Reply With QuoteGreat looking watch, I had the Tag 1500 back in the day, I still miss it.
So I went looking for a "Whore" diver recently (as a friend insists on putting it) on the basis that if it doesn't say TAG on the dial, it must be great. That's a watch internet Shibboleth, of course, but these old Heuer divers are modern in size and a fraction of the price of a Submariner. I couldn't find a good all-steel one so I ended up with a tu-tone for tu-much money. I overpaid and it wasn't exactly what I wanted, so that was stupid, but the case was undinged and the bezel, crystal, dial and Heuer-signed movement in unmarked condition. It's a really early one - unstamped caseback and crown. Only some pitting on the underside was a black mark.
So a satin refinish, new crown, stem and gaskets later, and here we are. The strap is an anthracite 21mm croc grain from Taikonaut that doesn't really suit it (it needs a perlon strap, or preferable a nice twin-tone Jubilee) but fits the idiotic 20.48mm lugs nicely.
Crap picture below. Does it look like a nicely salvaged retro diver with a few years left in it yet, or do rebuilt old 1980s, tu-tone, no-jewel quartz relics make you feel like blowing lunch? Answers on a postcard marked "I do/do not (delete as appropriate) prefer box-fresh" please!
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Great looking watch, I had the Tag 1500 back in the day, I still miss it.
If you do want a bracelet for it but don't want to shell out an eye watering amount of cash for a "usually stretched to buggery" Heuer signed jubilee or oyster, an aftermarket Sub bracelet will fit. You may have to gently nip the lugs a little flatter to get it completely rattle free, but you can pick them up for about £20 with screwed links off the 'bay from China.
Last edited by danoafc; 15th November 2013 at 19:54.
Looks good. Well done on resurrecting on great old Heuer!
Very nice indeed.....agree about a jubilee bracelet.
nice aquisition
Love the Heuer divers. Very nice.
My meal is still in my stomach :) Looks cool, agree about the strap, it looks a little diminutive for that watch.
Yes. Put on a bracelet
A nice looking watch that. Have to agree with the strap comments - but that's a very easy fix.
I think it looks good as is. Makes a nice change to see gold so well handled on a watch :)
I don't generally like two-tone, but that's beautiful. Very subtle. It reminds me much more of a gilt Rolex 6538, to use a Rolex comparison, then a two-tone modern Submariner.
If anyone likes a Rolex sub then they would not be telling the truth If they said they didn't like this watch tbh.
Ive had a few of the ss versions and they were great,but!,we all say a watch we've had was great and yet we sell the damn thing,just how it is.
Love it tho.
Very nice. Get a new crown, stem, and seals by all means, and please lose that strap. A black NATO will do fine, no need for beat-to-$h1t old Heuer-branded bracelets or chinese cheapos.
Would I be out of line if I asked how much it set you back?
Ah, there comes the title bit :-)Originally Posted by SternG
looks good. well saved.
Looks good to me but then Ive owned a few plus as said before if you like the looks of Rolex or Tudor Subs you cant really say you hate this? as you would be hating it for the quartz movement or the fact its Heuer and thats just WIS snobbery!! :) but each to their own!
Its got the thumbs up from me and always nice to see any vintage watch in the hands of a WIS!!
Enjoy!!
Well, yes, having missed a mint twin-tone for $500 on eBay from a private seller on the Bay (which had a complete, if stretched and worn) bracelet, and passed up a ratter for nearly £300 from a UK eBay dealer, I paid £400 for this one which needed a case refinish but everything else was spot on. There is some corrosion, which I had removed, but it's surface only and all underneath. You can still see some pitting where salt water and sweat has attacked it. The retaining ring for the bezel is also getting a bit thin, having suffered some corrosion of its own in the past, but the bezel rotates fine and is pretty secure.
The refinish, crown and reassembly was inexpensive - £60 or so. I quite like the strap, it's as dressy as you need with a watch featuring gold plate :) but I have a TF retro strap for fancy-dress parties! Although £460 is about half of the cost of a new base F1 quartz, I probably paid £50-100 too much.
- - - Updated - - -
Thanks for the tip, and the comments. Doing my bit for the environment!
Last edited by andrew; 16th November 2013 at 18:19.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
There you have it.
A vintage eighties good quality, main stream Swiss brand, very pretty sub with quartz ruggedness/performance for 460 quid.
Nauseatingly cheap ;-)
Personally I like it - the black means it isn't too in your face and like you, I'm not keen on Tags.
ah well that's the thing - I don't mind the name, all they did was add their brand to the dial above the original and make sure they could keep being made. Without TAG, Heuer would be old and dead and there would be reduced choice; I can't see how that is bad, especially when they sometimes come up with a retro cracker.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Looks great, would also be cool on a leather or suede nato.
I put this Hirsch Mariner strap on my 1500 when it came back from service this summer. Still have the original bracelet, but I like this water-proofed leather strap.
Agreed. Loving that gilt look. Not overly two tone from the photos. Enjoy.
I like it very much, would look great on a sail cloth strap too.
This looks great! I don't mind that it is two tone. Wear it in good health!
No hint of puke from me & I'm a real Heuer fan-boy.
I like the overall look and finish of the watch - I can see the advantages of placing it on a NATO (loads or colours to choose from - maybe silvery grey) , bracelet or even a rubber tropic style (it must be black & preferably with big holes).
These are great cases - just the right size as I see it for a diver.
Enjoy the watch - Darren
Quote Originally Posted by dbt001
I don't generally like two-tone, but that's beautiful. Very subtle. It reminds me much more of a gilt Rolex 6538, to use a Rolex comparison, then a two-tone modern Submariner.
Quote Originally Posted by Java
Agreed. Loving that gilt look.
Me too hence the HC 6538
Love it. Great value for money, compared to alternatives ...
That's very nice and is better for having Heuer-only on the dial, at least in my opinion. I had a similar dilemma this year as I'd seen a UG sub that I liked a couple of years back and told myself that I'd have to have it if one came up. One did and I got it. I went through a number of strap options and couldn't find the right NATO for it - I needed one that was as neutral as possible to offset the gold and not even a grey one had the desired effect. In the end an aftermarket oyster was the best option for me.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
How, exactly? A few years after this one was made, an identical one was made (same case, crystal, movement, bracelet, hands, movement, bezel insert, WR specifications, rating etc) but with TAG above the Heuer. How does this take away from the intrinsic value of the watch?
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
I have no way of rationally arguing my case; it's just my opinion based on not very much. It's a funny old game.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I quite like that strap, but it looks like I'm the only one. The only thing I'd change is the level of goldness round the edge of the dial (the chapter ring??) - its a little bit too shiny, but maybe it was like that from new?
I have no connection to the seller but does this watch, advertised for sale on MWR, have the bracelet that you're after?
http://www.mwrforum.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62021
Edit: Probably not as the clasp has Tag on it. Never mind.
Last edited by Carlton-Browne; 8th January 2014 at 11:24. Reason: Tag clasp
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I think a vintage Heuer is my next port of call watch wise..so I gather I should be paying no more than around the £400 mark?
I normally shy away from bi-metal but this one really works, the gold even gives it a little extra something. The heuer vs tag heuer thing is a strange one but I subscribe to it, the heuer logo just looks classier and more classic on its own, and due to not having tag on it, I'm not reminded of various watches I don't particularly like. Of course there are good tags, and good racing associations, but no one said this had to make sense.
Last edited by Itsguy; 8th January 2014 at 12:10.
For a 2-tone it looks rather nice.
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
Puke - no.
Like it - no.
I'm probably too much of a snob and a newbie but here are my reasons and opinion -
It looks like a cheap copy of something else (in fact two others - Seamaster and Submariner - including hands, indicies and bezel)
The gold crown looks at odds with watch
Huertecilla's and Michael_Mcr's watch 'look' better and more balanced aesthetically (seconds hand actually over indices (Heurtecilla's) and date window display same colour as watch (Michael_Mcr's) that sort of thing
If it's a tool watch to be used for diving, then heh, it's going to do a great job for a lot less money than many other similar looking watches. And then all kudos for knowing it's intrinsic value. You really like it and that is all that counts.
Sorry to be a downer and offer a contrary opinion- feel free to ignore it :)
Peace
I'm not a fan of Tags or Tu-tone, but this I really like. Looks like a great daily beater with a lot more character than the usual candidates.
It looks good like this.If you do want a bracelet for it but don't want to shell out an eye watering amount of cash for a "usually stretched to buggery" Heuer signed jubilee or oyster, an aftermarket Sub bracelet will fit. You may have to gently nip the lugs a little flatter to get it completely rattle free, but you can pick them up for about £20 with screwed links off the 'bay from China.
Lovely watch. I am typically not a fan of 2-tone watches, but for some reason it seems to work well on these old Heuer divers. Perhaps because the gold tone is fairly understated.
Nice Tu-tone!
Thanks Edward.
And I should just mention that I meant to say you may need to nip up the end links of the cheap bracelet to get it rattle free, as opposed to the lugs which would be a VERY silly thing to do!! ;-)
No, that's the correct bracelet - it's identical to the original, except that the stamping machine was configured that day to put an extra impression for an enlarged corporate logo, instead of the smaller earlier corporate logo. This means less than nothing to me, but it's the right design for the watch, so if one came up in decent condition, I'd have it! I did buy a cheap Chinese jubilee, though - not got around to fitting it yet.I have no connection to the seller but does this watch, advertised for sale on MWR, have the bracelet that you're after?
http://www.mwrforum.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62021
Edit: Probably not as the clasp has Tag on it. Never mind.
I take davey's point that it's a copy of something, and the dial/hands are highly Rolex-y, and the bezel too. I see no Omega DNA in there, though, after all when this watch first appear in 1978/9 Omega was still selling the SM300 with quite a different sort of look. Its case shape is very much of its time and Heuer was one of the first manufacturers, if not the first, to sell watches with this case design.
I did fit the (correct, period, non-branded) replacement GP crown with a bit of a grimace, though. But, as this board teaches, originality is all...
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Now matter how much you try and convince yourself OP.......
.....has to be S/S or not at all!
It's tempting. All it would need is a quite blast and polish of the bezel, and a new crown for £10. The case is ding-free, aside from the results of corrosion underneath. I'd absolutely keep the perfect gilt dial/hands, like this baby:
Courtesy of Heuerville.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Well done Andrew. I love these and in a sense its a true classic due to the case design and the myriad of watches since that have used that case design. Next up you will be wanting a spirotechnique I reckon. The only watch I have really regreted flipping was the Auricoste made version, M.N issued one as well, don't like to think what a mistake that was.
I like it (don't normally go for bi-metal watches or gold on a diver but this one carries it off)
I like. Wouldnt mind seeing it on a brown strap. Would either be very right or very wrong.
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