Heuer (pre-Tag) quartz diver, model no. 900.086
I have had this watch lying around for a long time, having been given it by a friend who tried to have it fixed but was put off by the high prices asked by the official dealers, and am just now getting round to having a shot at replacing the movement. I believe it is an ETA movement but know nothing more than that. Has anyone any ideas regarding what movement might fit. It was manufactured around 1990, just before Tag and Heuer came together. Regards, Murso73
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Tam
Hi folks, geriatric tinkerer here, and have just joined the group. I've been retired from regular employ for about five years and enjoy tinkering with cameras, phones and watches.
Isle of Skye Scotland
Member since
Last active: 2 years ago
That’s a pre-1984 1000 quartz. The model number should read 980.006. The 1000 appears on the dial under the Heuer logo from 1984-1986, Tag Heuer logo from 1986-1992.
The movement is probably an ETA 964.114, but depending on the age it could even be an ESA 536.121. It will be written on the movement, next to the battery.
That’s a pre-1984 1000 quartz. The model number should read 980.006. The 1000 appears on the dial under the Heuer logo from 1984-1986, Tag Heuer logo from 1986-1992.
The movement is probably an ETA 964.114, but depending on the age it could even be an ESA 536.121. It will be written on the movement, next to the battery.
Thanks for that. Can I get either of these movements without going through the expensive dealerships?
You could try and see if there is on eBay, or maybe look at a later ETA like the 954.114/112 and get a watchmaker to do it? (Caveat - thickness might be an issue)
You could try and see if there is on eBay, or maybe look at a later ETA like the 954.114/112 and get a watchmaker to do it? (Caveat - thickness might be an issue)
Thank you once again. Regards, Tam Murray
No worries. If in doubt, fire up some photos of the movement on here and I can help you look. I have a lot of Tags from this era, so I’m always happy to chat about them.
No worries. If in doubt, fire up some photos of the movement on here and I can help you look. I have a lot of Tags from this era, so I’m always happy to chat about them.
Here is a photo of the movement in the Heuer.
That's the ESA.
That's the ESA.
Thanks once again. So if I was successful in acquiring an ESA 536.121 would that fit the watch, remembering your caveat. Where I live, the Isle of Skye, it is not easy to go into the watch repairer on the High Street plus I cannot walk any distance. And the nearest town, Inverness, is 90 miles away. Any recommendations from you would be welcome. Regards, Tam Murray
In theory you would be replacing the movement like for like, so it’s remove the crown, remove the dead movement from the case, disconnect the dial and hands, re-attach the dial and hands, and reseat everything back inside the case and put the crown back in. I am no repairer, so I would source this out as I am about as far from dexterous as can be, and to be honest I know some jewellers send stuff like this out. My grandfathers quartz Seamaster crapped out and had an entire movement replacement, and the jeweller near my old work sent it somewhere that specialised in this sort of thing, and if I remember the name I will let you know…
The ESA is thicker than the later ETAs so my caveat was more for that.
In terms of cost, no idea, and I suppose you would need to factor in how much the watch is actually worth (which I suspect is why your friend passed it along). The 1000s are worth a lot more now, thanks to The Wolf of Wall Street, so an early Heuer version might get a collector interested. I’ve seen 1000 marked ones go for > £500, so maybe check Chrono24, Joma and (gasp) EBay completed listings for market rate.
I appreciate how remote you are, my first degree was Geology at Glasgow so I spent at least 6 months of the year mapping in the Highlands and Islands, and met more sheep and seals than humans.
I think it might have to be a case of contacting jewellers near to you, or maybe reaching out to somebody on here? There are a couple of watch repairers on YouTube who might even make a video if they deem it interesting? I used Electric Watches down on the South Coast to re-haul my Seamaster f300hz tuning fork about 9-10 years ago, and sent it recorded to him, so not sure if he is still going, or if there other repairers further north that could do similar?
In theory you would be replacing the movement like for like, so it’s remove the crown, remove the dead movement from the case, disconnect the dial and hands, re-attach the dial and hands, and reseat everything back inside the case and put the crown back in. I am no repairer, so I would source this out as I am about as far from dexterous as can be, and to be honest I know some jewellers send stuff like this out. My grandfathers quartz Seamaster crapped out and had an entire movement replacement, and the jeweller near my old work sent it somewhere that specialised in this sort of thing, and if I remember the name I will let you know…
The ESA is thicker than the later ETAs so my caveat was more for that.
In terms of cost, no idea, and I suppose you would need to factor in how much the watch is actually worth (which I suspect is why your friend passed it along). The 1000s are worth a lot more now, thanks to The Wolf of Wall Street, so an early Heuer version might get a collector interested. I’ve seen 1000 marked ones go for > £500, so maybe check Chrono24, Joma and (gasp) EBay completed listings for market rate.
I appreciate how remote you are, my first degree was Geology at Glasgow so I spent at least 6 months of the year mapping in the Highlands and Islands, and met more sheep and seals than humans.
I think it might have to be a case of contacting jewellers near to you, or maybe reaching out to somebody on here? There are a couple of watch repairers on YouTube who might even make a video if they deem it interesting? I used Electric Watches down on the South Coast to re-haul my Seamaster f300hz tuning fork about 9-10 years ago, and sent it recorded to him, so not sure if he is still going, or if there other repairers further north that could do similar?
Thank you so much for your help and advice. I know what you mean about seals and sheep. We came here from Glasgow in 1982 and there were a lot more seals then. With the advent of fish farming, if they set up a site in a particular place the seals would be shot to protect their product. Fish farms don't work, stay away from farmed salmon. End of rant, sorry about that. I will do as you suggest and try to find a repairer. Regards,Tam Murray