CAZ101AL.FT8052
You may remember that last year I finally got around to trying on the previous version of the Red Bull Formula 1 and came away very disappointed with it; the colours were very muted and it just didn't hang together well in my opinion. And interestingly that model doesn't seem to have had nearly the lifespan of the original (and still the best IMHO), and yet if there's one criticism that can be levelled at the original CAZ1018 it's that there's absolutely nothing 'Red Bull' about it. It's just a very good looking blue and white watch.
No such criticism can be thrown at the CAZ101AL, since this one clearly utilises all the key colours of the Red Bull F1 car, though whether it does so entirely successfully is a matter of some debate. Rarely have I seen such extremes of scoring from the COCO Council, with the watch scoring 9s and 10s, but also 2s and 3s!
For me, I like the skeletonised hands, I like the cool looking blue rubber strap (worth an extra point over the old and jangly BA0842 bracelet for sure), I like the applied numerals... and possibly the blue dial. Beyond that I'm struggling to find things I really 'like' about it... The 'Formula 1' text looks good above the TAG Heuer shield and brings the watch into line with the rest of the range, although it was my understanding that TAG Heuer were not allowed to use the 'Formula 1' text in isolation and it always had to be preceded by 'TAG Heuer', but maybe this has been renegotiated with Liberty Media since Bernie Ecclestone left?
What I don't like is the date window, but this applies to all the modern quartz chronographs, it's just too close to the running seconds subdial, although not outlining it in white does help a tiny bit. I also think the word 'Speed' on the bezel looks naff as hell... why not put Red Bull on the bezel, this is a Red Bull edition after all? But the thing I really don't like, and actually the thing that turned this from a 'maybe' into a definitely not, is those peculiar looking white things over the 5 and 7.
Apparently they are supposed to represent the starting grid markings on a racing circuit. Well, I'm glad someone told me because I don't think I would ever have worked that out. And the strange thing is, until someone mentioned this I hadn't actually noticed them, but then once I saw them I could never unsee them... and now they just sit there like a moustache on the Mona Lisa, somewhat spoiling what could have been quite a nice looking watch.
But that aside, this is a reasonable success and for sure an improvement on the dismal CAZ101AB and I'm sure it will sell well. The Formula 1 range is supposed to be colourful and fun and this ticks both those boxes, our Swedish correspondent and proud CAZ1018 owner Jim Dollares is even talking about adding this to his collection, so TAG Heuer have certainly hit the mark with at least some of the target audience....
And who knows, maybe when I see this in the metal those grid markings might not seem so bad... this last photo is already swaying me and I think this has the potential to look very exciting in real life. Maybe it would have been a good idea to render the TAG Heuer logo in plain white though, as the green is perhaps one too many colours on the dial.
But where is the Max Verstappen World Champion watch? Surely that must be in the pipeline soon. Will it be a variation of this piece or something entirely unique, does it exist at all? If we look to the past both Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen have had signature TAG Heuer watches around the time of their championship victories; though neither actually said 'World Champion' on them - which could be something to do with licensing from Formula 1 perhaps? But Max has already had four watches attributed to him, so it seems an opportunity too good to miss not to celebrate his achievement, even if it was perhaps the most controversial WDC in history.
For now, we'll turn the microphone over to the Council of Considered Opinion, ready and waiting in the wings to rate and slate this latest addition to the Formula 1 line...
CAZ101AL.BA0842 (Bracelet): 5.4/10
"While it plays with all the RBR colours to make it more evident that it is a special edition dedicated to that team, I don't like how they have been applied to the dial, which is too colourful. It doesn't work... and those starting grid marks, split in half, aren't well integrated either..."
So it’s a 2/10 for the bracelet version, and 3/10 for the blue rubber strap version
"I will give this a solid 8 out of 10. It just works for me and makes a lot of sense with it being a Red Bull Formula 1 watch. You instantly know this is their watch. Also I quite like the addition of 'Formula 1' Under the 12. And talking of Numbers the lumed number markers are always welcome on these watches. Only slight negatives for me are the addition of the grid marks which could have been done without. Having said that, after finding out what they were they make a bit more sense, but still not needed. Also get rid of the 'Speed' and replace it with 'Red Bull' maybe??? Although that doesn't bother me that much in all honesty... the addition of the rubber strap is very nice, it looks very comfortable and fits the watch (and dial) perfectly. I'm really not sure which option I would go for as they both work well. Maybe the steel bracelet is worth the extra, but the rubber strap is not to be dismissed."
"2/10. The only F1 that attracts me is the WAZ in red."
"Even if I don't like the new F1 very much personally, it sure is a playful watch. It seems the F1 line is just for fun and colourful, trying things that are not allowed elsewhere. 6/10 for both."
"3/10 - the F1 line is best when it's colourful and fun, but this one is just overdesigned. An assault on the eyeballs."
"A fresh look this morning made me rethink my hard stance yesterday. It’s not a horrible watch. It’s just really bad. Bracelet 2/10 Rubber 2,5/10."
"Well I am totally biased but I love this piece, haven't seen it in the flesh but from the photos it looks great. Colour scheme is nice, I really like the yellow accents as well. Not convinced on the inner red ring though... But maybe in the flesh I will. Both versions - 9/10 (again haven't seen / felt the strap but it looks like a good fit, something different too)."
"I prefer some of the prior years. IMHO, the dial is overloaded with too many colours and details. None yielding an improvement over past models. I'd give the bracelet reference a 5.5 and the rubber a 5."
"I like this one to be honest. Comparing the past ones, this one is more vibrant and the character is on the play with colours (remember Montreal?). It has that playful charisma compared to the previous ones which are more bland. This is more in your face “Red Bull” ;) I also like the placement of Formula 1 on top of the logo. This watch would be THE perfect complement to the legion of fans wearing Red Bull F1 shirt on Race Day. This is 8/10 for me :)."
"6/10 but the price is dropping this to 4. I do not understand the target audience at this cost. What’s next, false stock availability?"
"Five for both, the lines added at 5 and 7 ding the score, I would have scored it much higher if not for that."
"I had high hopes for the new RB F1, but was quite disappointed. The use of large numbers all around the dial, skeleton hands, 3 very different looking sub-dials and a bizarre grid block motif (which nobody will know is a grid block), all add up to a very busy and incohesive appearance. The overall colour scheme screams Red Bull however, so perhaps Red Bull devotees will eat this one up. I wanted to like this watch, but I think it's just too over the top for my taste. It's kind of like TAG Heuer tried a bit too hard. But I can see why anyone who likes Red Bull Racing can be attracted to this watch. For me, I have no special love for Red Bull Racing or Max, other than the fact they're sponsored by TAG Heuer. So objectively when I compare it to other F1s or other watches in general, I'm sorry to say it doesn't rate that highly for me."
"My opinion of these watches is favourable. It's certainly too colourful and looks messy, but I think I will buy this watch in a while."
"Although not for me, I do quite like it to be honest, although the dial is a bit busy with the large numerals and that controversial grid box. I'd always normally buy a watch on bracelet but really like the rubber strap with this one."
"5/10 for me. I may be biased as I'm not the target market for an 'expensive quartz chrono' but visually its a cohesive mess - date window, too many colours and racing grid. But I also understand why all that's been done. Compared to the earlier generations it's an improvement, Maybe a higher score if they lost the grid markers at 6 and kept to red & blue."
"I feel like I need to apologize for liking this watch... I would give the rubber strap version a 10 and the bracelet a 9."
"It's a 2 from me for each one. Possible the worst release we will see this year."
"5. Meh. Would be 4, but 1 extra for the colour logo."
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