ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre TH20-11 & Pastel Formula 1 Solargraphs

TAG Heuer Boutique / Leicester, 4th May 2026

It's been a while since I'd visited the Leicester TAG Heuer boutique, and if I remember correctly last time it felt like a bit of a waste of time (compared to Sheffield and Milton Keynes) as it's quite small and generally doesn't seem to get the new watches very quickly. So I was quite surprised to find they had all five of the new limited edition 'pastel' Formula 1 Solargraphs and the new left-hand crown, titanium cased Monacos in stock (two out of three anyway), even if the watches I really wanted to try on (the latest versions of the Super Diver) were nowhere to be seen.

If it looks too big here, it looked even worse in real life!

Mrs Aquagraph went first, and she asked to try on the pale blue and pink (the one I referred to recently as the 'My Little Pony' - and interestingly my friend Rich told me his daughter had a scooter in exactly that colour scheme too, so it seems maybe I wasn't so wide of the mark with that comment). If this watch was in a more sensible size I think a lot of ladies would like it, but at 38mm (10mm larger than her classic F1 collection pieces) it looks quite ridiculous on my wife's wrist and she reluctantly handed it back (in a huff).

My wife has gradually embraced larger sizes over the last few years, but her 35mm black and gold Aquaracer really is the limit for her wrist size... and while her wrist is definitely on the smaller side, I don't think her wrist is freakishly small, so I imagine there must be a lot of other women out there who are going to balk at the idea of wearing a chunky 38mm timepiece on their wrist.

We both then tried on the pale blue Solargraph and this one looked much more at home on my 7.1/2" wrist. Perhaps a touch smaller than I'd like, but perfectly wearable. I did notice that the strap was only just long enough for me, but this makes sense if they are hoping to sell these to men and women. I was half expecting the tail of the strap to come up over the dial when my wife tried it on to be honest!

I have to say, all these Solargraphs look better in person than they do in the renders and the photo's I have seen... but I'm still not really sold on them. The pale pink does look less beige and more pink in real life, but the case and strap definitely aren't the same colour (which is off-putting) and maybe the off-white/beige with the grey dial ring actually looks a bit nicer than I thought it would, so I will have to raise it's score a couple of points at the end of the year. for sure.

Finally I tried on the new Calibre TH20-11 Monaco (they had green and blue, but not the black dial with the two tone case) and after hearing how much better this one wears than the previous model I was rather surprised to find that it felt like I had strapped a brick to my arm. It's been a while since I wore any Monaco, but I don't honestly remember either the H02 or the CAW211P feeling this imposing. 

The new model is definitely squarer than the old one and I wonder if that squarer case has meant on increase in size of the actual dial? Because this definitely feels bigger on the wrist, and while they may have sculpted the case to improve wearability and reduced the height of the crystal it still feels massively ungainly... way worse than any Carrera I own or even the Aquagraph!

And the crown? It still looks like it's been taken off another watch and plonked on this one.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Seafarer Review by Casual Dude Review

FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1s by Albert AMG

Today we are joined by another 'Council of Considered Opinion' member, Albert AMG (who is currently on a high as his beloved Mercedes F1 team are crushing the WCC with Kimi Antonelli also leading the driver's championship). Albert is a moderator at the excellent THF Forum, has a splendid assemblage of TAG Heuer watches and is just one tourbillon module away from completing the entire Connected MKII collection! I'm sure he'll get there one day, but in the meantime here's Albert's TOP 10 Formula 1s...

ALBERT: Hi Rob, thanks for inviting me to take part. It was really difficult to choose just 10 models, others that I also really like didn't make the cut. Since Ayrton Senna is my all-time favourite driver, and the reason my passion for TAG Heuer started (because of his S/el), it's perhaps not surprising that the top 4 on the list are Senna Special Editions!

10 - CAC111D.BT0705 Quartz Ana-Digi Display

ALBERT: I've always liked ana-digi dials, and I find this model particularly interesting, with a very clean dial design.

9 - CAZ101H.BA0872 Fangio Limited Edition

ALBERT: After Senna, Juan Manuel Fangio is another of my favourite drivers, and I especially like this version, so it had to be in my Top 10.

8 - WAZ1117.FT8023 Alec Monopoly Limited Edition

ALBERT: I chose this Alec Monopoly version for the eighth position, although I also really like the following year's edition (WAZ1119.FT8023) with the white dial background. An original watch with personality.

7 - 380.513 Quartz Watch

ALBERT: Of all the more traditional models in the original range, this yellow and black one is my favourite, and I was lucky enough to find one in excellent condition about 5 years ago.

6 - 382.513/K Ukyo Katayama Limited Edition

ALBERT: Of course, my Top 10 wouldn't be complete without a representative from the original range. There are many models, many of which I like, but the Katayama stands out in particular.

5 - WBY1114.FT8084 Miami GP Limited Edition

ALBERT: In fifth place is my most recent acquisition: the Formula 1 Solargraph Miami GP LE. I really like this new Formula 1 range, inspired by the beloved 1986 model, with improved materials and a size more suited to modern tastes. Since not all of them fit on the list, I've chosen my favourite.

4 - WAZ1014.FT8027 Ayrton Senna Special Edition

ALBERT: In fourth position I could have placed the three-hand version of the third-ranked model, the WAZ1012, but to have a more different design, I have chosen another one that I also like a lot, in this case with a black finish, polished bezel, stripes on the dial, and a Link strap but in rubber.

3 - CAZ1015.BA0883 Ayrton Senna Special Edition

ALBERT: The third-place finisher is actually the first Formula 1 watch I ever owned. This 2016 Senna Edition remains my favourite of all the quartz Formula 1 chronographs. Its Link bracelet is fantastic, and a clear reference to Ayrton Senna's S/el.

2 - CAZ201D.BA0633 Ayrton Senna Special Edition

ALBERT: In second place is another Calibre 16, more classic than the previous one, but one I also like very much. It reminds me quite a bit of the third-place finisher (same Link bracelet and similar dial style), but in this case with an automatic movement.

1 - CBZ2081.FT8092 Ayrton Senna Special Edition

ALBERT: Number one on my list is the current model I'd buy without hesitation, along with the Monaco CAW211P. I love this new Formula 1 Calibre 16 range, with its completely new case and straps design (the first in a long time) and I adore this Senna version… though not its price.

Thanks Albert, we're starting to see a few common Formula 1s popping up now, which is good news for me and my end of year ultimate top ten list!

And don't forget you can read all the TOP TEN F1 posts by clicking on the link below.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph by Random Rob

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph 'Pastel' Limited Editions

Some time last year I was talking to a sales rep in the Milton Keynes TAG Heuer boutique and he told me (in that way that you can pretty much tell that what he was saying is 'the official company line') that the brand just make watches in different sizes and anyone can wear them regardless of sex. That's fine, of course. But these new pastel 38mm Formula 1s are quite 'feminine' looking and historically TAG Heuer mostly made their pastel Formula 1s in the 28mm 'ladies' size... so the temptation to brand these new Formula 1s 'ladies' watches is strong.

But with a diameter of 38mm, they are rather large for a lot of ladies and, by the bye, I can't help think that the fact that they've released this collection in these colours now rather puts the kybosh on any hope that maybe TAG Heuer were planning to release a smaller version of the F1 Solargraph any time soon... because if they were, you'd think they would have kept these colourways back for that wouldn't you?

  

So it's quite difficult to look at these objectively, because I'm not sure if they are supposed to appeal to me or if I should look at them as 'ladies' pieces? I mean I've covered plenty of 'ladies' pieces before and my wife has lots of beautiful watches that I can admire while knowing that they wouldn't suit me. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph by Birth Year Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre TH20-11 Chronographs

And so Watches & Wonders 2026 came around and to literally no one's great surprise it turned out that those Monaco wall clocks that we'd seen in the F1 paddocks were indeed 'leaks in plain sight' just as expected! But how would the Heueristas react to this? A new 'Calibre 11' style (read - left hand crown) movement and reshaped case but now wearing a TAG Heuer badge. 

Sacre bleu indeed! 

Not that it bothered me of course, in fact I'd always preferred the Calibre 12 Monaco because of the TAG Heuer branding and the right hand crown (yes, really), but I always wished it had the horizontal hour markers from the Calibre 11 instead of the weird (radial) batons. So now I've got two out of three, but the crown is still on the wrong side of the case. Hey ho.