CAR2080.FC6286
Even though this model was aligned with the McLaren MP4-12C road car, I guess it was inevitable that the end of the TAG Heuer sponsorship deal with McLaren F1 would make this one a difficult sell. And it certainly seems that you can pick these up new cheaper than you can find them second hand at the moment (which doesn't bode well for the second hand value).
On the face of it this is a nice looking watch, the orange and black works wonderfully well and the carbon fibre dial screams high-tec. I really like the white numbers and the font looks modern and very cool. The strap is also nicely done with the orange stitching giving a nice accent.
Where the watch falls down for me though is the exposed centre of the dial, it really does look a bit of a mess with dials meshing in front of each other. I guess once you get used to it it would be okay, but at first glance it really doesn't achieve great legibility. I know it's very small on the dial, but I could have done without the MP4-12C text as well. I think it would have been much better to keep the McLaren references on the back of the case (as they have done on the new Red Bull Formula One).
The first time I saw one of these was in a local jewellers and the £3000 discount got my attention straight away, but while the case, strap, markers, carbon dial and hands all appeal, I just can't get past that muddle of numbers right in the the middle of the dial. If the carbon dial had a window for the date rather than the open aperture I think I could easily have fallen for this watch, and with a discount like that (and a limited edition of only 1000 pieces) I might have been minded to splash out for it.
Interestingly, I notice there is another McLaren Carrera in the range (the CAR2A12.FT6033), but that one seems to be still selling at it's full RRP. So maybe the Red Bull thing is a red herring, maybe they just don't sell because people don't like them? After all, you wouldn't really expect a 1000 piece limited edition to be attracting 30-40% discounts in the stores, would you?
Maybe £8000 is just pushing this watch up too high on the TAG Heuer scale, after all there's very little else in that price bracket other than some special Monaco's and beyond that the haute horlogerie. Or maybe the Calibre 49 doesn't have the cachet of the Calibre 36 (Zenith's El Primero movement). Still, if you can get over the strange and confusing dial, then at £5000 maybe this makes a lot more sense?
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