CT1113.BA0550
It's a strange thing, but I haven't written a single post about my Link Searacer since my 'Buying Experience' post back in May 2019. Hard to believe, actually, that I've had this watch for over four years already. It's one I haven't worn that much, and recently even less because I needed a link for the bracelet and never got around to getting one, thinking that sooner or later it would fit me again (to be honest it's always been a bit tight), which of course it didn't. So I did finally get round to it, but to my surprise it turned out that despite the clasp having no micro adjustment there were only full links available. NOT COOL TAG HEUER!!!
So I ended up getting a full link from the TAG Heuer boutique in Sheffield (thanks Maxine) and it promptly sat in the packet for a full five weeks before I bothered my arse to fit it.
And when I did finally get round to it, it proved to be a bit of a head scratcher. I remember being told that my wife's Link bracelet just comes to pieces once you take the last piece off (each link holding the previous link in place) and so that's what I was expecting when I released the end pin. But no. One side of the link does indeed fall off, but the other does not. I noticed on the reverse of the bracelet there were some odd holes much like on the S/EL bracelet and I remember something about pressing a pin into these holes to release the pins - but that didn't work so I elected to turn to You Tube for the answer (see video posted yesterday).
While I was trying to remove the pin from the link, it's actually the 'head' of the pin that needs attention as it turns out that the 'fat end' of the pin is actually a tiny screw which you have to undo to release the pin from the central link it is connected to. It's a very small screw and could easily be lost so take care when doing this! Once you have unscrewed this you can begin to disassemble the next link in the bracelet, or in my case add a new link in. All you need to do then is knock the end pin back in and your bracelet is back together. Simple. Well it is once you realise there's a screw head there...
Serial number appears below the CT1119 (I have removed it here)
My particular Link is a Searacer quartz chronograph. It's a bit of an odd one and features a 'Regatta-timer' a cool, but ultimately fairly useless (for those of us without yachts to race) complication which allows for a countdown of ten minutes prior to the start of a 'regatta'. To operate this function you press the bottom pusher for a couple of seconds and the hand in the left hand subdial moves to the '6' position, this indicates that Regatta-mode is activated. Now you simply press the top pusher in and the countdown begins - you may notice that the watch has a ten minute countdown marked around the edge of the dial. This looks quite cool, but sometimes makes it slightly harder to read the time as obviously these markings are every six minutes and so don't match up with the hour markers.
Once the ten minute countdown expires the hand on the left returns to its original position and the watch switches seemlessly into chronograph mode, and starts timing your epic yacht race. Yay! If only I had a yacht to race.
The more logical amongst you might be wondering why I bought a Searacer if I don't have a yacht, never mind a racing yacht, and the simple answer is because I wanted a Link of some description in my collection and this to me was by far the coolest looking one, the black dial and red highlights really work with the steel case and of course the function is something different and unusual too which is a bonus when you already have a lot of watches in your collection. There were a few others I liked, admittedly; for example there were some nice looking 'Senna' models but they command way too much money and to be truthful some quartz Links do look a little bit cheap and nasty - let's not forget that a lot of TAG's haters point to quartz Links as the nadir of the brand's history.
Even then I flip flop over my CT1113s looks; most of the time I think it looks smart and cool, but sometimes I think it looks awkward and slightly strange. I think it's mostly because the two subdials are positioned quite high on the dial and accented with a polished rim around the edges. It kinda feels like it's missing a third subdial right above the date window, and needless to say watches without second hands are in themselves a bit weird...
That and the lack of micro adjustment or half links (obviously) is my only real niggle with this watch. It has worked perfectly for the last four years (not sure how old it is but probably at least ten years old and possibly as old as twenty years (the model was first shown in the 2001 catalogue).
In 2001 the CT1119 was priced at €1575, which is about £2100 today.
When I bought it (from EST1897), it had been reduced from £999 to £750 to £499. I think the prices have come down in recent years, but at the time it seemed like a genuine bargain and the first one I tried to buy (from eBay) which cost £495 was in a bit of a state (and not working properly either). My watch was, and still is in immaculate condition and I have no intention of selling it, in fact now that it fits me again I hope to wear it much more often.
People have always said the Link bracelet (and indeed the S/EL bracelet which it was descended from) is super comfortable and I can't disagree. It also looks like nothing else and is instantly recognizable if you see someone wearing one on TV or from a distance.
I must admit the CJF range of Links does have some very nice models too, but they are very expensive also and seem to hold their value well, especially the cooler ones with blue dials etc. I think I will stick with this one for the time being, especially as the value of these does seem to have dropped closer to what I paid for it, which means it's not going to release a huge chunk of cash to buy something else.
Besides, it's always good to have a back-up in case my other Searacer goes wrong... should I ever get the chance to need one. :)
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Well that was supposed to be the end of that post, but having put the link into my Searacer I wore it for not even a day and the battery died on me. Unbelievable. Still it had been over three years since I'd changed it, so I can't really grumble about that. Having changed the battery and since I hadn't worn it since last October I decided to wear it for the week (which is not something I do very often). Well now that the bracelet is a better size (slightly loose, but perfect for the 30 degree weather we're having at the moment) it is so comfortable to wear, not that it was ever uncomfortable really, just a little tight.
The thing that really amazes me is that I only paid £495 for it - from a dealer. I can't quite believe that. This watch looks and feels damned expensive, and I would have no hesitation paying £1000 for it at all. It's ludicrous to me that these watches are so affordable, just immense value through and through. The bracelet is so well constructed and ergonomic; honestly, do yourself a favour and give an older Link a second look, they may not be the hippest watches out there but they certainly provide some big time bang-for-buck.
LINK SEARACER - BUYING POST (MAY 2019):
LINK SEARACER - NOT BUYING POST (FEB 2019):
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