It's November in the Jura region of Switzerland in a small town none of us have heard of called Chevenez. It begins to snow outside as we tour the modern black and white colored grounds of GMT WAR5010.FC6266 replica newest facility known as the d'Avant-Garde Manufacture. Recently completed, the new manufacturing site began recently in 2012. Now that it is done, the location will be the epicenter of tag heuer mechanical chronograph movement production including the just announced Calibre 1969, which later has been renamed to the http://www.hhibt.com/cheap-tag-heuer-carrera-chronograph-men-s-cv2a10-ba0796-wristwatch-3x5o.html Calibre CH 80.

Stephane Linder sits in front of me and a small group of journalists comfortable in his new role as the global CEO of CAU1110.BA0858 replica. He was a top executive in the us with the brand prior to his promotion, and seems very comfortable back home in the Swiss countryside. Sharp and witty, Linder is an engineer and former product development guy who is intimately aware of the the ins-and-outs of movement and watch making. He replaces former tag heuer CEO Jean-Christophe Babin who has moved on to LVMH sister brand Bulgari. One a businessman and one an engineer, Babin and Linder share a friendly charisma and extroverted passion but are two very different men. Linder is now charged with taking tag heuer to the next level, which very much involves in-house made chronograph movements.

Linder speaks in a manner that places the company in his own perspective. Taking a serious level of personal ownership over the happenings of tag heuer he remarks on "what I can produce, what I can develop, and what I can sell. " When he says "I" he means "we. " It is a unique leadership and communication style only possible through someone who knows the brand and its capabilities very well. Linder certainly does. For now we get to talking about the future of the watch industry and how tag heuer will play a role in it. We begin with numbers.

By 2014 the Chevenez manufacture will be able to produce 50, 000 movements per year. By 2016 that number will grow to 100, 000 movements per year - which is Linder's goal. As of now the facility will only produce two movements, the Calibre 1887 (released in 2009), and the brand new Calibre 1969. Together they represent the movements tag heuer produces itself in appreciable quantities. The specialty haute horlogerie movements in watches such as the Monaco V4 and MikroPendulumS are also in-house made but produced elsewhere and in much smaller quantities. A volume of 100, 000 chronograph movements a year will push tag heuer past a particular threshold.

That threshold being the fact that tag heuer will be the largest producer of Swiss made chronograph movements in all of Switzerland. The 100, 000 production number will include both Calibre 1887 and 1969 movements. Each excellent movements, there are of course differences between the two. The Calibre 1969 began development a few years ago, and is indeed fully designed and manufactured in-house by tag heuer. aBlogtoWatch is pretty excited about it.

Many watch collectors are aware of tag heuer's relationship with Seiko with regard to the Calibre 1887, but there is frequently a misconception about what the relationship is. Seiko does not produce the movements for tag heuer (save for the hairsprings, as i understand it, only in the 1887 movements). tag heuer licensed the right to a Seiko movement and then adapted it for their own needs. All 1887 movements are Swiss made, and it is a rather fine movement on top of that. The Calibre 1969 is also an automatic chronograph, but is arguably a slight step up in terms of functionality and refinement.

The story of the Calibre 1969 goes back to the year 1969. This was a very important time for tag heuer because it is the year they released the legendary Calibre 11, which also happened to be the debut year of the automatic chronograph movement. For a while it was actually believed by some (perhaps naively so), that an automatic chronograph movement was not possible. It certainly was possible, and tag heuer proved it. The Calibre 1969 is not a copy of the Calibre 11, but thematically takes its place among tag heuer movements all these years later. 1969 also saw the release of automatic chronographs by Zenith and Seiko.

Compared to the 1887, the 1969 movement has fewer parts (for efficiency), is thinner, and has a longer power reserve. As a chronograph movement it offers a triple subdial layout (tri-compax), with counters at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, along with the date. It operates at 28, 800 (4Hz), and has a nice long power reserve of 70-80 hours. I want to emphasize that i am really happy they decided to go with a 4Hz frequency, that in my opinion is the standard for modern movements. This is especially good given the long 70-80 hour power reserve, which is often done at the expense of frequency (we see too many 3Hz movements coming out these days in our opinion).

At 6. 5mm thick, the Calibre 1969 is a rather thin chronograph. It is certainly thinner than the 1887, which is good because it allows tag heuer to produce a less bulky watch in a more elegant case. The chronograph is really going to be a major part of the movement, and it has two important features that chronograph lovers should be looking for. First is a vertical clutch transmission, as well a column wheel. These features ensure smooth, precise operation of the chronograph as well as long term reliability. While not rendered in blued steel (such as the column wheel on the 1887), the column wheel on the 1969 is easily visible through the rear of the watch peeking out from the main plate.

While movements with many parts are impressive, from an industrial and efficiency standpoint those with fewer parts are better. More pieces means that more things can go wrong. In all, the Calibre 1969 has about 200 parts, most of which are produced at the Chevenez manufacture. tag heuer has employed a series of very high-tech machines to produce everything. Using smaller, oil-free CNC and other robotic manufacturing machines (to make the parts), tag heuer is awarded with an amazing amount of technical flexibility that allows them to change what they are producing very quickly. The facility is fully staffed with watchmakers in charge of assembly and quality control.

An attractive series of features means nothing without performance. tag heuer designed the Calibre 1969 to be easily regulated within COSC Chronometer certification range, so on average the 1969 should be no worse than plus 4 or minus 6 seconds a day. While for now the movements aren't officially COSC certified, they are designed to operate within COSC accuracy specifications.

As of now tag heuer has not announced when the Calibre 1969 will be available for sale or what watches they will be in. Linder did however give plenty of hints about the future of the movement. First, Calibre 1969-based watches will be announced by the end of the year 2013. The movements are already in production, so they are probably going to be debuted in an actual case very soon. My guess (along with others) is that the Calibre 1969 will debut in a Carrera-style watch.

Mr. Linder was quick to point out that the 1969 movement will be used in a range of watches, and not just in single watch collections such as the Carrera. Though many movements premiere in the Carrera, they often branch out to other tag heuer models as the brand seeks to discover the best personality for the new movement. It is truly stunning how modern and fresh the new tag heuer factory is. It is certainly highly branded with pictures of tag heuer products and accomplishments. In many ways it is a purist production facility that feels like an automotive plant more than a traditional watch factory.

tag heuer brand patriarch Jack tag heuer was there for the debut of the Calibre 1969. He didn't speak much about the movement or the brand, but he did help cook lunch for us. As a rare treat tag heuer set up a lunch dining table in the middle of the manufacture. I've eaten at watch brands before, but never in the actual room where watches were being made. The matchmakers actually continued to work while we dined.

I hypothesize that watches with the Calibre 1969 movement will be positioned between the Calibre 1887 and the Calibre 36 (which is essentially a Zenith El Primero). tag heuer isn't clear on pricing yet because all the details aren't ready, but these will become clear soon. As i said, the 1969 will more than likely debut in a Carrera watch, but should branch out a bit in the near future into other product families.

As a watch lover I am excited about the Calibre 1969 (Calibre CH 80) because of its functionality, design, and relative affordable. Given the right case and dial design, I could easily see myself lusting after watches with this movement inside of it and spending my own money on one. As soon as tag heuer has released the first watch with a Calibre 1969 movement in it, aBlogtoWatch will be among the first to inform you about it. We believe prices will be between $5, 000 - $8, 000.

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