Introduction
Collectors and enthusiasts should have noticed “Springfield, New Jersey” written on some technical stickers on US market stopwatches or warranty booklets. The name Springfield is also worldwide known to the be the place where the adventures of Bart Simpsons and his familly takes place. Why HEUER (and Tag HEUER from 1985) is in Springfield ? Is HEUER established in the Simpsons city ?
A huge interest of Jack Heuer for the US
In 1955, Jack Heuer, last member of Heuer familly to run the swiss manufacture, is still a student engineer at ETH Zurich (also known as “Swiss Federal Institute of Technology” or “Polytechnikum”) and a military intern. At the end of the year Jack Heuer has some free time and decides to discover the US, he was told about so many time.
In the 50’s, not far from the end of the WWII, the country is a super power of a world in reconstruction. At the beginning of the prosperous time “glorious 30’s”, it’s a place full of promises and opportunities to developp business and technologies.
New York first
The first place Jack Heuer visits during this trip is New York where he joins Walter Haynes, the president of Abercrombie and fitch, a cutsomer of the watchmaking compagny. He works few times in A&F shop after what he keeps visiting the country with his father.
This experience seems to be so positive, he thinks about starting his carrer in a US consulting firm … but his father wants him at the familly compagny (all HEUER fans should approved this decision). However he does not give up his american dream and works to increase part of his stopwatches on US maket.
In 1959 Jack Heuer is back in New York with his uncle to launch HEUER time Corporation.
Moving to Springfield, new Jersey
Few time after the beginning of the US adventure, a colleague of Jack Heuer, suggests him to move the office to Springfield in New Jersey (close to New York) where rents are cheaper and risk of robbering is lower (a stock of stopwatches had ever been stolen in Manhattan office). Many years after, Tag HEUER has still big activity in Springfield. In 2021, that’s here the Noth america Tag HEUER center reparation is.
Are HEUER and the Simpsons in the same city ?
Springfield is quite a common name for a anglosaxon city. There are a lot of Springfield and the Simpson’s town is a fictitious city quite difficult to locate. So since Simpson’s Springfield only exists in our mind, power of imagination makes HEUER in this city !!! For sure Homer, will prefere to work for Jack Heuer or Frédéric Arnault rather than Mister Burns.
About the cartoon
Why this cartoon
First thing coming in mind reading Springfield is “The Simpsons”, the Matt Groening cartoon familly. And when this name is on a vintage HEUER device, head is full of new wonderful ideas. Impossible not do something with such iconic brands. So despite some copyright by-passing (it’s a non official and non affiliated animation :o), the project was launched. Initially it sve been a few second animations where Bart Simpsons was skating. Finaly it turned into a one minute cartoon built on the Simpsons intro and showing a part of HEUER (Tag HEUER) history and the last evolution of the compagny.
Featuring
Few celebrities from HEUER and Tag HEUER world are in the cartoon.
In the Frédéric Arnault hologram watch
Ryan Gosling : actor and Tag HEUER ambassador Niki Lauda : formula one pilot driver and HEUER ambassador in the 70’s Naomi Osaka: tennis player and Tag HEUER ambassador Mario Bros : video game hero and Tag HEUER ambassador Jean-Claude Biver : Tag HEUER CEO from 2014 to 2019 Edouard HEUER : manufacture founder
Crédits
Cartoon made by xtrztk.com. The Simpsons is a creation of Matt Groening
Photos used in the featuring section of this page
Jack HEUER photo by BBCLCD under CC BY-SA 4.0
Frédéric Arnault photo from fashionetwork.com (unknown author and licence)
Jean Campiche photo from caliber11.com (unknown author and licence)
Max Verstappen photo by Marc Alvarado under CC BY-SA 2.0
Ryan Gosling photo by AlBBie905 under CC BY-SA 3.0
Niki Lauda photo by Gillfoto under CC BY-SA 3.0
Naomi Osaka photo by AndrewHenkelman under CC BY-SA 4.0
Mario Bros photo from webstickersmuraux.com (unknown author and licence / Mario bros is the property of Nintendo)
Jean-CLaude Biver photo by World Economic Forum under CC BY-SA 2.0
Edouard Heuer photo from passion-horlogere.com (unknown author and licence)
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