At the start of the year I confidently (some might say foolishly) stated that this year things would be different and that I would write more about older watches, do more feature posts and generally write less about every single new release. Well.... that didn't exactly pan out like I hoped did it? I did avoid writing about a number of new watches, but TAG Heuer released so many watches this year (and so many limited editions) that it became almost impossible to keep things to a sensible balance.
So once again I will have to have a long hard think over Christmas about exactly how I'm going to manage the blog in 2026. If TAG Heuer are going to continue to release 80, 90, 100 watches a year then I need to find a way to include more of them without giving each one a 'First Impressions' post and score. It's just not sustainable, especially as next year I want to focus (at least a little) on the 40th birthday of the Formula 1 - and as it happens I already have plans for that.
Maybe next year I will do a 'release round up' every month or two (which was an idea I pondered last year), I don't know... but I will come back to this soon. For now it's time to focus on the work that's already been done and the watches that have already been released...
Generally speaking it's been a bit of a 'meh' year from my perspective and there's been very few watches that have really caught my attention. In fact the only watches that I would really like to own have all been Monacos and sadly all three of those are too expensive for me to consider at present. Ah well, there's always next year - thank God TAG Heuer keep on moving, at least you know there's always the possibility of something exciting just around the corner!
But if the watches of 2025 have been a little disappointing, the blog itself has gone from strength to strength. I know I can't really trust the page view statistics (1.46m views over the last 12 months... for a single brand blog?) but I have seen a dramatic increase in comments left, so I know that more and more people are visiting, and that's really nice to see. Honestly this blog is a lot of work to keep up to date, maintain and improve and there's so much more I'd like to do if only I had the time... so thank you all for your comments and I hope I've helped people where I could.
Okay let's take a look at the 2025 watches and as you probably guessed there were no new Autavias or Links again this year. Honestly I don't know why they don't just dump the existing Links in the outlets and knock it on the head (or start again?), it's getting a little bit embarrassing at this point!
As usual, I've given you the scores for most of the watches but I've held back the top scorers for the big reveal on the 27th when this year's 'Council of Considered Opinion's Watch of the Year' will be announced.
FORMULA 1
It was of course a big year for the Formula 1 with the introduction of the new 38mm F1 Solargraphs (following on from the 35mm Kith editions of 2024). I was excited about these to start with, even debating between the all red and the black/yellow as to which one would end up on my wrist.
Despite reservations over the pricing they seem to have been well received in the market, but personally I just can't get over the 'uncanny valleyness' of them. I thought making them bigger was a great idea, because 35mm is too small... but somehow it just doesn't work. The hands seem too small for the dial, the lume pots are just weird and the case (especially in bare metal) is a huge turn off for me.
Ultimately I think my favourite is the purpley-blue one. I think one big reason for that is that it isn't trying to compete with the memory of an existing 80s/90s watch, and also because the strap and case are the same colour it helps hide that peculiar case design. So yeah, not for me these Solargraph F1s... not for me.
As for the new Calibre 16 chronographs, well I definitely prefer those, but £4k plus for a C16 F1 is just insane really, so if I do end up getting one at some point it will be after someone else has taken the depreciation hit!
I wonder what TAG Heuer are planning for the 40th anniversary of the Formula 1? I mean it's going to be hard to top what they did this year isn't it? Assuming they are going to acknowledge it of course... because after all we know that generally speaking only 'Heuer' models get that kind of respect. But then this will be the first time a 'TAG Heuer' model has reached forty, so we'll have to wait and see.
(NB - TAG Heuer released another Formula 1 Solargraph (WBY111E.BA0042) after the COCO deadline. This will appear in the 'History of the Formula 1' as a 2025 watch, but will be included in the 2026 COCO Watch of the Year' voting.)
WBY1160.FT8085: (6.3/10) F1 Solargraph Limited Edition
WBY1161.FT8086: (X.X/10) F1 Solargraph
WBY1162.FT8105: (6.8/10) F1 Solargraph Singapore GP Limited Edition
WBY111A.FT8106: (6.4/10) F1 Solargraph Barcelona GP Limited Edition
WBY1111.BA0042: (X.X/10) F1 Solargraph
WBY1112.BA0042: (X.X/10) F1 Solargraph
WBY1113.BA0042: (6.9/10) F1 Solargraph Silverstone GP Limited Edition
WBY1114.FT8084: (X.X/10) F1 Solargraph Miami GP Limited Edition
WBY1117.FT8087: (6.6/10) F1 Solargraph Mexican GP Limited Edition
CBZ2084.FT8097: (6.3/10) F1 Calibre 16 Beaverbrooks Exclusive
CBZ2085.FT8093: (6.3/10) F1 Calibre 16
CBZ2086.FT8098: (6.0/10) F1 Calibre 16 Goldsmiths Exclusive
CBZ2082.FT8096: (6.1/10) F1 Calibre 16
CBZ2080.FT8091: (5.8/10) F1 Calibre 16 Red Bull Special Edition
CAZ1014.FT8099: (5.9/10) F1 Quartz UK Exclusive
WAZ1010.FT8099: (5.6/10) F1 Quartz UK Exclusive
CBZ2080.BF0009: (5.8/10) F1 Calibre 16 Red Bull Special Edition
CBZ2082.BF0009: (6.3/10) F1 Calibre 16
CAZ101AX.BA0637: (5.7/10) F1 Quartz Ayrton Senna Limited Edition
CBZ2081.FT8092: (6.6/10) F1 Calibre 16 Ayrton Senna Special Edition
CBZ2087.FT8107: (6.7/10) F1 Calibre 16 Qatar GP Limited Edition
WBY111D.FT8084: (X.X/10) F1 Solargraph Qatar GP Limited Edition
WBY111E.BA0042: (?.?/10) F1 Solargraph
XXXXXXX.XXXXXX: (6.9/10) F1 Solargraph Box Set of Nine Original Models
AQUARACER
An extremely subdued year for the Aquaracer this year, with the main focus being new 36mm and 34mm models and a bevy of two tone watches being reissued with bracelets. Oh and they put the Titanium Solargraph on a NATO. Be still my beating heart.
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WBP231N.BA0618: (6.4/10) Calibre 5 Automatic
WBP1182.BF0000: (6.2/10) Solargraph Quartz
WBP2450.BA0622: (5.0/10) Calibre 7 Automatic
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WBP2451.BA0622: (4.8/10) Calibre 7 Automatic
WBP2150.BA0627: (6.0/10) Calibre 5 Automatic
WBP2151.BA0627: (5.8/10) Calibre 5 Automatic
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WBP231L.BA0618: (5.2/10) Calibre 5 Automatic
WBP231N.FT6234: (6.4/10) Calibre 5 Automatic
WBP231M.BA0618: (6.0/10) Calibre 5 Automatic
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WBP1323.BB0004: (5.0/10) Solargraph Quartz
WBP1324.BB0005: (5.3/10) Solargraph Quartz
WBP1318.BA0005: (5.7/10) Solargraph Quartz
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WBP1319.BA0005: (5.5/10) Solargraph Quartz Beaverbrooks Exclusive
WBP1325.BA0005: (4.7/10) Solargraph Quartz UK Limited Edition
CARRERA
On the contrary, the Carrera had another bumper year, with what seemed like an endless stream of glassboxes coming one after another after another. Indeed we started the year with the Porsche Chronosprint glasbox and ended it with the 'Australian' glassbox, two of the nicest second generation glassboxes so far, but then we also had the hilariously awful Osaka Exhibition glassbox*, which kinda evened things out a little bit! 🤣
*Now officially the lowest scoring watch ever (followed closely by the diamond bezel Las Vegas tourbillon, ouch!).
On top of that we also had the gloriously bonkers Mexican 'Luche Libre' tourbillon, the ultra cool Shanghai tourbillon, the gloriously tacky Las Vegas tourbillon (replete with a baguette diamond bezel), the gold bezelled F1 75 Years tourbillon, the purple dial tourbillon and the carbon hairspring tourbillon. That's a lot of tourbillons, especially considering they bumped the prices up on those by 40% in January this year!
CBS2015.EB0381: (X.X/10) Carrera Porsche Rallye Chronosprint
CBS2041.EB0382: (X.X/10) Carrera Porsche Rallye Chronosprint
CBS2214.FC6567: (4.9/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00
CBS2215.FC6568: (4.1/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph
CBS2219.FC6607: (6.6/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph
CBS5017.FC6605: (5.4/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-09 Tourbillon
WBN2319.BA0001: (5.1/10) Carrera Calibre 7 Automatic
CBS2216.BA0048: (6.8/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph
CBS2211.BA0048: (6.0/10) Carrera Carrera TH20-07 Chronograph
CBS2212.BA0048: (6.4/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph
CBN2010-NS: (6.3/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Goodwood Festival Limited Edition
WDA2110.FC6614: (6.4/10) Carrera Calibre TH31-02 Day/Date
WDA2111.BA0043: (6.3/10) Carrera Calibre TH31-02 Day/Date
WDA2111.BD0001: (5.9/10) Carrera Calibre TH31-02 Day/Date
WDA2112.BA0043: (6.4/10) Carrera Calibre TH31-02 Day/Date
WDA2113.BA0043: (6.1/10) Carrera Calibre TH31-02 Day/Date
WDA2114.BA0043: (6.3/10) Carrera Calibre TH31-03 Twin Time
CBU2081.BF0007: (4.9/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph
CBU2082.BF0007: (4.6/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph
WBX2110.BA0044: (6.5/10) Astronomer Calibre 7 Moonphase
WBX2111.BD0002: (5.6/10) Astronomer Calibre 7 Moonphase Limited Edition
WBX2112.FC6615: (6.4/10) Astronomer Calibre 7 Moonphase Limited Edition
CBS2043.EB0420: (6.7/10) Carrera Porsche 911 '1964' Chronosprint
CBS221C.FC6619: (2.5/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Osaka Limited Edition
CBN201N.FC6620: (X.X/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 French Limited Edition
CBU2051.FT6273: (5.3/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph
CBU2084.FT6297: (5.3/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-02 Twin Time
CBU5091.FT6035: (6.0/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-61 Carbon Limited Edition
CBU5082.FT6301: (5.8/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-09 Shanghai Limited Edition
CBU5084.FT6272: (5.2/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-09 Mexican Limited Edition
CBU5051.FT6272: (4.6/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-09 F1 75 Limited Edition
WBN2110.FC6623: (6.3/10) Carrera Calibre 5 Automatic
CBS221D.BA0048: (4.5/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-07 Chinese Horrorscope L/E
CBS2218.BA0048: (5.0/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 MEIA+UK Limited Edition
CBS221A.BA0048: (4.1/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 MEIA+UK Limited Edition
CBU2086.FT6272: (3.0/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Las Vegas Limited Edition
CBS221E.FC6613: (X.X/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Australian Limited Edition
CBS221B.BA0045: (5.3/10) Carrera Calibre TH20-00 Fragment Limited Edition
MONACO
This has been a great year for the Monaco. Nowhere near as many references as the Carrera of course, but all four 'non-rattrapante' Monacos had a genuine shot at being COCO WOTY. As for the rattrapantes themselves, well... initially it was a case of 'Jesus that's bad!', followed by 'Mmmm okay', and finally with the 'Air 1' L/E 'Oooh, this is a lot better'. Hopefully we'll see an upward design trend for TAG Heuer's $150,000 Monaco in 2026.
CBW2190.FC8356: (4.7/10) Monaco Calibre TH81-00 F1 75 Limited Edition
CAW218F.FC6356: (X.X/10) Monaco Calibre 11 Stopwatch Limited Edition
CAW218G.EB0393: (X.X/10) Monaco Calibre 11 Gulf Limited Edition
CBL5190.FT6313: (X.X/10) Monaco Calibre TH20-61 Carbon Limited Edition
CBW218B.FT8124: (5.4/10) Monaco Calibre TH81-00 Air 1 Limited Edition
Like I said, not exactly what I would call a 'Golden Year', but definitely a few fairly obvious standout pieces. But the big question of course is which one was democratically voted 'the best of all'?
Have a great Christmas and I'll see you back here on the 27th for the big reveal!
Rob / Aqua G
There is no better place to be spending your time, than reading this fine blog of yours sir, thank you for continuing to build the world's greatest source for everything TAG Heuer //Jim
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