VIDEO: TAG Heuer Classic Formula 1 Restoration by Watch Fanatic

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1s by The Highwayman

Today, we are joined by the newest member of the Council of Considered Opinion 'Dave The Highwayman', for the second of our '40 Years of the Formula 1' celebratory posts. Dave is the newest member of the C.O.C.O. and a valuable addition given his thoughtful and insightful comments, so I'm interested to see what his top ten Formula 1s might be...

DTH: When Rob asked me to write a piece about my top ten F1's, I really had to delve into the memory bank. Trying to recall what I thought of them at the time, and importantly, what I was actually wearing in the second half of the 80's.

I remember the original F1 watches very well, I was not however a customer at the time. In truth, they really didn't appeal to me. I was...and still am a man entirely untouched by fashion trends! One could argue I was very much the target market, I was young, I had a little money and I was into motorsport. They just didn't hit my spot though, I wore a suit for work and wanted a “serious” business-like daily watch. 

I chose to wear a well used 70's steel Omega Geneve. That watch was actually my first “deal”, bought for £50 from a colleague and later sold back to the same guy for a £100. I still feel slightly bad about that one.. The F1's were quirky, small, colourful and in my mind at the time.. something of a novelty, throwaway item. I looked at them but didn't seriously consider buying one.

I did however buy an example of the totally forgotten Avia “Turbo” for weekends. In black and red,it matched my black XR3i with red bumper inserts.. Ahh, those were the days, before the inevitable, crushing disappointment of adult life set in !

Looking back, that Avia was clearly intended as a cheaper F1 alternative, aimed squarely at the same market. Multiple bright colours, racing stripes and “Turbo” printed on the rubber strap. They also shared the same ETA movement as the F1 for about a quarter of the price, nothing changes does it..

Only very much later in life did I appreciate just what an innovative, well designed and cool watch the F1 really was though. Far from being “throwaway”, they are very well built, the numbers still in use a testament to that. 

Sadly, the credit for that now goes to Tag Heuer as they were released post takeover. In fact, the F1 was very much a Heuer project, the design and much of the execution carried out before the buyout. I think the fact that these watches always carried a Heuer signed crown is a fitting tribute to their heritage. I wonder if Heuer could have survived without the merger given the subsequent success of the F1 range, perhaps....we will never know.

I was reintroduced to the F1 in a rather circuitous fashion. At some point during my watch dealing career, I bought a Tag Heuer 1500. I didn't know it was full lume until I wore it one night. I was rather stunned to see the whole dial light up.. it was a genuine WOW moment.

A search for other models with this wondrous and mystical feature led me back to the original F1, but I was still unsure. I still felt it was too small and too much of a novelty watch. 

I was wrong, when I did eventually bite the bullet and buy one, I fell in love with it immediately. I am blessed with a slim wrist,35mm is fine on me. It also helps that the bracelet is a man sized 18mm width, 16mm would make the whole watch look too small.

The first gen watches have that undefinable trait we call “character”. It's a watch that quite simply makes me smile, it's cute, but a genuine diver, it's quirky and friendly, but it's cool and it's tough. I love the full lume, I delight in that unique and tactile plastic on plastic bezel action. If the first gen F1 was a car it would be an original Mini, appealing to men, women, kids, rich and poor alike for different reasons. 

It's timeless, it still looks fresh and it's a truly great piece of design. So with all that said..my winner won't come as a surprise! First place for me... it's the 371.513 / WA1211, otherwise known as the Full Lume.

Second position goes to another original 3 hand F1, the 376.513

I love the black and yellow colourway on this one. I don't currently own one, something I will put right at some point in time. Being a bracelet guy I'm really limited to the steel case F1's,this is a shame as I like the fibre cased models but I'm less keen on the rubber straps.

Third place, controversial perhaps...the 471.513

So why I have chosen a dodgy chronograph that wasn't really a chronograph for a podium position? The answer is it was actually the first F1 I owned, in fact it was the first Tag Heuer I owned. These watches were an abject failure really and no.. mine didn't work properly. The movement was “interesting” to put it kindly, built by Roventa Henex using two batteries and a separate chrono module atop an ETA  base. 

Unusual in that the centre hand was running seconds and the chrono seconds were on a subdial. Rumour has it that when they went in for repair they were tossed in the bin! So does it deserve a podium on  merit, no not at all, but it has a place in my heart and that's what watch collecting is all about. At some time I will try and find another with problems and fix it, some would say I'm a masochist.. 

Fourth place is an altogether more sensible chronograph. the CA1210.BA0493

Although looking very similar to the 471.513, these later F1 chronographs used a proper ETA 251.264 movement. Reliable and a much better watch, it would be on the podium if it were about common sense and not emotion. I used to own one of these as well and I do regret selling it, I would like to find  another.

Fifth place.. goes to the 385.513/085* (Eunos Special Edition)

So I'm contradicting my earlier comments here with a fibre cased F1 on a rubber strap, why..? Simply because I own a Japanese import Mazda Eunos and its the only watch as far as I know to have Eunos on the dial. I do need to find one of these, doesn't every enthusiast want a watch connected to their car in some way?

Sixth place goes to the CAC111B.BA0850 or Indy 500 F1.

Not an obvious choice, but I quite like these. They don't seem terribly popular now and look a little dated. Many for sale seem to have had a hard life with paint loss on the bezel etc. They are relatively cheap and pretty good value I think. I've come close to buying one a few times but never hit the button.

Seventh spot.. Goes to the WAH1013.BA0860

No other reason than it's a decent looking watch and it has GULF on the dial, everyone needs a GULF watch don't they?

Eighth ..goes the way of the WBY1111.BA0042

I am still not wholly convinced by the Solargraph, but if I had to opt for one this would be it and it's

worthy of a top ten spot. I wish the hour hand didn't look odd, I wish it was full lume, even if that meant normal quartz. I have concerns about the longevity of the movement too. In general, I wish it was just an upsized WA1211 with the same balance and proportions but we can't have everything!

Ninth.. goes to the CBZ2084.FT8097

I had to have a PVD watch in my top ten and this is my pick, good looking watch. I don't like “Speed” on the bezel, but I'll forgive that as I love the blue more than I hate the 'Speed'.

Tenth goes to the WAZ221A.BA0875 Batman GMT

It's just a really good looking watch, what more is there to say !

My top picks are vintage heavy as you might expect. I think the first gen three-handers and the second gen chrono's are the watches that made the range what it is and the reason for it's longevity. Looking through the huge number of models over the years, it's apparent just how important the F1 in all it's many guises has been to Tag Heuer.

Every upper mid tier brand needs a strong entry level range, long may the F1 continue to serve that purpose. Congratulations on 40 years !

Thanks Dave, that was a very enjoyable read and don't forget wherever you see the 'Formula1@40' banner you can click on it to see all the available posts.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Astronomer' Limited Edition by Random Rob

CATALOGUES: Heuer Catalogue (1985/1986)

You can now access a HUGE library of TAG Heuer / Heuer catalogues direct on the blog by clicking the 'CATALOGUES' tab at the top (in the drop down menu on a phone/tablet) or clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Circuit Board and Battery Replacement by Solim BD

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 41mm Glassbox Chronographs

 

As you probably know by now, I'm not a huge fan of the second generation of glassbox Carreras, especially the 39mm ones which look tiny on my 7.5" wrist. I actually don't mind some of the 42mm models and it's a shame they don't offer the purple dial, for example, in the larger case as that one is rather nice. So it's not that I'm completely 'anti-glassbox' and I do have some 37mm watches in my collection (so it's not purely the size). I think it's a combination of the diameter, the glass dome and the thin 'not-a-bezel' visible under the crystal conspiring to make it feel a bit dinky and a wee bit feminine (honestly). 

But perhaps I'm not the only one with reservations? Perhaps TAG Heuer themselves realise that maybe they went a little bit small, because at LVMH Watch Week they released three new glassbox chronographs in a larger (41mm) diameter. Yay, for common sense!

For the launch there are three colourways, green, blue and black (with red accents). All three come on TAG Heuer's new 'beads of rice' bracelet, which I have to say I think is quite cool. I was never a fan of the vintage version, but this modern interpretation actually works really well and avoids the slightly garish appearance of the original. I know it's wildly popular with Heuer fans, but I've never really understood why. They claim to love the simplicity of the original chronographs but also love this blingy bracelet; it makes zero sense to me. 

Anyhoo, the other notable thing about this new release is that it has no date. Which, in this case is definitely a positive because it simplifies the dials nicely and removes the need to cut a hole in the bottom subdial; which even though it is a bit messy is still a better option than placing it behind the chrono hand at 12 o clock!

Going solely from the render the black looks like the most exciting of the three, with red hands and a sinister crimson glow emanating from around the outer edge of the crystal. From what I gather they've achieved this by painting a red line around the the edge of the case where the case and lens meet and the reflection casts this red glow onto the underside of the glass. It's quite clever, but I'm intrigued to see it in person before I make my mind up about it fully.

Okay, it's time to turn these over to the Council of Considered Opinion for the first time in 2026. Let's see if the Christmas break has made them any less mean spirited?

Blue 8/10, Black 9/10, Green 8/10: "I've seen the live picture and they are all good in my opinion."

Blue 5/10, Black 5/10, Green 5/10: "Good move to leave off the date, I still think these new glassboxes would look ten times better if the outer ring were white like on the originals. The price means it's a non-starter though. Design-wise 7/10, at this price 5/10."

Blue 5/10. Black 1/10, Green 5/10: "Hmm, well, I can't score these too highly as a) I'd prefer a date, and b) I'd prefer them in 39mm rather than 41. Bracelet is nice, though. Blue and green are nice colours. The black and red is a bit turd."

Blue 8/10, Black 8/10, Green 7/10: "The dials look so much cleaner without a date window, as God intended. Amen. Now they just need to make a 36mm version and I’ll be in serious trouble."

Blue 8/10, Black 8.5/10, Green 8/10: "I agree, removing the date complication is a great move.

I love that these are 41mm; this is my preferred size. The 39mm is too small and the 42 is a bit too large. Overall, I would love to see more variants, including a true heritage glassbox in 41mm."

Blue 6/10, Black 7/10, Green 7/10: "Regarding size, my personal preference is 39mm, but that's only because Asians tend to have slimmer wrists. For everyone else, 40-41mm would likely be the best size. A date display is less desirable as it detracts from the clean look, and it avoids the slight jolt when starting the watch after it's stopped. The only downside is the price increase."

Blue 6/10, Black 5.5/10, Green 6.5/10: "I normally prefer blue over green, but in this case, I like the green dial better. The black dial loses half a point for the weird milky red ring around the edge of the crystal."

Blue 7/10, Black 8/10, Green 7/10: "Solid Carreras. The red bezel ring is cool."

Blue 6.5/10, Black 6.5/10, Green 6.5/10: "These all look ok. I'm a little torn over the date/non date. Aesthetically, these look crisper and more purposeful. The date at 12 is a bit unsatisfactory. Then again, when I wear a non date chrono I miss the date way more than I expect to. The renders sort of minimise the glassbox effect, I might not like these as much in real life shots. No great preference on the colourways, they all look nice enough and 41mm is wearable for most. Not massively exciting, but solid releases, I'll go 6.5 across the board."

Blue 8/10, Black 8/10, Green 8/10: "8/10 for all three - can't wait to see these in person, I quite like the blue."

Blue 6.5/10, Black 6.5/10, Green 6/10: "So… more new glassboxes 😏 The black one would be a 7/10 without that red ring under the bezel."

Blue 5/10, Black 5/10, Green 4/10: "The good: dials are nice (but have basically been done before) and proper subdial at 6:00 (which is symmetric with the other subdials). The bad: current gen glassbox design just does not work for me. The ugly: the ABSURD price. The questionable: if the current gen glassbox is supposed to get rid of the milky ring, then why are they adding a red ring?"

Blue 5/10,  Black 6/10, Green 3/10: "These look less gash than the 39s so far, plus I’m a big fan of no date. The black is the least bad new glassbox that I can remember."

Blue 7.5/10, Black 8/10, Green 7.5/10: "Nice designs, and the red ring at the base of the black one's crystal is a very sharp accent."

Blue 4.5/10, Black 4.5/10, Green 4.5/10: "Much prefer contrasting colours on chrono dials, not bad nothing new/exciting, like a date on my watch."

Blue 7.5/10, Black 7/10, Green 7/10: "I am pretty positive about those new 41mm Carrera's. Yes, I have to see the 'red bezel line' in real life first, but I like the red details."

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Extreme Sport Calibre TH20-02 'Twin Time' Chronograph by The 1916 Company

 

FEATURE: CEO Antoine Pin Leaves TAG Heuer

Antoine Pin

Aside from being the 40th anniversary of the Formula 1 this year, it's also the 10th anniversary of the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blogspot. Can you believe I've been doing this for ten years already? And in that time how many CEOs do you think TAG Heuer has had? Well if you guessed five, well done. First we had Jean Claude Biver (2014-2018), then Stephan Bianchi (2019-2020), Frederic Arnault (2020-2023), Julien Tornare (2024) and finally Antoine Pin (2024-25/26). Which means TAG Heuer heads into 'LVMH Watch Week 2026' without a CEO.

Prior to this Jean Christophe Babin ran the company from 2000 until 2013 and then Stéphane Linder briefly took over until Jean Claude Biver was persuaded to sprinkle some of that famous 'Biver' magic on the brand. I guess I am biased since I really fell in love with TAG Heuer when Mr Biver was in control (I even named one of my cats 'Mr Biver' believe it or not) but I've never really felt any of the gentleman that followed him really spoke to me the way he did.

But then Mr Biver is one of a kind. A giant of the Swiss watch industry, who has the success (and personal wealth) behind him to forge his own path. I somehow doubt Mr Biver was looking over his shoulder the whole time he was in control of TAG Heuer.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer at LVMH Watch Week by Time & Tide Watches

 

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List (January 2026)

 

It's time for another look at the TAG Heuer website and how the prices have changed over the last six months. Almost nothing has left the catalogue since July, in fact the only watches that have disappeared from the website are the Goodwood Festival of Speed Carrera, the stainless 'Year of the Dragon' Carrera and the Aquaracer Superdiver (which can currently be had at a rather tasty discount from the Bicester Village outlet).

There has been a price rise (as usual these are marked in blue) and while it's never welcome it doesn't seem to have been as horrendous as I was led to believe it was going to be. In fact it's pretty similar to what we've seen in recent times with increases of between £50 and £200 on most references. I did chuckle to myself when I saw that TAG Heuer had added another £900 to the tourbillons... you know, the ones that went up £9000 last year. The bizarre thing there is that the pre-owned market for TH tourbillons doesn't seem to have risen at all and you can find these £30k+ watches for around £11k, which doesn't seem very sustainable.

There was one watch which actually dropped by £100, I don't know if it was a mistake or what, but I've marked it in green.

Items marked in red are new since the last price list I did back in July. Most of these are genuinely new items, but there are a few random older models that have reappeared on the website for some reason. 

Interestingly, the Monaco range seems to have emerged fairly unscathed, with most of the prices staying the same. Perhaps the thought of pushing those DLC coated skeletons over the £10,000 threshold gave them pause for thought? Oddly though the basic blue dial Heuer 02 Monaco increased by £250 on the bracelet (and £300 on the strap, work that out!) while the black dial versions remained the same. Interesting.

As one of the longest standing models in the catalogue the 'Steve McQueen' Monaco has long been a barometer for pricing, and here again we see another £200 added to the price. This doesn't really surprise me to be honest, since the majority of watch collectors who want to buy a Monaco gravitate towards the left hand crown 'Heuer' branded version... and what's another £200 when you're spending this kind of money? 🤣  

Anyway, that's this job done for another six months... enjoy! And if you want more price lists then click the 'Price Lists' tab at the top of the page or click on the banner at the bottom of this post.

If you click on the pages they should open up larger, if you still can't read them I suggest opening them in a new tab.

VIDEO: Heuer Autavia 'Viceroy' Calibre Heuer 02 Limited Edition Chronograph by The 1916 Watch Company Reviews

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1s by Shane Paradis

 

As you can see from the banner above, this year we are celebrating forty years of the TAG Heuer Formula 1. I'd like to hope TAG Heuer themselves would do the same, but... we'll see. TAG usually reserve anniversaries for their 'Heuer' models, but the Formula 1 is enjoying a surge in popularity so it would be nice if they did acknowledge it this year. I mean, they celebrated 40 years of the Monaco and it was only in production for about 20 of those, hahaha.

So I thought, what better way to celebrate this very special birthday than to invite some fellow 'TAG Heuer Formula 1' enthusiasts to share their favourite models with us. Just like in 2024, with the Aquaracer's 20th anniversary, each month we'll have a 'Top Ten' and (assuming we get some kind of consensus and not just 110 different models) at the end of the year we can crown the top ten TH F1's ever.

First up we have Shane Paradis... and straight off the bat I have to say I don't think I would have predicted these particular references. I think this is going to be an interesting project!

VIDEO: Producer Michael Visits TAG Heuer in Las Vegas

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraphs and Calibre 16 Chronograph

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 31st October 2025

Due to the ridiculous number of watches released at the end of last year this has been delayed quite considerably, hence it might seem a bit out of date! 

So finally the last two of the original nine Formula 1 Solargraphs are here and it could perhaps be said that they saved the best for last. Right from the start I thought if I was going to buy any of these new models it was either going to be the white/red one or the black/yellow one (both of which I owned previously in their 35mm incarnation). Well the white/red one came out in September and it didn't prompt me to reach for my credit card and so far this one hasn't yet either. I definitely think it's one of the best of the nine, possibly even top two, and I appreciate that it has a black DLC steel case (which seems to imbue it with a touch more 'substance') but does it really cut it?

VIDEO: Putting the TAG back in TAG Heuer by Monochrome Watches

 

FEATURE: Keeping Track of Wrist Time (2025 Edition)

Happy New Year fellow TAG Heuer Enthusiasts and welcome to 2026. I am hopeful for a great year of new watches and interesting posts, but we'll have to wait and see I guess (...on both counts 🤣).

With the 'Crazy Year of Watch Buying' posts well and truly a thing of the past, it's time for my only truly self-indulgent post of the year... my annual 'Keeping Track of Wrist Time' update. So this year, like every year for the last several years I have kept a daily record of which watches I wear (usually one or two a day - one to work, one in the evening) and now I can present to you the results.

But first, it's time to quickly update you on the (fairly minimal) comings and goings of my collection. As you probably remember I have been slowly whittling away at my collection, trying to get it down to a sensible number. Twenty perhaps? Well, I'm still a way off that, but it is coming down and I have earmarked several pieces for sale in the near future, but we'll see if that actually comes about.