Wednesday 31 October 2018
Tuesday 30 October 2018
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer 6000 Series Quartz Two Tone Watch
WH1151
This past weekend here in the UK we've moved back on to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) from BST (British Summer Time), it's a bit of a pain in the backside to be honest as not only does it disrupt my sleep patterns for about a week, it also means I have to get all my watches (and my wife's) out and put the hour hand back an hour. It's not so bad on the normal quartz pieces, and obviously I don't have to worry about the automatics - it's the Calibre S, the Chronotimer and the F1 Kirium that are a little fiddly and of course the Microtimer (which always necessitates a trip to the manual!).
But what it did do was remind me just how much I like my blue dial quartz 6000 Series, and how I want to add some more 6000s to my collection. And then I got an email reminding me that I was watching this one and that it was finishing in just over an hour... Hmm, I like it!
I was a bit wary of the strap length so I contacted the seller, who told me that the strap fits pretty much any length. Having studied the pictures it seemed to me like the strap is cut to length, but having contacted the seller and studied the photos again, it seems like the end of one of the sides of the strap is folded over... I couldn't actually see that but I figured it looked a decent length anyway so I'd worry about it if I won it.
When I got the alert the watch was selling for about £240, but clearly it was going to go for more than that. I paid £300 for my blue dial 6000 and that was on a bracelet, but this one is two-tone so I initially figured I would bid £407... although I hoped I would get it for under £400 really.
Looking at the pictures the watch looks in fantastic condition and I rather like the white dial with the gold indexes and hands, ideally I'd prefer this on a bracelet perhaps, but then the black leather goes quite well with the gold accents on the case and creates a nice contrast with the face. Besides, as I don't actually own a watch with a leather strap, this would make an interesting addition, especially as it is quite an unusual design.
As the time ticked away and the auction came closer to it's conclusion, got slightly cold feet and dropped my bid amount from £407 to £376. It sounds kind of silly to quibble over £31 perhaps, but the key to bidding on auction sites is not bidding whatever it takes to win the piece, but finding a price you are happy to pay and sticking to it. Buyer's remorse is always a risk, but if you've paid more than you really wanted to... well, you're just asking for problems. Of course, sometimes you want something bad and sometimes you might have to dig deep to get it, but this wasn't really one of those times.
That said, I'll admit to a slight pang of regret, as, unfortunately, my bid proved to be not quite enough. I waited for the last few seconds to place my bid and the price immediately went up to £386, which indeed ended up being the winning bid. Of course, one could speculate that I missed out for the sake of £10, but who knows what the winning bidders top limit actually was? Looking around eBay for similar pieces, most are in the £600 and above price range, albeit most of those are probably a bit optimistic, anyone can list a watch on a Buy It Now for a silly price, it doesn't mean it will sell.
So, I missed out this time... but never mind, there'll be more 6000s to bid on, and there's quite a variety to be had. I must say the more I look at it the more I like the strap and the contrast with the white dial, which gives me something to think about for next time anyway. As it is I think someone got a very nice watch for a very decent price, I hope they enjoy wearing it, and if not then I hope they'll relist it so I can buy it!
Monday 29 October 2018
Sunday 28 October 2018
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf Limited Edition
CW211A.BA0780
This caught my eye while I was browsing the 'New Arrivals' section of the Watchfinder website, and the first thing I thought was 'I didn't know they made that watch on that bracelet'. Clearly, given the fact that Watchfinder have listed it with the reference for a leather strap, they almost certainly didn't and this has been fitted to the watch after purchase.
I'm no fan of leather straps, in fact I don't even own a single one, but this just looks wrong. I actually saw somebody in a pub wearing one of the white (red/blue stripe) Monacos on a bracelet recently and I thought it looked really cheap and nasty then, and this looks almost as bad.
And cheap this most certainly is not... numbered 1746 out of 4000 pieces (on the strap) this particular example is up for sale at £4750, which is probably not completely outrageous - after all, there's always a market for 'Gulf' Monacos and I guess you could pick up the correct strap/buckle for a couple of hundred pounds?
Or maybe you like the bracelet, I mean, just because I don't like it - that doesn't matter... I must admit the more I look at it in the 3/4 view and the more I get used to it the less it offends me, but I'd still stop short of saying I like it.
The watch itself is pretty much the perfect Gulf Monaco as far as I'm concerned, I really like the fact that the subdials aren't white, I think it gives this model a bit more of a modern feel which I appreciate (though I get that the majority of Monaco fans want nothing of the sort). I think I prefer the black dial as well as it works better with the light blue Gulf stripe, but still - that bracelet really isn't my cup of tea.
Not sure if this is the correct box or not, it doesn't seem to say TAG Heuer on it, and it doesn't look like a regular TAG box, but then limited editions often come in slightly different looking boxes, so it's quite possible.
Saturday 27 October 2018
Friday 26 October 2018
AUCTION WATCH: The Fellows Watch Auction (30th October 2018)
During my endless internet searches for pre-owned TAG Heuers, I happened upon the website of Fellows Auctioneers. The pages I landed on weren't live, but I was quite amazed at the guide prices they seemed to be offering and I made a note to go back in the days leading up to the next auction. The 30th of October Watch Auction has approximately 265 lots, which includes 23 TAG Heuers, my top picks of which are shown below (click on the pictures to visit individual lots).
CN1151.BD0347
LOT 234: Is the chronograph version of my WN1151 and a watch that I was trying to find before I eventually took the plunge and bought mine. This is a little frustrating because part of me wants to buy this and sell mine, but the reference numbers on the strap are different - so I'm not sure if I can add links from mine (the bracelet isn't long enough as it is) and I don't really want to get myself in the position of having to buy extra links, especially gold links which are quite expensive. It's very tempting though, not least because this one is 2mm bigger than mine and if it goes for the guide price (£300-500) it seems an absolute bargain.
WAV511C.BA0900
LOT 218: Listed with a guide price of £400-600, this is the small seconds version of the Grand Carrera which comes in the smaller 41mm case and is sized to 17cm. It seems completely bonkers that a watch like this should have a lower guide price than a quartz Formula 1 model, especially when you can always find this one sites like Watchfinder for about £1500. Which makes me somewhat sceptical of the guide prices to be honest, because this one, even if the condition isn't perfect, seems seriously undervalued.
934.208
LOT 233: I got extremely excited for about five seconds when I first saw this, until I realised it was the ladies version.... GUTTED! I really want one of these but 28mm is about 10mm too small for my wrist and worse still my wife doesn't like two-tone so I can't even buy it for her. Such a shame, because to my eyes this is stunning and with a guide price of £120-180 someone might be in line for an absolute bargain.
CW5140.FC8144
LOT 232: With a guide price of £3000-5000 this is the most expensive TAG Heuer offered in the sale, but before you get too excited a quick squint at the condition report reveals that this watch is not currently functioning. The movement appears to be in generally good condition but the watch is described as showing scratches all over and has a scratched and dented crystal, not to mention a large dent in the bottom of the case. Oh and the buckle is scratched and the strap is worn. Hmm, suddenly it doesn't look quite so appealing, does it? Moving on...
CV7A12.BA0795
LOT 220: This is one of two Calibre S Carreras on offer, listed for sale with a guide price of £800-1200. At first glance this looks worthy of further investigation, but again if you look at the condition report you notice that this watch suffers from 'heavy dinting to the lugs' along with 'visible scratches'. The other Calibre S on offer is the more complicated 'Laptimer' version (as found in the SLR) and despite being described in similar terms that one has a lower guide price (£600-800), not sure why that is but the bracelet looks noticeably more grubby in the pictures.
CJF2111.BA0576
LOT 231: My final pick from this auction, is this Calibre 16 Link. The watch is working (always a good start) but does have visible scratches to the case and bezel. Still, with a guide price of £400-600 this looks worth a punt, although I'd still be putting my money into that 2000 Exclusive chrono, if anything.
Before you rush off to bid, a word of caution... I've never used Fellows, indeed I've never bid in a proper auction so I can't really offer much in the way of advice, but... you should definitely think carefully before bidding, study the high definition photos and read the condition report. I wonder how many people think they've picked up a bargain because they didn't read the condition report properly? Also, bear in mind that when you buy from auction houses there is a buyers premium to pay!
I'm not sure if it's possible to watch the auction live or not, I shall certainly visit the website on the day to see and it will be interesting to see how the TAGs perfrom. There are plenty of other watches to bid on, including Roger Dubuis, Maurice Laxcroix, Omega and of course lots and lots of Rolexes!
VIEW - All lots in the 30th October Watch Sale
Thursday 25 October 2018
Wednesday 24 October 2018
ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition
CV2A1F.BA0796
TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 27th July 2018
I remember seeing one of these in Cheshire Oaks a good couple of years ago on a rubber 'tyre-tread' strap and coming awfully close to buying it. According to my post on the 19th of October 2016, it was priced at £2400 and I didn't actually realise that it was possible to get this limited edition Monaco Grand Prix Carrera on a bracelet, so I was more than a little surprised to see it in the Bicester store back in July.
I guess there's been a couple of price rises in the meantime, and bracelets are always more expensive, which adds up to a somewhat generous price hike of £700, but then hindsight is always 20/20. I must admit I've always had a soft spot for the tyre-tread strap (I think it reminds me of an ashtray that we had in our house when I was a kid) and this bracelet does give the watch a whole different feel and aesthetic, but I still like it - it's just a bit more.. classy, I suppose.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if this one has sold since I tried it on, it's a very nice looking watch with just the right amount of red highlighting that so many of us find appealing. At 43mm it might be a little large for some but it fitted my 7.3/4" wrist perfectly, my only real gripe is that I personally don't like those thick edges on the sub-dials too much - so perhaps it's as well I wasn't seduced by the strap and the price!
The watch itself is limited to 3000 pieces, which seems an awful lot for one specific race. No indication how many are on bracelets and how many are on the rubber, but there's definitely more on straps about, so I'd assume maybe a 2/1 split? The bracelet is quite stylish, with small polished inserts breaking up the mostly brushed finish on the 5 piece design.
Overall I still think I'd prefer this one on a rubber strap, even though generally speaking I've definitely moved towards bracelets over the past couple of years. Long time readers will remember my obsession with rubber straps in the early days of the blog, but my collection now has only a few and one of those I view as temporary - as I'm sure to put my Calibre S Aquarace back on the bracelet eventually.
The other thing that I'm not crazy about actually, is that when you have a Calibre 16 with a day date function, they kind of run out of room to place the TAG logo and ends up getting shunted up near the '2' position. I can see there really isn't anywhere else left to put it, but it's not really ideal and it breaks up the symmetry of the dial somewhat.
Still, if you can live with that (and the chunky sub-dials, which I know is probably just me being finicky) then this is a very nice watch and presumably you could always order the rubber strap for the summer months...?
Tuesday 23 October 2018
Monday 22 October 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T Singapore/Malaysia Limited Edition
CAR5A8M.FT6166
TAG Heuer (and watch companies in general) are getting some flak in the forums for not only the number of limited editions they are releasing, but also the lack of imagination that they are putting into them - case in point being the new Tokyo, New York and Oxford Street Carreras, all of which are identical at first glance save for a different place name on the back display glass (actually there are some other differences in materials, but you'd have to look carefully to spot them). So it's nice to so a new Limited Edition that really does look genuinely different - whether you like it or not!
This Heuer 02T Tourbillon is a limited edition of just ten pieces (so a PROPER limited edition then) for the Singapore and Malaysian market, and you've got to take your hat off to TAG here for coming up with something genuinely different and unique.
I'm not 100% sure if I love it or not to be honest, but I really admire the brand for having some imagination (especially in light of the rather unimaginative Senna Tourbillon released the other day) and doing something that I've never seen done on a watch case before. It kind of brings to my mind the amazing artwork 'Vega 200' by the French-Hungarian Op-Artist 'Victor Vasarely', albeit there is no actual optical illusion at play here, just a series of finely engraved circles.
This 45mm, COSC certified, titanium Carrera is priced at S$27,000 (£15,000) which seems a pretty good price point for such a unique and limited piece, although it's kind of a pity that such an unusual finish isn't (presumably) going to be more widely available. Still, there's nothing to say this won't re-appear somewhere else, I guess, if the feedback is positive enough. And who knows, maybe it will inspire the brand to be a little more adventurous when it comes to their limited editions?
While there are some people who genuinely take against limited editions of any kind, I think the majority of people find them interesting as long as they are... 'interesting' in and of themselves. There is of course the matter of 'taste', which is where some of the Bamford pieces fall on their faces somewhat, but then again isn't it better to have something divisive than something everyone agrees is dull and uninspired?
Red flashes are a simple and well worn route to creating 'special' pieces, but this particular piece shows how much more exciting limited editions could be if only some chances were taken. I guess it's easier to do that when you're talking about just ten pieces, I just hope they sell really well and give the brand confidence to go out on a limb more and live up to their 'Techinques d'Avant Garde' mission statement.
Sunday 21 October 2018
Saturday 20 October 2018
FEATURE: My Difficult Relationship with my Grand Carrera GMT
WAV5111.BA0901
It seems a funny thing to say, but I never really liked the WAV5111 or indeed any of the non-chronograph Grand Carreras, and yet I ended up buying one. It all started when I visited Bicester earlier in the year and arch diamond peddler Liam showed me a bling-bezel version of this very watch, suddenly I could see its appeal, and indeed even looking at the picture above I think of it as a very smart looking watch. It's clearly well put together and when the light catches it just right it looks amazing. So why then do I have reservations... indeed why am constantly thinking about selling or trading it in for something else?
I think it's partly because I made the schoolboy error of settling for something less than what I really wanted. I wanted shot of my CAU2012 and the best option was trading it in with Watchfinder, but all their Grand Carrera chronos had scratches on the bezel and I can't be doing with that. I know what I'm like, it's one thing for a watch that costs a few hundred quid to be marked but there's no way I'm going to be satisfied with a sub-par watch that costs nearly £2000. No doubt I would have ended up shelling out for a polish or possibly even a new bezel if the scratches were too ingrained.
So instead, I decided to opt for the (considerably cheaper) Calibre 8 GMT, and when I got it I loved it. The watch is quality through and through and added not only a 'GMT' into my collection, but also a 'Grand Date'. Admittedly a GMT is something I'll probably never, ever use (I was going to take this to Switzerland to use it, but ended up taking my Carrera instead) but the Grand Date is a pretty cool feature and the bracelet is one of the nicest I've owned.
The watch seems a little on the large side though. I had to go to a work event the other day and having to wear a suit (which I rarely do) I decided this would be the perfect watch to wear, but it seemed too big and showy and made me wonder if the 41mm Grand Carrera without the GMT and Grand Date (but with the running seconds window) might have been a better fit?
I always knew this would be an occasional wear watch for me, but I'm disappointed how rarely I've chosen to wear it and how often I've meant to wear it but chosen something else at the last minute. I don't think there's anything wrong with the watch per-se, I just don't think it's quite the right watch for me. And that makes me very nervous of trading it in for a chrono Grand Carrera, because even though I've tried several of those on over the last couple of years what if I get one and end up in the same position all over again?
I'm not going to rush into selling this or trading it in, because I loved it when I bought it and there's every chance that maybe I will fall in love with it again. But as it stands it isn't holding up it's end and as my collection grows and the competition for wrist time increases it makes less and less sense for me to have this sort of money tied up in a watch I don't absolutely love.
It's in great condition, with only one tiny little mark on the plain bezel, but if I decide to trade it in I will need to find something considerably more expensive to get a decent price, so realistically we're talking £2-3000. I suppose I could try selling it on eBay or something, but I'm slightly dubious about that when it comes to this sort of price range, plus I'd lose about £300 in fees, which isn't great (and when you take that into account trading it in makes a LOT more sense).
I think I'll sit on it for a while, maybe see how I feel next year and see what new pieces become available through the usual pre-owned outlets. I do actually like the watch, just not on my wrist somehow - which is a bit of a shame really.
Friday 19 October 2018
Thursday 18 October 2018
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre S Retrograde Lap Timer
CV7A11.BA0795
It's fair to say that 'proper' Carreras aren't really at the top of my wishlist. It's not that I don't like them as such, it's just that there aren't really the bargains out there that there are from other models in the range and at the moment there's always something more exciting to buy. But I would like a 'proper' Carrera at some point - although perhaps 'proper' is the wrong word to use in this context.
Mostly the Carreras I do like are the ones that are PVD coated, preferably with a tyre tread rubber strap and flashes of red on the dial... but these ones tend to be right at the top of the pricing scale and as yet I haven't found one that I like enough to commit to spending £3000+ on in order to add it to my collection.
But there may be an answer, because while I love the Calibre S movement, I can imagine there's a lot of 'old school conservationists' who don't like it in a Carrera. And I can see their point to a degree, it does seem a more natural fit with the Aquaracer and the Formula 1 models, but that's exactly why it can be a bit of a value proposition.
I recently saw a black dial Calibre S Carrera in the EST1897 sale for just over £1000, which sounds like an awfully good price to me. I don't know what the original list price of this model was but the Aquaracer was over £2000 when it was new so I'd assume the Carrera version was very near or more likely over £3000.
I can imagine this is a hard watch to shift, the funky sub dials look slightly at odds with the classic case and lugs and probably 95% of people who want a classic Carrera aren't going to give this much of a chance. Actually when I say I saw a black dial variant for just over £1000, that's true - but it wasn't the same watch as this, as I've noticed this is the (slightly baffling) retrograde laptimer version - as fitted in the SLR I tried on a few months ago.
The standard Calibre S is a very impressive piece of engineering, and this is even more so, with the ability to count 20 separate lap times and retrieve the best lap on demand (just so long as you can remember which buttons you need to press), but obviously there will be a premium to pay for this extra functionality.
Lume is not this watch's strong point, it's only rated to 100m admittedly, but even so it's a pretty pathetic showing. If you're only going to lume the hands on a watch, the minimum you need to add is a pip at the 12 position otherwise you might as well not bother (see my now departed CAU2012).
But the dial is a nice combination of white, silver and grey and that red second hand sets it all off rather well. The only thing here that looks slightly out of place is the tachymetre, perhaps they could have changed the font to look a little more modern or something, but then maybe that crosses the line between putting the Calibre S movement into a Carrera and creating something which is no longer really a Carrera?
The more I look at this the more I like it, and if you do want the Calibre S retrograde laptimer in your collection, I would probably take this over the SLR if only because this doesn't have that odd left-side bezel which seems purposefully designed to stick into your arm at every opportunity - which is a shame because other than that it's a very cool piece.
A quick Google tells me that pre-owned market value for this is around the £1600 mark, which is pretty reasonable I'd say. I could live without the retrograde lap timer element myself so I'd probably plump for a CV7A13 on a rubber strap instead.
CV7A13.FT6012
In fact, I may just have found my ideal Carrera there... what a pity there doesn't seem to be any for sale (in the UK) at the moment. Ah well, I'll take note of that all the same!
Wednesday 17 October 2018
Tuesday 16 October 2018
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer S/EL Quartz Two Tone Chronograph
CG1120-0
Well, my long standing quest to find a classic Formula 1 has come to an end, and as a matter of fact (all being well) in a couple of weeks I should also be in possession of an S/EL as well. Happy days! I've just got to wait for the watchmaker to come back from his holiday and a new glass to be fitted and we'll be ready to roll...
But first, I thought I'd share with you one of the watches I nearly bought. This two-tone quartz chronograph CG1120-0 was on Ebay for £599 (still is actually, last time I looked) and while I admit it's not everybody's cup of tea, I was seriously tempted...
Since I bought my 2000 Exclusive I've really come to like wearing two-tone, I think all-gold would be a bit too much (stylistically and price wise - although I do kind a like that crazy solid gold 2000 Exclusive that was about £12,000) but two-tone gives you just enough bling without making you look like a pimp. It also helps if you're wearing a smaller watch, as somehow it feels right that a gold watch should be smaller. I don't know, it's just feels like a larger gold watch is a bit too in-your-face...
Even though I know my black dial S/EL is coming, I still can't help but wonder about this one. I always said that if I was going to buy a two-tone watch it would probably be an S/EL, simply because it typifies that 80s/90s look, albeit as it turned out I ended up with the 2000 Exclusive instead. And that may be why I didn't end up buying this one, my wife certainly wasn't keen... ('it looks too much like the other one' she said - completely ignoring the plethora of black dial, steel cased TAGs in my collection! What she actually meant was 'it's hideous', but I still kinda like it) not that that matters too much. She didn't like the Microtimer either, but she's come round to it eventually.
Clearly it's not for everyone as this example looks in great shape (better than the one I'm getting I'd say, and cheaper) but the white dial and more likely the two-tone finish are probably making it a hard sell. Truth be told if this is still around once I've got hold of mine, I might think about adding this too. I'm kinda looking at these pictures and wondering if I've made a mistake. I don't think I have because my watch is nice too, but I'm thinking it would be nice to have both. Even if I have to hide it for a few months and bring it out after Christmas (I think I've really pushed it this year, I've added nine watches to the collection - although in my defence I have sold two!), well, we'll see... :)
It's the usual 38mm case for this one, although if memory serves the bracelet might only be 7.1/2", which means I'd either need to source an extra link or two or go on a diet. Damn it, this is killing me... have I bought the wrong watch? Buyer's remorse is one thing but I haven't even got mine yet...
Time will tell I suppose, but this is a really nice example. Is the price too high? Maybe. It doesn't seem overpriced, but it isn't selling... I think that two-tone look is a definite deal breaker for some people, which is kinda why I want to get hold of my watch first. If I get on with it then I might make a move on this, but if I don't I definitely don't want to get lumbered with a two-tone that I've overpaid for. I've already got one watch I've got mixed feelings about, I don't want another...
Monday 15 October 2018
Sunday 14 October 2018
BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Classic Formula 1 Quartz Watch
383.513/1
Regular readers will know that I've been after a 'classic' Formula 1 watch for quite a while, but until recently it was always something that I wanted to get 'at some point'. I wasn't too fussy about the colour of the watch, but I knew I wanted one with the plastic strap rather than the bracelet (mainly because of my previous experience with a 35mm 2000 Series, which dug into my wrist no matter how many links I added) and preferably with the resin style case rather than the later steel case.
I wasn't sure how wearable the watch was going to be for me, 35mm is pretty small by modern standards and my wrist is 7.3/4" around, so I didn't want to spend a fortune on something that I might rarely or possibly even never wear. I mainly wanted one because it was the first proper watch TAG produced after they took over the Heuer company, so it was a 'collectors piece' first and a watch second.
As such I really didn't want one that looked it had been dragged down the pavement and unfortunately while there are plenty to choose from on eBay, a lot of them have hard lives. It doesn't help of course that the bezel is resin and the glass is not sapphire, so they are easily damaged if not looked after properly. Also, a lot don't have the proper straps, as they are quite expensive to replace (considering what they're made of) and easy to snap since they are so thin.
Exactly the sort of thing I didn't want to end up with!
So colour wasn't a major issue, but condition was... trouble is, the reconditioned ones are generally offered in the £300+ range and I didn't really want to pay that much, but the not so good ones fall anywhere between £70 and £250... so finding something good but at a price I wanted to pay wasn't going to be easy. That said, a search of eBay's 'Sold' listings showed that there were bargains to be had and I found a very nice red case/black bezel/black strap example which sold for just £99 which gave me hope.
I tried to secure a couple of blue bezel/cream case F1s but got beaten out on both. I really would have preferred the first one as the condition was excellent, but I didn't bid enough and the watch went for £173. This acted as a bit of a wake-up call as it became clear that while maybe there are bargains out there it would take an awful lot of luck to get hold of one that for some reason no-one else had noticed and bid on. The second one was a little bit grubby and had a few marks on the glass, but looked like it might clean up with some elbow grease on the case and some Polywatch on the glass.
Because of the condition relative to the first one I bid quite a bit lower, but once again I was beaten out. Then I found a listing for the watch I eventually bought which was described as 'New glass/bezel/strap/battery' and was starting at £68. This seemed promising! What I didn't initially notice was that the watch also had a reserve, and then I read the description which pretty much laid out that the buyer had bought the watch off eBay and realised when he got it that it was too small for him (I eventually found out the guy is 6ft 4").
I could totally sympathise with this as my first eBay TAG was a dreadful shock and disappointment (the 35mm 2000 Series I mentioned earlier), but it led to me searching the finished listings and finding the original listing where he had bought it, complete with much better photographs. Result!
The reserve provided a complication though, especially as I wasn't going to be in a position to bid at the last second. And judging by the £190 sale price (14 bids) it was unlikely I was going to get the watch for much less than the 'Buy It Now' price of £200. I surmised that the seller was most likely going to pitch the reserve between £150 and £170, and while I could make a bid, it would remove the 'Buy It Now' option and open the auction up to offers from other bidders. I thought about it for a little while and reasoned that with a new bezel, glass, strap and battery £200 was actually a very fair price, considering most really sharp ones were well above that - plus the market value had already been established by the previous sale at £190, so was it worth it to quibble over £30-50?
I decided it wasn't, and purchased the watch using the Buy It Now feature. Within a couple of hours I had an email from the seller telling me he had posted the watch using Special Delivery and that it would be with me the next morning. Sure enough the next morning I got a parcel containing the watch in a small cardboard box and a slightly crappy looking watch cushion. No box and papers, but since I would only have put them on top of the (already creaking) wardrobe I really wasn't too bothered about that.
When I got the watch I was delighted with the condition, the only tiny niggle being that there is a small white dot on the underside of the glass which is a little bit of a shame, but it's not massively noticeable - oh, that and the strap seems to have been fitted the wrong way around, It's still usable, but it's a bit fiddly to put on. I will most likely have this switched around at some point as it is a bit annoying.
On the wrist it's actually nowhere near as bad as I feared it might be, yes there's no getting away from the fact that this is a small watch, but it's only 2mm smaller than my Kiriums and my 2000 Exclusive, albeit a lot thinner than either as well.
Oddly, it rather reminds me of the 'Gull' watch I used to own, which had a yellow dial and a silver bezel matched to a red and yellow velcro strap. I reckon it was about the same size as well, and it never bothered me then... that was before I become a watch snob of course. :)
I did have a bit of a conversation with the seller and it turned out he'd secured himself a pre-owned Omega more suited to his size. Inevitably I had to enquire about the reserve, just so I knew... and it turned out I was pretty much bang on. He had put it at £150, so potentially if no one else had been watching it and wanted to bid I 'could' maybe have got the watch for £150 instead of £200, but I don't really believe that to be honest. So maybe I did slightly overpay for it, but you know what - with a new battery I'm quite happy with the deal and to finally own a really nice example of this iconic TAG Heuer model.
So now I need an SEL, well... actually, that's already in hand. Watch this space!
Saturday 13 October 2018
Friday 12 October 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Carrera Heuer 02T Tourbillon Senna Special Edition
CAR5A91.FT6162
This is the latest in a long line of Senna branded TAG Heuers and here they've gone right to the top of the tree utilising the Heuer 02T, which means that now there's pretty much a Senna for everyone's pocket, from the F1 in the low £1000s to the Heuer 01 around the £5500 mark and this top of the range model retailing at $21,200 (approximately £16,000).
Overall this looks nice enough, I really like that strap with the red stitching for example, but I'm not crazy about that red 'S' somehow. I think it's just a little too much red in one lump. The red text on the bezel looks great, as does the subdial hand, but that S... I'm not so sure. Admittedly perhaps the guy that wants a watch branded 'Senna' may not want subtlety, but this isn't a Formula 1 we're talking about here, it's one of TAG's most expensive pieces, and I don't think I'd choose it myself.
The watch community welcomed the Heuer 02 movement with open arms when it was announced, but I'm yet to be entirely convinced, at least by the skeletonised versions. I get that some people much prefer the brand logo to be at the 12 position, but I really don't like the way it floats on the bridge... it just looks like there's something missing up there, but maybe once we see solid dials it will be okay. There is a body of opinion that once the Heuer 02 Carreras actually arrive the Heuer 01s will become less desirable, but I definitely won't be trading mine in. I personally think the 6/9/12 subdial arrangement looks much better, even if it is less symmetrical.
This one comes with a display back (as you would expect really) and it looks pretty neat. I'm pleased to see the Senna 'S' isn't too obtrusive, sometimes the logos can really get in the way of seeing the movement, which rather negates the whole point of having a glass back on the watch in the first place.
I'm a little confused about the case and bezel as both are listed as being 'sandblasted steel and ceramic', It would make more sense if this had a steel case with a ceramic bezel, but that's what the official website says, so we have to assume it's right.
Speaking of subtlety, this one is housed in the larger 45mm case, so again, not much of that going on here. But then if you're going to spend this kind of money on an in house Swiss tourbillon with a red 'S' on the dial, you probably don't want it to go completely unnoticed, do you?
Clearly this is way out of my price range, but it doesn't bother me overly. I honestly think I'd rather take the Heuer 01 Senna with the black PVD bracelet (although I'd be somewhat worried about its durability) at the £5500 price point and keep the other £10,500 or buy a standard pre-owned Heuer 02T with it instead (and maybe try and get one of these red stitched straps for it).
Thursday 11 October 2018
Wednesday 10 October 2018
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Kirium Automatic Chronometer - Copper Dial
A few months ago when I was searching for a TAG Heuer Pilot watch I came across a website called 'Watches of Lancashire' which has a good selection of very high quality TAGs (sadly also at very high quality prices...), and one of the watches they have right now is a WL5114 copper faced Kirium chronometer, just like this one - which is for sale (with a two year warranty) for £800.
Watches of Lancashire's WL5114-0
However, I found the same watch (albeit in a somewhat less immaculate condition) on eBay the other day and watched it up until the auction came to an end. When I first found the watch it was bidding at £328 and I thought if I could get it for say £360-370, then it would be a nice addition to my collection. True, I've already got two Kiriums, but the copper dial is pretty unusual and the seller claimed the watch was keeping excellent time.
I really love the Kirium range, I think they are a seriously under-rated watch and when I went to the TAG museum last month, the curator (Paul) told me that he is sure they are going to go up in value soon. I didn't quite catch why he was so sure about that, I don't think they are about to re-issue the Kirium or anything like that, but he definitely suggested that something was afoot - so we shall see.
As the auction neared it's end I had to look at the watch objectively and decide if I was going to put in a serious bid or not, and if so - at what level. Sadly I don't have a limitless budget, and I really am determined to get an S/EL into my collection before the year is out - so I didn't want to go too heavy on this and undermine my budget for that, but at the same time I was quite tempted.
The copper dial is very cool and quite unusual. I say 'unusual' rather than 'rare' because it's not like you can't find one of these to purchase if you really want one (unlike any number of S/ELs which you can't even find a photograph of!), indeed even while this auction was concluding I spotted another example listed with an opening asking price of £500.
I notice the date window has the same issue as the white dial one I tried to buy last month as well, where you can see the edge of the date wheel. At the time I thought that was some sort of problem with that watch but now that I've noticed it I've been looking for it and I see it on quite a lot of Kiriums, which is unfortunate as it looks a bit rubbish to be honest.
As usual when I look at watches on eBay the first thing I did was try to ascertain the size of the case, but this proved slightly frustrating (as it often does). For example, Watchfinder have this watch listed twice on their site, once as a 36mm and once as a 38mm... I am assuming it's actually the standard 37mm size, but I actually hoped it might be a 39mm seeing that it contains an automatic movement.
In the final hour of the auction the bids started to come in and with half an hour to go it was up to £360, so I pretty much knew getting it for £370 was unlikely. I started to waver slightly and typed in a figure of £417.23, waiting until the last minute to place my bid... maybe. The minutes ticked down and the price went up again to £398. My finger hovered over the keyboard, did I really want it - or not?
In the end my finger stayed hovering, but it was to prove academic anyway. At the last second the price went up to £418, and that is where it finished, just 77p above my proposed bid. But of course, you never know how much further I might have had to go - the other bidder could have put a bid of £700 for all we know...
Ultimately I wasn't that disappointed, I think I liked the fact that it was 'different' and 'unusual', but I'm not sure I was really 'in love' with it - if you know what I mean. I have a feeling I might have regretted the purchase later, or maybe it looks even better on the wrist and it would have become my new favourite watch? There's always an element of gambling when you buy watches unseen after all.
I notice there's also a gold bezel Kirium on Watches of Lancashire's site, it's pretty gorgeous (and 39mm according to the listing) - but at £850 I think it's just a bit over the top really. Still you can't fault the condition of their watches - well worth a look for sure, but the prices are hardcore. I guess you get what you pay for at the end of the day, if you want mint condition and a two year warranty then maybe it's worth the coin?
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