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Special-edition timepiece designed for online experiment sold out faster than expected
Cortina Watch and TAG Heuer created an exclusive tourbillon for e-commerce – and its resounding success took both by surprise
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The limited-edition TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T was sold out on Cortina Watch's e-commerce site soon after it was made available, outperforming all expectations. PHOTO: TAG HEUER
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While many may recognise TAG Heuer as a brand, few know what the “TAG” in its name stands for.
It is, in fact, an acronym for “Techniques d’Avant Garde”, which clearly explains why the brand has embraced innovation throughout its 162-year-old mechanical watchmaking history.
And that innovative spirit is also why Cortina Watch wanted to work with a disruptor like TAG Heuer when it first started its e-commerce platform in 2019, knowing that it, in Mr Jeremy Lim’s words, “needed products that would attract customers to the site”.
The CEO of Cortina Watch has seen how the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T, a highly precise tourbillon chronograph that is the most competitively priced among the mainstream brands, had been a revelation, with it being highly sought-after by enthusiasts and consumers.
In 2019, Cortina Watch embarked on an e-commerce experiment to see if collectors would be willing to fork out a five-figure sum for a special limited-edition timepiece.
Bearing a calfskin-and-rubber strap with a unique motif inspired by TAG Heuer’s shield geometry, the 10-piece limited-edition Carrera Heuer 02T was sold out soon after it was made available online.
The resounding success proved Mr Lim right. He says: “With our exclusive limited editions, we have been able to capture new audiences that are comfortable with making a purchase for something different and unique in the market.”
Looking back
It’s a special relationship that goes further back. TAG Heuer and Cortina Watch began their retail partnership in the 1980s, and have continually developed new, bold projects together.
In 2008, during the first edition of the Singapore Grand Prix, Cortina Watch held the first racing-themed TAG Heuer roadshow at its Raffles City boutique.
And in 2016, Cortina Watch opened a TAG Heuer standalone store in Suria KLCC shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where it has organised many events to raise awareness of the brand’s watchmaking expertise and history.
With the success of the Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon Cortina Limited Edition in 2019, the retailer decided to work with TAG Heuer once again for a special edition for its 50th anniversary.
Instead of a tourbillon, the two brands decided on a chronograph watch, in recognition of TAG Heuer’s expertise in this complication.
“TAG Heuer has been a brand partner of Cortina Watch for many years,” explains Mr Raymond Lim, CEO of Cortina Holdings. “The Carrera and the chronograph are both icons of TAG Heuer, which is why we felt they had to a be part of this anniversary.”
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Cortina Watch Limited Edition offers a stone dial that is unique and stunning.
While stone dials are more commonly seen among creations by jeweller-watchmaker brands, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Cortina Watch Limited Edition features a stunning Maw Sit Sit (a type of gemstone) dial with solid gold applied indexes in a 41mm yellow gold case.
Available at Cortina Watch boutiques, the 10-piece-only watch is paired with a black alligator leather strap with green stitching that matches the dial. And as a nod to the anniversary, the caseback bears a special inscription.
For Cortina Watch regulars as well as fans of TAG Heuer and the Carrera, this will be a much-coveted timepiece.
Click here for more stories related to Cortina Watch's golden jubilee. To see tributes from its brand partners, go to the Cortina Watch 50th anniversary commemorative website.
