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. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1000 Series Dive Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

FEATURE: The C.O.C.O. Council Watch of the Year 2022

Firstly I hope all of my readers had a great Christmas, and thank you again for spending your precious free time here at the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blogspot. In case you are wondering I am still working on the History of the Carrera, and hopefully that will be up on the site in the next couple of months at the latest. After that I still have a few models to cover including the 1000 Series and the Titanium, and I might re-do the History of the Grand Carrera as well. Needless to say, all those are in the pipeline and will arrive sooner or later. 

Also I am putting together a post about the various 'Senna' watches TAG Heuer have made over the years, in fact as I type this I have literally just sent out emails to the COCO Council asking them to vote for their favourites. So look out for that post soon..

Okay, well, it's finally time to reveal the winner of the 2022 C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year. But first lets have a look at the scores for the top ten models of 2022 and also where they sit in the overall leaderboard. And let's keep in mind that while in 2020 the Silver 160th Carrera easily outscored everything else, last years WOTY winner was narrowly beaten in the scoring by the Monaco Titan... 

FEATURE: The Best and Worst of TAG Heuer 2022

 

If you are a regular reader, you will probably be aware that behind the scenes here at 'TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blogspot' we have a team, or 'council' if you will, of people constantly on-call to appraise and rate all the new releases from our favourite watch brand. Of course we don't have access to the watches before they are released so our 'First Impressions' scores are just that, usually based off little more than photographs and perhaps a live video from one of the big websites.

And so, that is why every December, once all the releases are done, we take stock and look over everything again before giving our 'final' scores (which are then, and only then added to the cumulative leaderboard). Unfortunately, we still don't get hands on with all the watches, but hopefully we will have seen and tried on some of them, and at least the ones we haven't will have had a little time to settle in our minds. After all, some watches may burn bright on first acquaintance while some might take a little time to get us on side.

Now, as you probably know, Jim and I have recently looked back at the year's releases (links at the bottom of the page) so I don't want to spend too much time rehashing all that all over again, but I will make a few comments and reveal the scores for the fifty four watches that didn't make it into this year's top ten.

The top ten scorers and the 'Watch of the Year' (decided on a 'one-vote/one-member' basis, don't forget) will be revealed on the 27th of December, so make sure to come back then and find out which piece took the ultimate prize this year and joined the previous winners in the 'COCO Hall of Fame'. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'US Soccer' Limited Edition by Spicer Greene Jewellers

 

FEATURE: Watch of the Year - The Missing Years

 

It's really not long now until the 'C.O.C.O. TAG Heuer Watch of the Year 2022' is finally announced, and this being the third time we've done this I catch myself already starting to compare this year's results with previous years. After all, everyone loves statistics and being able to compare year on year... so it's really a shame that I didn't initiate this process until 2020, just imagine all the data we'd have if we had started in 2016!

But unfortunately, we didn't. And as I don't fancy the palaver of trying to list every watch from 2016-2019 and then get the Council to vote on them all*, I guess all I can really do is put myself forward as the voice of reason and the ultimate arbiter of good taste and tell you what my top three would have been for those years. :)

*Actually, I did suggest this a while back, but it was poo-poo'd by certain parties!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 7 GMT 'Batman' by Winding Crowns

 

FEATURE: Is the Black Bay 58 the Perfect Watch? by Charlie M (aka 'Imagwai')

 

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The Tudor Black Bay 58 has become something of a 'meme' over the last year or so, such is it's popularity with the members of the TH Forums. Personally, as a tunnel-visioned TAGeristi I don't really see what all the fuss is about, but Charlie M (known to many of you as Imagwai) thinks differently and today he poses the burning question...

 

IS THE BLACK BAY 58 THE PERFECT WATCH?

Could the Black Bay 58 be the perfect watch? Obviously there is some subjectivity in answering a question like that, and if like Rob, you don’t much care for the styling, or if David Beckham irritates you, then you may have already stopped reading. You may also have seen some of the countless fawning articles and forum posts praising this watch and think I’m jumping on the bandwagon with what I’m about to say. But that bandwagon passed by quite a long time ago. Truth be told, it’s only now, about two and a half years since I bought it, that I am really falling for this watch in a big way. I’ll explain that a bit more in a moment, but first let’s take a look at some of the logical reasons why this watch is so perfect…

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Superdiver' 1000M by Black Tag Watches

 

FEATURE: A Look Back at TAG Heuer 2022 - Part 2 (featuring Jim Dollares)

 

Hello everyone and welcome back to the second part of Jim and I's look back over the TAG Heuer releases of 2022. If you haven't already read part one, click the link below:

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2022/11/feature-look-back-at-tag-heuer-2022-so.html

ROB: Hey Jim, where should we begin with this second part of our chat?

JIM: Well I think I would like to start by hearing your opinion on a watch that could have been great, but left me with a feeling of 'meh'. A watch that has been out for some time now but we see very little of out in the wild. I am speaking of course about the new 43mm Aquaracer GMT.

ROB: Yeah... you know I was really, really, really excited about that one. Like I was genuinely saving for it at one point, months before the release... debating between the bracelet and the cool blue rubber strap, but then I finally saw it in a store and it was like. Wow. Okay... there ain't no way I am buying that. 

It was such a disappointment in the hand. I really thought that blue and white bezel was gonna look absolutely top billy-bollocks and in reality... I didn't like it at all. In fact, if I had to choose between the three Aquaracer GMTs (Pepsi, Batman and... what nickname did we give the blue and white again? The whale, was it? That clearly didn't catch on!) I would 100% go with the Batman first, the Pepsi a distant second and the blue and white not even in the running. And it's so weird because the new Aquaracer is clearly an improvement on the old one technically and yet I am yet to find one I really want to buy.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer x MarioKart Formula 1 Calibre 16 Limited Edition by The Watch Village

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Autavias on Offer at TAG Heuer Bicester Village

Call the Store on 01869 249008

If you are looking for a last minute Christmas present for an Autavia enthusiast (and you live in the UK) then I have good news for you. TAG Heuer's Bicester Village store has just received a selection of three hand Autavias which they are selling at a discount of 30%. 

Currently they have pretty much everything from the recently discontinued standard three-hander range, the only real absentee being the green dial, bronze cased WBE5190 (which was always my favourite). In addition they also have the black/silver reverse panda dial Heuer 02 Chronograph (which of course comes with a 5 year warranty due to its in-house movement) and this is offered at a discount of 40%.

Not sure what the future holds for the Autavia range; we currently have just three models - one rather divisive GMT and a couple of very nice looking flyback chronographs. I can imagine the line being discontinued again once they have run through their cycle, but who knows?

Left to right, back row then front:

WBE5116.FC8266 (Blue dial, steel, brown leather) - WAS £2650 / NOW £1850

WBE5114.FC8266 (Smoke dial, steel, brown leather) - WAS £2650 / NOW £1850

WBE5192.FC8300 (Red dial, bronze, red leather) - WAS £3250 / NOW £2300

WBE5191.FC8276 (Brown dial, bronze, brown leather) - WAS £3250 / NOW £2300

CBE2111.FC8226 (Black/Silver dial, steel, brown leather) - WAS £4750 / NOW £2850

WBE5116.EB0173 (Blue dial, steel, bracelet & NATO) - WAS £2800 / NOW £1950

WBE5114.EB0173 (Smoke dial, steel, bracelet & NATO) - WAS £2800 / NOW £1950

Orders can be placed by phone for delivery anywhere in the UK.

Call the store on 01869 249008

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Alter Ego Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Mexico' Limited Editions

 
WAH1015.FT6026              CAZ2013.BA0876               CAZ2014.BA0876

A few days ago an Instagram poster called 'tagheuermaniac' sent me a photo of a WAH style quartz Formula 1 reminiscent of the Gulf model but with green and red stripes instead of orange and blue. I had never seen this model before so I'll admit I was a little sceptical at first (after all, I have spent more hours than I care to remember trying my best to find and catalogue every TAG Heuer ever made on my 'Gallery' blog and also here in the 'Number Lists' and 'History of' posts), but after doing some more digging I managed to verify that this was indeed a genuine model and in the process uncovered two more 'Mexico' limited edition Formula 1s! 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'JPS' Heuer 02 Chronograph by Time and Tide

 

FEATURE: Rolex To Sell Certified Pre-Owned Watches Through Their AD Network

I apologise in advance for 'jumping on the Rolex bandwagon', I know it's tedious and I know every watch blogger/YouTuber does it all the time. But this is actually quite a big story and it could potentially influence other Swiss brands (including TAG Heuer) to follow the same path so on this occasion I actually thought it was worthwhile.

For several years now Rolex have been in the position of being able to sell many more watches than they can actually make, and while on the surface this may seem like an enviable position to find oneself in, the reality is slightly different. Sure, their balance sheet is healthy, but you can only have empty showrooms for so long before customers start to get disgruntled. A reasonable wait of say 2 months for your chosen product is acceptable, favourable even as it engenders the product with a desirability factor. For some watches maybe even a 6-12 month wait might be more of a positive than a negative, but when it comes to basic run of the mill watches it creates more problems than it solves.

So what should Rolex do about it? 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Solargraph' Review by Doug FNJ

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Superdiver' 1000M Automatic Watch

 

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Steffans, Northampton, 25th October 2022

One of the most enduring pieces from the 1980s Heuer/TAG Heuer line-up is the 1000M Super Professional, with good pieces still fetching prices well in excess of £1000. The Super Professional eventually left the range around the turn of the century and was briefly replaced by the 500M Aquagraph and subsequently by all manner of 500M Aquaracers, but for the last twenty years if you had your heart set on a 1000M hardcore dive watch you'd have to look for a pre-owned Super Pro or look elsewhere - perish the thought!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 7 Twin Time Watch by Click Spring

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Two Tone/Blue Dial Calibre 5 Watch

 

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 18th June 2022 

It's a fact that you can never really judge any watch from pictures or video alone and I have lost count of the number of watches that I have changed my opinion of (either for the better or worse) on actual physical acquaintance. If only we all had access to all the watches our favourite brands released rather than a select few over and above the run of the mill models found in shop windows.

And if you live in a third world country like, oooh... Sweden, yes I appreciate that living in the UK we are actually pretty lucky with what we can get our hands on! :)

VIDEO: Which TAG Heuer Chronograph? by Brent Miller Time

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Elegant 'Watches of Switzerland Exclusive' L/E Chronograph

 

CBN2018.BA0642                                    CBN2018.FC6520

For as long as I can remember, the THF Forum has been absolutely crying out for a Heritage Carrera with a panda dial... and while this isn't quite that just yet, it does offer the best option we've seen for some time and as such this model has jumped to the head of the queue when it comes to discussing the C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year. 

And there was me thinking the gold panda had it in the bag - at least until I realised I had made a mistake with the scoring and it dropped from an 8.8 to 7.8! 

Actually, let's be fully transparent; I didn't realise I had made a mistake, one of the C.O.C.O. members questioned the score based on the scores included in the comments on that post. And while I explained that not every scorer leaves a comment so that isn't the full score sheet (my score isn't quoted either incidentally) it did make me question myself and so I got out of bed (at 1AM! Seriously!) and went and checked my calculations. 

Going forward I am thinking of including the full scores so everyone can check that I'm not diddling it to please myself, but it's tricky because some C.O.C.O. members are a bit slow delivering their scores and I often have to go back and amend the results a few days later.

Anyway, let's get on to the watch...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Japenese' Limited Edition Heuer 02 Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

THIS WATCH IS CURRENTLY INCLUDED IN THE WATCH VILLAGE'S BLACK FRIDAY SALE

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 'Porsche Gold' Limited Edition Chronograph

 
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TAG Heuer Boutique, Sheffield, 12th November 2022

It's always a pleasure to visit Meadowhall's splendid TAG Heuer boutique, but in all honesty I wasn't really expecting to find much in the way of 'new stock' to look at. After all, it's not that long since I visited the Milton Keynes boutique and tried on the new F1s; but I was (perhaps naively) hopeful of finding a Solargraph in store (which turned out to be a non starter without a deposit). 

However it transpired that not one but two unexpected watches were lurking in the cabinets - well I say lurking; as usual one of them was right at the front of the store and I had walked straight past it on my way in! 

The first was the 'Year of the Rabbit' Carrera which I posted about a few days ago and the second was the red/gold limited edition 'Porsche Carrera', something I didn't honestly think I would ever see, and certainly not north of the Oxford Street boutique!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer x MarioKart - First Thoughts by Watches with Dennis

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 Gold Chronograph

 

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A slightly perturbing release this one, and as you will read in the C.O.C.O. comments below there is some considerable confusion about whether this is intended to be a JH90 (to celebrate Jack Heuer's 90th birthday) or not. Unlike the JH88 released in 2020, this has no reference to Jack, no engraving on the back or signature on the back of the strap, indeed this isn't even a limited edition! And while TAG Heuer have issued photos of Jack wearing the watch, and declared the piece 'crafted to celebrate our honorary chairman', truth be told he doesn't look overly enthusiastic about it... 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Museum Tour with Nicholas Biebuyck

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Year of the Rabbit' Limited Edition Heuer 02 Chronograph

 

CBN2A1L.FC6521

With new releases, what usually happens is that we see renders, then photos on release day from website like Monochrome and A Blog to Watch, and then, if we're lucky, a few weeks later (assuming we're not talking about a limited edition or even worse a region specific limited edition) we might get to see them in a store or failing that a TAG Heuer boutique. 

So generally speaking I write a 'First Impressions' post (including the scores and opinions of the C.O.C.O. Council) right after release and then an 'On the Wrist' post a few weeks later once (if) I've actually got to see it in person. But once in a blue moon I get to see a new watch right away, and in this case before I'd even written my 'First Impressions' post, such was the case with the 'Year of the the Rabbit' Carrera.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer x Mario Kart Unboxing and Hands On Review by John P Watches

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer SLR for Mercedes Benz Calibre S Lap Timer Chronograph

 

CAG7010.BA0254

I don't know how many times I have seen a CAG7010 at TAG Heuer's Bicester Village store, but up to about 2019 it seemed like something of a constant fixture during my regular visits. I must have tried it on a few times too, and even a year or so ago (the last time I saw an SLR in store) it was the white dial version of this same watch, actually now I come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen an automatic version of the SLR for sale there, only ever the Calibre S version. 

Of course, being something of a contrarian I've long admired the watch, seduced by it's obnoxiously brutalist bracelet and complex quartz movement, but never quite enough to pull the trigger; especially since even at outlet discounted prices these watches were still pretty pricey (£2500-2800... IIRC).

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 'Aston Martin' Special Edition Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Polychrome' Dial Heuer 02T Limited Edition Chronograph

 

CAR5A8AF.FC6415

Well if there's one thing that's certain, it's that TAG Heuer's releases are never 'boring'; you might not like them all, but there's no way anyone could predict everything they come out with and to be honest this was one of the things that first interested me about the company and one of the things that has kept me interested so long. I could never write a blog like this about Rolex, pretending to be excited about a 1mm change in case diameter and slightly thicker lugs.

And so now, at the tail end of 2022 we come to this rather surprising release, which is... yet another tourbillon! They seem to be spitting them out left right and centre nowadays, which surprises me somewhat given the £19,500 price tag, but I guess there's still a lot of wealthy people out there with plenty of cash for these sorts of watches. And in actual fact this particular piece is limited to 'just' 150pcs...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Porsche 2.7' Limited Editions by Time & Tide

 

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...

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 4000 Restoration by Nekkid Watchmaker

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Ladies Automatic Watches

 
WBN2414.BA0621                                      WBN2450.BD0569

Okay, I get it.... these aren't the most exciting watches you've ever seen. And you would be forgiven for thinking that surely TAG Heuer already had a diamond bezel, mother of pearl, diamond hour marker ladies Carrera in the range, and they surely have in the past. But just like the Calibre 16 Carreras issued earlier this year, the brand does update old models as and when it sees fit. Obviously it doesn't shout about watches like this because there isn't much to shout about, they are pretty much like for like save for small design details and to be honest most people probably wouldn't even notice the difference.

NOTICE: TAG Heuer Sale at Watchfinder

 

I feel like I should have put this up a couple of days ago really, but just in case anyone hasn't noticed Watchfinder are currently have a brand specific sale on TAG Heuer watches, I got £300 off my latest purchase so it's well worth a look if you haven't already.

Again, I'm not affiliated with Watchfinder and I am not paid to promote their website.

https://www.watchfinder.co.uk/promo/brand-sale-22

VIDEO: Heuer Calculator Review by Jimmy Split 77

 

FEATURE: A Look Back at TAG Heuer 2022 So Far - Part 1 (featuring Jim Dollares)

 

Once again it's time for a sit-down chat with our Swedish correspondent Jim '4 gold teeth' Dollares, and this time we decided to discuss the year so far. This chat was done a few weeks ago so unfortunately we didn't cover the recent Mario or Porsche releases, but still there was plenty to discuss.

ROB: The end is nigh. The end of September that is, and by extension 2022! Yes, it won't be much longer before we're all huddled in coats, cursing the cold and selling watches to pay our fuel bills. But let's not dwell on such misery, because today we have our favourite Swede with us to look back at the year so far. Hello Jim, how are you doing?

JIM: Well isn't this awesome, good to be back! You know, I am quite good and doing my best to just enjoy life and maybe I shouldn't start off with giving everything away but you know that I have been very positive with TAG Heuer in the last year or so. Some killer releases to talk about indeed.

ROB: Great to have you back as always, so where shall we begin? Do you wanna pick something off the list or go straight to the new F1 Chronos?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Blue V White Dial Comparison by Brent Miller Time