Tag Heuer and Breitling watches are considered luxury timepieces renowned for their precision and brand recognition. But which one wins in the battle of Tag Heuer vs. Breitling? Everyone will have their own opinion, with many Breitling advocates out there with a Tag Heuer 01 in the collection and many Tag Heuer enthusiasts who own a coveted Breitling Chronomat. This article will help you decide which one wins in terms of market and resale value, precision, complexity, popularity, prestige, collections and movements.
Which Brand Has The Best Market And Resale Values
A Tag Heuer Formula 1 will set you back from £1,250 upwards, while a Tag Heuer Carrera Date will cost upwards of £46,000. The resale value is generally lower than Breitling but depends on whether the Tag Heuer timepiece is from a limited collection or a more standard one.
Breitling watches tend to start from a higher piece range, with the Endurance Pro starting from £2,800 and the Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 Willy Breitling setting you back £58,000. You will likely get more money back on your Breitling if you sell your timepiece than Tag Heuer models.
So, Breitling tends to have the best market and resale value unless you have a unique Tag Heuer watch that fetches a higher price.
Which One Is More Precise?
The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) offers COSC Certification to any watch that maintains precision to within 6 seconds over the day or 4 seconds under the day. Watches that achieve this accreditation are often considered of the highest quality and standards.
Both Tag Heuer and Breitling watches have timepieces that have achieved this standard, with most newer Tag Heuer models reaching COSC standards. However, many more Breitling watches are achieving COSC Certification, with only a handful of older models not reaching the standard.
Both brands rigorously test all watches regardless of whether they meet COSC Certification, although Breitling has more precise timepieces overall.
Which Brand Is More Complex?
Both Tag Heuer and Breitling create watches with considerable mechanical complexity. This is because Tag Heuer creates timepieces for motorsports while Breitling traditionally creates watches for pilots.
Tag Heuer and Breitling each have their tourbillon timepieces, which have a complex mechanism that makes them more accurate. The tourbillon movement occurs in a rotating cage designed to reduce balance errors.
Breitling watches tend to come with additional features when compared to Tag Heuer. They tend to have greater shock and water resistance and robustness than their equivalent Tag Heuer models
Which One Is More Popular?
Tag Heuer watches have a lower starting price than Breitling, making them more accessible to a broader audience. They also sell worldwide, giving them better brand recognition than their counterparts.
Breitling is less accessible due to its higher price tags and tends to be directed at more of a European audience. It is less widely disseminated, and you’re less likely to see a Breitling watch on a wrist than a Tag Heuer timepiece.
Which Brand Has The Higher Prestige?
The Morgan Stanley best Swiss watch brand report consistently places Tag Heuer in the top ten and has done so since 2017. Breitling has traditionally been slightly outside the top ten but has gradually risen to knock Tag Heuer off its traditionally higher ranking.
Breitling is traditionally considered the more prestigious brand, with a higher price tag and more features than Tag Heuer. Breitling is held to a higher account, which is natural when paying more for a timepiece.
Breitling Vs. Tag Heuer Collections
The first Breitling collection was launched in 1940 after successfully supplying aviation watches to help the war effort. Tag Heuer added Autavia to its timepieces in 1933, which became its first collection in 1962.
Tag Heuer’s Most Popular Collections
Tag Heuer Carrera
The Tag Heuer Carrera originally started as a motorsport watch in 1963, named after the high-speed Carrera Panamericana race that began in 1950. This year, in conjunction with its 60-year-anniversary, Tag has released the limited edition Tag Heuer Glassbox Chronograph, launched with its latest in-house movement, the Heuer 02.
Tag Heuer Monaco
The Tag Heuer Monaco has been famous since 1969, although it became a timepiece legend in 1971 when Steve McQueen wore it in Le Mans. This classic square first waterproof chronograph has retained its popularity for decades.
Breitling’s Most Popular Collections
The Navitimer
The Navitimer is an iconic aviation watch with side bezels designed for in-flight calculations. First designed for Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association members in 1954, the watch has gone on through several famous iterations, including the first Automatic Navitimer in 1960. The collection has been going strong for over 65 years.
The Chronomat
The Chronomat was one of Breitling’s first timepieces in the 1940s, coming with four side bezels for superior calculations in flight. Since its inception, the iconic watch became part of a collection in its own right in 1984, created for the renowned Italian jet team, the Frecce Tricolori.
Breitling Vs Tag Heuer Movements
Tag Heuer didn’t create its in-house movement until 2010, with the 1887 calibre, although they’ve been part of several collaborative creations (including with Breitling) since 1969. Since then, they’ve created the Heuer 01 and the Heuer 02 calibre. The Breitling SuperQuartz movement was first launched in 2001, is ten times more accurate than standard quartz and is the only electronic timepiece to have acquired COSC requirements.
Tag Heuer Vs. Breitling Watches
The lower end of the Tag Heuer collection has more affordable watches and, as a whole, has a more significant market share than Breitling. However, Breitling is a brand more associated with prestige and higher-precision watches. When considering that Breitling was associated with the aviation industry, it is natural that higher precision timepieces were essential to survival and the war effort, compared to Tag Heuer and the motorsports landscape.
Both brands hold an exceptionally high reputation in the luxury watch sector. Which one do you prefer?
