FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph Two-Tone Watches

So here we are at last, the final 'First Impressions' post for 2024... and it's a two-fer! Believe it or not these two are numbers 80 and 81 in the 'C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year 2024' list, which if I remember correctly is six more than we had last year! Crazy. 

Anyway, it's been pretty clear this year that TAG Heuer are firmly embracing the 'Solargraph' movement with several new models appearing in 2024; including of course the recent 'Time & Tide' limited edition, the green dial and a whole bunch of 34mm pieces issued way back at the beginning of the year. I think it's a safe bet to say we'll continue to see more solar-powered watches joining the ranks in 2025. 

Indeed I can see a point in the not to distant future where the only old-school quartz pieces with replaceable batteries will be those rather long-in-the-tooth Formula 1s that have been around for about 8 years now. 

I guess it makes sense to keep them in the line-up though, as the brand does need something at that £1200 price point to give new customers an attainable entry level model, even if they do insist on hiding them at the back of their boutiques (as if spending £1200 on a watch is something to be embarrassed about...what are you, poor?).

But going forward it does make far more sense to embrace the Solargraph.

Sure you pay a few hundred pounds more, but in return you get a fifteen year service life with no need to change the battery every three to four years, and that in itself probably saves you the difference (especially since the new Aquaracer is a lot harder to get the back off than the older models). 

The only real problem is that so far all the coloured dial models have looked a bit strange, with a metallic-plastic aesthetic that looks all kinds of wrong. Thankfully the black dial models look great, so it's probably no surprise which one of these two-tone models I'd rather own. Which is a shame really, since I do think the recently retired Calibre 5 'Douchebag' Aquaracer looked pretty darned cool... 

Carried over from that model of course are the gold plated hands and baton markers, which look great, but of course we still have the ultra-ridiculous polished centre section on the old school clasp (when are they going to give the 40mm Aquaracers proper micro adjustment for God's sake?). I mean I suppose we should be grateful they didn't gold plate that as well as the centre links; sure it would have looked nice in the showroom, but the first time you sat at a desk that would have been toast.

So far so good, right? Well, yes... but unfortunately there's the small matter of the price. Oh Lord, here we go again... I mean take a guess, what do you think? The steel model is £2050 and the titanium models are £2800, so what do you think? £2750? Maybe £2950 at a push? £3050? £3150...? The old Calibre 5 model peaked at £3400 so it surely can't be as much that, right?

Wrong! These are actually priced at £3600. Which blows my freaking mind...

How much gold is there in these that they cost £1550 more than the steel model? These are plated watches after all, no solid bezels here. I honestly don't understand it and I don't understand how it's £200 more than the old Calibre 5 model either. I mean, in what world is quartz dearer than an automatic? We all know gold is expensive, and we expect to pay a premium for it, but £1550?

You know, I'm kinda glad this is the last 'First Impressions' post for this year, cos I'm starting to feel just a little jaded and grumpy... not to mention poor! So without further ado, let's hand this one over to the (equally fratchety, I'm sure) Council of Considered Opinion. 

And don't forget, on Christmas Eve it will be the first part of the 'C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year' extravaganza where I'll be revealing the final scores for most of this year's watches and then on the 27th of December it will finally be time to crown this year's champion. Can you guess what it is yet...? 

Black/Rose 8/10, Blue/Yellow 7/10: "Nice warm colour. I’m looking forward to seeing both in real life. Glad the second hand is in matching gold."

Black/Rose 5/10, Blue/Yellow 4/10: "Once again, TAG Heuer’s pricing is absurd."

Black/Rose 7/10, Blue/Yellow 7/10: "Is this new or old release ? 2024 ? I always like this design of the Aquaracer. But I think the best is in black PVD. Both get 7/10 from me for this two tone gold plated."

Black/Rose 7/10, Blue/Yellow 5/10: "Rose gold works as a ladies watch."

Black/Rose 7/10, Blue/Yellow 7/10: "Nice that the hands and markers match the bezel and centre of the bracelet. Otherwise, not very exciting."

Black/Rose 5/10, Blue/Yellow 4/10: "I’m not really sure for whom these were developed… Probably a bit too big for the ladies - and to feminine for most of the men. Could be a “straight to Jomashop” model…Sorry TH - ending (?) the year on a weak note!."

Black/Rose 5/10, Blue/Yellow 7/10: "Somehow I have a sweet spot for these yellow gold two-tone watches. They are so nerdy!"

Black/Rose 8/10, Blue/Yellow 6.5/10: "I like both renders, albeit leaning more towards the Black and Rose Gold, as I clearly have a penchant for that combo. The other issue with the blue is that these solar dials never look quite right in blue for some reason. Still a great late release for 2024 though."

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Las Vegas' Limited Edition Tourbillon

 

Some watches are just hard to find information on, you know... and this is one of them. I have a couple of photos and even a part number but Google won't admit knowing anything about it! It's frustrating. I even double checked that this wasn't a leak and I'm not breaking any embargos, but I was assured it's definitely been released and is available to buy. I even visited TAG Heuer's US website, but to no avail. 

But still, we have these two pictures and from this we can glean that the watch is a 45mm tourbillon with carbon bezel and lugs, a red tourbillon and baton markers and a red strap that reminds me of the old Manchester United strap (it could be the same one but I don't have a part number so I can't be sure).

We can also see that (unlike the 'Las Vegas' Monaco....) this one has an actual 'Las Vegas' print on the red display back, which is a cool feature (if slightly inconvenient for viewing the TH20-09 movement) and clearly the watch is limited to thirty pieces.

Compared to previous Las Vegas limited editions this one seems a little 'bland'... I know that sounds a little crazy considering the way it looks but I feel like the CBN2A1J.EB0265 from 2022 and the CAR2A1E.FC6400 from 2018 are much better 'Las Vegas' watches with much more unique* designs.

*Identical Macua Limited Edition notwithstanding, of course! 😏

I was going post this next Tuesday, but when I saw the COCO scores I decided to switch this one back so that we didn't end the year on a sour note. Unfortunately it very much seems like the C.O.C.O. have found this year's Monaco Riviera and scored it accordingly! Personally I don't feel the same, I scored it a (perhaps slightly generous) 5... I definitely don't love it, but I would like to see a better photo before I damn it completely. 

Unfortunately, since the voting for the C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year is already underway there's not much chance of redemption for this one...

4/10: "This one I don’t really like (as with most carbon cases)…"

3/10: "Nothing really appealing for me. Absolutely nothing. The red leather strap is the worst part."

4/10: "Loving the carbon lugs and bezel, plus the effort put into the anodised indices and hands. The caseback is' interesting', shall we say. Not fussed on the strap choice though, but I guess they are trying to differentiate it from the standard Man Utd Carrera Extreme. Not fussed on the Tourbillon aspect as usual, along with no doubt hefty price tag. Going with a middle of the road 4/10."

 

2/10: "Not my cup of tea."

 

2/10: "If disgusting was a watch, this is what it would be. Clearly one of the absolute worst releases in a very long time."

3/10: "Meh. A generous 3/10." 

4/10: "I'm not really taken by it. The red and white markers look ok and I kind of like the case back, but otherwise its just not hitting the mark for me."

 

2/10: "The strap doesn’t match. Just a cash cow now."

4/10: "I like the forged carbon case and bezel, but the rest just seems thrown together with the Vegas logo on the back. Is this intended for the drunk guy who just won his first jackpot at a casino?"

 

3/10: "I don’t really like this one."

2.5/10: "The best bit is the Las Vegas picture on the back, and that's a pretty low bar.  The strap is dreadful and clashes with the carbon lugs."

3/10: "I don’t see the point of this."

 

4/10: "What screams "Las Vegas" except for the caseback? It's so bad, I thought we don't need to rate this. that this is merely a warning post!"

3/10: "Never liked these Carbon Tourbillon Carreras. This one is no exception."

  

6/10: "I love the Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon on this modular case, but this particular combo doesn’t work for me. I don’t like the strap, the red markers, the caseback… so it’s just a 6/10"

 

6/10: "They make a Las Vegas version of the watch every year."

5/10: "7/10, but minus 2 points, because the price is too high."

2/10: "Plain tacky!!!"

VIDEO: Or Lack Thereof...

You may have noticed that the videos have tailed off in recent weeks. I'm still scouring YouTube regularly for new videos but there just doesn't seem to be much being uploaded at the moment. I'm also a little tired of wading through all the pointless 'Shorts' videos that are not worth reposting and of course all the videos advertising obviously fake 'TAG Heuers'. 

Occasionally I leave a comment deriding their ridiculous claims and to their credit they often reply. Though lately that reply seems to be 'I never said it was genuine...', as if the fact that it has a TAG Heuer logo on the dial is irrelevant! The other day I left a comment that said 'Swiss Quality... NOT!' and the guy shot back with 'Swiss Quality Available!'... but one look at the bracelet was enough to know it was anything but.

I have a feeling this is perhaps a combination of a cooling in the watch market and the oncoming Christmas celebrations, but rest assured if I do find more TAG Heuer related videos that are worthwhile reposting then I will post them.

FEATURE: The Top 10 Aquaracers

Okay, so as you're probably aware by now 2024 is the 20th Anniversary of our beloved Aquaracer, and throughout the year I've welcomed eleven fans of the model to share their favourite models with us. We started with BP Smith way back on the 5th of January, last month it was my turn and now I'm back one more time to share with you the combined results and to crown the 'Ultimate Aquaracer'. 

But before I do, I'd like to take a moment to thank all the people who took part: BP Smith, Imagwai, Mrs Aquagraph, ThngzILikeToo, Shane Paradis, Jemagloh, Abrod 520, DTF, Rich T, Albert AMG and of course the patron saint of Aquaracers 'Jim Dollares'. Thanks to you all for your efforts, especially those of you who wrote your own commentary. 

If I had to single out one 'Top 10' as the most interesting, I think I'd have to go with Shane Paradis. Shane shared his selection with us back in March and uniquely chose six quartz pieces, not to mention his number one pick was completely out of left field... I mean I don't think anyone else even looked at the Calibre S regatta timers as a pick, never mind a winner. I also liked that he chose watches from varied eras of the Aquaracer and Shane was also the only person to include a watch with an alarm in his list! 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 'Manchester United' Complete Service by Montre De Luxe

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco 'Las Vegas' Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph

Launched to coincide with the holding of this year's Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix, this one allegedly took inspiration from the bright neon colours of that famously decadent city... but yet there is no mention of Las Vegas on the watch or the watch box, nor is it a limited edition or even a special edition, and it is freely available everywhere. 

Similarly there is no mention of 'Las Vegas' on its page on the TAG Heuer website; all of which leads me to believe that far from being a 'Las Vegas' Monaco, it was actually just a convenient 'short-term' marketing strategy.

But whatever, you can't blame em for trying to shift some units, and honestly I don't really think any one will remember that this was called the 'Las Vegas' Monaco in the future (especially since we know there was an actual 'Las Vegas' branded Carrera launched at the same event... more on that soon).

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Barbie' by Jim Dollares

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Red Bull' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph

Berry's Jewellers / Nottingham, 12th November 2024

I recently spent a day in Nottingham and was very much looking forward to visiting the TAG Heuer boutique there. Last time I visited the town I had a nice chat with a guy called Brad and I got to try on a 160th Anniversary 'Montreal' Carrera that was still (rather unexpectedly) knocking about. I couldn't quite remember where the store was (Clumber Street it transpired) but when I eventually stumbled on its location it turned out that it had been closed down two months ago. 

I found this quite surprising at the time, but then again we know the watch market has softened considerably lately and so I guess when the lease comes up on these boutiques perhaps WOS/Goldsmiths have to think twice before recommitting to another long lease. I've always thought perhaps they got a bit carried away with all these single brand stores, was there really enough additional business to justify opening all these boutiques? 

Maybe a few here and there, but they seem to have been opening them willy-nilly over the last few years. I can see the logic of opening them in places like Meadowhall in Sheffield, a place with huge footfall, but I struggle to see the viability of opening one in Solihull (for example). I mean, yes there's probably lots of rich doctor types living nearby, but I'm sure they could have been served equally well by an AD.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia CY2110 Chronograph by WatchCharter

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph 'Time & Tide' Limited Edition

 

There is a distinct possibility that what you are looking at here will, in a few short weeks, become the COCO Watch of the Year for 2024. Of course, it's not a foregone conclusion, because the TAG Heuer x Hodinkee Seafarer is bound to attract a decent number of votes, but based on the 'First Impression' scores, this is the watch to beat. Could it be true that after five years we finally get a proper, modern, TAG Heuer branded watch on the top step of the podium... and an Aquaracer (in this 20th anniversary year) at that?

Time will tell, but I will be keeping my fingers crossed for it because my personal 'Watch of the Year' (the diamond bezel Carrera CBN2A12) has zero chance of winning. Which, of course means I have a crisis of conscience to deal with - do I vote with my heart or with my head? Hmm... 

FEATURE: A Not So Crazy Couple of Years of Watch Buying...

Last year was the first year for several years where I didn't write a post recapping that year's purchases, mainly because I really didn't buy that much! This year, I have bought more than last year, but still not enough to call this post 'Another Crazy Year of Watch Buying' like the ones I wrote between 2019 and 2022... because those years genuinely were CRAZY and led to me at one point holding 61 TAG Heuers in my collection. 

That, of course, was ridiculous. But thankfully I saw the error of my ways and over the last two years I have managed to cut my collection in half. But I haven't just sold watches, of course I have bought a few more, generally selling cheaper pieces to fund higher priced models. For example my 15 piece classic Formula 1 collection raised more than enough to buy my green dial Calibre 5 Aquaracer and that wasn't all I sold....

I also dispensed with my grey 500M Aquaracer, my blue quartz Executive (which was a lovely watch, but at 35mm, and with no lugs at all, was way too small for my 7.1/2" wrist), my grey dial 4000, my blue dial 6000, my blue WAB series Aquaracer, my red dial S/EL, my copper dial S/EL, my white dial S/EL automatic, my blue dial 36mm Kirium, my Link Searacer, my gold 3000 Chronograph, my Coke bezel 2000 Sports, my black dial 2000 Exclusive Chronograph, my two-tone 3000, my blue dial 2000 Exclusive... and probably a few more that I've forgotten.

The funny thing is, while I didn't 'want' to sell any of them (I'd much rather have just keep all of them) I don't actually regret selling any of them either. I mean sure I occasionally see a photo of one of my old watches and think 'Oh yeah, that was nice', but I certainly don't want to buy it back or anything. The only watch I think I would ever buy again was the Calibre 8 GMT Grand Carrera that I bought and sold a few years back, but even then I'd probably go for a different dial colour.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Senna' Calibre TH20-09 Tourbillon Chronograph Limited Edition

 

Many many months ago, way back at the start of the year, Wei Koh (Revolution Watches) posted a video interview with (then) TAG Heuer CEO Julien Tornare. In this interview Wei touched on many things, but one of the key moments that left a lasting impression was when he asked about the 'Senna' watch. I haven't rewatched the interview, but for some reason the way I (and others, it must be said) perceived the response from Julien suggested something 'extra-special' was brewing.

This led to quite some debate amongst watch enthusiasts on the THF Forum because what could this 'something special' possibly be? The obvious answer was a 're-edition' of the classic 'Senna' S/EL, but a two tone ana-digi quartz watch on a brown leather strap, using a case that's been out of production for about a quarter of a century seemed like a long shot... at best.

You may remember I even wrote a POST about it...

But then the whole Kith thing happened and suddenly resurrecting an icon from the past didn't seem like such a stretch of credibility after all. Realistically though, I don't think anyone REALLY thought TAG Heuer were going to remake the watch we all associate with Ayrton, perhaps a more realistic thought was a reboot of the ailing Link model range with a new Senna watch to lead the way.

ON THE WRIST: Heuer Monaco 'Racing Green' Calibre 11 Limited Edition Chronograph

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

At the tail end of last year I was lucky enough to get hands-on with the previous 'Racing Blue' Monaco and I really quite liked it. Sure it had the wrong logo on it and the crown is on the silly side of the case, which I don't like, will never like and can't understand why other people think that's how it 'should' be... but regardless, it was a nice watch. 🤣

So when TAG Heuer launched a new version, similarly limited to 1000 pieces, I thought 'Okay - this looks pretty good and I like the green'. However when I looked a little closer... it started to lose its appeal a little bit, not least because the green subdials were actually a little bit tealy, and worse still the strap didn't match all that well.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Oracle Red Bull Racing' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph

 

Way back in 2021 our good friend Jim Dollares wrote a post for this blog celebrating five years of Red Bull and TAG Heuer's collaboration. I can't believe it's that long ago already... and of course in the meantime there's been several more watches, so maybe that post needs an update Jim? 

Now, with Max Verstappen on the cusp of his fourth consecutive World Driver's Championship, it's time for the latest addition to this little collection (I wonder if anyone actually owns them all, that would be a cool set) and once again it's a 43mm Formula 1 quartz chronograph. 

BUYING EXERIENCE: TAG Heuer FT6051 White Rubber Strap

CAR2A1Z.FT6051

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

Some of you will probably remember that the original 45mm Carrera Heuer 01 Skeleton (CAR2A1Z) was at first available in just one format: red dial highlights and a black rubber strap. This was later expanded to include a white rubber strap and indeed a red rubber strap. There was also a 'Blue Touch' edition which featured blue dial highlights and a blue rubber strap, that was pretty nice too... but by the time that arrived I'd already bought mine and I don't have any regrets about that.

It's perhaps a little surprising that TAG Heuer didn't play around more with this, as we saw some future possibilities at the launch event (yellow, orange and lime green models were on show but none of them made it into production - booo!). But still, if you own a CAR2A1Z you can of course order a white or red (or blue I guess) strap for it, and that's exactly what I decided to do after 8 years of ownership!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer x Time & Tide Aquaracer 'Sundowner' Solar Quartz Limited Edition by Time & Tide

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers

So finally it's my turn! I've been waiting all year to share with you my personal top ten and with so much time to deliberate inevitably the final positions have been shifted around time and time again. No joke, I think at least four or five different watches have been in pole position at different times throughout the year and I'm actually dreading having to finalize my choices because I know damn well they're going to change by tomorrow morning. Gah! 

Now obviously, having owned more than a few Aquaracers over the last few years, my list is going to feature my own watches quite heavily... well I guess that's only natural since I sought out the ones I really liked, so that's what you're going to get (plus one or two that slipped through my fingers). So I'm afraid my list isn't perhaps as unpredictable as I'd really like it to be. I did actually contemplate discounting my watches entirely, but that wouldn't really work either... so what I'll probably just do is add some 'honourable mentions' at the end instead.

It's been noticeable that many of the previous guests have chosen a lot of watches from the very recent past, and while I too have a couple of recent pieces included in my list I think I have selected fairly evenly across the Aquaracer's history, certainly from each decade of the model's production span. That's not to say I am right and they are wrong of course - many people believe the current Aquaracers are the best the brand has ever produced, but I am more of a 'historian' I suppose and I like quirky watches so that's probably why.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Japan 24' Calibre TH20-00 Limited Edition

 

It's always interesting to see watches that are released in specific markets like this one, even if sometimes it's hard to grasp the relevance of the accompanying marketing. Case in point is this new 'Japanese' limited edition 42mm Carrera chronograph. Seeing the '24' up there on the dial you might immediately assume that this model is connected to motor racing somehow, even more so given the obvious similarities with last year's 'Team Ikuzawa' release.

FEATURE: TAG Heuer Monaco 50th Anniversary Limited Editions

Hard to believe, but it's been five years since the final '50th Anniversary' Monaco was released back in late October 2019. So I thought, maybe now would be a good time to take a moment to take a look back at this five piece collection and remind ourselves how it came about and also invite the Council of Considered Opinion to share their thoughts and (since 2019 was pre-C.O.C.O.) score the watches for inclusion in the final totals list. 

So clearly, even before we got to 2019 we knew that it was the 50th anniversary of the Monaco (glossing over the fact that it was out of production for quite a large portion of that of course) and it was expected that there would be some sort of special watch, much as there had been for the 40th anniversary. But it was quite a surprise when TAG Heuer announced that there would actually be 5 different watches released throughout 2019, each celebrating a different decade (again glossing over the fact that there never was an 80s Monaco of any description, nor late 70s or early to mid 90s come to that!).

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Monza 'Carbon' Special Edition Chronograph

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

It's kinda funny, this one has been around for so long that when I clocked it in the display case in the TAG Heuer boutique in Sheffield's Meadowhall centre, I honestly didn't even think about whether I had ever seen it or tried it on or not. I was just like... 'Oh there's the carbon Monza'... and it wasn't until the (always fabulous) Maxine asked me if I'd seen it before that the penny finally dropped. I mean it's been at least two years since the Monza CR5090 first appeared on (Red Bull Racing boss) Christian Horner's wrist, so it just feels very familiar, even though before today I'd never actually come across one in person. 

Thinking about it it's been quite a number of years since I had any kind of Monza on the wrist and I'd kinda forgotten quite how big a 42mm 'square' watch really is. I think even from this photo you can tell that it's quite a lump of watch and it sits quite high too. But with its carbon case and nylon strap, of course it's anything but heavy. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 36mm Calibre 7 with Diamond Hour Markers

 

One of the more unexpected success stories of recent times seems to have been the pink 36mm Carrera (otherwise known as 'The Barbie'). This model has found favour with men and women alike despite it's diminutive size and indeed our Swedish correspondent Jim Dollares has recently taken delivery of one himself (Buying Experience for that incoming...). 

Ever since the launch Jim was waiting to see if TAG Heuer brought the watch out in a larger size, say 39mm, but eventually he started to worry that the 36mm might be discontinued and he took the plunge. Literally one day after he picked up his new watch TAG Heuer released the same watch with diamond hour markers - which, while annoying for Jim, probably means they aren't about to release it in 39mm.

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Gold Skipper' Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

While I've never been particularly enamoured of all those fusty old 'Heuer' watches that vintage enthusiasts get super excited about, even I have to admit that 2023's Carrera Skipper was an eye-catching release and easily the best of the modern 39mm 'Glassbox' range. So I was interested to see the watch housed in an 18k rose gold case - especially since on paper the gold should work wonderfully with the strong blue dial. Would it look super classy though? Or douchebaggy? After all, blue and gold is nice combination, but a tricky one to get just right, especially when there are other colours on the dial to consider.

FEATURE: EBAY: No Fakes. No Fraud. No Doubt? (Part Two)

Way back in March I wrote a post about eBay and their drive to convince us all that it was safe to buy through their platform without worrying about fake watches, at least for watches that cost more than £1500 (the price point where eBay actually offer hands-on checks), though even then there is some debate on the effectiveness of that. 

Since then I've reported two or three watches that have caught my eye and all three were branded totally fine by eBay. Now these weren't super-fakes where you need to closely inspect the lume pip in the bezel and see the bracelet pins... these were watches that anyone with a reasonable knowledge of the brand would spot as wrong-uns or at least raise suspicions. But no, eBay got a 'service agent' to look at them and decided that each one was not fraudulent.

Well clearly eBay's 'service agents' are ill equipped to do this job, because they are still clueless about even pretty obvious fakes. Like this one for example.

VIDEO: Which TAG Heuer 36mm Carrera by Brent Miller Time

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Porsche Panamericana' Glassbox Tourbillon L/E Chronograph

 

I've now lost count of all the Porsche branded TAG Heuer watches we've seen over the last few years, I want to say it was 10 or 11 prior to this, but I'm not 100% sure. Seems like the time is ripe for a 'Feature' post detailing them all, don't you think? Well, I'll get on it, but for now we have a new (and perhaps slightly controversial) new steel cased tourbillon co-branded with both Porsche and Panamericana; after the famous rally held in the early 1950s.

The watch itself is hardly 'retro' in its styling, but it does take 'inspiration' from the Porsche 550 which competed in said rally; mainly the yellow of the racing numerals used on the car for the hands, the wheels which are the basis of the unique-to-this-watch open dial design and the paint finish which has inspired the speckled look found on both the subdials and the main dial - a unique touch for sure. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Sports Extreme Chronographs by Monochrome Watches

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 7s - Baby Pink and Ice Blue

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

It's always a pleasure for me to visit the TAG Heuer boutique in the Meadowhall shopping centre, the staff are lovely people and they always have time for you. If you are in that part of the world I heartily recommend stopping by. I tried on quite a few watches on my most recent visit there and there are still more 'On the Wrist' posts to come, including the carbon Monza (finally) and the latest 'Racing Green' Monaco (meh).

But today we shall focus on two.... I was going to say ladies watches, but really only one of these is truly a ladies watch, and that, quite obviously is the baby pink strapped WBN2315. As you can see I didn't actually try it on, in fact I'm not at all sure the strap was big enough to go around my 7.1/2" wrist, but my wife did and she quite liked it.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer GMT Calibre TH31-03 COSC Watches by Brent Miller Time

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by DTF

And so we come to our eleventh 'Top 10 Aquaracers', this time featuring the choices of THF Forum and C.O.C.O. member 'DTF'. This time our guest has provided his own commentary which means this is a nice easy post for me, thanks for that 'DTF'. 😊

I hope you enjoy his selections as much as I have and finally next month it will be my turn! I guess I need to make some tough decisions of my own between now and then, hey?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch by Soundsoserious

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - 2024' Limited Editions

 

We've already seen limited edition Carreras for both Kuwait and Qatar this year and now it's time for an update to last years 'Kingdom of Saudi Arabia' Carrera. Last year's model featured a silver dial with a green outline and the KSA emblem in green on the dial. Only 100 were produced and the watch came in a special green presentation box with both a bracelet and a green alligator strap.

This year TAG Heuer have produced two models, a 41mm day/date Carrera in steel and a 29mm version with a rose gold bezel and crown and a two tone bracelet.  The dials are inscribed with the words 'Saudi' (male) and 'Saudia' (female) on their respective dials.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer S/EL Quartz Chronograph by Birth Year Watches

 

DUEL: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Skeleton Chronograph v Carrera Calibre 16 Titanium Chronograph

CAR2A1Z.FT6044                       CV2A80.FC6256

Hello readers, hard to believe I know for one so soft of skin and lithe of body🤣, but today is in fact my 55th birthday! Yay. Cake!!! And so I thought perhaps I would take a break from all these incessant new release posts and instead do what I really like doing. So today I will be writing about two of my most luxurious watches; my original 2016 Heuer 01 Skeleton and the titanium cased Calibre 16 day date Carrera I got from the Bicester Village outlet for my 50th birthday.

Now this post has in fact been in the works since late 2021, I even had some text written and pictures taken... but as three years have passed (!) I decided it would be much better to just start from scratch. I even briefly pondered the idea of switching out the Calibre 16 Carrera for my recently purchased Grand Carrera Calibre 36 for a true 'Clash of the Titans' post... but on reflection I decided that perhaps comparing my long time 'favourite' watch with the watch I am currently 'infatuated' with was a bit unfair. I mean maybe in time the GC Caliper will emerge as my 'favourite' watch, but it's far too soon to be throwing claims like that around.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph Calibre TH50-00 Watch by A Blog to Watch

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph 'Green Dial' Quartz Watch

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

When the green Solargraph was announced I must admit I was a teeny bit concerned that maybe I had rushed into buying the Calibre 5 version. I've always said that given the choice of two identical watches one quartz, one automatic, I would probably choose the quartz... and a solar powered quartz appeals even more. 

But generally speaking there never really is a choice of identical looking watches is there? So the question that required answering here was primarily how do the two dials compare, and secondly was the light blue second hand a deal breaker?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Calibre 16 Chronograph by Random Rob

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquracer 'Sprite' Calibre TH31-03 GMT Watch

 

28th September 2024 / TAG Heuer Boutique, Meadowhall, Sheffield

It's funny, I've been waiting a while to see this one, because as seems to be the norm now when TAG Heuer release a bunch of watches together, there's always one that lags behind. Last time I got to visit the excellent Meadowhall boutique I saw all of the new three hand Aquaracers and also the 'Batman' GMT, but I was really pinning my hopes on this all new colour scheme being the one that really got me interested. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Extreme Sports Chrongraph by Hourstriker

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Ice Blue' Calibre TH20-09 Limited Edition Tourbillon

By my reckoning this is TAG Heuer's eighth different tourbillon this year, and while technically this one is another 'limited edition'... at 250pcs it rather begs the question 'just how many £20,000 tourbillons can TAG Heuer actually hope to shift?' I mean, TAG Heuer's bread and butter business is commonly accepted to be in the £1500-6000 region, so it's surprising that the brand feel comfortable making so many pieces in this price bracket.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Sprite' GMT by Brent Miller Time