Jack Heuer foresaw the shift towards quartz and electronics early on and effectively integrated these innovations into timepieces for motorsports. Among his notable creations was the Heuer Chronosplit, a quartz wristwatch featuring a built-in stopwatch function. In 1978, a quartz version of the renowned Swiss replica TAG Heuer Carrera was introduced to the market. The Carrera-Twin series combined traditional hands for displaying time with LCD indicators for the date and stopwatch functions.
Despite these advancements, the traditional Swiss brand faced challenges due to a strong Swiss franc and inexpensive competition. In 1982, Jack Heuer was compelled to sell his company, relinquishing the brand he had inherited from his predecessors. Eighty percent of the shares were acquired by the Piaget Family, with an additional 10% going to the Swiss movement manufacturer Nouvelle Lémania, becoming the second-largest shareholder.
A shift in the zeitgeist towards the late 1980s proved beneficial for TAG Heuer. This era embraced materialism, particularly among the youth, fueled by movies like “Wall Street” and “Cocktail” that celebrated the allure of wealth and its trappings. TAG found a new buyer in Akram Ojjeh, head of the Saudi Arabian corporate group TAG, who shared a keen sense for the zeitgeist and a commitment to motorsports.
Under new ownership, TAG Heuer sharpened its identity as a producer of sporty watches. The iconic Heuer 2000, designed by Eddy Schöpfer, continued its success. Quartz movements were reintroduced alongside mechanical movements to broaden the brand’s offerings. The Carrera Chronograph was revitalized between 1983 and 1985, yet the TAG Heuer Carrera Caliber 11 replica watch and its successors were no longer available.
The replica TAG Heuer Carrera watch was now equipped with the Lemania 5100 movement, developed by the brand’s new co-owner. Available in stainless steel and gold versions, these Carrera watches featured a distinctive minute hand shaped like an aircraft. Despite some shortcomings, the Lemania 5100 movement remains esteemed today as an exceptional automatic chronograph movement.