Stéphane Linder, CEO of TAG Heuer resigns

[Faiz]

http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/tag-heu...as-interim-ceo

Any thoughts?
I think this is a good opportunity for Tag to really get back to their roots and unveil some cool stuff in the lower price bracket.

[movet22]

I wonder if there was pressure from the (conjecture alert botched manufacture calibre that went out for a few weeks and was then killed.

Either way, they need to do something interesting- the Monaco is a great watch, but I'd like to see them add some real significance to their collection.

Personally I have no issue with them meandering into a higher-end pricing tier, so long as the quality and importance is there.

[93EXCivic]

Some of their new haute horology stuff as been amazing recently. Hopefully they won't abandon that.

[WillMK5]

There has been major repositioning. The CH80 movement was going to price them into the same market as Zenith. It was stopped to avoid that kind of competition. Tag can continue to produce the 1887 movement at prices that keep them under that of Zenith. There is a clear price structure that will be implemented. Tag Heuer - Zenith - Hublot. If they are not impeding on each others market shares, LVMH can be more profitable.

As a fan of the brand, I'm trying to remain neutral. I think TAG has too many models with prices that don't seem to make sense. Biver should be able to to control that. As for the Haute Horology pieces, that seems to go against the new position the brand will take. I think it should be noted that the brand isn't necessarily going down - market, just not moving up-market as quickly as possible.

And Doug, I agree, the Monaco is a great watch.

[Perseus]

It strikes me as a bit odd because he only had the job for about a year. Maybe he really didn't like the plan for Tag moving forward or it could just be politics as usual.

[Samanator]

Personally I'm not a fan of these artificial levels like at Swatch. I can't see it being good for all three brands.

[Ryan]

There has been major repositioning. The CH80 movement was going to price them into the same market as Zenith. It was stopped to avoid that kind of competition. Tag can continue to produce the 1887 movement at prices that keep them under that of Zenith. There is a clear price structure that will be implemented. Tag Heuer - Zenith - Hublot. If they are not impeding on each others market shares, LVMH can be more profitable.

As a fan of the brand, I'm trying to remain neutral. I think TAG has too many models with prices that don't seem to make sense. Biver should be able to to control that. As for the Haute Horology pieces, that seems to go against the new position the brand will take. I think it should be noted that the brand isn't necessarily going down - market, just not moving up-market as quickly as possible.

And Doug, I agree, the Monaco is a great watch.

I think it makes good sense to reposition brands under the LVMH umbrella if it better defines their product tier. If this were the goal of the reorganization of leadership, hopefully the resultant tier would reflect positively on pricing as well, such that Tag Heuer concentrates on the entry level luxury market while maintaining historically significant (though currently pricier) models like the Monaco and some Carreras; Zenith finally carves out its rightful place in the mid-level luxury market and defines its path forward based on its storied roots and ability to produce manufacture movements; and Hublot...can do whatever they want. I don't really care about Hublot.

As a fan of the brand, what are your thoughts on a name change? TAG Heuer becomes Heuer again.

[tribe125]

As a fan of the brand, what are your thoughts on a name change? TAG Heuer becomes Heuer again.

I'd be all in favour of that.

[WillMK5]

I don't think they would ever change the name back. It's commonly referred to in the USA and many other markets as TAG. Doesn't make marketing sense to switch back. Fans of vintage Heuers, purists, and many WIS would love it, but they are not the people who buy the majority of the TAG Heuer products.


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[Ryan]

I'd be all in favour of that.

I get the sense that a lot of watch people would–I think a few others on the forum have raised this point recently as well.

I'm extremely curious to know what TAG Heuer thinks of rebranding, especially their marketing team, and if it's discussed in high-level meetings. A name change would certainly result in a short-term financial commitment, but would it pay off for them in the long term, or is fiddling with a name a zero-sum game?

Clearly they've dipped their toes in the water with some of the re-issue/vintage/throw-back models (whatever they call them). I'm very interested in brand image, story, and marketing in the watch world.