BUYING EXPERIENCE: Formula One Quartz Watch WAH1110

WAH1110-FT6024

Once I had decided that the old WK1110 (2000 Series) was too small for me, the search began for a new 'everyday' TAG that I could wear for work. My criteria really was that it had to be a TAG and it had to be relatively inexpensive. Before my two '2000' series watches from eBay I had owned a Seiko that was uncomfortable, unreliable and lost a ton of money in six months (like 75% of it's value) and I was determined that from now on it was TAG or nothing.

So the options were either: a) second hand, b) TAG boutique or c) just wear my F1 Kirium everyday. 

Option B was a possibility, but even at knock down prices for old stock the TAG boutique watches would still be a little on the pricey side for me to wear everyday knowing it was going to get knocked about. 

Option C wasn't really an option, even though my F1 Kirium is now worth max £700, it's my first TAG and it really is pretty much in mint condition. There's simply no way I could bring myself to use it as a beater, I'd rather pay £700 for another watch and use that, even another Kirium F1!

So option A was the preferred route and I set about searching eBay for something suitable. Most of the F1's were around the £600 mark, anything sub that was pretty beat up or dodgy looking, but then I found one which looked tidy, on a rubber strap (yes!) and seemingly with only minor wear to the edges of the bezel. This was priced at £499, but my friend managed to find the seller's own website where he was selling the exact same watch for £50 less (which is about the value of the fees he would have had to pay eBay).

So I took the plunge and the next morning I got the watch, and to my absolute surprise it was like new. The apparent wear to the bezel was a reflection on the photo, in actual fact the PVD was pretty much perfect, there was a little scratching on the silver numbers on the bezel, but all very superficial and the sapphire crystal was unmarked. 

I felt like I got a tremendous deal on a watch that was even better than it looked in the pictures and I would certainly buy from FineTime Watches again. The only fly in the ointment (which was nothing to do with the seller) was that I really couldn't get on with the clasp at all, and after a couple of weeks of immense frustration I elected to buy a replacement (buckle type) rubber strap.