Why do TAG's get a bad rap??

[Split Second]

Hey everyone. Im a new member and an owner of two TAG's. I love my Carrera Day Date and Aquaracer Calibre 5. I come across some sites that seem to not be in favor of TAG's and I don't understand why. Of all the other brands I look at, I am always drawn back to the design and style of TAG's. Are they not " high end" enough? Anyone else see the same thing?

Because haters are going to hate. Just saying. Everyone has their own opinion, doesn't mean it is necessarily a correct one.

You've formed your own opinion about TAG, and that's all that matters.

regards,

mike.

[moolman]

New to the forum, I noticed the Tag Heuer bias as I was reading through the forum. Was split between buying a Carerra day-date or an Omega Broad Arrow GMT. Big price difference between watches but I was about to buy the Omega. I went to the store with my wife to look at them in person, she has no clue of the prices or which brand is supposedly nicer. I ended up getting the Tag based on look, design, and wife..haha.. She didn't care for any of the Omegas, too plain looking was her thought. And yes, I too agree that the reason for the bias is because of the entry level models and the crazy discounts that can be found from MSRP. I paid $2200 for the $4400 MSRP for the Carerra but I went to the Los Angeles jewelry district and all the latest Omegas were discounted heavily too, around 40-50%. I noticed that online that Tags are discounted more but in person, they were the same.

[Eeeb]

If you are hanging with folks who disrespect TAGHeuers, it is more a comment on the crowd in which you find yourself than a comment on the watches. Of course that is an opinion and everyone is entitled to them.

[drunken monkey]

people like to justify their purchases by sneering at other popular choices instead of looking for the merit in their own.

[Vaxe]

Correct, the Swiss watch industry functions entirely off of perception. Rolex is a machine mass-produced company, but harbors the kind of awe and market dominance among the general public that trumps even PP and AP.

And the reason is that a Rolex is perceived as the epitome of watchmaking and personal success in a materialistic culture.

The fact that so many people perceive TAG Heuer as an overpriced fashion brand (not that I completely agree) brings the company down to... an overpriced fashion brand. Just look at the resale value of a Submariner vs a Carrera Day-Date. One sells for close to 90% MSRP while the other at 40%.


Regardless of reason, I believe it was a premature move for TH to increase their pricing so soon and so drastically. You have to be able to back it up with better marketing, brand recognition, and quality. Otherwise, you'll just look silly.

Also, if you look at this thread, and around the forum, you will see that it is not uncommon to find TH at 30/50%, especially the Carrera and Grand Carrera since they were most likely obtained prior to the price increase, so the discount is not entirely reflective of the price the watches were originally purchased at from the manufacturer.

I'll preface this by saying I am very new to watches, but I think that what you're describing are things more steeped in perception than in reality.

Mostly all companies increase their prices regularly, any speculation as to why Tag's prices increased is purely an educated guess at best. For instance, I could say the price hikes by Tag had less to do with Omega, and more to do with the direction Tag is headed. They increased their prices in anticipation of an increase in expense due to purchasing their new factories, and producing more in house movements.

Furthermore, the COSC certification is nice, but many watches, including my Carrera, fall well within the COSC rating standards. According to some people on these boards, their $100 Orient watches fall within COSC standards. So is that extra certification truly worth anything?

Also, getting 30% off at an AD, and 50% off in grey market is an exaggeration. Maybe there are a couple unpopular discontinued models you could find, but most grey market sites have Tag's discounted in the 25%-35% range. Omega's are definitely not reduced that much, in the 20% range, but that has to do with the pricing structure of the companies. Tag produces the F1 entry level models, that come with "entry level" prices. Therefore, the exclusivity of the brand is reduced, and the perception of the brand as a purely luxury watchmaker is diminished.

The truth of the matter is that their business model is just different than Rolex and Omega. They don't value the exclusivity as much as they value appealing to a larger audience. The fact is that these watches don't need to be sold for this much. Once you start getting into the thousands of dollars for a watch you're already getting gauged, regardless of what name is etched on it.

Basically the answer of the question lies in this statement:

"the fact that it's trying to play the price-gouge game with other far more recognizable companies is bothersome."

It is all perception.

[PJS]

Also, if you look at this thread, and around the forum, you will see that it is not uncommon to find TH at 30/50%, especially the Carrera and Grand Carrera since they were most likely obtained prior to the price increase, so the discount is not entirely reflective of the price the watches were originally purchased at from the manufacturer.

My own opinion in this is that you should buy what you like and not listen to others opinions on what they think is overpriced.

Yes some hold better resale value but all brands can be offered at a discount by AD's for example my Rolex Daytona was 20% all of my Omega's were minimum 30% all new from AD's, so not sure if this means they were all overpriced or if I got a good deal on them however when I sold some of my Omega's & TAG Heuer watches this year I did make a profit on all of them more so on the TAG Heuer piece so obviously they were overpriced then too .

The point I am trying to make is that people will pay what they think is a reasonable price for something which they desire whether fashion brand or not each to their own.

Cheers
PJS

[rosborn]

TAGs get a bad rap!?!

I'm sure there are some people who look down on BMWs, Porsches and Mercedes Benzes too. I don't own any of those cars but I do own a TAG and I couldn't care less what other people think about TAGs. I didn't buy my watch for anyone but myself.

Funny thing is, when I wanted to buy a TAG I came to the TAG Heuer portion of this forum and asked people who own TAGs about TAGs. 95% of the people on this portion of the forum love TAG Heuer watches. The other 5%, who complain about their watches, I completely disregard. There will always be at least 5% of the population who complain about everything.

I find that most people who give TAGs a bad rap don't even own one and are nothing more than farts in the wind.

[BHL]

Doh! You should have bought an Omega, not a TAG... Haha just kidding.
Carrera is one fine looking timepiece and if anyone looks down on it, they don't really know much about fine timepieces.
One thing about Omegas tho. Although many of them are somewhat plain looking compare to TAG's, their design seem to grow on you.

New to the forum, I noticed the Tag Heuer bias as I was reading through the forum. Was split between buying a Carerra day-date or an Omega Broad Arrow GMT. Big price difference between watches but I was about to buy the Omega. I went to the store with my wife to look at them in person, she has no clue of the prices or which brand is supposedly nicer. I ended up getting the Tag based on look, design, and wife..haha.. She didn't care for any of the Omegas, too plain looking was her thought. And yes, I too agree that the reason for the bias is because of the entry level models and the crazy discounts that can be found from MSRP. I paid $2200 for the $4400 MSRP for the Carerra but I went to the Los Angeles jewelry district and all the latest Omegas were discounted heavily too, around 40-50%. I noticed that online that Tags are discounted more but in person, they were the same.

[moolman]

Haha... I think that's a big reason why people love omega. I could of eventually forced myself to love it over the Tag because of the name. Gotta go with what you like, main reason I liked the carrera over the broad arrow GMT was the bigger glass.

[DonnyWar]

I've owned several tags and I think the reason why they get a bad rep is their wide availability, huge price range (from cheaper to ridiculous; monaco LS) and the lack of interest on the secondary market. Almost all tags deprieciate at a higher rate than rolexes and panerais for example. Tag lacks exclusivity and frankly they have a novelty to them which other watch makers avoid, however they are quite successful and most likely make more money than the other watchmakers. I'm staying away from tags for a while now that I've decided to trade in watches every few months....but I love the Monaco, what a terrific design.