Friday 31 August 2018
Thursday 30 August 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Heuer Autavia 'Watches of Switzerland' Limited Edition
Another 150 piece limited edition, this time in collaboration with 'Watches of Switzerland', and given the popularity of blue dials these days I can't see this one hanging around for long. That said, I'm not too sure about the blue dial with the black bezel, it's not terrible, but it would have been nice if they could have gone the extra mile and produced a blue bezel to match, but I guess the more things they change the more the costs go up. Personally I would have preferred a blue JH85 style bezel, but now we're getting carried away!
The orange second hand looks good though, blue and orange is pretty much always a winning combination, although I suspect they might have polluted this with that awful biege lume again, I can't really tell from this picture but I bet they have. On top of those crisp white sub dials as well... tsk tsk, this is becoming a nasty little habit TAG, please stop it.
I'm not a fan of the Autavia in general, but this is one of the better looking ones for sure, and the blue dial seems to go very well with the 'beads of rice' bracelet, better than the black dial in my opinion. I do wonder how many more Autavia special editions we're going to get, we've already had the Calibre 11, Hodinkee and the Harrods and now this one, not to mention the UAE one... I bet Mr Bamford is already working on a carbon fibre cased one as well - although maybe that one would be a step too far?
Wednesday 29 August 2018
Tuesday 28 August 2018
FEATURE: A Trip to Meadowhall
As far as TAG goes, there's three places to look in Meadowhall, obviously there's the TAG Heuer boutique, then there's Beaverbrooks and Goldsmiths. Goldsmiths don't actually stock TAG any more in Meadowhall, I guess because they are only about three doors away from the boutique... but they still have pre-owned TAGs if you look hard enough.
But my first port of call was Beaverbrooks and I was rather uninspired by the window display to be honest, nothing really stood out except perhaps the new Carrera Calibre 16 with the awful biege lume and the HUGE white subdials - I'm not a fan of these ones it must be said. Since I was with my wife I ended up browsing the women's models and actually there was a couple of very nice Aquaracers, one with a blue Mother of Pearl dial, which caught the light perfectly and also a black MOP dial which wasn't quite as attractive although it did have a kind of red highlight running through it when it reflected just the right way.
WAY1311.BA0748
It's really difficult to find pictures which show off the dials on these, but this one is well worth a look.
Moving on to Goldsmiths and the pre-owned section, there was a fairly limited choice, the most interesting by far was the blue and white Monaco 24 they had, albeit the price was around the £6000 mark, which while that is probably fair given the original list price, I cannot fathom why anyone would pay that when they could buy the same watch NOS with a two year warranty from one of the TAG outlets around the country - but then they are the same kind of prices on Watchfinder as well, and they seem to turn them over. So I guess the conclusion we can draw from that is that not everyone is aware of the outlets?
CAL5111.FC6299
I find it rather depressing that if you Google 'Monaco 24 blue and white' that the majority of hits you get are terrible fakes.. I really don't understand why people persist in buying these awful things. I suppose the one positive you can take from it is that most of them are so bad that no-one who's got any real idea is going to be fooled for more than a second...
I haven't tried a Monaco 24 on for a while, I think the last one I tried was the black and silver version and that was stunning, definitely my pick of the bunch, but it's a lot of cash to invest in one watch and I can't see me getting one any time soon - although definitely long term I do want one. The Monaco is a glaring omission from my collection, but the 'classic' ones don't really do it for me, and realistically they aren't that much cheaper than the 24s anyway!
Finally I made my way the few short steps to the TAG Heuer boutique itself, and again, it wasn't terribly inspiring somehow. Indeed, the one watch which put a smile on my face in there was the Aquaracer Calibre 5 Camouflage Special Edition. I still can't stand the NATO strap, but the dial is fantastic. I think that could definitely be something I would put my money into, although I'd need to sort out exactly what rubber straps would fit it as I couldn't live with the supplied strap for more than about five minutes.
WAY208D.FC8221
Judging by the number of these that still seem to be knocking about, I can imagine this being just the sort of watch that would turn up in the outlets, though I think it's a shame that it hasn't sold better. Given this, it's perhaps not surprising that TAG seem to be slowly moving into a more conservative realm, and that's disappointing - but understandable from a financial point of view. Anyway, I would definitely like one of these sooner or later, but that strap has got to go. Ideally I'd like a 'fitted' TAG strap, but if not then maybe one of those Isofrane things would look good on it?
The only other things in there that caught my eye were the Red Bull Carrera Heuer 01 with the blue leather strap and the Arabic numerals, and a couple of Lady Links, in particular the matt black ceramic version with the diamond bezel and the gloss version without the diamonds. My wife said she'd rather have the shiny one, but with the diamonds and I have to say I agree.
WBC1394.BH0745
It doesn't look nearly as 'Matte' in the pictures as it does in the flesh and it looks a bit odd to be truthful. I'm not sure the diamonds work with the finish very well, which is a shame as it's a beautiful design. I haven't seen the gloss finish version with the diamonds and it's entirely possible that it isn't made (this is the Bella Hadid limited edition retailing at £4650), if that's the case then that's a bit of a shame because I'm sure that would look pretty amazing.
All in all then, a bit of a disappointment really. But if nothing else this little adventure has at least reignited my interest in that WAY208D Camo Calibre 5!
Monday 27 August 2018
Saturday 25 August 2018
Friday 24 August 2018
FEATURE: Are TAG Heuer Watches Over Priced?
Let's be honest, TAG Heuer doesn't get much love in the wider watch community... undoubtedly it's partly because they still make quartz watches and that really rubs some people up the wrong way. I don't know why it annoys people so much, or why people get so agitated in general - it's only watches for God's sake! For my own part I tend not to look at other brands too much any more because any time that I've see an Omega I like it's usually five months salary (Apollo 8 Speedmaster for example) and that's not really viable for me, and other brands I like (Hublot, Richard Mille) are so far out of my price range it's not even funny. I did hanker after the 45mm Breitling Hurricane Avenger for a while, I even tried it on in the Bond Street boutique, but at £7000 it's just too much for me. On the other hand, TAG make watches that I like and they are (relatively) attainable, so I stick to what I like and what I can afford.
Breitling Hurricane Avenger 45mm - a bit too rich for me!
If you watched that video the other day with The Time Teller and Federico, you'll have heard a familiar line from Federico - he didn't agree that TAG sucked, but he had to get in there that they are overpriced. So, are TAG Heuer watches overpriced?
Ultimately, the market decides if you're over priced. Price too high and nobody buys your product and you go out of business = simple economics. TAG are doing pretty good business from what I understand, although results are posted as the LVMH group so it's hard to establish actual figures. Still, it seems certain that TAG is probably as popular as it's ever been - if not more so, and much more visible in the sporting arena with it's sponsorship programme (including Premier League football and the Red Bull F1 team) and on the high street with their own boutiques popping up in shopping centres in key areas.
I think something that people in the watch community fail to take into account when they claim that TAG Heuers are overpriced, is the amount that they spend on marketing and creating brand awareness. So yes, when you buy a brand new TAG a proportion of that cost is going to Manchester United and Red Bull and even Alec Monopoly! But that's a choice you make, The Time Teller offered up Hamilton as an example of a Swiss watch brand that wasn't overpriced. That may be so, but nobody cares about Hamilton do they? Really? Most ordinary people wouldn't even know what a 'Hamilton' is. If you said 'Hamilton' to a non watch-obsessed member of the public, they would probably come up blank, or assume you were talking about Lewis Hamilton. TAG's brand awareness is very good in comparison.
Hamilton Khaki - whateverrrrrr...
So, it seems to me that there is a distinct difference between the brands that put themselves out there, and the ones that don't, and the ones that don't are generally a lot cheaper. So from that standpoint you could argue that TAG Heuer is overpriced, but any brand that isn't Rolex needs to put themselves in front of their potential market and that costs money. Whether it's sponsoring football teams, Formula 1 teams, the Olympics or James Bond, money needs to be spent and it inevitably comes from the price of the goods sold. Omega gets a lot of love from the watch community, but their watches are just as over-priced, it just seems to be a convenient stick to beat TAG Heuer with now that the quality control issues of the past have been addressed.
In turn, brand awareness creates demand and ultimately 'value', which is why Rolex can charge the prices they do. But for some reason Rolex don't get called out on their prices the way TAG do, and it's not because Rolex watches are 'worth' the money, it's because they hold their value, which unfortunately TAG don't to the same extent. I suppose this is where the problem arises, and from my perspective it seems at least partly because TAG tend to prioritise 'design' which can leave some pre-owned models looking a bit 'last season', which of course isn't something Rolex suffer from.
Since the boom in retro styling, the other watch companies have embraced this with gusto as it plays to their strengths (think Speedmaster for example) but as an 'Avant Garde' forward looking company, TAG does have this issue that designs from five years ago can look a little dated, this in turn affects the resale values of some (but not all) models, add to this the watch community's overwhelming tendency towards staunch conservatism and 'classic' designs (verging on luddite to be honest, when was the last time you saw any watch channel recommending anything other than a Speedmaster, Submariner, Khaki, or SKX?) and you can see how TAG's problems add up.
Early quartz Links are favourites for abuse from TAG haters.
But clearly not all TAGs are equal when it comes to retaining value. I thought picking up a used Red Bull F1 for a nice price would be fairly easy, but the absolute best price I've seen is £900 which means it's lost about 30% of it's value from new, but most are £1000+ and that's excellent for any watch that isn't Rolex.
So why does Rolex hold it's value so well when other brands struggle so much? Well, for one thing Rolex do not change their range every five minutes so if you buy a Submariner today, in five years that Submariner (or one painfully similar) will still be made and it will have gone up significantly. Because of this your watch will probably be worth about what you paid for it. Non watch-people have this idea that Rolexes are a great investement, but they aren't really. If you want to make money don't buy watches full stop, but yes, it is true that unlike most luxury watches your Rolex won't lose money like a leaky bucket loses water.
I've noticed this particularly with models that are discontinued in the TAG range, like my Aquagraph. The original list price was £3000, and I bought mine at Bicester Village for £2100. It's mint and today it's probably worth £1300 max, but if that watch was still in production, the list would be £4000, and mine would be worth maybe £2000. That's the Rolex effect.
The flip side of that, is that I don't want TAG to be a safe, stagnant company that makes the same ten watches for eternity. I want them to make crazy stuff like the Microtimer, even if I personally wouldn't have paid £2000 for it new (I bought mine pre-owned for £600), but that course has definite ramifications for the pre-owned market.
But what is the alternative? When you see Rolex devotees losing their collective mind because O.M.G. there's a Submariner with a tiny bit of red text on the dial... I don't want that for TAG Heuer thank you very much.
So are TAG Heuer watches overpriced? The market says no, but objectively you could say yes, but no more so than Breitling, Longines, Omega and all the rest of their direct competitors.
Microtimer is AWESOME!
Because truthfully when it comes to luxury goods 'retail price' isn't actually a reflection of material value. Is a steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore really 'worth' £22,000? Certainly not in terms of it's material and components, in fact I would suggest it probably costs way less than £2000 to make that watch. But, it's an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore... in the same way that a Ferrari's just a car, but it's a Ferrari, and that costs money.
When you think about it, spending more than about £150 on a watch is pretty ridiculous, nobody needs luxury watches, they're just things we like to own. So the price is academic, they will charge what they can get. TAGs are a 'modernist' brand and they are sold in large quantities so it would be tough to address the second hand value issue, although if they could it would most likely drive up the retail price, as we've seen with Rolex and now Tudor to some extent.
But certainly I don't see myself walking into a shop and paying full retail for a new TAG, unless it's a limited edition and I'm sure I'm never go to want to sell it. But plenty of people do, and probably a large proportion of those people aren't 'watch' people really, they're just affluent consumers who see a nice watch and want to own it. But that's good from my point of view, because those are exactly the sort of people who need stimulating with new and original product and that is what I want to see from TAG Heuer!
Thursday 23 August 2018
Wednesday 22 August 2018
NOT BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Quartz Two Tone
WAF1120.BB0807
You remember my 'Buying Experience' post about my blue dial Kirium chronograph, and more precisely the part where I said buying from eBay is a risk and you sometimes get more than you thought and sometimes less, well.... that doesn't just apply to eBay!
As you may recall, the other day I posted about the WN1153 2000 Exclusive two-tone 37mm I tried on at H&T Pawnbrokers in Northampton. I really liked the design of the watch, but at 37mm I just knew it was going to be a purchase I would regret, so when I came across the WAF1120 on the Fine Time Watches website for a bargain £529 I thought I'd found myself the answer.
The watch was advertised as being 41mm, suitable for a 8.1/2" wrist and there was a 10% discount offer going, so having used Fine Time before (and being quite impressed) I made a snap decision to buy. I know, I know... but recently I've lost several watches (and a car) by hesitating too much so I thought - go for it, you know?
I mean that looks pretty cool right? That's what I thought... of course, the first sign of trouble came the evening after I'd placed my order. I was Googling WAF1120 for pics and of course I came across where Watchfinder had one that was £875. Woo, I thought - got mine at a great price! But then I noticed the size on the Watchfinder site was listed as 38mm.
So I Googled some more, and found several other sites where it was listed variously as 38mm, 38.4mm and 39mm. Hmm... here comes that sinking feeling again!
So I went back to the Fine Time Watches site and of course the listing had been taken down because the watch was no longer available. I wasn't doubting that the size was listed as 41mm, but I just wanted to screenshot it for my own peace of mind. However, there is a section on the site where they show previous sales, and they have sold several WAF1120s (usually in the £700s actually, probably due to the condition - in hindsight) and each and every time they have described the watch as being 41mm.
So the watch arrived and my first impression was, it was kinda bland and a lot more scratched than the pictures had led me to believe. Also the box it came in was deteriorating much like the box my Chronotimer came in and everywhere I put it down there was a trail of black bits left behind. That in itself isn't an issue really, I'm buying the watch not the box - but of course it's nice to have the box in good condition, especially if you think you might be going to sell it again.
But the watch was definitely not as pristine as the pictures (grey towel pics) suggested, all the pics below are taken by me and give a much more realistic representation of how the watch actually looked.
On the wrist, I didn't have a problem with the size. It looks like it could be a 41mm to be honest, but it's so dull and lifeless. I think it's just the lack of contrast, I think maybe the gold on the WN1153 is slightly darker, so it looks like it contrasts more with the silver elements... this one just has zero pop. Which is bizarre when it's a gold watch!
One thing I will say is that this watch is quite hard to photograph, the light reflects off it so much that a head on shot is not happening! Not with my camera.
The lume was good on the markers (which are framed with gold surrounds), there's no lume at the twelve and three positions but there is a lume pip on the bezel.
It didn't matter how many times I looked at the watch I could not tell if the gold had come off the raised parts of the bezel. See in this photo it really looks like it has, but I just couldn't tell. It looks like the gold there is very thin and you can see the silver through, probably because it's been polished at some point - but it's really hard to say for sure.
The bracelet was big on me and I would have needed two or maybe even three links taking out, but the bigger issue was the clasp. Oh yeah, the clasp. I don't know how much this watch was originally, but given that it's gold it wasn't going to be cheap - TAG have no business putting a crappy pressed steel clasp on it, that's the first thing to say... but beyond that, the clasp on this one is not good at all.
Here's a first for me, I took a little video showing you how well this clasp is working... not very good is it? Definitely needs some attention I think...!
So, with the watch already underwhelming me massively, and then the clasp problem... it didn't take me much to decide to send it back. The size not being what it was stated was convenient, but it wasn't really about that. I was just very, very disappointed in the condition and the watch in general - it just really didn't live up to the pictures at all and I must say because my previous experience with Fine Time was so good, I perhaps took it for granted that they were a seller I could trust without being diligent. I'm not saying they misrepresented the watch as far as the pictures go, they probably have a better camera than I do and know how to take 'better' pictures than me, But, it was definitely a disappointment when I opened the box, especially as last time the watch I received looked better than the pictures suggested!
To be fair to Fine Time Watches, I posted the watch back and they processed my refund immediately so I can't complain about that at all. In fact, I was slightly surprised because I posted the watch Royal Mail Special Delivery on Friday and it shouldn't have got there until Monday but they obviously received it on Saturday and did my refund straight away.
So while this was a disappointment I may have stumbled across an alternative. Apparently there is a chronograph version of the WN1153 2000 Exclusive, and that one has a 39mm diameter, so maybe, if I can find one at a reasonable price, that will be the way to go. But as for this one, well, it's a shame, I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't cut it for me.
Despite this experience, I definitely wouldn't rule out buying from Fine Time Watches again, they have a couple of very nice CAY1110s in stock, and ever since I tried that watch on I've been wanting one of those, but again it's the same problem in that it looks a lot like other pieces in my collection - most notably the Aquagraph. So for now, I think I'll pursue other avenues and see if I can't dig up a CN1151 somewhere.
CN1151
As usual, I can find pieces that have been sold, but none 'for sale'... and I do rather wonder what over-inflated price it might be when I do find one? I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it...
In the meantime, the WAF1120 is back for sale, at £529 and still listed as a 41mm... (sigh).
http://www.finetimewatches.com/product-page/tag-heuer-aquaracer-tt-gents-watch-gold-steel-waf1120
Tuesday 21 August 2018
Monday 20 August 2018
ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Chronograph
CAV511E.BA0902
TAG Heuer Boutique / York, 21st July 2018
At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking 'why is he writing about that Grand Carrera again', but look a little closer and you will see that the dial on this particular one is brown not black. Obviously, everything else about the watch is the same, but the brown dial really does look quite different in person and gives this CAV511E a distinctly luxurious appearance.
In all honesty, I never thought I would like a brown dial watch... the thought of it ranks right up there with brown straps for me, but in actual fact this one is rather gorgeous. Maybe it's because the brown dial is a little warmer and a little less harsh than the solid black version, but it just screams 'luxury' and looks worth every bit of the asking price (I think it was about £3400 IIRC).
It looks and feels fantastic on the wrist, and yet again made me question whether buying the GMT Calibre 8 was wise, when I know that deep down this is the one I really wanted. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't buy the pre-owned black dial CAV511A that was on offer for £2400 in my local jeweller. That was a mistake, for sure... but then I did manage to offload my CAU2012 for a good trade in price with Watchfinder, so I can't complain too much.
A quick Google throws up a pre-owned brown dial CAV511E available from Watchfinder for £2450, but the glass looks in a right state and it's nine years old, which again makes a NOS piece with a two year warranty look attractive if you can stretch to it.
CAV511E.FC6231
As you would probably expect, this brown dial watch was also available on a brown leather strap, although I haven't seen one myself and personally I don't think it improves the overall appeal one bit for me. But it is available, if you like that sort of thing... :)
Overall then, count me as a convert. I really would never have dreamed of liking a brown dial watch, but this one absolutely blew me away. It is absolutely stunning in person, and I think it's actually nicer than the black dial, which again I really didn't think I'd ever find myself saying. Without a doubt if I had unlimited funds this one would be sitting in my cabinet at home already, but it's still a lot of money to invest in one watch, and I'm still holding out some hope of finding the rare blue dial Japan only version. It has to come up sooner or later, doesn't it?
Sunday 19 August 2018
Saturday 18 August 2018
ON THE WRIST: 2000 Exclusive Quartz Two Tone Watch
WN1153
H&T Pawnbrokers / Northampton, 13th August 2018
Just lately I've woken up to the joys of perusing the local pawnbrokers' windows, I've already seen an Alter Ego and a very nice Formula 1 Calibre 16 and the latest thing to catch my eye was this two tone 2000 Exclusive. Since my last visit to Bicester Village I've become rather more open to the idea of having something gold in my watch cabinet and at £595 this looked like it could fit the bill nicely.
The only problem, of course, was size. At 37mm this is definitely on the smaller side and I think while you don't want a gold watch to be too big and blingy, at the same time you don't want it to be very undersized either since it could look a tad effeminate. So I was really in two minds about it when I tried it on and it didn't help that I was wearing a chunky 43mm Aquaracer at the time.
In all honesty when I saw it in the window, it didn't look overly small but I presumed that the bracelet wouldn't fit me and that would be that. But actually the bracelet was a touch too big and would definitely have needed a link or two taking out to fit my 7.3/4" wrist. Also the marks that seemed to be apparent weren't actually marks at all and most of them proved to be fingerprints on the gold plate and were easily wiped away with a cloth.
The compression clasp was in excellent order and very crisp indeed, which gave me the overall impression that the watch really hadn't seen that much use, despite it being probably at least 15 years old. I must say I really liked the gold 12, 6, 9 numerals and the way the bezel was dissected allowing for a properly two-tone design.
The next day I kept thinking about the watch, but I had grave doubts about the 37mm size. So I decided that what I would do was I would wear my 6000 Series, which is 38mm I think, but very thin and see how it compared with that. However, as it turned out my work day was rather busy and I never got the time to walk into town to try it on again.
Also a friend pointed out a two-tone Link on Fine Time Watches the other day, and I decided to check that out again, although I was sure that too was 38mm. As it happened that watch had been sold, but I did happen upon another bargain that is currently en route to me and should arrive tomorrow morning! I haven't been back into town as yet, so it could be that this one is still for sale if you fancy it? I do like it a lot, and if it had been say 40mm I might well have chosen this one even though the watch I've actually gone for is £70 cheaper. But the one I've ordered is 41mm, and that makes a big difference I think, I just feel like if I'd bought this one I'd regret it based solely on it's size, so even though I think the design might be slightly better, I'm sure I've made the right choice.
Friday 17 August 2018
VIDEO: Does TAG Heuer Suck? by The Time Teller / Federico
The Time Teller, Jory Goodman makes a fool of himself live on the interwebz (with Federico as the voice of reason... )
Thursday 16 August 2018
ON THE WRIST: Aquaracer Calibre 5 Two Tone Watch
WAK2121.BB0835
TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 27th July 2018
Ever since Liam (at Bicester) introduced me to the Grand Carrera GMT with the diamond bezel, I've found myself becoming less snooty about diamonds, gold and two-tone watches... indeed I've rather taken to the Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5 with the 18K solid gold bezel of late, although I'm still a little confused about when I would wear a dive watch with a gold bezel.
That aside, I'm definitely more open to the possibility of something gold being added to my collection, although the main problem there is that by their very nature, gold watches tend to be expensive. Two tone is probably the route I'll take because full gold watches are a bit too much visually and to be honest there aren't that many full gold TAGs to choose from anyway.
This watch caught my eye in part due to it's very reasonable price tag, £1855 in the outlet, so I'm guessing a list price around the £2500 mark - which for an Aquaracer Calibre 5 with gold on is about right. I must admit I didn't get the same feeling I got from the Calibre 5 500M Aquaracer with the gold bezel, I'm not sure why... these things are intangible I guess. Maybe it's the gold dial which doesn't feel quite right to me? It's a little wishy-washy, especially when you've got that strong black bezel as a frame. I think a gold bezel works better somehow... I think it might have been okay if the markers were black, but as it is, the dial's just a sea of gold! Not that anyone's going to take it diving, but how this can qualify as a diver is anyone's guess really, I mean legibility is definitely not it's strongest asset.
But still, even with that said, it's still a nice looking watch, and that ceramic bezel should stay looking nice way after your standard aluminium inserts has faded and scratched - although bear in mind it will forever be covered in fingerprints, that's just the way it is...
So then, this is definitely not the gold watch for me, but the more I think about it the more I definitely want to add at least one gold piece to my collection. It's an instant point of difference, but my main issue is cost, and more to the point cost vs usage... because I'm honestly not sure how often I will wear a gold watch. At one point I did consider one of those 'Eduard Heuer Golden Hours' watches, until I saw the prices they go for!
Realistically, I'm thinking sub £1000 and more than likely quartz, so I will just have to see what comes along...
Wednesday 15 August 2018
Tuesday 14 August 2018
ON THE WRIST: Formula 1 Calibre S Chronograph
CAH7010.BT0717
TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 27th July 2018
I've been kind of attracted to this one for a while, not least because it combines the best bits of my old WAH1110 and the Calibre S movement, which I really like. One of the best things about this model is that it side-steps my main problem with the WAH1110, namely it's 41mm diameter. This watch is like that one on steroids, coming in at a much beefier 44mm and all the better for it.
I thought trying this one on might make me miss my old WAH1110, but it hasn't. If anything it reminds me more of my CAU2012, which I'm pretty sure has the same case and indeed this utilises the same 22mm (BT0717) strap which I bought for my Calibre 16 F1. And speaking of that watch, my main niggle with this one is that same unfortunate combination of pushers and crown guards which project out of the side of the watch and make it look a bit odd.
But then it definitely needs those crown guards because the crown on this watch sticks out a lot. In fact it really struck me that it looked like a screw down crown that wasn't screwed down - such is the gap between the case and the crown. I don't know why that is, I know the Calibre S requires the crown to be pushed in to activate the chrono function, but my yellow Aquaracer has no gap between the crown and case visible at all.
I really love the monochrome colour scheme, that really works well although the hands on the Calibre S are typically a bit vague (mine is just the same), they often don't return exactly to the 12, but catch up once you activate the chronograph. I must admit that is the one thing that bugs me about the Calibre S, despite being otherwise brilliant. I do really like the skeletonised hands and the way they've made the 1/100 dial larger than the 1/10 although there's not really a functional reason for doing that, it just looks funky!
I think the list for this was around the £1800 mark as it's on offer at the Bicester outlet for £1205, which is the usual 30% saving. I wondered how much they were available for pre-owned, but they don't seem to be that common and the prices weren't much better to be honest, so NOS with a two year warranty seems like a good deal to me.
So crown and crown guards aside, I really rather like this one, although I think it would have to be quite a bit cheaper to tempt me back into the Formula 1 pool.
Sunday 12 August 2018
Saturday 11 August 2018
ON THE WRIST: Carrera Calibre 16 White Dial Chronograph
CV2A11.BA0796
TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 27th July 2018
I've always really liked the Carreras with the 'minute' numerals, but when they are placed on a black dial they do have a tendency to disappear as they reflect the black in their polished surfaces. One way to resolve the problem is to have a white dial and that's exactly what we have here... and it's a bit of a stunner to say the least.
There's nothing overly remarkable about the watch in general, it's a 43mm case, with a Calibre 16 movement as you'd expect and have seen in countless other Carreras. But that combination of white dial and minute markers really works well and gives this one a modern feeling that eludes a lot of Carreras. Now I'm sure this won't be everyone's cup of tea because a lot of Carrera fans would rather they didn't have a modern feeling at all, but there's many, many Carreras out there for those people, and it's nice that this one is a little different...
It's almost odd to see a white dial Carrera, and how different it makes the watch look. We see so many black dial versions (with the obligatory splashes of red) that when something that deviates from the norm comes along it can have quite a lot of impact. This watch certainly isn't for the shy and retiring owner, sometimes white dial watches can look a little bit boring but this one certainly doesn't and the face has a metallic silvery shimmer similar to a guitar I once owned.
On the wrist it feels substantial, but not oversized and features some very nice polished surfaces including the bezel, which looks great even if it is rendered all but unreadable by the constant reflections and fingermarks. But hey, who's actually using their tachymetre scale anyway?
Of course the dial brings to mind that other white faced Carrera, the McLaren 1974 Limited Edition. In fact I went as far as mocking up the CV2A11 with the tyre tread rubber strap from the CAR2A12, but once you put them side by side you realise they do look quite different. Aside from the different movements (the McLaren has the Calibre 1887) the CV2A11 is a day-date model rather than just a date and doesn't play so well with the rubber strap due to the lack of black on the face and bezel.
I honestly thought it would look better than that, and a lot closer to the McLaren, but it really doesn't... so scratch that, I'd keep it on the BA0796 bracelet provided, which is very stylish and complements the watch nicely.
List price for this one was a hefty £3850, which makes the McLaren look a better deal to be honest... but in the outlet this one has the customary 30% discount which takes it way down to £2695, which suddenly starts to look a lot more attractive (I don't imagine you're going to find a NOS McLaren at a 30% discount anywhere!). The only thing I would say is that with the three sub dials and the day date function, the TAG Heuer logo does look a little shoehorned in at the 2 position compared to the better balanced dial on the McLaren version... but that in itself isn't a deal breaker for me.
An ideal Carrera then for someone who wants something a little different, but who doesn't want to break the bank. It's certainly worth a look if you like a white dial, although as you can see from the picture above it is a sort of off-white in reality. Personally, I think I would save the cash and try and find a McLaren 40th Anniversary, but that's always been on my 'wish list' so I'm a bit biased!
Friday 10 August 2018
Thursday 9 August 2018
BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Kirium Chronograph Quartz Blue Dial
CL1112
Buying from eBay can be risky, sometimes you get better than you hoped for and sometimes you don't. I must admit when I initially opened the (immaculate) drum case for this lovely blue dial Kirium chrono I was a little disappointed. The description spoke of 'light marks', but this was pretty scratched up - by my standards at least. And then I realised the hand with the 'arrow' on the point was stuck at the 4 position and wouldn't reset to 12 and I got that sinking feeling...
Which was unexpected because the seller seemed like a decent chap and responded quickly to my emails - even the ones about the hand being stuck, and he sent me a helpful youtube video showing me how to put it right. So I think, he believed he was 'honest' even if I felt slightly cheated - but wear is a difficult thing to quantify and it's not as if the pictures were unclear - it's just that scratches can seem worse or better in pictures than they really are, especially on polished surfaces.
I consulted the manual and because it spoke of 'split times' for some reason I thought the watch was a rattrapante, so that confused me even more... it isn't, it's a regular chrono with a second hand and minute hand (with the arrow) just like my Aquagraph. Eventually, I realised that if you pull the crown out to the second position you can reset the chrono minute hand to 12 using the 'B' pusher. You have no idea how happy I was when I discovered this and then ran the chronograph for over an hour and everything worked perfectly!
But of course the watch was still scratched up and so I set about cleaning it up using some jewellers rouge, some Scotchbrite and a Dremmel. I must have spent a couple of hours carefully cleaning up the bracelet and while it still carries marks it is a vast improvement on how I found the watch on arrival.
The picture above shows the state the watch was in on arrival, the centre links are supposed to be polished while the outer links should be brushed, but you really couldn't tell. To be fair the seller bought the watch in 2001 and wore it for seventeen years before he sold it to me (he even included the original receipt - the watch was £1325 new and he got a £200 discount) so when you think about it, the decline was gradual so it probably looked okay to him.
This was the watch after I spent a couple of hours on it. I could have kept going but it's okay for now. Maybe some day I will have it done properly, but we'll see. The other thing I did was to re-black the digits on the bezel as they were completely gone. It looks so much better with them back, unfortunately I didn't take a photograph 'before' I did it.
I do think the watch looks smaller than my F1 Kirium, even though they are the same size. I think it might be because the dial on this one is busy, whereas the F1 Kirium is almost totally blank (I never use the digital functions).
The seller supplied me the three original links that were taken out of the bracelet when he bought it, which is great because I need two of them put back in. Sadly this means I haven't been able to wear the watch yet, although I think once it gets sorted it will be taken off me and saved for my birthday in October as my wife is talking about giving me the money back that I paid for it. :)
While fiddling with the watch I also realised that there is no quick set date function, but the minute and hour hands are changed independently - and the hour hand moves the date, so in effect it is a lot quicker than having to go through the full cycle, and you can move the date backwards, which I definitely didn't expect.
So this then is TAG number ten, which means my cabinet is now half full. Next on the list is definitely some kind of S/EL, and after that I don't really know... but I'm sure it will be fun finding out.
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