SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Watch

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Passing by the window of Stephans in Northampton the other day, I perused the TAG Heuers and noted the remaining three Alec Monopoly Formula 1s but nothing else really caught my eye except, wait... what is that? Now, I know what you're thinking. Judging by the picture at the top of this post you'd be hard pressed to believe that such an 'ordinary' looking watch could cause such consternation, but you'd be wrong, and I'll tell you why.

While the picture above gives the impression of a grey dial, it misrepresents it quite considerably. Indeed, I could imagine someone buying one of these on line and getting quite a shock when they receive the watch (yet another good reason to try a watch on in a store before buying, if at all possible), because while you might suppose the dial would have your standard reflective surface that catches the light and delights the eye, in actual fact it's completely matt and completely flat.

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This photograph is better, but it still really doesn't quite get across just how 'dull' (and I mean that in the literal sense rather than the pejorative) the dial really is. It actually looks quite odd, because it's so unusual to see a watch dial that isn't intended to catch the light, but I can see why some people might like it because it's so different. 

There's an obvious parallel to be drawn between this and those cars you see about that have a matt finish, they're clearly not for everyone, but it's good that there's something different available for people who like them, and you have to say, when it comes to legibility it makes a lot of sense. I can't say that I would want one, but I didn't hate it, I just found it a little odd.

I would have thought though that a dial like that would maybe work better on a Formula 1, as it seems a little out of place on this 39mm Carrera. But kudos to TAG Heuer for not playing it safe, and you can't fault it from the point of view of drawing attention. It certainly caught my eye in a window full of shiny dials and beveled edges.