CBK2117.FC6266
The 2021 releases seem to be ramping up now, although this one was apparently sneaked out a few weeks ago; probably to coincide with the Bahrain Grand Prix back in March. I've always wondered why there aren't more red-dial watches available, especially as I own a red dial S/EL myself, but I will say this, red is not the easiest of colours to work with. Take a look at the picture above for evidence; it screams for something to break it up and in this instance with no bezel and no lumed hour markers it's a hard pass from me I'm afraid.
Of course it may be that it looks better in real life, you certainly can't rule it out, but from these pictures I have to say I'm not convinced. The regional numerals are cool, this is after all a 'Bahrain' limited edition (100 pieces), but I don't know - that red is just a bit too much. Maybe it would have been better to have given it white or white edged subdials to break it up a tad. Or maybe as we saw on that 90s 2000 Series a few weeks ago a white rehaut? Something, anything really... Bahrian's colours are red and white and the white seems to be under represented here.
The thing that's really bugging me about this watch though, is the TAG Heuer logo. It just looks damned strange on that red background. I can't help thinking it would have been good to have given it a red background to tie in with the dial colour because as it stands it looks like a complete afterthought. Admittedly though it looks better here in this close up, in fact the whole dial looks better here... but in the other shots, I just can't get behind it.
While it could just be bad photography, I have to say I'm rather disappointed with this; TAG Heuer's 2021 releases have been pretty strong so far and this seems like the first real misfire. But as we know the 'Council of Considered Opinion' often disagrees with me, so let's see what they make of it...
CBK2117.FC6266 Carrera Calibre 16 'Bahrain' Limited Edition - 5.9 / 10
"I didn't know what think about this one when I first saw it but I've kind of warmed to it now. I sort of like the red and it's very out there but I think it needs a black PVD case or something like that maybe. For some reason the TAG badge stands out for me and I kinda like that. I don't know though, I kinda want to like it but not sure yet.. I would give this a 6 out of 10. It's ok but that's as good as its gets for me."
"Hmmm. I guess this is a special interest watch. Seems to be a plain red dial. Would be looking way better with a white cross in the middle... I give it a 6, but for some with more relationship it might be a hit..."
"I like the minimalist details of the subdials and markers. White hands and markers might look better? For its purpose nicely executed. Why red? We’ve seen a bunch of reds over the past years and I don’t get the attraction. Red dials don’t do much for me so certainly not a must have. 7."
"This one is all about the colour. Hard to really judge without seeing it in real life. In the pictures where the red looks darker, I'd give it a 7.5. In other pictures where the red is lighter, it rates a 6. Overall, it's a handsome watch. The Arabic numerals are a nice touch for a Bahrain LE."
"Love the shot where it looks to be a dark red, but suspect it’s really a lighter shade as shown in the other photos and so it’s 6.5."
"It’s a nice watch in general, but subdials at 12 an 6 could be better. Dial looks too red and too flat… so it’s a 6/10 for me."
"6 out of 10. Interesting and unique but strangely looks a little dated. Bright red Carrera is not for me I'm afraid."
"6/10. Would be nice if Heuer red was more prominent as part of the regular collection, rather than a limited edition. Looks a little 2014 in my opinion."
"I assume the face is the paler red shade as in most of the pictures, maybe a contrast on the timer dials, but looks good, could have been more adventurous in the strap colour, numerals unusual but I don’t actually need to read them to tell the time. 6/10."
"I think it looks nice and understated, like something from one of those Bauhaus Dutch or German outfits. Unfortunately that ends up being a bit of a drawback as well though, because this costs four times as much - yet has the same movement. And even TAG’s official photos show it with an alignment problem on the hours subdial. 5/10"
"There needs to be some relief on the dial, the subdials seemingly have a scrolled finish but it doesn't seem to show up that well so it's all a bit samey. Given Bahrain's colours of red and white, I would have gone for white subdials at 12 and 6. Looks nice enough though and it is a proper Carrera not some oversized lump. 6.5/10."
"I like it, at least looking at the Renders from the website, as we all know in real life things are different. I actually like the subdials with no contrast. And I really like the local language fonts. 7/10 for me."
"I want to score it 9. I would love to buy this watch, but I will give it up because I can't go to Bahrain. There seems to be some debate about the color of the dial, but it is very attractive even if it is bright red. However, if it was a sunburst deep red like CAW211W (one of MONACO 50th), I would have given 10. It is attractive enough even if it is not a panda dial. I like the fact that it's a passionate model and Calibre16 keeps the price relatively low. I don't think all CARRERA need to use the H02 movement."
"6 from me. The colour just wasn't my cup of tea. But agree with most of the members here. Need to see one in real life to accurately give it a score."
View the CBK2117.FC6266 on the TAG Heuer website:
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