CAZ2017.BA0647
TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 16th November 2019
This was a watch I was hoping to see in the Oxford Street boutique but was conspicuous by its absence; fortunately I found it in the Meadowhall branch just a few days later.
There's no shortage of Senna themed TAG Heuers for the Formula 1 enthusiast to get excited over, with prices ranging from under £1000 for a pre-owned quartz model to £17,000+ for the latest tribute tourbillons. So something for everyone; but honestly you have to go some way to beat the black dialed CAZ1015.BA0883 which combines quartz affordability with a Link bracelet that immediately improves both comfort and it's visual appeal.
This latest model takes that watch's general aesthetic and builds on it with additional red detailing, an anthracite dial and of course an automatic Calibre 16 movement. This, naturally, has an impact on the price, meaning this new model is listing at £2650 which seems fairly reasonable all things considered.
As I said in my 'First Impressions' post a few days ago, I'm still slightly confused by the choice to have the chronograph minutes subdial black and the running seconds and chronograph hours white, but maybe it's good sometimes to choose a less obvious layout for a change. It certainly draws the eye and that might not be a bad thing in a jewellers window full of 'average' looking watches.
What really surprised me about this watch is just how heavy it is. Admittedly I was wearing a titanium Aquaracer on a textile strap when I tried it on, but even so.... this isn't a watch you're going to forget you've got on. That doesn't bother me personally; I have a couple of big, heavy 500M Aquaracers that could be used as a weapon in a dire emergency, but if you prefer something lighter it might be an issue. Then again, if you prefer something lighter you probably wouldn't be looking at a 44mm x 16mm watch like this one!
Confusingly, the TAG Heuer website makes no mention of the ceramic bezel, which caused me to question my own memory... thankfully a quick look at the Steffans website re-assured me that I wasn't going mad and this does indeed feature a ceramic insert on the fixed steel bezel. Actually that's not the first time I've had to fact check the TAG Heuer website recently, maybe someone needs to pay a bit more attention to what they are doing?
In conclusion, this is a hefty piece of wrist wear and I'm sure that alone will put some people off; but if you can take the size (and weight) of the CAZ2017 it's a very smart looking watch. There is a LOT of red on here though, which is likely to be somewhat divisive (think of it as a subtler 'Max Verstappen') and I think, even though I like colour detailing on watches, at this price I'd prefer something a little less 'in your face'.
For me the CAZ1015 remains the Senna of choice, although I do have a soft spot for the WAZ1014 (yeah, the one with the big red stripe down the dial....oh, the hypocrisy!), but this is a fine watch in its own right and I'm sure that lovely anthracite dial will draw many an admiring glance from potential customers.
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