Swiss watch maker, Tag Heuer, has been crafting high-precision luxury watches for more than 150 years.
The brand is known for its avant-garde designs and relentless pursuit of accuracy. It has a long association with motor racing and is the official timekeeper for the Formula One World Championships. Today associated with celebrities like Brad Pitt and Leonardo di Caprio, Tag Heuer watches are also associated with exceptional style.
Tag Heuer Monaco V4
Set in an iconic square case fashioned from rose gold, titanium or silver, the Tag Heuer Monaco V4 is the first tourbillon watch to be driven by belts and ball bearings rather than gears.
The name is derived from the V-shaped bridges on which the barrels are mounted. The visible workings are crafted to emulate the cylinders of a Formula 1 racing car. The Monaco V4 currently retails for around R1,125 million.
Tag Heuer Grand Carrera Pendulum
The Tag Heuer Grand Carrera Pendulum boasts the first ever mechanical movement that uses magnets instead of hairsprings to regulate movement. It is an elegant, masculine watch with a black titanium steel case and a sheer window to reveal the inner workings.
The Pendulum was launched as a concept watch in 2010 and has yet to go into production. Replicas are currently selling online for around R2,000 to R3,000.
Tag Heuer Monaco Sixty-Nine
The Monaco Sixty-Nine is a unique concept watch that’s really two different timepieces neatly packaged in one casing. It features a digital face on the one side and Monaco’s traditional winding movement on the other.
In addition to the quartz movement powered digital watch, the Monaco Sixty-Nine has a perpetual calendar, 1/1000th of a second chronograph and a time zone. The watch snapped up the Best Design award at the Geneva Grand Prix d’Horologerie and retails for approximately R85,000.
Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 360
Tag Heuer released the Carrera Calibre 360 in four limited editions – steel, full black PVD, rose gold and white gold. All boast the signature feature; a dual-winding crown system that winds the chronograph when turned clockwise and the automatic watch component when turned counter-clockwise.
With only 10 watches ever build, the full black PVD with its racy red and black design is the rarest of the range. The Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre is the first mechanical wrist chronograph to accurately measure and display 1/100th of a second.
Tag Heuer Carrera MP4-12C
Inspired by McLaren’s 12C racing car, the Tag Heuer Carrera MP4-12C is a limited edition wristwatch comprising just 1,000 pieces. Materials used in the construction of the supercar have been integrated into the watch.
In addition to the black bezel and carbon fibre dials with orange accents, the watch is instantly recognisable from its centrally positioned open skeleton design, showcasing the movements behind the face. The Carrera MP4-12C has an automatic chronograph movement and retails for around R175,000.
Tag Heuer Carrera Mikrograph
With a comparatively hefty and highly polished black titanium and rose gold case, the Tag Heuer Carrera Mikrograph is a sporty men’s wristwatch. Initially launched in 2011, the original range consisted of just 150 pieces. These were followed by the 50-piece limited edition black and gold Avant Garde version.
The Carrera Mikrograph is the first watch ever to accurately time and display 1/100th of a second. It uses two distinct trains for the chronograph and timekeeping functions. Due to its rarity, you can expect to pay approximately R480,000 for the Avant Garde and around R600,000 for the all gold original.
Tag Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000
The Mikrotimer Flying 1000 is testament to the ingenuity of the Tag Heuer brand. It’s the first watch to precisely measure and display 1/1,000th of a second. The concept chronograph is set in a large black titanium carbide case featuring detailing treated with pitch black ruthenium – a rare metal that belongs to the platinum group.
To enable it to measure the smallest fraction of time, the Mikrotimer is capable of generating 3,6 million beats an hour. Only 11 pieces were ever produced. The Tag Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 is a popular collector’s item that sells for more than R1,5 million.
Tag Heuer Mikrogirder 2000
The Mikrogirder 2000 is part concept wristwatch and part sporting stopwatch. It has dual sub-dials, flying central hands and a casing that rises at an angle to provide optimal visibility. In another departure from the norm, the timing pushers on the Mikrogirder are positioned at the top of the case in a design referred to as a Bullhead chronograph design.
The Mikrogirder has shattered the record set by its predecessor, the Mikrotimer Flying 1000. An ultra-high beat chronograph capable of 7,2 million beats an hour means that this Tag Heuer wristwatch can time events to 5/10,000th of a second.
Tag Heuer Vanquish
With only 11 pieces ever produced, the Tag Heuer Vanish is a sought-after offshoot that combines the best of the Calibre 360 concept watch with the contemporary design of the Grand Carrera.
It’s a stylish men’s watch set in a polished titanium and vanadium casing and featuring a black face, silver and red accents and a flexible black rubber strap. A double window popularised on the Grand Carrera is an integral part of the distinctly modern design.
Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Ring Master Muhammad Ali
First launched in 2016, the Carrera Calibre 5 Ring Master is a tribute to the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali. The range compromises a 750-piece stainless steel edition plus one solid gold watch that was sold to a private buyer on the day of the launch.
This highly collectible wristwatch combines the precise timing functionality of the Ring Master with the dazzling design of the Carrera Calibre 5 Ring Master. A standout feature is the interchangeable coloured bezels purpose built for timing boxing bouts; dual-crowns and a stainless steel case back inscribed with Ali’s signature and image.
How to get a loan against a luxury watch
Luxury watches like those produced by Tag Heuer are more than elegant timepieces – they’re valuable assets you can use as collateral to secure a short-term loan.
At Lamna, we offer fast, discreet loans against the value of a wide range of assets, including luxury watches, jewellery, artwork and vehicles. For more information about using an asset to secure a short-term loan, contact us on 086 111 2866 or simply complete and submit our online application form.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
Client borrows R10,000 for 90 days.
Loan Amount | Repayment Period | Monthly Interest | Total Cost of Loan | Initiation Fee | Monthly Fee | APR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R10 000 | 3 months | R500.00 | R2 914.50 | R1 207.50 | R569.00 | 60% |
Fixed rates range from 36% to 60% APR and payment options range from minimum 3 to maximum 24 months. Apart from the initiation and monthly fees shown below, the only additional fee is credit life insurance if the borrower does not have this already.