Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Breaking News: Stéphane Linder, CEO of TAG Heuer, just resigned from his position
In news which will come as a surprise to few, considering the rumblings which have been coming from the Swiss Manufacturer in recent times, after 21 years with the company, CEO Stéphan Linder has just announced his resignation from TAG Heuer, with immediate effect. So, what does this mean for this giant among watch brands?
Background
The story began during Baselworld 2014 with the introduction of a brand new in-house movement, the Calibre 80, a nicely finished and technically advanced engine. the clear intention was to elevate the brand into higher markets, with prices from 6,000 to 8,000 euros. Together with this new movement, TAG Heuer also announced the creation of a new production plant, based in Chevenez (we explained it first here).
Then, without any clear explanation, TAG announced that this new movement was going to be postponed (you can see our post from June about it here). The official statement was that all production capacities will be focused exclusively on the Calibre 1887 for an unknown period. According to TAG Heuer this was to ‘respond more effectively to current market needs.‘ TAG Heuer was ‘postponing the launch of the Carrera CH80 chronograph, even though the company has completed the development of the movement that powers it.‘ However, the official press release stated that employees were not ‘affected by this measure and will be redeployed to TAG heuer’s three other industrial sites in Switzerland.‘
This statement was difficult to understand, as multiple rumors of discontent in the boardroom were already circulating through the industry. Now it would appear that the rumors were indeed true, and in September / October, the situation became even worse than many had thought.
In a recent piece of news, Jean-Claude Biver, the actual President of watches for the LVMH group, announced a brand new strategy for the group, involving the 3 main brands: Zenith, Hublot and TAG Heuer. To simplify the situation, brands should not cannibalize themselves inside the group, meaning that TAG should only focus on entry level (luxury) watches, with prices from 1,500 to 4,500 euros. Consequently, development and production of the new Calibre CH80, which would have been destined for watches priced over 6,000 euros, was to be totally cancelled.
Thus, according to the announcement at the time, the new Chevenez facility would be used for other movements, such as the Calibre 1887. Sadly, it would transpire that to date 46 employees have been fired and 49 others are temporarily unemployed. The brand will only focus on watches, and stop activities related to their luxury smart-phones and leather goods.
Resignation of the CEO, Stéphane Linder
Considering all these elements, the resignation of Stéphane Linder is no big surprise. Even if Biver thanks Linder for his outstanding contribution to the development of the brand during the 21 years he spent at TAG Heuer, the situation is extremely alarming for the company, its future developments and the employees, especially 3 months before Baselworld (which is the sales’ climax for all the brands).
Under his long-standing term of leadership, Stéphane Linder positioned TAG Heuer to become one of the world’s highest profile watch brands, with a youthful, sporty professional image, global brand recognition, and sales to match (they have come a long, long way from the dark days of the 1980’s, and the quartz watches they produced en masse at that time). However, it would now seem that the future strategy for TAG Heuer, as envisioned by J-C Biver is the opposite of the direction which Stéphane Linder led the brand during his 21 years at TAG Heuer. In a sense, it is a natural (but ruthless) sequel to this 1-year story. The loss of such an experienced man is never good for a firm.
We have to understand that LVMH is a group and that its strategy is, on paper, intelligent and certainly efficient. JC Biver is known to be an extremely good strategist. However, the method used and the way to communicate about it is disappointing and devoid of any passion for watches. If it were not already, TAG Heuer, together with Zenith or Hublot, has become another money-machine for a global luxury group. And that is not what we like here, at Monochrome-Watches.
9 responses
I don’t agree with the direction JCB is taking Tag Heuer. They had great momentum and were really turning the brand around IMO, under the passionate management of Stephane Linder. I for one was really looking foward to the Carrera CH80. Just look at The VW Group, they don’t “handicap” the VW models and there is overlap between VW, Audi, Porsche, Lambo, etc – it can surely be done and competition within the group leads to better products for the customers. I am not happy with what JCB is doing at the moment.
While not a big fan of Hublot, I have tremendous amount of respect for what Biver did for the brand.
That’s why I’m surprised by this latest strategy of not cannibalising on your own brand. There are hundreds of watch companies that would gladly do what Biver directs Tag not to.
If the killing blow has to come for your company or product, it’s preferable that it comes from your own group as opposed to outsider.
I loved the last paragraph. Kudos!!! I found fantastic the integrity of the message of Monochrome. It is really vital to restore the luster to the industry in general and improve dramatically the service at POS and after sales service for 99% of brands.
Bravo, Brice, bravo!
I can only echo Gonzalo’s comment above and entirely agree with the sentiment of your final sentence.
Biver is a cancer to the watchmaking industry.
I agree, JC Biver, is a cancer because he only cares about profit margins and not anything else, especially not advancing the art\science of horology. Worst this to happen to TAG Heuer as they were ready to pounce. I was ready to put my money on the table as soon as the 1969, later renamed to CH80, was announced. At this point, I hope someone makes LVMH an offer and they sell off TAG Heuer. Shame on you LVMH for hiring such a monster. You’lll never get a penny from me.
Come on, guys, keep it classy. JCB might not be some people’s favorite, especially not with this latest move, but to call someone the cancer of the industry??? JCB has been extremely successfully in guiding brands like Blancpain, Omega, and Hublot. He has strong business acumen and marketing skills. He knows what sells and how to sell it. He doesn’t deserve to be called names just because you don’t agree with what we perceive to be going on. I too remain pessimistic about the future for Tag Heuer under a LVHM umbrella, but I’ll give credit where credit is due, and not stoop to cheap name-calling.
I usually don’t take to name calling, but I’m calling a spade a spade, JCB looks great on paper for business, not for horology. I don’t buy marketing hype, I let the product speak for itself. He has had a lot of success in doing the “radiation treatment” approach, killing what is good and bad, for the greater good, and then remarketing it. If you want a buy a Michael Kors watch, be my guest, but I look for the intersection of art and science. He’s killing a great brand for profit, his job I’ll give him that, but nevertheless I’m sure someone else could come up with a less axe and more scalpel approach.
Perhaps now we’ll see some newer designs from the house of Tag.