VIDEO: TAG Heuer 6000 Series Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer 6000 Series Quartz Watch

 

WH1151

Recently I posted about the automatic, white dial 'S/EL Leather' WI2110 that I purchased from a Japanese eBay seller called 'Spirit*Age'.... while I was waiting for that piece to arrive my eye was also caught by this rather nifty looking quartz 6000 Series on a green strap. In fact so taken was I that I was weighing up how much I was prepared to bid when the auction came to an end; at least until the white WI2110 arrived and I realised that despite the gold elements there was more than a passing resemblance between the two and not only that but what was really grabbing me was the cool looking strap...

Not that I don't like the watch itself, it's a nice looking watch, but if it was on a bracelet I really don't think it would have caught my eye in quite the same way. So maybe the answer would be to get one of these straps for a 6000 Series that I already own? Well maybe...

Except, you can't. Well you can, but it won't look quite like this... believe it or not, this strap is actually blue. I know it looks green, but it isn't. Or at least it wasn't. It's green now for sure, but as you can see from the picture below, it started life a completely different colour and the green strap you can buy for the 6000 Series isn't this green, it's darker. Which may be a good thing, but it's not what caught my eye. Which is disappointing...

But then this strap looks a bit of a mess on closer inspection, with some blue patches remaining and some noticeable wear to the edges. It's a real pity because yet again this watch represents good value for money. It's a full size men's watch and the starting bid (which from my experience is most likely what this will sell for) is £337.21 (plus £25 or so carriage depending on where in the world you live).

But as much as I am tempted I really must resist, I've already bought five watches this year (admittedly not all of them were for me) and it's only early March! As it is I'm trying not to think about the minty looking blue and red classic Formula 1 that Birth Year Watches put up recently for £299... 

https://www.birthyearwatches.com/product/c1992-tag-heuer-f1/

For the prospective purchaser though there are a plethora of straps to choose from for this 6000 Series;

BC0645: Brown leather strap with a satin steel clasp/buckle

BC0649: Black leather strap with a polished plated clasp/buckle

BC0650: Brown leather strap with a polished plated clasp/buckle

BC0651: Dark green leather strap with a polished plated steel clasp/buckle

BC0652: Red leather strap with a polished plated steel clasp/buckle

BC0653: Dark blue leather strap with a polished plated steel clasp/buckle

BC0678: Light brown leather strap with a polished plated steel clasp/buckle

BC0683: Green leather strap with a satin steel clasp/buckle

BC0684: Blue leather strap with a polished plated steel clasp/buckle

BC6038: Black alligator strap with a folding clasp

BC6039: Dark brown alligator strap with a folding clasp

BC6040: Navy blue alligator strap with a folding clasp

BC6041: Green alligator strap with a folding clasp

BC6042: Black leather strap with a folding clasp

BC6043: Brown leather strap with a folding clasp

BC6044: Green leather strap with a folding clasp

BC6047: Brown leather strap with a folding clasp

BC6163: Red leather strap with a folding clasp

BC6165: Green leather strap with a folding clasp

(Thanks to Tom at Bicester Village for this information)

I don't know what the difference is between BC6165 and BC6044 mind you, maybe they are different shades of green? In the instance Google images has failed me! And it's interesting to note that there isn't actually a mid-blue strap available for the clasp that comes with the WH1151, so you'd have to go for a different colour anyway.

All these straps are so damned tempting, and all would look great on my silver dial chrono 6000 Series I'm sure. And since I know all the full size 6000 Series watches carry the same bracelet it's pretty safe to assume these straps will fit an men's 6000 you happen to own, although I am a bit perplexed as to 'how' since it appears that the straps have screw holes in the end... am I to assume that underneath my bracelet there are screws in the case or do I need some sort of end link?

Here's the link to the eBay listing:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274694013127

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer 6000 Series Quartz Two Tone Watch

WH1151

This past weekend here in the UK we've moved back on to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) from BST (British Summer Time), it's a bit of a pain in the backside to be honest as not only does it disrupt my sleep patterns for about a week, it also means I have to get all my watches (and my wife's) out and put the hour hand back an hour. It's not so bad on the normal quartz pieces, and obviously I don't have to worry about the automatics - it's the Calibre S, the Chronotimer and the F1 Kirium that are a little fiddly and of course the Microtimer (which always necessitates a trip to the manual!).

But what it did do was remind me just how much I like my blue dial quartz 6000 Series, and how I want to add some more 6000s to my collection. And then I got an email reminding me that I was watching this one and that it was finishing in just over an hour... Hmm, I like it!

I was a bit wary of the strap length so I contacted the seller, who told me that the strap fits pretty much any length. Having studied the pictures it seemed to me like the strap is cut to length, but having contacted the seller and studied the photos again, it seems like the end of one of the sides of the strap is folded over... I couldn't actually see that but I figured it looked a decent length anyway so I'd worry about it if I won it.

When I got the alert the watch was selling for about £240, but clearly it was going to go for more than that. I paid £300 for my blue dial 6000 and that was on a bracelet, but this one is two-tone so I initially figured I would bid £407... although I hoped I would get it for under £400 really.

Looking at the pictures the watch looks in fantastic condition and I rather like the white dial with the gold indexes and hands, ideally I'd prefer this on a bracelet perhaps, but then the black leather goes quite well with the gold accents on the case and creates a nice contrast with the face. Besides, as I don't actually own a watch with a leather strap, this would make an interesting addition, especially as it is quite an unusual design.

As the time ticked away and the auction came closer to it's conclusion, got slightly cold feet and dropped my bid amount from £407 to £376. It sounds kind of silly to quibble over £31 perhaps, but the key to bidding on auction sites is not bidding whatever it takes to win the piece, but finding a price you are happy to pay and sticking to it. Buyer's remorse is always a risk, but if you've paid more than you really wanted to... well, you're just asking for problems. Of course, sometimes you want something bad and sometimes you might have to dig deep to get it, but this wasn't really one of those times.

That said, I'll admit to a slight pang of regret, as, unfortunately, my bid proved to be not quite enough. I waited for the last few seconds to place my bid and the price immediately went up to £386, which indeed ended up being the winning bid. Of course, one could speculate that I missed out for the sake of £10, but who knows what the winning bidders top limit actually was? Looking around eBay for similar pieces, most are in the £600 and above price range, albeit most of those are probably a bit optimistic, anyone can list a watch on a Buy It Now for a silly price, it doesn't mean it will sell.

So, I missed out this time... but never mind, there'll be more 6000s to bid on, and there's quite a variety to be had. I must say the more I look at it the more I like the strap and the contrast with the white dial, which gives me something to think about for next time anyway. As it is I think someone got a very nice watch for a very decent price, I hope they enjoy wearing it, and if not then I hope they'll relist it so I can buy it!