SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Glacier Express' Limited Edition Automatic Watch

 

It never ceases to amaze me how even though I think I must have uncovered 99.9% of all the watches that TAG Heuer have made over the last 40 years, I still manage to find references that I've never come across before. This Aquaracer was actually the by-product of hunting for information on a different watch (another limited edition that I hadn't seen before, a 2015 'Swiss' Aquaracer) that I was trying to find a part number for. Google images threw this one at me, presumably because it is also a silver dial limited edition Aquaracer... and, well, I kinda like it!

The watch is currently on eBay, being sold from Australia for approximately £1985. If that seems a lot (it did to me too) even for a properly numbered 250 piece limited edition, one thing to point out from the off is that this watch isn't a quartz as I assumed it would be, but a Calibre 5. Even so, I doubt the seller will achieve that figure very easily. In fact the watch was previously up for £900 more, which was really reaching! 

This is the thing with 'limited editions'... especially location specific ones like this, simply being limited does not make it intrinsically more valuable than a similar plain model. In fact the mountains and the logo in particular may put off more buyers than it attracts, unless someone has actually been on the 'Glacier Express' themselves.

So what is the 'Glacier Express'? Well, you probably won't be too surprised to learn that it's a very expensive train that runs through the Swiss alps, providing a very slow (some might even say 'glacial', hohoho) 8 hour journey with breathtaking scenery on either side of you. Along the way you will enjoy a superb dining experience and no doubt champagne... which sounds lovely. Maybe?

I dunno, it actually sounds like it might get a bit boring... and while I do like the mountain detailing on the dial, the logo does look a bit like it should be plastered down the side of a Ford Transit doesn't it? I must admit it looks better on the trains (which are red, incidentally), but isolated in black against this silver dial it looks... umm, not great.

If anything this watch makes me want to hunt down a plain silver dial Calibre 5 WAP Aquaracer, I'm sure I could find one much cheaper and I'm quite light on silver dial watches these days... in fact I've only got one left! Jim will be throwing me out of the church if I'm not careful.

But as far as this one goes, well it's an interesting curiosity but not really much more than that. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T Chronograph by The 1916 Watch Company Reviews

 

FEATURE: Beating the Price Rises

 

Come rain or shine there's one thing of which you can be sure, the Swiss will raise the prices of watches, and probably faster than inflation or wages. But you want the latest watches on your wrist... so what can you do? Well, if you can wait a few months, the truth is you can save yourself a lot of money. No you won't get the full 'boutique' experience, but honestly is a glass of champagne and a free hat worth a thousand pounds to you? If so then maybe you don't need to read the rest of this post... for everyone else, please read on!

So look, of course it's easy to find 'deals' online and we all know what an absolute cess-pit the internet is... so for the purposes of this post I'm going to restrict myself to looking at what Watchfinder can offer. Now I have no special 'relationship' with Watchfinder to declare, the only thing I've had from them was a complimentary service and polish one time, which I'm still a little confused about... but anyway, the reason I'm looking at Watchfinder particularly is simply that they aren't renowned as being the cheapest of the cheap, but I've always had good service from them and they offer a two year warranty on everything they sell, so it's as good as buying new as you're going to get. 

And to be honest, if you're buying a current 'in-house' movement TAG Heuer you will still get their five year warranty anyway, so happy days!

Regardless, the point of this post is really not to plug Watchfinder specifically, but just to point out that there are deals to be had and you don't have to fall back on models from five years ago to get a nice watch at a decent price (though personally I probably still would, if only because the watches of 2020 beat the watches of 2025, but that's just my opinion, naturally).

Yes indeed, the idea of 'watches as investments' is dead in the water (thankfully), unless you're looking at Rolex and possibly some of the more sought after pieces from other higher end manufacturers. Hopefull no one is buying a Carrera (or a Monaco) in 2025 with the idea that they'll be able to sell it for more than they paid in the future. It just ain't happening. And that. my friends, is a good thing.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph by Spending Time Watching Time

 

THANK YOU: Two Million Views!

About a year ago I celebrated the blog hitting 1,000,000 page views by buying my Grand Carrera Calibre 36 Caliper... actually I can't believe that was a year ago, but it was! In fact I posted my Buying Experience post for that watch exactly one year ago today. 

Incredible....and what better way than to celebrate hitting 2,000,000 views just twelve months later than by buying the watch I've been hankering after for the last four or five years? It actually wasn't planned that way but it's worked out pretty sweet hasn't it?

So thanks to everyone who visits the blog, I'm sure you're not all bots, though judging by some of the comments some of you might be. 🤣

Let's hope TAG Heuer have something genuinely exciting for us in the last quarter of the year, because I feel like this year has been a little flat for me. Major purchase aside of course...

Aquagraph 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Carrera Dato '160th Anniversary' Heuer 02 Limited Edition

 

Before I start this post, I just want to mention something... you may have noticed that I removed my Instagram address from the blog header, and that's because I've removed Instagram from my phone. Honestly I detest Instagram, it is truly a brain-rotting waste of everyone's time and I want no more part of it. I only ever went on it to promote this blog and since the blog is doing quite nicely now I feel like I no longer need to give it my attention. 

I do still have it on my computer, and I may post once in a blue moon, but trying to contact me through Instagram is a pointless exercise I'm afraid and I really don't want to 'collaborate' on any posts. Sorry.

'So with that out of the way, let's turn our attention to the matter in hand, namely the coolest TAG Heuer watch of the last five years and the one and only watch I truly desire to add to my collection....'

That's how this post WAS going to start, because originally this was supposed to be a 'Spotlight On' post. But there's been a development. A major development. Because it's no longer the 'only watch on my wish list', it's on my wrist! And I can hardly believe it...

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List 2010/2011

Click on the images to open them in a larger size.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre TH20-00 'Osaka Expo 2025' Limited Edition Chronograph

Let's be frank, I've been fairly withering about TAG Heuer's 2025 releases, haven't I? I mean there are a few I like a bit, but generally speaking I've been left decidedly underwhelmed. And now we have this... mess of a Carrera to look at and I simply don't know where to begin.

Okay, look. Let's back up a bit. First of all, this is clearly not aimed at me, as until today I had never heard of Myaku-Myaku (which is the character logo for the Osaka Expo 2025). If you Google it you will see it's clearly popular, you can get all sorts of merchandise for it, including some bonkers looking trainers... so maybe all 125 pieces will be snapped up and flipped at a profit? I really don't know..

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 42mm Chronograph Review by A Blog to Watch