When TAG Heuer started constructing their booth for this year’s Baselworld expo, it was obvious that it was going to be the epitome of the Swiss watchmaker’s commitment to the fusion of design and technology, both hallmarks of timepieces bearing the famous green and red logo. The man tasked to create the new booth, which embodies the brand’s commitment to avantgarde design and aesthetics was Italian architect Ottavio di Blasi. Having been the mastermind behind the daring exhibition booth during the 1994 Baselworld, he was no longer surprised when it came to the demands of this particular client.
STRUCTURALLY SOUND - The booth embodies the watch and viceversa.
BOLD and ICONIC - We can’t wait to see what TAG Heuer will think of next.
POETIC GEOMETRY - Lasers ensured that each triangle is identical to one another.For the 1994 expo, Ottavio di Blasi engineered an archshaped stand, erected with a carbon fiber structure, a world first back then. TAG Heuer has once again called upon Ottavio di Blasi to design a Baselworld booth that embodies the brand’s unique vision and drive. The result is the breathtaking “TAG Heuer SKIN,” an extraordinary engineering metallic achievement comprising of a 2-storey, 47-ton steel frame with an 8-ton spiraling carapace of massive aluminum triangles magically suspended on a backlit membrane of some 3,000 points of light. With its unique architecture, the new TAG Heuer booth goes beyond the static square, becoming a moving form generated by an interior force that dramatically pushes, twists and stretches the body of the building up in a spiral to an overhanging point more than 9 meters above visitors’ heads. Made from wood, steel, and aluminum, the stand features a dramatic carapace made of triangular scales of brushed aluminum laid side by side to create a skin-like shell. The helicoidal carapace was constructed using sophisticated 3D laser technology to ensure that each triangle is laid equidistant to its neighbors in such a way that identical lines of light surround each scale. So exacting was the specifications laid out that only a 2mm tolerance was allowed over a total length of 27 meters. It represents, architecturally, TAG Heuer’s unique position as the most daring and Avant-Garde luxury brand in Swiss watchmaking history.
TAG Heuer commissioned the stunning new booth to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of the sport / elegance line of watches. Presently referred to as the Link Series, it was conceived in 1987 and has been the premiere sport and elegance watch in the Swiss watch making world. Withstanding the tests of time, it still is the emblematic icon of success achieved through mental strength and a sporty attitude to life. To punctuate this way of life, the benchmark design was endorsed by the great Ayrton Senna, who wore it to three F1 World Championships.
No other sport watch came close to matching the signature S-shaped links, in terms of visible recognition and for its flexibility, wrist comfort, timeless aesthetics and peerless ergonomics. It has been a worldwide reference since then and continuous to be a sought after timepiece until today. It stands toe to toe in demand when compared to its more recent siblings. In 1999, the S/el was boldly re-designed and re-launched worldwide as the LINK, with sports celebrity endorsements from great champions like Leonardo, Boris Becker, Marion Jones, Colin Jackson and Monica Seles to name a few. Moreover, personalities who “Don’t Crack Under Pressure” wore the Link as a badge of honor.
In 2003, to honor golfing legend Tiger Woods, the series’ new global ambassador, a prestigious new edition was launched with the legendary 1/10th of a second Link Caliber 36 mechanical chronograph as its flagship timepiece. The bracelet design was streamlined and the case, now cut from a solid steel block, was large-faced for optimum readability, but thinner and rimmed with a slender fixed bezel. While capitalizing on the inimitable strengths of its two predecessors, the luxury edition reflected more contemporary tastes for cleaner, bolder lines.
Today, the addition of new sports Chronographs and lady size timepieces and endorsed by Hollywood luminaries such as Matt Damon and Uma Thurman have consolidated the series’ position as the world’s leading “elegant sports watch”, i.e. a sophisticated yet casual timepiece, utterly elegant in an executive board room, as well as cool and comfortable on golf course. With new mechanical complications, up-market finishes and high-end added features, the superlative timepieces in the new high-prestige LINK Series are bigger, better and more stylish than ever.
Great concept. Why precise, laser-drawn triangles? Other than the engineering elegance of constructing something out of a single, identical and replicated shape as simple as the triangle, could the shape symbolize something else? Maybe a delta ... as in the statistical symbol for change?
In any case, I would very much like to see a replica of the booth. I suggest to TAG Heuer that a miniature replica of the booth, a diorama of sorts, would be a great centerpiece for their product displays with their dealers.