One of the most memorable watch designs from Tag Heuer was the Kirium, which was produced from 1997 to 2008. The watch was a runaway success as it was truly avantgarde by the standards then, and was designed by renown designer Jorg Hysek, whom also designed watches for Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Cartier, Ebel, Boucheron, Seiko, HD3, and his own brand, Hysek.
During the production for Kirium, amongst the highly collectable piece was the Kirium Ti5 (1999 - 2005). The Ti5 name referred to Grade 5 Titanium, which was an alloy of Titanium (90%), aluminium (6%), and vanadium (4%). The case was made from Titanium, as was the deployment clasp on the rubber bracelet. The Ti5 Kirium was only available with quartz movements, and with either a brushed or polished finish.
I have been hunting for a part of this history from Tag Heuer, specifically for Kirium Ti5; and while many websites claimed that they could assist to hunt for "new old stocks", they were unable to provide a timeline for the intended sale. Pre-owned pieces for the Kirium Ti5 were far and few, as most would be safely tucked in the collectors' watch cases to be appreciated by enthusiasts.
When an advert came out on Mudah for a Kirium Ti5, I knew that I had to act fast. I quickly contacted the seller to check if it was a genuine piece from Tag Heuer (there were lots of good copies around these days), and was informed in the affirmative. I immediately requested for a meet-up and given the traffic in KL, took my bike to be earlier than the scheduled appointment. And then I waited.
This piece was from 2005 ie a good 9 years old now. Condition was very good a it was mainly kept in the collection, although the original rubber strap was worse for wear having hardened over almost a decade and a replacement strap was very much necessary. Minimal scratches and generally very much of a collectible piece. And the serial no. was a good AQ 1668.
Judging from the above pictures, I guess that it was clear that I had managed to close the deal and that the Kirium Ti5 was comfortably nestled in my watch safe now. I shall be hunting for a leather strap for this marvelous piece and just take a look at the carbon fiber dial. What a beauty!
I am a watch collector too and just recently consolidated my collection as I wanted to concentrate on winding watches only. I placed my Ti5 (has strap) on e-Bay and total sale with courier to Europe was sealed at RM4300 quick buy. How much did you got yours for without the strap?
ReplyDeleteLet's just say that I got a good price for the Kirium Ti5. Am now looking for the replacement strap.
DeleteAssm, saya juga pengumpul jam. Dah lama saya carikan model ekslusif Titanium Grade TI5 ini. Saya nak tawarkan RM5,000 untuk membeli jam saudara. Ada atau tanpa tali jam pun tidak mengapa, memang cadang nak guna tali Nato aja. Tq.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your offer but I think this top-of-the-line Kirium Ti5 is a keeper, although I wouldn't mind a swap if you could offer a good watch at around the same bracket. I have sent the watch to a watchsmith in Singapore for checking and servicing; and he has further fixed a matching Swiss bracelet on the Kirium Ti5. It looks really swell now!
ReplyDeleteWas this watch the same one that was selling at RM6,800 by a seller on Mudah? If you are interested to let it go, please contact me.
ReplyDelete