CAZ101AU.BA0842
In 2020, TAG Heuer released one of the best 'Indy 500' branded watches they've ever produced (for me, of course, the Heuer 01 skeletons are the pinnacle of the genre), a black PVD coated model on a rubber strap with red bricks covering part of the dial which garnered a very respectable 6.5/10 from the Council of Considered Opinion in the big end of year vote.
For some reason, perhaps due to Covid(?) the 2021 race didn't get a watch, but last year TAG Heuer released a rather underwhelming black and gold model featuring the supposedly 'iconic' control tower. Frankly it didn't inspire much positive comment from anywhere much and seemed to disappear without trace. I've still never seen one and I don't suppose I ever shall now. I don't even know for sure how many pieces it was limited to, I heard 500 although that seems a bit unlikely.
This year TAG Heuer have stuck with the black and gold theme, but have seemingly taken inspiration from that aforementioned 2020 watch, wisely bringing back the brick motif, albeit this time with a gold hue. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to have worked half as well as the last time, and the extra £200 for the gold on the dial is a bit of a kick in the teeth... I mean the bricks across the famous Indianapolis speedway are red at the end of the day, but I guess they've shot that particular bolt haven't they?
I haven't seen many photos of this one and it looks like it might be slightly better than the render suggests, but it still doesn't look quite as good as it really needed to to erase the memory of last year's underwhelming offering. And again stepping into the £2000+ price bracket with a quartz chronograph is a brave move, it will be interesting to see how many people are prepared to cross that threshold to obtain one.
Honestly, looking at this watch it's quite hard to come up with something to say. It doesn't really inspire any strong emotions in me either way. It's fine, I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. Perhaps this is a lot to do with the fact that while I do religiously watch Formula 1, I live in the UK and have never watched the Indy 500. I think I tried once but I quickly realised that 500 laps of an oval is a big ask, and while I am sure there is more to it than meets the eye, it seems hard to get excited about the driving skill vs say maximising velocity through Eau Rouge or Pouhon at Spa-Francorchamps.
It seems the Council of Considered Opinion didn't have much to say about this one either, with a lower response rate than usual and a barely any of the comments stretching beyond a single sentence. Maybe we've just had too many watches all at once this year? It certainly feels that way, with 20 odd pieces coming at once over Watches & Wonders this year.
For your information, the 2023 Indy 500 Formula 1 costs a substantial £2250 (yes really), measures 43mm excluding the crown and features an 'Indy 500' engraving on the backplate along with the text 'One of 1000'. If you do happen to be taken with it, there's a link at the bottom of the page.
Until next time...
7/10: Good F1 overall; just wish the quality of the case & bracelet was better.
5.5/10: The watch looks decent, but it is priced too high in my opinion.
6.5/10: Bricks, tarmac, a coherent colour scheme, not bad. F1, meh.
6.7/10: I like the gold details on this one and if I cared the slightest for Indy 500 I would probably want to wear this one. But since Indy 500 means nothing to me, and I don't like men posing drenched in milk, I shall settle for a 6,7 on this one.
6/10: Just a rehash of the 2020 model, but a different color. Not a fan of the current color.
5/10: There haven't been many new updates to this watch, and it didn't really interest me.
4/10: This design just doesn't work for me. The color combo looks bland without any red. It also feels lopsided with the gold bricks in the shape of a pendulum that got stuck on the side. The $200 price premium over the Gulf F1 adds insult to injury.
5/10: Looks decent, but doesn’t do it for me.
7.5/10: Just from the photo , I don’t mind this one.
4.5/10: I can see what they're doing here but it just doesn't work. It just looks a bit of a mess. Nice idea and the textures on the dial look good but its too much. A bit of a waste of gold.
3/10: Oh dear, the gold detailing on the dial is dreadful. It would be so much better without that!
1/10: Uuuuugggh, just lots of no no no from me.
5/10: Bit lower than the Gulf F1 because I’m not a huge fan of the color scheme (looks more mustard than gold, eh?)…
6.5/10: Mmmm, unsure here. Could be higher if I saw it in my hand someplace.
6/10: I like it more than the similar Gulf F1, but it’s not the best Indy 500 version ever…
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