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
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