Wednesday 28 February 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 'Qatar' Limited Edition

WBN2017.BA0640

After the disappointment that was 'LVMH Watch Week' (Polar Blue 34mm Solargraph aside - potentially, though it remains to be seen) the feeling I had when I clapped eyes on this limited edition release for Qatar, was 'THIS IS MORE LIKE IT'. And while repeated exposure has tempered my (over) enthusiasm a little, this is still perhaps the most exciting TAG Heuer of 2024 so far and most importantly it's not bloody teal!


Just 150 pieces of this watch are available, which seems reasonable for a very specific market like this one and it is of course based off the 41mm day/date that originally came out a couple of years ago. The maroon dial is pretty striking, and was chosen because it reflects the Qatari flag. The other colour found on the flag can be found on the seconds hand which is painted with a white lacquer (though this doesn't seem to have been factored into the rendered images). The dial also features the word 'Qatar' printed in Arabic over the 'Automatic' text. 
 

As usual the watch has a display caseback allowing the wearer to see the Calibre 5 automatic movement and is marked 'Limited Edition' and 'One of 150'. The watch is available from 'Al Majed Jewellery which is based in Doha. 

Time once again to invoke the spirits of the Council. I feel reasonably confident that this one will get a better reception than the last two we've thrown into their cage...





7/10: "It's cool to see a fun colour in the 41mm size. Not quite as pretty as the 36mm Barbie dial, but still very nice."

6/10: "Size, colour and indices I like. Day date = HELL NO!"

4/10: "Hmm… another miss in my opinion. Gonna rate this a 4/10."

6/10: "Overall not a bad looking watch. I do love the Maroon dial, it looks very luxurious and silky. Obviously the watch is not aimed at me but I do find the hour markers add some sort of interest to me."

8/10: "Love the colour and guessing if it’s inspired by the flag colour it will sell out quickly. Please bring us this colour for the UK market I would definitely buy it if I had the money…scoring it for the Qatar market though."

6/10: "It's not bad, but it's not more than a 6/10 for me either."

6/10: "It's like a colour variation of the model that comes out every year. This time, I feel the colouring was aggressive. Not so bad."

7/10: "Not a bad idea considering how the pink dial Carrera has actually sparked some interests. Not for me though."

8/10: "Nice bold colour in that clean case design. Whilst I understand the reasoning behind the colour, it’s almost as if they are testing the water before going full on Barbie with this one. Giving that a solid 8/10."

5/10: "Colour is good but given this is aimed at a different market, I'd prefer it if it had Arabic numerals rather than "Arabic" numerals. And I have a slight issue with 3 hand Carreras in general, especially at >39mm."

7/10: "I like the contrasting silver numeral indexes. Also the sunburst brushed dial looks nice."

6.5/10: "While I am not the target customer, this one is pretty cool, well executed, and unique. I'll give it a 6.5/10."

5/10: "Nice colour, but of limited use outside Arabic speaking world? Like most of TH recent stuff, expensive."

4/10: "Arabic dials are all the rage these days but this one's kinda boring."

5/10: "I'm sure Arabian Ken will love it, but it's a 5/10 for me."

5/10: "That image above Automatic looks like a couple engaging in a sexual position."

4.5/10: "Maroon? Anyway - this one is a really hard pass from me. In almost every conceivable aspect (although I try to remain culturally sensitive)."

3/10: "This is the issue with scoring these special editions that are so specific to a particular country or way of life. If one has zero connection to the meaning of the watch, the scoring is pointless. It looks shit to me, but it's not aimed at me so who cares what I think. I can only score this if I ignore the fact that I can't read what it says and I don't like the colour, which isn't maroon anyway, it's more of a cerise." 

5/10: "Almost impossible to score a watch like this. Will appeal to a number of people."

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