TAG Heuer Appoints Alec Monopoly As Art Provocateur – and J.C. Biver Tells Us Why It’s Good For TAG
A few days ago, right from the Miami Contemporary Art week, TAG Heuer and its CEO, Jean-Claude Biver (also President of the LVMH Watch Division), announced the appointment of American street-artist Alec Monopoly as Art Provocateur for the Avant-Garde brand. Well, as you may have seen already (it was all over social medial feeds), some reacted quite fiercely to this announcement, judging the collaboration rather irrelevant. However, we were there and we took the time to sit down with Mister Biver and Alec Monopoly, to understand what was behind this appointment. And we can tell you that first, it’s far from being a stupid idea, then it’s a real first in the industry and finally, it’s a great idea for an industry that faces a lack of creativity.
It’s no real surprise that Rolex – the world’s most reputable brand – is a class act. For me this was proven when I saw the beautiful new green-dialled Day-Date 40 on the first day of this year’s Baselworld fair. That class factor was cemented when I discovered the watch was available in stores on the very same day of its release. Not many brands could pull off a move that smooth. On the surface, this is a new variant of last year’s Day-Date 40 (a watch we’ve already covered in some depth) with a dial Rolex is calling ‘olive green’. But it’s more than that. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Day-Date’s introduction – six decades over which it’s become synonymous with leadership and success – so this new iteration is something special. It’s available in Everose gold and white gold versions, and we suspect that the wait list will be lengthy. As far as the watch goes, it has all the grace, charm and impeccable pedigree of the regular Day-Date 40. The silky smooth jubilee bracelet, the eternally faceted fluted bezel, 40mm Oyster case and of course the next-generation, Superlative Chronometer certified 3255 movement. And while both metals feel wonderful…
Next up in our festive lineup is one of this year’s crowd favourites – the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII. This modestly-sized, understated watch goes to show that when you’ve got good design and an enviable pedigree, you don’t need bell and whistles (though that Santoni strap certainly adds to the lustre of the piece). Who should you buy this for? You don’t need to be a flyboy to appreciate the Mark XVIII’s good looks – this simple, clean timepiece looks good on any wrist. What’s the damage? Under 8k IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Australian pricing IWC Mark XVIII, $6100 on leather and $7500 on stainless steel bracelet