FT8001
When I bought my Aquagraph from Bicester Village back in 2013/2014 it was being sold in a normal box and on a bracelet, but as I now know, originally it was also available in a cool box with the three part rubber strap and buckle. I've long thought about picking up the rubber strap for it, but was scared off by the prices on eBay which suggested it was somewhere north of £250. But in recent times I've come to realise that if you want to know the genuine price of a TAG Heuer strap then the best people to ask are TAG Heuer; this one actually costs £115... it almost makes you think you might want to list them yourself on eBay and when you get a sale, order one in! Now there's an idea... (just kidding).
So yes, I've dallied with this idea for a good few years now, but it wasn't until last year when I visited Bicester Village and saw a NOS Aquagraph on a rubber strap that the idea really started to gather momentum. It looked pretty damned good, and I knew it would cut down some of the excessive weight of the Aquagraph.
Not my actual watch
So Christmas rolled around again, and I knew the dreaded 'what do you want for Christmas' question would rear it's head once more ('dreaded' because at my age I don't really need anything and everything I want is 'watch-shaped' and costs way too much money) and for once the light went on in my head before Christmas rather an afterwards!
I ordered the strap from the TAG Heuer boutique and it came much quicker than I expected, I couldn't get over for a few days but when I did it was a relatively quick fit, much quicker than the Mutligraph, perhaps because it has drilled lugs to facilitate a quick changeover?
The rubber strap really changes the look of the watch and makes it a much more practical proposition. Not only does the bracelet add a lot of weight to an already heavy watch, but it's also not very flexible, it has no micro adjustment and the best fit you can get depends on a half link instead. I found the watch was often tight on the wrist and even when it was a good fit, in warm weather it often became uncomfortable. Admittedly I haven't had chance to wear it much since Christmas, but the rubber strap definitely gives you that bit more flexibility.
Not my actual watch
Speaking of flexibility, this rubber strap is very unusual in that it has an 'end link' which gives a great fit on the wrist and allows a slightly better angle off the case. I really like this strap, it looks really nice and has the TAG Heuer logo imprinted in it along with some markings, not really quite sure if they have a practical purpose or not - maybe they are something to do with diving, as this is after all a hardcore diving watch.
Before I bought this strap I usually only really wore the Aquagraph in the winter, but now I can see me wearing this more in the summer with a T-shirt and jeans. Perhaps I will switch it back onto the bracelet next winter for a change, that should help keep it fresh. It's hard to say which I prefer, it looks great on both the bracelet and the strap, perhaps the bracelet 'looks' better but it's definitely more comfortable to wear on the rubber so far.
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