WBP2114.BA0627: Packed with Adrenaline!
As regular readers will know, it's only been a couple of months since I put down my own hard-earned money to buy the green dial version of this 40mm Calibre 5 Aquaracer... and so obviously, when you've committed to what you think is going to be this year's 'winner', the thought of another striking dial coming out so soon afterwards is a bit daunting, right? After all, no one wants to feel like they've backed the wrong horse, do they?
Troubling times indeed!
Until fairly recently (before the brutal collection-cull of early '23) I owned a rare-ish red dial 37mm three hand quartz S/EL that I liked quite a bit (the water damaged lume - not so much), so I'm certainly not against red watches per se - but there are very few out there and they are extremely hard to get right. I'll freely admit the TH website renders did NOT fill me with much optimism; was the watch red, or a dark pink... it seemed unclear and honestly either way I felt pretty confident that I wasn't going to be regretting my purchase.
Notice how the boutique have the crowns pulled out and
the hands set at 10:10 for maximum photogenicity!
As you can see, although this is a 'First Impressions' post, I have actually already tried the watch on (when I visited the Oxford Steet boutique a couple of weeks ago) and so I already have proper hands-on experience with it. The first thing to say is that it doesn't look pink, but nor does it wear a confident red. In fact it's hard to describe the dial with certainty and even my photos don't look quite as I remember the watch in person.
Obviously, save for the dial, it is exactly the same as my (green) watch and therefore shares the same pros - super legible hands/markers and crowd pleasing case size; and cons - ludicrously impractical polished clasp and a disappointing lack of on-the-fly adjustment.
But the dial is the critical factor here and, well... in all honesty, seeing the watch in person did nothing to change my mind.
Given the previous releases in this range I was half expecting the dial to be a bit like the green, with the dial looking almost black from some angles. But it isn't like that at all, it's all red, all the time, but it's not a nice solid red, it's a combination of a (slightly) burgandyish red edge and a paler, wishy washy red centre.
I honestly think it would have been better if it had just been a good solid red all over like the old red S/EL. In fact, it kinda feels like TAG Heuer's fumé-dial obsession has caught them out this time; especially as the fumé effect doesn't seem as smooth as it could be with an obvious darker red ring around the edge leaving it looking just a little bit clumsy.
And of course if it had a solid red dial it would have been a no-brainer to have given it a red (or white) date wheel, because unfortunately this black one doesn't work at all (unlike the green/black where it fitted in perfectly). In all honesty I can't help thinking a white wheel would have been a better bet in any case as this just looks very odd indeed.
All biases aside, I'm not laying in to this because I want to reassure myself that I was right to buy the green dial version. I actually think it's a real shame that this has missed the mark because like I said earlier red watches are few and far between and nice red watches are even harder to come by, so if anything this just feels like a missed opportunity.
There are now four dial colours available in this range, and while obviously for me the green is the pick of the bunch, the blue is not without merit - it looks particularly killer with the gold bezel and wholly decent in the steel variation. Up until now my least favourite has always been the the smoky brown/black dial, but I'm afraid this has now been usurped by the red. I mean obviously the watch as a whole is solid, but with this hugely underwhelming dial I'm afraid I just can't justify giving it any more than a 4/10.
Okay, let's see how that compares with the other members of the COCO council...
8/10: "I reckon this will be collectable in the future when it's discontinued. Red (or pinkish red or pink) and green are always polarizing. Either love or hate it, but in the end it always ends up being collectible."
7/10: "It’s neither red nor pink in any photos seen so far. I like a bold statement but this hasn’t garnered my attention as of yet."
6/10: "Not my favourite variant in that line-up. Plus: The black date wheel is a real eyesore against that dial colour."
8/10: "I find this colour quite attractive. Can't wait to see it for real."
6/10: "I would've preferred a more vibrant blood red, something like the red used on the 80s Monaco 50th LE. The pinkish plum wine on this one isn't for me."
7/10: "I gave the green one an eight and this should be one point less. Lack of adjustable clasp is an issue."
6.5/10: "The dial looks more pink than red to me, not that that's an issue. Also I'm not sure how vibrant it would be in the flesh. Either way, it's still a lovely edition but there are other dial colourways that look better than this in my opinion."
8.5/10: "Gorgeous, not quite as cool as the green version and would like to see it to judge the colour in real life. But on the strength of the render a solid 8.5 I think..."
6/10: "The green works better, so I’d subtract a point from that one. So this would be a 6 for me."
7/10: "A nice version for people who enjoy weird colours."
6.5/10: "I like that TAG Heuer is being more adventurous with these dials."
6/10: "The green version is exceptional, but based on the pictures I have seen so far of the red version, this one does not strike the same chords for me. Perhaps my score will increase in time, but for now, 6/10."
7/10: "I prefer the green version (and I gave a 8/10 to the green), so this red one is a 7/10 for me."
4/10: "Least favourite out of the new 200s for me."
5/10: "If only TAG Heuer had regularized the watch with a rainbow-style seven-colour line-up. I'll give this watch 5 points even if I include the red enthusiasm."
Quite a decent score from the council, but I'm afraid I can't help thinking this is going to drop at the end of the year, once the members have actually seen the watch in the flesh...
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