You could also take it back and get him to open it in front of you, if the seal is dry and hard (not soft and rubbery) then he should fix the watch. Either way the sooner it is opened the better, otherwise the mechanism will start to corrode.
Posted by LinkLog 2003.08.23, 03:08
I invented this method of getting the water out of watches last month. I took my watch and placed it in an airtight jar and filled the jar with rice, sealed it up and let it sit for a few days. I figured if a couple of grains of rice can keep the moisture out of an open salt shaker…
What I would recommend you do is to do the same OR even better remove the back and the battery and then keep it in a rice jar for a few. When the moisture is gone try a new battery and it just might work. My watch was still working even though it was wet inside the face so you might clear the moisture up but not regain functionality.
Posted by W[W 2003.08.24, 15:01
Go to an authorized Tag Heuer, next time you need the battery changed, they guarantee you will not have this kind of problem. If you have a nice watch, take care of it.
Posted by Dysfunksional Monkey 2003.08.29, 17:49
I’d definately recommend you stay away from cheap, takky plastic watches.
Not only do “real” watches last longer, they help with “cred” (whatever that is). They’re a good investment.
Look at getting another Tag, or possibly a Storm. They’ll last years on the first battery, and if you go to a very-good jewelers to get the batter replaced, they’ll last years on the rest.
Posted by Pete Barr-watson 2003.09.02, 01:43
Hey Jeremy,
a long time ago I bought a Rolex Submariner. It’s an expensive initial investment but the benefits totally outweigh the negatives. Firstly, it’s self-winding - no batteries to worry about (and therefore, o-ring seals). Secondly, it’s a beautiful peice of workmanship that will simply last me for the rest of my life - and hopefully my son’s when it gets passed onto him. It’s a classic design that will prove to be timeless in my opinion - if it hasn’t already…
I’ve worn it around the world as well as under the sea in many different circumstances and apart from the odd scratch (that just add character) it still works perfectly. And, I’m not precious about it - it gets worked hard…
Lastly, in a small way, an investment in a product like this is a good way of protecting the environment… In the lifetime of my watch you’ll probably have to buy a fair few cheap plastic watches - all of them contributing to our ‘throw away’ society. Add that to all of the many millions of others around the world who’ll be buying the same amount of cheap plastic watches and that’s a big pile of plastic that may or (probably) may not, get recycled… I try to live with this in mind with all purchases - why keep buying stuff that has to be replaced when you can purchase a good quality item that will last much, much longer? (ok, moral lecture over! ;)
Anyway, just my take on the whole thing…
Posted by reeses 2003.09.08, 05:23
Per the Rolex comment above, your watch definitely has o-ring seals. Extend the crown and look closely. You should also have a gasket under the caseback, the same as the Tag. Steel to Steel doesn’t seal that well, especially for a watch that has a 100-year lifespan, with recommended service (and, therefore, disassembly) every five years.
As to the original topic, I bought a Tag s-el about five or six years ago, and stripped the threading in the crown about a year ago. I was flying between timezones every week, and foolishly adjusting my watch on the plane. I wore it for a little while longer, then used the damage as an excuse to upgrade to a Jaeger-LeCoultre. Tag is, unfortunately, more of a marketing company now than a watch company, and it wasn’t worth the money for a quality jeweler to re-tap the crown.
Unfortunately, the replacement value of Tags is low enough that it’s probably not worth having any professional work done unless it’s for less than the equivalent of US$100-200.
Posted by Kevin F. 2003.09.09, 14:16
Well, just don’t buy another Tag Heuer watch, they’re cheap pieces of junk with pumped-up prices. You can get a significantly better watch for far less money (especially since you’re in Japan).
Posted by Mister P 2003.09.12, 20:03
find out how much teh repairs cost, then add up the price of a plastic Ersatz, multiply by about 5 (your repaired watch should last another ten years, and the plastic ones about 2 each) and then compare teh prices>>> Good luck.
Posted by Frieda Zonnenfeld 2003.10.07, 20:30
I’d sincerely recommend you stay away from cheap, takky plastic watches. You can get a significantly better Tag Heuer watch for far less money (made in Switzerland or Japan) at afordable price.
Posted by Valerian 2003.10.08, 20:22
People are willing to spend $100 to $200 for a watch having a solid warranty (12 months or more), stay away from cheap, takky plastic watches
Posted by Chris 2003.10.09, 21:55
I have the same watch and I was just looking around the web for what to do about it. I went to the local authorized TAG dealer and they said it would be $77+S&H to change the battery as well as perform the regular maintenance with new seals and re-pressurized. I balked at the idea of spending almost $100 just to change the battery. He then offered to change the battery in-store for $10 but said he could make no guarantees as to the water resistance. Looking at your watch is now leaning me toward the service. Thanks for the comments.
Posted by Replica 2003.11.01, 00:50
Tag Heuer watches are great, I got a replica one but I want to take a new orriginal one.
Posted by Rolex Replica 2003.11.25, 05:35
I say definitely stay away from those really cheap plastic ones, there’s some sites like http://www.replicacenter.com that talks about fakes as well.
Posted by PMA 2003.12.23, 20:47
I recently recovered a black pre tag heuer, chronograph 2000. I have not been able to find anything like it online. I got it fixed at an authorized tag place who replaced the missing crown with a tag crown. This crown which clearly displayes the upside down home plate looking symbol with a box ontop connected to the upside down base looking logo, is not genuine Heuer and also they replaced the old worn band with a new one that might be lighter. but still says heuer. Can anyone tell me uif these are serious problems or if I was ripped off? Or just any general info on the watch would be nice.
Posted by Douglas Young 2004.01.15, 07:11
You can by TAG for $5000 or a plastic Casio for $60. It’s all about your own choice. Yes you can by a replica for just $200 and it will look like a $5000 for others. For you it will always look for $200.
What about your feelings wwhen you drive Toyota Corolla or Ferrary Testarossa? With watches is the same…
Posted by John D 2004.01.16, 12:42
Most Americans that wear luxury watches really aren’t super wealthy. The super wealthy got to be the super wealthy by not wasting their money, nevertheless buy a quality watch and you won’t be sorry.
Posted by chris launder 2004.01.25, 13:58
Real watches don’t have batteries !!
Anyway , it sounds like you gave it as much stick as possible & then used it’s failure to buy an even cheaper piece of junk.
Any watch , no matter how expensive or well engineered , still basically only tells the time .
It comes down to pride of ownership .
I’m not rich but I can think of a lot worse things to spend my money on than a quality mechanical watch !
Posted by Alex 2004.05.02, 13:03
If you have had a dealer (authorized or not) service your TAG HEUER and moisture enters shortly thereafter….PLEASE post the dealer’s name and report the incident to TAG HEUER. Buying an expensive watch and having some lazy or incompetent or inadequately trained person ruin it is bad.Really bad but not as bad as not taking a few minutes to try and keep it from happening to the next guy. Report these incidents and your watch karma may improve.
P.S.- UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD I EVER ALLOW THE JEWELER ON VIA CAVOUR IN FLORENCE, ITALY TO TOUCH ANYTHING I VALUED AFTER THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY ON MY DIVING WATCH WITHOUT REPLACING THE RUBBER SEALS. SORRY I CAN’T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE AUTHORIZED DEALER BUT THEY WON’T FORGET THE TWO HOURS I STOOD IN THEIR STORE DISCOURAGING OTHER CUSTOMERS FROM DOING ANY BUSINESS THERE. ATTITUDE + INCOMPETENCE + UNWILLINGNESS TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY RESPONSIBILITY=TAKE ACTION FOR THE SAKE OF OTHER POTENTIAL VICTIMS!
Posted by don montalvo 2004.12.23, 14:22
i got a tag heuer s\el (used) as a birthday present. first, don’t think it came from a cheap friend…i always said it was a mistake for tag heuer to discontinue the incredibly beautiful s\el. the watch ran fine for some time…then last october the battery needed to be replaced (i changed the clock for daylight savings time). i took it to the tourneau on madison avenue and 52st (manhattan). got the watch back a few hours later - that’s when my world came crashing down.
i noticed right away that the large chrono hands were off-center (they were on the :05 marker. i tried to unscrew the crown to set the hands but the crown was incredibly tight…i couldn’t unscrew it! i went back to the manager and asked them to set the arms properly and to PLEASE don’t screw down the crown so tighly. i left a few minutes later with the problems fixed…or so i thought.
during the next two months, the watch stopped on average of twice a week. after six weeks, i went back to tourneau…but this time i went to the larger (main) store on 57st and madison. i spoke to a manager and he said he’d take care of it. he also mentioned that since the watch was purchased in 1999, it probably needed an overhaul. i left feeling like the problems were finally fixed…or so i thought (again).
after those two trips, i decided to do some research. what i found out both shocked me and reassured me. first, a tag heuer s\el (or any chrono) needs to be overhauled once every 5 years. this was a bit of a shocker but to be perfectly honest, i feel like i can rest assured that my watch’s inability to keep time (after replacing the battery) will soon be resolved…finally, i hope.
personally, i would never consider going back to cheap watches. on the other hand, i would never spend money on a new tag heuer. a used tag is just as beautiful as a new tag. i think the cost of the used tag was around $700-800 (a savings of about $1000). i say go with a used tag. you’ll never regret it…and nobody will ever know it wasn’t bought new.
:) don montalvo
Posted by Hugo 2005.03.05, 17:55
I have a Tag Heuer Formula 1 watch that I received as a gift in 1988 and it is still running fine today 17 years later. The first time I had the battery replaced I took it to a watch shop and I know they didn’t replace the gasket or pressure test it. I didn’t use it in the water much so luckily I didn’t run into any problems. After that I found a watchmaker who specializes in Tag Heuer and he told me that each time the battery is changed the gasket also must be replaced to insure that it is waterproof. I also saw him pressure test the watch with some special equipment he had to do this. The cost was $65. I think Tag Heuer watches are high quality and maybe most people don’t realize that you can’t just take this kind of watch to any store where they will just change the battery and hand it back to you in 5 minutes. Even automatic Rolex watches have to be serviced every so often and maintaining a high quality watch is going to cost you the same way it would cost you to own a Jaguar or Rolls Royce. The previous post by Don worries me because I considered taking my watch to Tourneau in NYC for service. Do they actually replace the gasket and pressure test the watch as they should? One can only hope they do but I would make sure and ask before leaving the watch there for service. It is difficult to find an authorized Tag Heuer dealer and even then you have to wonder if they are competent enough to service the watch properly.
Posted by Klippity 2005.03.09, 14:31
I bought into the “buy a good watch” line. I got my wife a tag sports watch with the gold and stainless linked band. She wanted a Seiko but heck-get her something that will last. Well silly me. 5 years later the band breaks. The jeweler tells me that its a defective design and can’t be repaired. They further tell me that tag is fully aware of the problem but is afraid of the damn breaking open so they’re stonewalling. Gosh I wonder how many Seikos I could have bought for the money.
Posted by DuhGG 2005.05.06, 14:04
My thoughts on brand name fine expensive watches some of you are so in love with:
First of all to me a watch or chronograph is NOT primarily jewelry any more than a car is or a stereo or computers are and so on … these are all precsion devices and the value and therefore the price I am willing to pay has EVERYTHING to do with it’s #1 quality and reliability and #2 their performance including features. With that said why in the friggen world would I EVER even consider paying say a thousand dollars for a watch that does not even keep the time and date right automatically because it has no way to track what months have 31 days or when daylight savings time adjustments need made and/or it does not even have a back light to clearly see it any time ALL night in the blackest black , and does not have alarm features, a stop watch 24hr and dual time capable. For anything costing a thousand dollars or more (heck anything costing more than $250!) needs to have ALL the bells and whistles AND have the accuracy in atomic range AND THEN on top of all that have a band bezel and crystal of the finest materials and workmanship and as the price climbs bast the $500 mark and into the thousands it’s gold, platnum and jewel contents ought to increase to coorispond with it’s price tag!
Cause man if you have a $2500 watch on your wrist that you have to adjust for 30 or 31 day months then to me the powerful statement you think is helping to define your class is nothing to me but an IDIOT ID BAND
Posted by sam 2005.06.27, 15:37
RE: DuhGG
well said!
Posted by Jordan Ficklin 2005.07.03, 02:34
First, I would be interested to know what you decided to do. It’s been several years since you first blogged about your watch. What happened? Next, As a student of watchmaking. I value a good quality mechanical watch. One of the great watchmakers of our day said the following:
“The impact made on the public by the quartz watch was considerable. . . . the buying public were mesmerised into believing they really cared about timekeeping… . It is humiliating to have strapped to the wrist a device so continually accurate that it can only draw attention to its wearers irregularities.” - George Daniels
It’s true you know. Nobody needs a watch as accurate as today’s quartz watches. A well maintained mechanical watch will keep time within a couple of seconds a day. Sure, it costs alot to maintain a mechanical watch but it is truly a thing of beauty to have a mechanical wonder on your wrist. The parts are each hand finished and crafted to great precision (thousandths of a millimeter). You can actually listen to it tick and watch it work. Buy a thing of beauty and maintain it properly. Only trust well trained watchmakers with proven experience. You’ll know who they are by the brands they service.
Posted by Blakey 2005.09.20, 22:00
Just to share a story…I went to a flea market last weekend and bought a Felcia watch for AU$5.00. Automatic, Incabloc, day, date. It’s about 30 years old; the guy who sold it to me says that it probably won’t even work. That was 3 days ago and it hasn’t missed a beat. An overhaul will cost around AU$180.00. But I’ll just see how long it lasts.
I just love mechanical watches…they have character. Love your blog.
Posted by Gerald 2006.10.05, 16:07
Just another story:
I have been fascinated with watches ever since I was a kid. I used to think those Casio calculator/address book pieces back in the early 80’s were the gig.
As I grew older (and more pretentious), I desired a Tag - for many of the same reasons mentioned above (i.e. ‘decent’, rugged etc.). I finally purchased a 2000 Series Automatic from a hotelier in Hong Kong for a reasonable price of A$800 and its been my companion for the last six years.
On durability, its managed to hang onto my wrist and continue doing its job despite numerous ordeals including two motorcycle accidents (which destroyed the bezel but didn’t stratch the saphire crystal at all!).
On cost, a part from the acquisition cost, I’ve only had to pay for one maintenance/check-up. Not too bad, but being an automatic has something to do with it.
On versatility, its ‘decent’ enough to pass as a sports and dress watch…if only Tag started making watches with heart rate monitors…
As a respectable and mature watch, I don’t think there’s many brands that will suit like a Tag…well, that’s from a happy customer anyway.
Posted by Graeme Crouch 2006.11.24, 01:57
I purchased a Tag Heuer Series 1 about 22 years ago and today, after regular servicing and replacing the seals on every occasion, it still continues to keep absolutely excellent time and remains perfectly waterproof. Unfortunately two years ago I was told that I had used the last remaining spare parts for this particular watch, including seals, and would not be able to send it back to Heuer for any more services. The battery has just died, does anyone have any suggestions? I’m in the UK.
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