WBP201B.BA0632
Beaverbrooks / Derby, 17th July 2021
I'll be the first to admit that back in May when Mr Arnault donned his uber-white trainers to reveal the all new 2021 Aquaracer, I was more than a little underwhelmed. The 'WAY' style Aquaracers have always been a personal favourite of mine and while the last thing I want is for TAG Heuer's line up to stay the same in perpetuity (a la Rolex) I don't really want them to change the design of a watch I really like to something I feel is 'worse' than what they already had. That said, there were glimmers of hope from the start; the 'Tribute to 844' was pretty cool looking, but the 'basic' models left me feeling more than a little disgruntled.
I'll admit now, that there was more than a little private head-shaking from me; how could they have got this so wrong, and I wasn't alone. Internet 'watch gurus' (who don't have much investment in TAG Heuer at the best of times and love any opportunity to put the boot in) were lining up to criticise the new watches with one actually voicing the opinion that 'This will definitely be changed before it hits the shops' so confident was he that TAG Heuer had dropped the ball worse than anyone since Audemars Piguet and the woeful Code 11:59.
Now, if there's one thing I've learned over the last five years, it is that you should never form a solid opinion about a watch based solely on pictures; the nicest looking watch can turn bad once you get it on the wrist and watches can prove overly photogenic (some Grand Carreras) or decidedly un-photogenic (pretty much every S/EL ever made). In this instance I'm very happy to tell you that the 2021 Aquaracer is perhaps one of the least photogenic watches I've ever come across.
I guess it didn't help that we've had two months of poring over macro shots, obsessing over the minutest details and forming an opinion based on these super close up pictures. These do not do the Aquaracer any favours in my book, close up the watch looks clunky at best, but on the wrist it looks absolutely fine.
One of my biggest beefs, was the octagonal hour markers; every macro shot looked more ridiculous than the last and in my head this was the reason I would never ever own a 2021 Aquaracer. People told me that in real life you couldn't really tell and that they looked round - this is true to a degree, unless you look very closely at the watch you wouldn't pick up on the octagonal design, but to me they don't look quite round either... but it's certainly not enough to put me off the watch anymore (and of course anything that makes it harder to fake the new Aquaracers has to be a good thing, good luck gluing all those octagons on in the right places chaps!).
My next bone of contention was the new hour hand, which to me looked too big, too Seiko and generally too awful. In reality I barely even noticed it... and the same goes for the retro edging on the bezel. I think, actually the one thing that I miss is the 'turning humps' in the bezel, since that was an Aquaracer 'thing'... but I'm sure I'll get used to this new, cleaner design eventually.
Number one gripe for pretty much everyone though, was the round cyclops at the '6' position. I have no problem with the date at the '6' and having the magnifier under the glass (something not seen on a TAG Heuer since the 2000 Series days - although actually there the cyclops was built into the dial) is something that TAG Heuer should be lauded to the skies for because I detest having those stupid glass lumps on my watches. But in the macro shots the cyclops looks utterly dreadful, partly because it is round and it is sitting on top of a square date window, but mainly because it looks so intrusive.
In reality the cyclops is merely a delicate circular line set into the flat crystal and I am sure that almost everyone who shares my reservations about this particular 'feature' that actually bothers to take a closer look at the new watch will be won over. Personally I can live without the cyclops altogether, but if we absolutely must have them, then under the glass is the way to go. Well done TAG Heuer; I'm still not 100% that it should be 'round', but equally I'm not sure the old cyclops shape would work any better set on the centre line of the dial - at least they resisted the temptation to make it octagonal.
WBP231C.BA0626
I initially was hoping to see the silver dial version of the new Aquaracer, but the store I visited only had the blue and black in the 43mm size. I tried on the blue, which is nice enough, but the blue seems rather muted for my tastes. Then again, this is a mass-market ('mall', if we want to be blunt) watch and it needs to appeal to as many people as possible, so I can understand why the blue is this kind of 'inoffensive' tone.
I did also get to take a look at the silver dial in the 36mm, but this has the 'wave' dial and I really don't think it works in silver. It catches the light too much (if that's possible) and ends up looking a bit messy. I'd still be interested to see the 43mm in silver, and the 36mm in blue because I feel sure both would be an improvement.
On the wrist the watch feels just a touch smaller than the older 43mm models and here I also have to mention the clasp, which is a HUGE improvement. This really is a step up for TAG Heuer and it gives you ample adjustment - though I'm curious to know why they persisted with including half links? Simply press the two buttons on the side and away you go - wonderful, if only I could put this clasp on my Aquagraph!
Unfortunately I couldn't get a very good look at the back of the watch as it was covered over with cling film and stickers. Maybe that's a good thing though as I am not really a fan of the new 'diving helmet' design. I must admit I forgot to check to see if there were any removal grooves in the back plate, because photographs show a smooth back and I am curious to know how the back is removed without them (not that I ever would, but I hope this isn't something they are going to be doing in future on quartz watches!).
WBP208B.BF0631
In addition to the blue dial Aquaracer, I was also able to take a look at the titanium/green dial model, which I had expected not to like too much judging from the photographs. And again, I will admit that I was wrong. The matt titanium finish looks fantastic, the green dial and bezel are a good match (though again I'm not 'blown away' by the exact choice of green) and the watch is unbelievably light in the hand. I mean, I know it's titanium, but I wasn't expecting such a colossal difference in weight between this and the standard steel model.
I can certainly appreciate now why so many people seem keen on this model, it's certainly the best of the 'regular' Aquaracers available right now, albeit the £3500 price point puts it out of my reach for the moment. The lady in the shop assured me that titanium is not only lighter, but it also doesn't scratch as easily as steel. That's not my experience, I have to say. I was told the same thing when I bought my titanium/carbon dial Breil Ducati (paying a £100 premium for it into the bargain) and that thing scratched up worse than any watch I've ever owned. It could be that different titanium formulas have different properties, but my understanding has always been that titanium does scratch but it's easier to clean up and this is born out by my friend Rich who owns a titanium Pelagos LHD.
All in all I left the store much happier than I went in and (honestly) greatly relieved. The new Aquaracer hasn't won me over completely yet, I'm certainly not saving for one, but I feel massively more positive about it than I did before. In the social media age I can see why so many brands are so conservative and take so few risks, especially when you have something that looks pretty much perfect (like the WAY Aquaracers did), but even if I'm not always 100% on board with the results, ultimately I'm glad that TAG Heuer are doing something rather than just tweaking what they already have.
Besides, I predict that by next month there will be a 2021 Aquaracer I do want... but we won't talk about that just yet.
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