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Tag Heuer Replica

Replica TAG Heuer’s electro-mechanical Link CalibreS

Watches that seem to be neither quartz nor automatic are particularly intriguing to some collectors, and today’s replica watch comes from someone who also owns this Spring Drive. To his mind, it is one of the lesser known TAG movements, and of interest because of its hybrid nature.

As a brand, TAG Heuer has been known for its focus on precision timing, and especially for chronographs. The innovative electro-mechanical Link Calibre S movement was launched half a dozen years ago after four years of R&D, patenting and manufacture. At 30.6mm in size, it comprises of 230 mechanical components and five bi-directional micro-engines that are mechanically independent yet synchronised. As TAG like to put it, the Calibre S is a mechanical movement with the precision of quartz.

The Link Calibre S displays both the standard time of hours, minutes and seconds and then, by pressure on the crown, changes to the chronograph function. Using the same central hands which revert to zero (the 12 o’clock position), timing is started and stopped by using the chronograph pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock.

With a nod to their relationship with motorsports, the two retrograde counters of this TAG Link Calibre S at 4:30 and 7:30 (displaying 1/10th and 1/100th of a second measurements respectively when in chronograph mode) are inspired by automotive dashboard counters. When the replica watch is in its standard time mode, these counter displays become a perpetual retrograde calendar (to 2099).

Calibre S sub-dials aside, this 42mm stainless steel replica watch has a conventional look, with a simple, flat black dial (there is also a white dial version), applied hour-markers and a black tachymeter bezel. The case back with the instructions for setting the month, year and date initialisation but you’d not know, to look at it, that there was anything special.

Although the Calibre S may seem intuitively easy to understand when reading about it, the best way of explaining it is to show how it works.

There is one important thing to note if you are thinking of getting one – when getting a battery change, it is impossible to reset the replica watch without recourse to the detailed instructions. The reset is not intuitive, and as TAG appears not to have these instructions online, it is necessary to have the instruction book, and even then, it requires some attention.

As the replica watch’s owner puts it, such are the problems with unusual and hybrid movements. In his experience, he has found only two replica watches that have required such detailed instructions to reset – the TAG Calibre S, and the Citizen Eco-Drive Minute repeater. Fortunately, the Citizen’s instructions are available online. So, TAG – what about it?

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Tag Heuer Replica

A military classic – a look at a HeuerBund

Produced by Heuer Leonidas S.A. in the late 1960s and early 1970s for the West German Air Force (Budeswehr), these flyback chronographs using Valjoux 22/ 222/ 230 movements known as ‘Heuer Bunds’ are amongst some of the most collectible and sought after military replica watches.

Like some other milwatches including the 50 Fathoms, Heuer Bunds are not straightforward identitification-wise. Walter Allan Manning has written a comprehensive overview of the Heuer Bundeswehr dial iterations, with over 30 examples, and he summarises the dials as follows. For those who don’t know, the ‘3H’ refers to tritium as the luminescent.

Five general configurations of Heuer-branded dials:
• ‘classic 3H/T’ – a red 3H-symbol appears just below the dial centre, and a tiny ‘T’ appears just above ‘6’
• ‘3H-only’ – a red 3H-symbol appears just below the centre.
• ‘T-only’ – a tiny ‘T’ appears just above ‘6’
• the “clean” – no markings beyond the “Heuer” logo
• the “sternzeit” – STERNZEIT REGULIERT markings just below the dial centre

Two general configurations of Sinn-branded dials:
• ‘3H-only’ – a red 3H-symbol appears just below the centre
• the ‘clean’ – no markings beyond the ‘Heuer’ logo

In addition, he cites four variations of the ‘3H’ symbol:
• ‘standard’ 3H
• ‘big-letter’ 3H – circle is same size as standard, but the letters are larger and fill the circle more completely
• ‘small-letter’ 3H – circle is same size as standard, but the letters are smaller and there is a small dot in the centre
• ‘small-circle’ 3H – the circle is noticeably smaller

Three variations of the manufacturer logo:
• the ‘standard’ Heuer logo – fits inside :58 and :02.
• the ‘big’ Heuer logo – fits even with :58 and :02.
• the Sinn logo

Two variations of the font used for the hour-markers:
• ‘standard’ font – most noticeable because none of the numbers are cut-off.
• ‘cut-off’ font – the 10:00, 8:00, and 2:00 are cut-off by the subdials.

The best way of getting even a vague handle on this is a visual comparison of them all, especially with details such as the size of the ‘3H’, at Walter Manning’s site.

The ‘classic’ Heuer Bund chronograph is generally accepted as featuring the standard Heuer log, a classic 3-H, a T-symbol above the ‘6’, and regular font. The one featured in this post is a Bund with a standard logo, big 3-H, T-symbol and regular font. How can you tell that it’s the big ‘3H’? Well the top of the ‘H’ is at approximately the mid point for the ‘3’. There is no such ‘overlap’ for the ‘classic’ version.

This gorgeous Bund is in good condition, the bi-directional bezel is bright and without any major dings, although there are some small age related marks. At 42mm, which was large at the time, the brushed and matte stainless steel case fits contemporary size preferences.

One of the appeals of this replica watch has been the functional simplicity of its dial, and as you can see, this replica watch’s dial is still clean and bright. If you look at the view from the back, you’ll notice that the crown and pushers have long stems that can be seen and accessed more readily than many replica watches – this is for practical reasons, to make it easy for the gloved pilots to use.

The replica watch has the requisite Bundeswehr specification markings on the back and more between the lugs.

One of the interesting idiosyncracies of these replica watches is how the movement is ‘attached’ via a front loading two part case. The four set-screws attach the top part of the case and bezel to the back of the replica watch, pressing the crystal and gasket into place, while the movement is cradled inside the back. To get to it, you have to go through the following steps :

1. Undo the four screws
2. ‘Drop’ the movement out of the case, and remove the crystal and gasket, which lift off.
3. The stem should be a split type, so rotate the crown until the movement and ring show some movement
4. The movement and ring should eventually drop out from the front of the tub

In putting it back together, do in reverse, but be careful to make sure that the two halves of the stem slide together and don’t over tighten the small screws. Or perhaps just ask a professional replica watchmaker to do it all for you.

These are really interesting military replica watches, and if you want to read more about the Heuer Bunds, go to Manning’s site as linked at the beginning of this post.