FEATURE: Keeping Track of Wrist Time 2024

 

Happy New Year to all my readers! I hope you've all enjoyed the break (if you're lucky enough to get a break at Christmas of course) and you're ready to start another year of TAG Heuer enthusiasm with me?

So, obviously, it's that time again... where I reveal the REAL winners and losers of 2024. 🤣

I'm talking of course about which watches spent the most (and least) time on my wrist, and this year it's safe to say it was a bit of a walkover... 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36 Caliper Chronograph

 

CAV5115.FT6019

A few weeks ago I asked my good friend Jim Dollares how I should celebrate hitting one million views on my blog? I was thinking a special post, or a new header that would replace the 'Aquaracer@20' one for a week or so, but instead Jim said 'you should buy a new watch'. Great idea! Of course I didn't just go out and buy a watch just for the sake of it, I was already sort of, kinda, in the process of looking into a second go at the CAV5115... I mean sure, the timing was nice, but I wasn't going to spend this kind of money on a whim. 

And when I say a second go... please don't misunderstand, I've never owned a CAV5115 before but some of you may remember that I visited Watchfinder's 'Avery Row' branch last September to view one that was on a bracelet. Of course that was before the watch market softened and so even with a damaged dial and the red paint missing off the second crown it was being sold at £3750 (and when I asked to negotiate they said that was cheap because of the condition), things are different now...

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera 'Caliper' Calibre 36 Chronograph

 

CAV5115.BA0902

Watchfinder & Co Boutique / Avery Row, London, 5th September 2023

Still smarting from the missed opportunity that was the H&T £1700 Grand Carrera Caliper, my attention returned to the steel CAV5115 and more specifically the one on offer on the Watchfinder website. Price wise this one was a much more realistic £3850, but... and it's a big but, it had some problems. Firstly the bezel has some marks, which is not a massive deal and in all honesty may be a good thing since I am more likely to actually wear it if I don't start with a 'perfect' watch.

Second of all, the red stripe is missing from around the left hand crown that operates the timing 'Caliper'. This I don't really understand since I assumed this red was paint, so how it's fallen off is a mystery to me. For me this isn't a massive issue either and again is something that could be rectified (presumably) relatively easily. Also I think there should be a small rubber o-ring around the crown, but I bet most of those disappear sooner or later - that one I really wasn't worried about at all. 

 

FEATURE: Trying (and Failing) to Buy a Ridiculously Cheap Grand Carrera Calibre 36 Chronograph

 
CAV5185.FC6237

A few weeks ago I noticed that EST1897 (now called H&T) had a CAV5185 Grand Carrera Caliper in black PVD on their site priced around the £2500 mark. I remember looking at it and thinking 'that's quite cool, but I don't know if I want another black PVD watch'. Which, in hindsight was very, very stupid on my part. 

Why? Because that price was exceptionally cheap for a PVD coated, titanium cased Grand Carrera 'Caliper' with a Calibre 36 (or as it's otherwise known Zenith 'El Primero') movement inside. But I foolishly left it and didn't think about it again until a couple of weeks later when I got an email from H&T inviting me to peruse their wonderful sale, which featured (amongst other brands) over 600 TAG Heuer watches, all of which were substantially reduced.

FEATURE: Why My 'Favourite' Watch Isn't My 'Best' Watch

 

CAR2A1Z.FT6004                                        CAV511A.BA0902

Allow me to draw a distinction between two of my watches; one of which I would consider my 'favourite' and one my 'best' watch. My favourite watch is, and probably always will be, my CAR2A1Z Carrera Heuer 01 Skeleton. This was the watch that really kicked off my watch collecting journey, not to mention this blog. I already owned two TAG Heuer watches before that, but it was not a hobby or a collection. The Heuer 01 changed that; as soon as I saw a photograph I wanted it - even though I didn't have a clue how much it was going to cost. After that it was all downhill as far as the bank balance was concerned, but on the upside think of all the joy my new found hobby brought me!

FEATURE: The Trials and Tribulations of Luxury Swiss Watch Ownership

 

Just before Christmas I took delivery of my long desired Grand Carrera Chronograph, but after a few weeks of blissful ownership something went wrong. When I originally received the watch it had performed incredibly well, staying within 1 second a day, but suddenly it was gaining 30 secs in a day, then losing 15 seconds in a day, then losing 7 seconds and then kinda staying there or thereabouts. Thankfully I had bought the watch from Watchfinder who give a two year warranty and so back it went.

At around the same time I noticed that the chronograph was doing something weird. Now I don't generally use my chronographs very much to be honest, and so I couldn't be sure if this was a new development or whether the watch had behaved this way since it arrived. But I mentioned this in my covering letter and sent it back to them in the return pack provided.

FEATURE: Keeping Track of Wrist Time 2022

 

Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to 2023. We start the year with everybody's favourite post... 'Keeping Track of Wrist Time' (I jest of course, it doesn't get any more self-indulgent than this!), in which I reveal which watches I wore the most (and least) during the year of our Lord Jean Claude Biver 2022. 

I know, it's a LOT, just keep calm and we'll get through this together! Haha.

Now if you've already read my 'Another Crazy Year of Watch Buying' post that went up a few days ago, you'll know that there's been a fair bit of coming and going this year. Actually a lot more going than coming... which is a good thing, because looking back it's clear that I had (and still have, truthfully) far too many watches to actually wear them all. In fact I'd be somewhat surprised if I'd worn my Microtimer more than 25 times since I bought it back in 2017. And given it cost me £85 for a new battery last year, that isn't a good ratio!

FEATURE: Another Crazy Year of Watch Buying!

 

Ever since I started this blog way back in October 2016 my watch collection has been expanding year on year, some years at a genuinely frightening pace. In fact by the end of 2021 I had in excess of 50 TAG Heuer watches.... which is quite a lot by anyone's reckoning! 

However, 2022 was the first year when this trend was not only halted but reversed, and for the first time I finished the year with a MUCH smaller collection than I started it with. 

The year began slow but steady, right up until I bought my long sought after blue dial Japanese limited edition Grand Carrera... which turned out to be something of a pivotal purchase as far as my TAG Heuer collecting goes. 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 17 Chronograph

CAV511A.BA0902

Well, this has been a long time coming. My first hands-on experience with the CAV511A came way back in 2017 when I tried on a pre-owned piece in the Michael Jones store in Northampton. At the time the watch was priced at £2700 and while I gave it considerable thought, I eventually made the absolute school-boy error of buying a cheaper (GMT) version which I ended up only keeping for a year and then traded in against a couple of quartz pieces (one of which I only kept for a year!). It was a bad decision which kept on going wrong and this ultimately (and unfortunately) put me off Grand Carrera ownership for some considerable time...

 

FEATURE: My TAG Heuer Grand Carrera LE Gets a Service and Polish Courtesy of Watchfinder

WAV511J.BA0900 (Pre-Service)

N.B. THIS POST IS NOT A PAID PROMOTION OR IN ANY WAY 'IN AGREEMENT' WITH WATCHFINDER!

A few weeks ago, completely out of the blue, I received an email from Watchfinder offering me a free service and polish. It wasn't, as you might imagine, a 'personal' email for services to the watch community (...) it was a 'commercial' email that I assumed had been sent to all their customers at once, but after speaking to people at the THF Forum it seems not. To be honest I didn't really pay that much attention to it, because like most people I imagine, when you get an unsolicited email promising something for nothing... well, consider me somewhat skeptical.

So I kind of scrolled past it, but then a few days later I got another email reminding me that time was running out to book my free service and this time for whatever reason I decided to look into it a bit deeper. Naturally I assumed that if they were offering a free service it would have to be on a watch that I had bought from them, which, since all the watches I had bought from them (and still owned) were quartz, seemed a bit unnecessary. Plus I assumed I would have to pay the carriage and then there was the worry about it getting lost, and so on and so on.

FEATURE: Three Years On, Did I Buy The Watches I Thought I Wanted?

Way back in April 2019, I wrote a post where I listed ten watches that were on my radar as potential purchases. Some of them I did actually buy, but not all. I also produced the collage above for the top of the post which for some reason featured two watches that weren't in my top ten, maybe I changed my mind at the last minute or maybe I was trying to mislead my readers? Who knows. Anyway, let's find out which ones I bought and which ones didn't make the cut...

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 6 'Japanese' Limited Edition

 

WAV511J.BA0900

Ask any watch enthusiast to name a model from TAG Heuer and you can be sure the name 'Carrera' will be near the top of the list, but 'Grand Carrera'? Not so much. You see, the Grand Carrera (decried a few years ago as a 'stupid idea' by the otherwise splendid Jean Claude Biver - before he announced the model was coming back... only for the idea to be cancelled when Zenith got the super-duper silicon movement that was planned for it!) was a short lived chronometer-certified uber-Carrera that never really took off and which was quietly retired after about five years in the line up.

Undoubtedly one of the reasons for this was the fact that many people did not (and indeed still do not) like the look of the watch, and in particular the unusual (avant garde, perhaps) shapes utilised as sub-dial windows. Indeed, while I've always liked the chronograph version I will admit that the dual subdials somehow conspire to create the illusion that the watch has an oval dial, which is a little off-putting to say the least!

Why then are we talking about a 'Buying Experience' today? Well, that's a very good question, and longer term readers may remember that this is not my first time at the Grand Carrera Rodeo. Oh yes, me and the Grand Carrera have 'history'. Expensive history!

FEATURE: My Top Five Brown Dial TAG Heuer Watches

 
WW2116.FC6217

Okay, let's be honest, TAG Heuer doesn't exactly have an endless supply of brown dial watches from which to compile a top 5... and even though I managed to cobble together a list of about twenty five individual references there was lots of repetition with the same watch featured on a bracelet and one or two different coloured straps. But ultimately I have come up with a reasonable list of watches that while I probably wouldn't actually buy myself with my own money, I certainly wouldn't object to wearing if given to me as a present. 

FEATURE: Why I'm Reconsidering Grand Carrera Ownership

WAV5111.BA0901

Readers who've been around for a while may remember that once upon a time I owned a WAV5111 black dial, grand date Grand Carrera Calibre 8 GMT. I bought it from Watchfinder in May 2018 and eventually traded it back in with them in January 2019, so yeah... it didn't really last that long, did it? It was a watch I respected more than liked and if I'm honest it always felt a bit 'dressy' for me somehow. 

I liked the grand date, although I don't get as excited as some people do about that particular feature but it was impossible not to appreciate the finishing which was to a very high standard. The bracelet was comfortable and I would have been more than happy to have it on a different watch and of course the great thing about a GMT versus a chronograph is that you get the large sweeping second hand. But where the WAV5111 really fell down for me was the dial, it was just too damned big!

At 42.5mm, the WAV5111 is a decent sized watch, but fitted as it is with a reasonably slender plain bezel the dial just feels huge. Not only that, but over time the layout started to bug me a little. I know the grand date has to go at the top, but the Grand Carrera text and the TAG Heuer logo sitting side by side just looks wrong.

I should have known this foray into GC ownership was a bad idea; I always wanted the chronograph version and in the end I settled for the GMT, which is never a good move when buying a watch. But I thought it was a good idea at the time, it was quite a bit cheaper to buy than the chronograph for a start and I thought a GMT would be a good addition to the collection. Not that I travel very often you understand... and anyway, I have my 1500 GMT for my non-travelling these days! :)

In the end I decided it just wasn't for me and so away it went, and really I never thought I would buy another Grand Carrera. There was a time when I lusted after the PVD/orange/red/yellow models, but they just don't seem to do it for me any more and they are so expensive - I appreciate that they have the El Primero movement inside, but honestly for that kind of money I would want something more modern like a ceramic Heuer 01 Carrera.

I still occasionally look at the GC chronographs and wonder what could have been, and I do regret not hanging on for one of those. That's always a possibility I suppose, but lately I've been drawn to the smaller Calibre 6 and one model in particular. 

The Calibre 6 models address two of my complaints with the WAV5111, firstly at 40.5mm it is a full 2mm smaller - which doesn't sound much I know, but I would imagine it makes quite a significant difference on the wrist. Secondly the watch has a symmetrical dial, with the shield, text and small seconds subdial all placed on the central axis.

Of course you do lose the large sweeping second hand, which is a shame... but overall I think it might be the answer. However, I'm not keen on the idea of another black dial Grand Carrera as I think the same 'dressy' overtones might put me off a little, so instead I'm hoping one day to come across one of these beauties.

WAV511J.BA0900

This is a limited edition model released in 2009 and, like its blue dial chronograph counterpart, this one was only released in Japan with just 300 pieces manufactured. Which means, living here in the UK is probably not the best place to start looking. But hey, you never know, I've seen the blue dial chronograph pass through a jewellers here so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

A Review of the Calibre 6 Blue Dial Limited Edition from 'The Watch Observer'
https://www.thewatchobserver.fr/tag-heuer/grand-carrera-calibre-6rs-serie-limitee-4838#.X1AHonlKjIU

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 8 GMT
http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2018/05/buying-experience-grand-carrera-calibre.html

FEATURE: My Difficult Relationship with my Grand Carrera GMT
http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2018/10/feature-my-difficult-relationship-with.html

OWNED: Grand Carrera Calibre 8 GMT
http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2019/01/owned-tag-heuer-grand-carrera-calibre-8.html

SPOTLIGHT ON: New Arrivals at TAG Heuer Bicester Village

 

CALL THE STORE ON (01869) 249008

Just a small little update for you today, albeit with one exciting new inclusion! As always pieces are limited so please call the store before travelling long distances.

CAR2A1AB.FT6163

CARRERA Heuer 01 45MM (Aston Martin S/E)

LIST PRICE: £5295

BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £3175

WAR215C.FC6336

CARRERA Calibre 5 39mm

LIST PRICE: £3000

BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £2100

CAK2112.BA0833

AQUARACER 500M Calibre 16 43mm

LIST PRICE: £2850

BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £1995

CAV511B.FC6231

GRAND CARRERA Calibre 17 43mm

LIST PRICE: £4950

BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £3465

WAP1452.BD0837

AQUARACER Quartz 27mm

LIST PRICE: £3195

BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £2235

To view more New Arrivals posts click HERE to the visit the New Arrivals Index 

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera (2008-2015)

Unlike some of TAG Heuer's product families, the Grand Carrera* story is a relatively simple and straightforward tale. The watch was launched in 2008 in a bid to take TAG Heuer upmarket; all pieces were mechanical and every single one of them was chronometer certified. The Grand Carrera was therefore quite pricey with the basic CAV511A chronograph costing £3500, £750 more than a top of the range day/date Calibre 16 Carrera. While the initial release topped out with the WAV5115 diamond bezel Calibre 8 model at £5500, dearer watches were to come later in the year, such as the CAV5185 caliper chronograph which came in at a whopping £6999!

(*The watch is actually officially called the 'TAG Heuer Grand Carrera'... which sounds a ridiculous distinction, but if you look in the catalogues that's exactly what it says - even on the page tabs! For the sake of brevity I'm sure you'll forgive me if I just go with Grand Carrera for this article...)

I find that the Grand Carrera is one you really need to see and wear to appreciate. To my eyes it doesn't photograph particularly well, and the odd shapes of the subdials can really jar against the circular dial, sometimes creating the illusion that the dial is oval shaped. I did own and sell a GMT previously, and if I was to buy another it would either be a chronograph or the smaller Calibre 6 model, I didn't much care for the plain bezel on the GMT and the dial seemed absolutely huge with little to fill it. Also, while TAG Heuer describe the dials on some of these watches as 'silver', having tried one on myself, I would say it is more like a silvery-white.

The Grand Carrera came in three case sizes, 40.2mm for the basic small seconds watches, 42.5mm for the GMT/Grand Date models and 43mm for the chronographs.


2008-2009 CATALOGUE

The dealer catalogue shows twenty six new Grand Carreras over ten pages, but in addition the accompanying price list details a further thirteen pieces which were scheduled for later in the year!

CAV518B.FC6237: 43mm chronograph, black dial, black PVD Ti2 bezel/case on a black strap
CAV511A.BA0902: 43mm chronograph, black dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
CAV511A.FC6225: 43mm chronograph, black dial, steel bezel on a black strap

CAV511B.BA0902: 43mm chronograph, silver dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
CAV511B.FC6225: 43mm chronograph, silver dial, steel bezel on a black strap
CAV511B.FC6231: 43mm chronograph, silver dial, steel bezel on a brown strap

WAV511B.BA0900: 40.2mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
WAV511B.FC6230: 40.2mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a brown strap
WAV511B.FC6224: 40.2mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a black strap

WAV5112.BA0901: 42.5mm GMT, silver dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet

WAV5112.FC6225: 42.5mm GMT, silver dial, steel bezel on a black strap

WAV5112.FC6231: 42.5mm GMT, silver dial, steel bezel on a brown strap

WAV511A.FC6224: 40.2mm, black dial, steel bezel on a black strap

WAV511A.BA0900: 40.2mm, black dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet

WAV515A.BD0903: 40.2mm, black/gold dial, gold bezel on a steel/gold bracelet

WAV5111.BA0901: 42.5mm GMT, black dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
WAV5111.FC6225: 42.5mm GMT, black dial, steel bezel on a black strap
WAV5115.BA0901: 42.5mm GMT, black dial, diamond bezel on a steel bracelet

WAV511C.BA0900: 40.5mm, brown dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
WAV511C.FC6230: 40.5mm, brown dial, steel bezel on a brown strap
WAV511E.FC6230: 40.5mm, brown dial, diamond bezel on a brown strap

WAV511E.BA0900: 40.5mm, brown dial, diamond bezel on a steel bracelet
WAV5113.BA0901: 42.5mm GMT, brown dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
WAV5113.FC6231: 42.5mm GMT, brown dial, steel bezel on a brown strap

WAV5115.FC6225: 42.5mm GMT, black dial, diamond bezel on a black strap
WAV515B.BD0903: 40.5mm, silver/gold dial, gold bezel on a steel/gold bracelet


So that concludes the initial release as featured in the 2008-2009 catalogue, now we have the additional thirteen models released later in the year as detailed in the price list.

CAV511C.BA0904: 43mm chronograph, black dial, PVD Ti2 bezel on a steel bracelet
CAV511C.FT6016: 43mm chronograph, black dial, PVD Ti2 bezel on a black rubber strap
CAV511G.BA0905: 43mm chronograph, black dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet*

CAV511E.BA0902: 43mm chronograph, brown dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
CAV511E.FC6231: 43mm chronograph, brown dial, steel bezel on a brown strap
CAV515C.FC6231: 43mm chronograph, brown/rose gold dial, rose gold bezel on a brown strap

CAV5185.FT6020: 43mm chronograph, black dial, black Ti2 bezel/case on a rubber strap
CAV5115.FT6019: 43mm chronograph, black dial, steel bezel/case on a rubber strap
CAV5115:BA0902: 43mm chronograph, black dial, steel bezel/case on a steel bracelet

CAV515B.FC6231: 43mm chronograph, silver/rose gold dial, rose gold bezel on a brown strap
WAV5152.FC6231: 42.5mm GMT, silver/rose gold dial, rose gold bezel on a brown strap
WAV5153.FC6231: 42.5mm GMT, brown/rose gold dial, rose gold bezel on a brown strap

CAV518B.FT6016: 43mm cronograph, black dial, black Ti2 bezel/case on a black rubber strap


2009-2010 CATALOGUE

The 2009-2010 catalogue features just one new Grand Carrera.

CAV5185.FC6237: 43mm chronograph, black dial, PVD Ti2 bezel/case on a black/red strap


2010-2011 CATALOGUE

There are no new models in the 2010-2011 catalogue.


2011-2012 CATALOGUE

The 2011-2012 catalogue brings a couple of new models.

CAV518E.FT6016: 43mm cronograph, black/gold dial, rose gold bezel on a black rubber strap
CAV518K.FC6268: 43mm chronograph, black dial, black Ti2 bezel/case on a black/orange strap


2012-2013 CATALOGUE

The 2012-2013 catalogue sees a significant downsizing of the range, with only one new model added.

CAV5186.FC6304: 43mm chronograph, black dial, PVD Ti2 bezel/case on a black/yellow strap


2013-2014 CATALOGUE

The Grand Carrera is coming to the end of its run and will only feature in two more catalogues. There are no new models in this catalogue...


2014-2015 CATALOGUE

There is nothing new in the 2014-2015 catalogue and the line-up is much the same as in the last catalogue, the only difference being the absence of the CAV5186.FC6304 introduced in the 2012-2013 catalogue.


2015-2016 CATALOGUE

From 2015 the catalogues became much smaller and the Grand Carrera has only three models featured, it is hard to know to what extent the range has shrunk, but this is the last time we see the Grand Carrera in a catalogue and the range is ultimately discontinued completely.


MODELS NOT FEATURED IN CATALOGUES

That leaves us with just the watches that were never featured in a catalogue, including the limited edition pieces shown below. As far as I can tell there were only ever nine defined 'limited editions' over the life of the Grand Carrera, although there was a PVD/orange model in the box set launched for the 150th Anniversary of TAG Heuer in 2010 (which also contained a Meridiist mobile phone) and as yet I've not been able to ascertain for sure if that was the standard CAV518K or not. It's also unclear whether that watch was limited to 150pcs or whether it was the set as a whole. If I ever manage to find out I will update this post.

Since they don't appear in any catalogues, release dates are hard to pin down for these, but for sure the WAV5114 was released in 2008 as it coincided with the first Formula1 Singapore Grand Prix.


Here are the production numbers for the nine confirmed limited edition Grand Carreras:

CAV511F.BA0902 - Blue dial chronograph (Japanese market) = 300pcs
CAV511H.FC6306 - Carbon effect dial (UK market) = 250pcs
CAV514B.FC8171 - Rose gold / white dial (Worldwide) = 350pcs
CAV514C.FC8171 - Rose gold / brown dial (Worldwide) = 650pcs

CAV518C.FT6018 - Black PVD / Gold (Tourneau Limited Edition) = 100pcs
CAV518H.FC6273 - Black PVD / blue detailing (UK market) = 150pcs
CAV518J.FC6274 - Black PVD / yellow detailing (European market) = 150pcs
WAV5114.XXXXXX - Black PVD / green detailing (Singapore GP) = 150pcs
WAV511J.BA0900 - Blue dial Calibre 6 (Japanese market) = 300pcs

CAV511F.BA0902: 43mm chronograph, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (Japanese L/E)
CAV518H.FC6273: 43mm chronograph, black dial, PVD bezel on a strap (United Kingdom L/E)
CAV518J.FC6274: 43mm chronograph, black dial, PVD bezel on a strap (European L/E)

CAV511H.FC6306: 43mm chronograph, carbon dial, steel bezel on a black strap (UK L/E)
CAV514C.FC8171: 43mm chronograph, brown dial, rose gold bezel/case on a strap(L/E)
CAV514B.FC8171: 43mm chronograph, white dial, rose gold bezel/case on a strap (L/E)

WAV5114.XXXXXX: 42.5mm GMT, black dial, PVD Ti2 bezel on a black strap (Singapore L/E)
WAV511J.BA0900: 40.2mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet (Japan L/E)

CAV518C.FT6018: 43mm chronograph, black/gold dial, black bezel/case, rubber (Tourneau L/E)


And finally, the remainder... some of which may possibly be limited or special editions, again if I find out I will update the post, or if you have any information please leave a comment.

CAV511G.FC6225: 43mm chronograph, black dial, steel bezel on a black strap
CAV511J.BA0902: 43mm chronograph, grey dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet
CAV511J.FC6312: 43mm chronograph, grey dial, steel bezel on a grey strap

CAV515C.FC6225: 43mm chronograph, brown/gold dial, rose gold bezel on a black strap
WAV511K.BA0901: 42.5mm GMT, grey dial, steel bezel on steel bracelet
WAV5113.FC6225: 42.5mm GMT, brown dial, steel bezel on a black strap

(*Incidentally, if you are wondering what on Earth the difference is between a CAV511A and a CAV511G, the answer is that the CAV511A has a brushed case, whereas the CAV511G is polished.)

So there we are, fifty seven TAG Heuer Grand Carreras in all... of course if you know of anything that has been overlooked, please let me know in the comments below.



Visit the TAG Heuer HISTORY page by clicking the link below:
http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/history.html

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 6 by Christian Taylor

FEATURE: My Top Five Grand Carreras

CAV5185.FC6237

I was going to start this post by declaring the 'Grand Carrera' as the most recent 'new' product from TAG Heuer (launched in 2007 and now discontinued). But when you think about it, since then we have had the 'Connected' smartwatch and also the modular Carrera and the TAG Heuer 'Autavia' (which is a brand new model in all but name). I guess it's the last product that was released with a new 'name' but then again... it's just 'Carrera' with 'Grand' in front of it, so no not really. Maybe the 'SLR' or the 'Golf' should have that particular accolade? Wow, 15 years since we had a genuinely new product launched in it's own right, vive le Avant Garde!

Leaving that aside, the Grand Carrera isn't exactly universally adored in the TAG Heuer community; some people love it and some really don't. Personally I have a very on/off relationship with the line (so far I have owned and sold one piece) and the high prices have kept the ones I really like very much at arm's length for me. But I still have my favourites and one day when that lottery ticket finally comes up trumps I'm sure I'll add more than a couple to my collection. 

Let's take a look and see which ones have made my top five:

#5 WAV511E.FC6230  40.2mm Calibre 6 Brown Dial & Diamonds 

It was a toss up for fifth place between this and the black and rose gold CAV518E, but in the end I gave it to this one because I wanted at least one Calibre 6 in the group. One of my issues with the Calibre 8 GMT I owned was that at 43mm the watch was too big for a three hander with a narrow bezel, so I've often wondered if I wouldn't have been better going for the smaller Grand Carrera with the running seconds sub-dial at the '6' position instead?

I've chosen the brown dial version because I tried on a brown dial GC Chronograph one time at the Hull outlet store and I thought it was extremely classy. It's a very dark brown, you might even mistake it for black at first, but that subtle colouration was a big plus for me and the diamonds... well, I also tried on a black dial GC Calibre 8 GMT with a diamond bezel at Bicester once and I really liked that too... in fact that was the event that lead to my poor choice of first 'Grand Carrera'.

#4 WAV5114 43mm Calibre 8 GMT 'Singapore GP' Limited Edition

This render gives the misleading impression that this watch is black PVD coated, but in fact it's only the bezel that is black, the case is brushed stainless steel. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that but I like the black and green colour scheme so much that I'm willing to overlook it. Actually there's not as much green on this watch as it seems, it's only the second hand and the stitching on the strap, oh and a tiny bit on the GMT function... but it looks fantastic.

Would this one look as good in the real world? I don't know and part of me hopes I never actually see one because I don't want to be disappointed. Same goes for all the 'Singapore Grand Prix' limited editions actually, they all look great in pictures, but as yet I've never actually managed to clap eyes on any of them.

#3 CAV518H.FC6273  43mm Calibre 17 RS 'UK' Limited Edition

Limited to just 150 pieces, this 'United Kingdom' limited edition has long been a favorite of mine, indeed I've viewed it a few times on the Watchfinder site, but never found one a) with its PVD in tip-top condition and b) with the correct 'blue stitched' strap. Unfortunately, from what I've seen of the Grand Carrera range the straps are definitely on the delicate side and with this limited edition it's doubtful that spares are available so you're eventually going to end up with either a plain one or one that has the wrong colour stitching (I've seen at least one with red stitching).

It's a shame because I really like the black/blue colour scheme (the blue extending not only to the chronograph second hand, subdials and bezel text, but also the crown), but it seems like all the ones that I've come across have lived slightly harder lives than they would have on my wrist. Never mind, I'll keep looking and maybe one day a nice minty one will pop up.

#2 CAV5186.FC6304  43mm Calibre 36 'Caliper' Chronograph

Again it was a toss-up between this and the CAV5185 (shown at the top of the page) for second place, but the bright yellow won out over the red in the end. This one is a real eye-catcher with yellow highlights all over the place, enough in fact that the yellow stitched strap almost looks slightly OTT. Still, since it's best left in a drawer and kept for special occasions, what I think I would do would be to order the FC6237 rubber strap and switch it onto that for day to day use.

I've tried this model on several times over the last six or seven years and it's very enticing. This model has some very unusual features including the 'straight line' (faux) retrograde running second on the left hand side of the dial (which should hopefully negate the wobbly running seconds dial symptomatic of the Grand Carrera) and of course the genius (but at the same time hopelessly overly complicated to use) 1/10 of a second 'caliper' chronograph. The main issue with this one though is the price; even in the outlet these are over £5000 (down from £7500) which is way too much for me and (realistically) for what you can get for your money in the current TAG Heuer range.

#1 CAV511F.BA0902  43mm Calibre 17 'Japanese' Limited Edition

I'm sure regular readers might just have had an inkling about which Grand Carrera I would pick as my number one and looking at the picture above I'm sure you can see why! Limited to just 300 pieces and intended for the Japanese market, I know there is at least one in the UK because I came across the 'sold' listing on a Northern jeweller's website. So yeah, it's a long shot to say the least... but crucially not completely out of the question.

Realistically though I would take the watch with a blue, brown or even black dial - but blue is definitely my first choice. I just wish I'd bought one of these instead of the Calibre 8 GMT when I had the chance. That was definitely a mistake, especially since the GMT only shows twelve hours of the day which renders it practically useless for long haul travellers. 

So there we are, my top five Grand Carreras, I hope you enjoyed this post and if you did leave me comment and let me know which one you prefer?