Wednesday 30 August 2017

FEATURE: A Trip to the TAG Heuer Boutique in Meadowhall


A couple of weeks ago I happened to be passing Meadowhall and stopped in and to my surprise found a newly opened TAG Heuer boutique, this was before they'd even posted it on their Facebook, but unfortunately I was in a rush and couldn't spend much time there.

Last weekend I attended the Infest Festival in Bradford and stayed over in the Premier Inn opposite Meadowhall, so I was there bright and early on Saturday morning, desperately hoping that by some miracle they might have the WAY208C Aquaracer that I've been trying to track down.

Well, a quick scout around the perimeter told me that particular hope was in vain, so I fell back on other possibilities and tried on a few watches instead. The first watch I tried on was the new khaki Aquaracer which was released alongside the 'snow' camouflage version that I tried on in Steffans recently.

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It was interesting to try this one on and to see the difference between this and the very similar camo version. I still think the strap is garbage, but it's less offensive on the eyes than the blue/white version. I can't understand why the silver retainers are so big, they just seem unnecessarily clunky and the watch is quite difficult to put on and get tight enough to feel comfortable somehow.

I mean obviously if I was going to buy this then I would change the strap, but the dial is odd. It's quite hard to see the logo and text on the dial from most angles, I suppose this is also supposed to be a 'camo' model and in that respect it works a lot better than the 'snow-camo' version, but I would pick that one every time. Yes the blue/white one is not to everyone's taste but in comparison this is quite dull, I guess it depends if you are into the military aesthetic?

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The next watch I tried on was the Aquaracer Phantom three hander, which I've tried before. Considering this is a limited edition of 2,500 it's quite surprising that these are still knocking about, they obviously haven't exactly flown off the shelves. I still quite like it and if I could purchase the black nylon strap from this watch and stick it on the blue/white camo one or the WAY208C that would be an acceptable compromise, but I think I've got over my initial attraction to this one.

I tried on a couple of Carreras, but nothing that I haven't seen a million times before. I still quite like the Carreras with the mirrored 'minute' numerals, but for the price (£4000) I think I would much rather go for the Red Bull Heuer 01 on the blue leather strap.

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I was interested to try the new Formula One Senna chrono, if only because I wanted to get another look at the strap. I didn't really comment much on the strap when I posted about the Man Utd F1, and I have to say I rather liked it. The raised centre section doesn't seem as weird as it does in the pictures and the strap is quite comfortable. TAG have incorporated a feature into the strap which holds one of the strap retainers in place which is a fantastic idea. It does make it a bit harder to get the tail of the strap under as it's quite close the buckle, but once there it's very secure and if you are like me and the retainers moving drives you nuts then this is a boon!

The watch itself is okay, the aluminium bezel looks good but you just know it's going to get scratched. The red stripe on the dial is very muted as well and again those plastic looking bright red hands make this look cheap I'm afraid. It's a pity because simple silver hands would lift this watch, the case looks great, the contrast with the bezel is nice and the strap is excellent... but overall it doesn't really wow me.

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The last watch I tried on (at the salesman's suggestion) was the CV5111 Heuer Carrera, which at 39mm is a tad on the small side for my 7" wrist. It is a very nice looking piece, but the retro look really isn't me at all and again for nigh on £4000 I would be looking at another Heuer 01 rather than this. But it was still nice to have a look and a try on.

On the face of it there was a fair collection of watches in there, but when you consider that TAG's website offers over 200 Carreras you realise it's actually quite a limited selection on display. Apparently business has been good and the Goldsmiths next door has dumped TAG in favour of Longines, also while I was waiting outside for my wife I noticed a couple of young girls walk by (about 20 I guess) one of which pointed to the shop and said 'Look a TAG shop!', so TAG's marketing efforts are obviously paying off.

VIDEO: Which Monaco is Right for You? by Time and Tide Watches


Wednesday 16 August 2017

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Formula One Quartz Senna Special Editions

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As you may have gleaned from my comments about the new Calibre 6 small seconds models, I'm really not a fan of the current 'shiny' steel cased models, however, coat the case in black PVD (or whatever it is they're using this week) and they look so much better. Indeed, if I had any love for Manchester Utd I might possibly have been tempted to purchase their F1 model, and if my Dad was still alive and I had a lot of disposable income I would have loved to have bought one for him, but alas, sadly not (on both counts)...

And so we come to these new Senna Formula One's... which utilise the same FT8027 straps as the Manchester Utd watch, which makes sense because of Senna's connection to the Link bracelet (which these rubber straps are designed to mimic). I'm still not sure what I think of these, they do look kind of cool in that brash way that is okay for a quartz Formula One, but I'm still not sure about that raised centre section. 

I have to say, though I haven't yet seen one in the flesh, in these pictures these look even better than the Man Utd watch. Having looked at that watch again in a shop window earlier today, it is quite a dark watch and the silver bezel on these gives it a bit more pop, especially with the red 'Senna' logo and black tachymetre markings.

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To be honest, I'm usually one for chronograph watches, but on this occasion I'm rather more drawn to the three hand version. I do like the chrono and when I get to see them I might change my mind, but from these pictures I think the chrono looks a little too busy with the three subdials and the stripes and the date and the logo. There just doesn't seem to be any room to breathe on that dial whereas the three hand version looks a lot more easy on the eye.

I'm a bit confused about that as there are plenty of other similar designs which don't give quite the same claustrophobic feeling, the Red Bull F1 for example never struck me as being too busy. Maybe it's something to do with the black on black aesthetic? 

I must say I am rather tempted to hang fire on purchasing the WAY208C Aquaracer until I've had a chance to see one of these because while I'm not a massive Senna fan, perhaps a black and red quartz model with an unusual rubber strap is just the sort of thing my collection is crying out for?



30+ Articles Added from Escapement Magazine

Monaco V4 Tourbillon

I've just added more than thirty links to the 'Articles' page from Escapement Magazine, including some high end pieces like the Carrera Mikropendulum and the Monaco V4 Tourbillon.

Visit the 'Articles' page HERE or click the link at the top of the page.

Monday 14 August 2017

VIDEO: Monaco Chronograph Review by Watches on You


NEW BOUTIQUE: Meadowhall (Sheffield)


Last Monday I unexpectedly had to shoot up the M1 to Sheffield on business, as I was passing Meadowhall I decided to stick my head in the door and pick up some Hotel Chocolat for the good lady wife. Imagine my surprise when I was confronted with a TAG Heuer boutique next door.

Sadly as I was on business, time was limited, but I had a good look around and was pretty impressed with the range of pieces on display. Two surprising omissions where the new white dial Aquaracer Calibre 5 and the Pepsi bezel Aquaracer GMT, but I'm sure they'll be in there sooner or later (after all we have them here in Northampton already).

As luck would have it I'm heading up that way again in a couple of weeks so I intend to go back and give it a closer look. Maybe they will have the WAY208C in stock and I can get a look at that nylon strap before I make up my mind to buy...

VIDEO: Aquaracer Calibre 16 Review by Govberg Jewellers


ON THE WRIST: Aquaracer Camouflage Calibre 5

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I didn't actually go looking to try this on again, I am actually in the process of trying to find a shop which is stocking the WAY208C which I am genuinely considering buying, so I looked in on Steffans to see if they had one in stock. They hadn't and it seems the watch is discontinued, though they say they can probably get one in for me.

But I really need to find one in stock so that I can make my mind up about the nylon strap, obviously I'm probably going to end up putting it on a rubber strap eventually, but I'd rather not buy yet another TAG and have to replace the strap straight away.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the WAY208D, though I really like it, I feel like I couldn't put up with that strap even for a short period. Indeed in the course of my conversation with Ford in Steffans, he took the fabric strap off and it looks markedly different. I had my everyday F1 with me and I laid it on the counter and placed the Aquaracer on top and you could see how it would look with a rubber strap - a lot better! 

My reservation is that I'm not sure if I will still like this watch in a years time, whereas the WAY208C is a lot less divisive. I'm not one for worrying about resale because I don't sell my watches, but I would be less inclined to buy the Camo watch new because I think perhaps it might end up a good bit cheaper on the second hand market, or potentially an outlet bargain in time.

I just think TAG are missing a trick not offering this on a rubber strap, but there you are. I definitely like it though, I appreciate it's craziness, and this being the second time I've tried it on I can say for sure that the appeal is growing. That strap is awful though, I can't deal with that at all.

So yes, the WAY208C is most likely going to be my next purchase...

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But I really need to see it at least one more time to see if I can cope with the cyclops and whether I can get used to the idea of the nylon strap. I don't really think the strap getting grubby is a major issue, if only because this watch wouldn't get worn on a day to day basis, so it's only going to be occasional wear when I go out or something.