ROAD MAP

The TAG Heuer Carrera was born to race but its 60-year legacy of precision timing makes it fit for life far beyond the track too

- KATHERINE ARTECHEV

There is no fool-proof way to build a legacy. To put it another way, there is no tried-and-tested recipe that will secure your place in any given hall of fame. The Harvard Business Review has a sane albeit flimsy guide about the conscious methods one can adopt to maintain long-term viability of the organisation even after you are gone. There are tips on managing power and responsibility, prioritising "burden over benefits", and being mindful of the achievements made by the generations before you, leading to a fair conclusion that the epitome of power is to leave a great legacy that lives on beyond the tenure of whoever 'Did the Really Important Stuff.'

For TAG Heuer, the legacy-maker honour goes to Jack Heuer for being the most notable, if not the Great Man at one of the most innovative brands in watchmaking. In the often insular and deeply parochial world of traditional Swiss watchmaking, legacy is paradoxically desirable yet no guarantee of success. In no small way, this informs the significance of a man such as Jack (for convenience, we will refer to all the Heuer family members by their first names - Ed). Many great names of the horological past exist today as footnotes in museums or brand books. This is a blessing compared with the names that somehow adorn watches that are an insult to good taste everywhere. Better a place in history than one in ignominy, and Jack could have easily gone either way. Happily, the Carrera collection of 2023 gives us the chance to revisit the hows and whys behind Jack's continuing significance to TAG Heuer.

THE CARRERA MAN