Last year TAG Heuer shocked us all with the first incarnation of their 'Plasma Carrera' and to be honest until I saw their teaser for Watches & Wonders 2023 it never crossed my mind for a second that they would be doing it all over again. Only this time... throwing caution completely to the wind.
Now honestly, I can't remember what score I gave the 2022 version, but looking back to last Christmas and the Watch of the Year Vote for 2022, the original 'Plasma' scored a respectable 5.9 out of 10. Which is probably more than I would have expected when you consider that the majority of the people voting are somewhat conservative when it comes to watches and aren't shy about expressing themselves when it comes to the abomination that is the 'modern' Carrera.
So all things considered, 5.9 was a pretty decent score for a watch with a diamond dial, with diamond hour markers, a diamond crown and an unnecessary number of diamonds wedged cleverly into the aluminium case and bezel. So okay, the Council didn't really like it, but as a one off they were willing to give it a pass and accept that it was a tremendous 'technical' achievement.
Not so this time I'm afraid. The bracelet is an improvement perhaps, but with that crazy peppering of lab grown diamonds it seems they've taken things just a little too far, and the Council are not having it! Part way through the voting I did a quick tally up and shockingly the score was 2.97, putting it nearly a full point below the lowest scoring watch ever since the COCO began (the abysmally awful Monaco Riviera which sits on a pitiful 3.9/10).
Now personally, the new Plasma Carrera is way too much for me, but I'd still take it over the Monaco a hundred times over. Not that I'd be able to afford either of them, with the Monaco reportedly trading at some ridiculously inflated price circa £30,000 and the 2023 Plasma Carrera costing a reported 500,000CHF! And to be honest if I did have 500,000CHF burning a hole in my pocket I could think of a million uses I could put it to before I bought this watch. But then clearly, this watch isn't aimed at me, anyone I know, or anyone who knows anyone I know.
Which is not to say I hate it, because I don't. I can admire the work that's gone into it and the technical difficulties that they overcame to bring it into being, but for me.. I can't honestly give it more than a 5, even though I want to give it a 10 (if only to lift it above that hideous Monaco in the standings).
On the positive side, TAG Heuer also released a second 'jewellery' piece this year, a 36mm Carrera which is presumably considered 'unisex' in the current climate, despite the pink diamond crown and 'TAG Heuer' shaped shield on the dial. I have to say overall the watch is somewhat more approachable (a sentiment seemingly shared by almost every member of the council it should be noted) and while I do think the pink diamond shield is a little OTT I must admit that without it the crown would look a bit of an afterthought.
No pricing information on the 36mm Carrera I'm afraid, I would imagine these models are both made to order, but I can't imagine much change from £20-30,000.... but then it could be much more than that, I really don't know.
If anyone manages to come across part numbers for either of these watches, I would be very grateful if you could let me know what they are in the comments below. Thank you in advance.
Okay, without further ado, let's find out what the Council had to say and whether the score for the 44mm managed to pick itself up at all... (SPOILER: It did, a bit - but not enough to save it from provisionally being the absolute bottom of the heap: maybe the Council will have warmed to it by December?)
44MM CARRERA PLASMA TOURBILLON: 3.2/10
36MM CARRERA PLASMA WATCH: 5.7/10
124.5 / 22 = 5.659 (Rounded up to 5.7/10)
36MM: 5/10 - It's not too bad and almost quite elegant. I like the diamond shield logo and the dial is actually quite nice but not sure about the crown. 44MM: 3.5/10 - I didn't like this at first, it looked a total mess, like someone had thrown up diamonds all over it! However, I'm slightly warming to it now. Just not sure about the diamonds on the bracelet, dial is ok though.
36MM: 6/10 - I am weirdly not hating it. 44MM: 5/10 - I am surprised at the audacity.
36MM:7.5/10 - This is actually really nice. Not too showy, classy size, special, and quite original too. I don't do diamonds or jewellery watches, but if I could afford it, then I would possibly actually buy this. The only bit I don't like is the pink diamond crown and shield. 44MM: 2/10 - Big, gawdy, pretty ugly and no doubt phenomenally expensive. Target market is obviously rap stars, Premier League footballers and rich socialite wannabes. Trying too hard.
36MM: 7/10 - Oddly I like it. 44MM: 3/10 - Does nothing for me.
36MM: 6.5/10 - I think it actually looks nice and cohesive, but it would be even better without the pink diamond crown and shield. I'm sure the price is astronomical (does anyone know at this time?), but just based on looks, I'll give it a 6.5/10. 44MM: 1/10 - I just don't care about the model whatsoever. I'd rather see them produce haute horlogerie pieces like they were attempting ten years ago versus this.
36MM: 5/10 + 44MM: 5/10 - As a halo effect design, the larger gets 8 as it will get people chatting etc. Personally, 5/10. Smaller one 5 also
36MM: 7/10 - 1x point deducted for the pink TAG badge, the boring strap and the weird looking hour markers. I love the diamond dial though. 44MM: 3/10 - 1x point awarded for the dial, case and the fact that it's a tourbillon. The diamonds on the case and bracelet are truly hideous. What were they thinking?
36MM: 6/10 - This one at least has good proportions and the diamond logo is kinda fun. 44MM: 3/10 - This one looks like it's been run over.
36MM: 4/10 - Classy strap, dials I can live with but the logo and winder not so much. 44MM: 2/10 - Bling bling baby, Lewis Hamilton's new piece I am sure of it.
36MM: 8/10 - This one is mega-cool and gets an 8. 44MM: 6/10 - A famous Swede once said, the more bling the better. Despite saying this many times, I do find the plasma to be a bit all over the place and those diamonds on case and bracelet look... I don't want to say shit, but it looks like something I don't like the look of.
36MM: 6/10 - I don’t hate it and wish they had stayed away from using pink, drops a point because of that. 44MM: 2/10 - It’s pretty wild that they can do this, I just don’t understand why they made it look like this.
36MM: 3/10 - I want more diamonds embedded in the case and bezel. I would also like to see a complete reproduction of the Tag Heuer logo with a green emerald. 44MM: 3/10 - I'm not sure if the technology is great enough for the price. This time, even the bracelet is inlaid with diamonds, but how much will the price jump?
36MM: 3/10 + 44MM: 2/10 - Not impressed but I presume I'm not the intended market.
36MM: 6/10 - I can imagine myself giving this to my wife. 44MM: 6/10 - If I’m getting a tourbillon, I’d probably want it this flashy
36MM: 7.5/10 - This is truly excellent and polar opposite to the 44mm. Don’t like diamonds personally, but that dial pattern is amazing and the shape of those indices look great too. 44MM: 0/10 - Not based on price but looks. Can’t remember last years score, so I will match that and give the 44mm a big fat 0. On reflection bump both my scores up half a point, the more I look at the 36mm the cooler it gets.
36MM: 2/10 + 44MM: 0/10 - Honestly I would check the date for 01/04 if I saw these in a shop window.
36MM: 8/10 - I really like it. The pink diamond in TH logo shape is great. 44MM: 6/10 - I prefer last year -and first- Plasma Tourbillon. This one is too busy for me, too much diamonds everywhere.
36MM: 3/10 - Marginally less shit. 44MM: 1/10 - Absolute shit.
36MM: 7.5/10 - My wife's score. She likes white gold, diamonds and pink, so this 36mm works for her. 44MM: 5.5/10 - This year's 44mm works better with the bracelet. It completes the look and somehow makes it a bit cooler for me. The overall aesthetic is still terribly gaudy. But I'm giving it a slightly positive score as I feel TAG is being unabashedly bold with this piece.
36MM: 6/10 - Overall I like this, although the pink shield doesn't work for me. 44MM: 5/10 - I appreciate the engineering of this.
36MM: 7/10 - I can see how this could be appealing to the ladies in show-business and influencers. 44MM: 5/10 (Fail). It's a mess, just like last year's. Who are these appealing to? Boxers and rappers?
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