VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula1 Quartz Watch by Brent Miller Time

 

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.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 'KSA' Limited Edition

 

WBN2015.EB0283

TAG Heuer clearly has a significant following in the Middle East and this is the latest of their 'Limited Editions' made for that part of the world - could be an interesting subject for a post that. Now obviously these watches and this watch in particularly are very region specific and unlike the 'Year of the Rabbit' Carrera I would not expect this to be for sale outside of Saudi Arabia, especially as there are only one hundred pieces available.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 40mm Quartz by Random Rob

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Quartz Chronographs

 

CBP1112.BA0627                                          CBP1110.BA0627

TAG Heuer Boutique & Goldsmiths / Meadowhall, Sheffield 28th January 2023

While trying on the Watches of Switzerland Limited Edition Carrera Elegant Panda (which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago) I noticed that the downstairs Goldsmiths in Meadowhall (for there are two) had one of the new Aquaracer chronographs in a small display cabinet set into the wall. It had a bright spotlight shining on it and when I took it from the salesman it felt extremely warm, but I guess since this is an 'outdoor explorer's watch that's ready for anything you can throw at it' that shouldn't do it any harm... 

I will admit I was slightly disappointed that the only one they had was the black dial one, as this is perhaps the least interesting of the three. But still it was nice to finally get a new Aquaracer chronograph on the wrist after a few years without one in the catalogue and looking at it objectively it is a smart looking watch.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 Review by Click Spring Reviews

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Autavia Heuer 02 Flyback Chronograph

CBE511A.FC8279

Way back in March 2019 a Czech website called Hodinky.Koscom posted pictures of a bunch of TAG Heuer Autavia chronographs, including this one alongside the black and silver versions which were released early last year. I'm 85% sure there were more than three but I don't recall what the other ones looked like and sifting through my records produced nothing but a slew of broken JPGs. Typical. 

Suffice to say that this watch is already nearly four years old, which is kinda crazy. One of the reasons for this perhaps, is that these watches were originally supposed to carry the Isograph carbon hairspring which was originally launched in the three hand Autavia range and then subsequently recalled and discontinued as in practice the technology did not work well with the (rebranded Sellita) Calibre 5 movements. And then of course there was the global pandemic... 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Solargraph Titanium' Solar Powered Watch by Time & Tide

 

INSTRUCTIONS: TAG Heuer F1 Kirium and Aquaracer Chronotimer

 

        F1 Kirium                                 Aquaracer 'Chronotimer'

If you own either a TAG Heuer F1 Kirium or a TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Chronotimer' but don't have an instruction booklet then you might be a bit lost. Both these watches use the same movement (the multifunction ETA E20.321) and here below I bring you the instruction booklet for these and probably many other watches.

I know this isn't a very exciting post if you don't own one of these watches, but every time I post a set of instructions for a complicated watch I get at least one person thanking me so it's worth it.

VIDEO: Which Orange Diver - Breitling V TAG Heuer by Brent Miller Time

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Porsche Special Edition' Heuer 02 Chronograph

 

CBN2A1M.FC6526

When TAG Heuer announced they would be teaming up with Porsche a few years ago there was much approval rippling through the THF Forum... at least until the first watch arrived. I quite liked it and one THF forum member actually bought one, but generally speaking there was a LOT of negativity towards it. Partly this was because of the 44mm diameter of the Carrera Sports case (yawn), but also because it wasn't nearly as 'retro' looking as people hoped (quelle surprise). 

Then last year they brought out a new version accented in yellow and the people who didn't like the first one liked it even less! In fact the yellow version scored almost a full half mark less than the first version in the end of year 'WOTY' poll. But, out in the real world, the yellow Carrera sold out quickly and the only time I got close to seeing one was when I visited a TAG Heuer boutique in Nottingham and was told they had one out the back awaiting collection by it's new owner.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera CV2110 Chronograph by Nav Reviews Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 40mm Quartz Chronographs

 

CBP1110.BA0627                 CBP1111.BA0627                 CBP1112.BA0627

It's been a few years since we've had an Aquaracer with a chronograph function in the range. It seemed like for a while there TAG Heuer decided that a dive watch should be a dive watch and on a dive watch a chronograph function was more of a liability than an asset (more holes in the case to waterproof). But of course, the new 200 Professional Aquaracers are not actually 'dive' watches, but 'outdoor' watches, a subtle distinction that presumably validates the re-introduction of the chronograph to the range. I guess we'll see if that explanation holds water (no pun intended) if TAG Heuer decide to reintroduce the Calibre 16 or Heuer 02 movement into the 43mm case...?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1000M Deepdive Restoration Parts 1 & 2 by Chronoglide Watchmakers

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Elegant 'Watches of Switzerland' Limited Edition Panda Dial Heuer 02 Chrono

CBN2018.BA0642

Goldsmiths / Meadowhall, Sheffield 28th January 2023 

I was looking forward to visiting Meadowhall and the TAG Heuer boutique again, but on the way there I happened to pass the smaller Goldsmiths store downstairs. Never one to pass up an opportunity to gawk in a watch-filled window I perused the display looking for the new Aquaracer chrongraphs, but no joy there. However, towards the back of the display I noticed a small plaque screaming 'LIMITED EDITION' at me and lifted my head to finally spy a Watches of Switzerland panda dial Carrera Elegant!

You may remember this watch was convincingly voted the 'C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year' for 2022, and was limited to just 250 pieces (125 on a strap and 125 on a bracelet): released nearly three months ago, how could this highly regarded and extremely limited Carrera still be available, here on a bracelet - but also later in the TAG Heuer boutique on a strap? 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Superdiver' 1000M Calibre TH30-00 Watch by Click Spring Reviews

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Solargraph' Titanium Solar Powered Watch

 

WBP1180.BF0000

It seems slightly bizarre to me that while the original black Solargraph was announced last March and supposedly launched last September I am still yet to see one* and here we are in the middle of January 2023 talking about a new version of TAG Heuer's first solar powered Aquaracer. TAG Heuer have certainly taken a completely different approach to this one, creating quite a different aesthetic compared to the original. This time we're working with titanium and once again like the previous Ti Aquaracers the watch has a sandblasted finish which is quite attractive (though I have heard mutterings that it's the cheapest way to finish a titianium watch on the THF Forum).

*I actually got to see both Solargraphs a few days after writing this post.

VIDEO: £85,000 of Heuer Watches Disovered in a Drawer by David Harper Antiques & History

 

FEATURE: On the Comments...

 

Being a bit of a luddite, somehow I have managed to turn off notifications for comments and I can't seem to turn them back on again... so I no longer get an email when someone leaves a comment. This is a bit of a pain really as I forget to check and so if people ask questions it means they don't get an answer as quickly as I'd like. If you have left a comment or a question recently, I can only apologise for the delay in responding, I will attempt to get the notifications turned back on to avoid this happening in the future.

Yesterday I was checking out the recent comments and one in particular caught my eye, it was posted on the 'History of the 6000 Series' and read as follows:

Anonymous26 December 2022 at 21:55

The 6000 1/10th Chronograph Professional 200 Meters, BF BD S.S. quartz CH 1113.BA0675-M0A couldn’t have been in the 2000 Catalogue as you show on this site, because my dad bought me this watch when I was 9 years old on Nov 4th 1997 for $1,647.47 cash, no tax.

OWNED: TAG Heuer Kirium Quartz Watch

WL1116.FC6113

These days it seems like I only get around to writing 'Owned' posts about watches as they are heading out of the door to their new owners, and sadly this one is no different. Yes, the WL1116.FC6113 is the latest watch to get its marching orders from my collection, lasting only just over two years since I bought it in September 2020.

When it arrived it looked fantastic, but the blue leather strap had clearly seen better days and I ordered one from TAG Heuer direct (via Bicester Village). I can't remember the exact price but I think it was roundabout £90, maybe £115... something like that anyway. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monza Carbon Heuer 02 Flyback Chronograph by Monochrome Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monza Carbon Heuer 02 Flyback Chronograph

 

CR5090.FN6001

Well this is different, isn't it? But is it good different? Or bad different? I'm pretty sure if you ask people who like the 'classic' Monzas you're probably not going to get the most positive responses, and that's  rather borne out in the comments at the foot of the page... but does that matter? Because clearly this is not aimed at someone who cherishes their Calibre 36 gold cased Monza, but rather a (possibly) younger customer who wants their own take on the Monza, but with a modern slant and more on-trend materials.

And so was born the carbon Monza, a slightly curious choice to be fair, but I suppose they'd already done the carbon Monaco with George Bamford back in 2017 and what better way to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the Monza? It is somewhat perverse that TAG Heuer wish to be edgy and avant garde, but they choose to do it with a watch case that was born in the 1960s, but that's the watch industry for you - new cases and model names are death to sales, so this is what we get instead. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Calibre 16 'Mario Kart' Limited Edition Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

 

INSTRUCTIONS: TAG Heuer Microtimer

Following on from the 'History of the Microtimer' post yesterday, as promised, for anyone who might need them, here are the instructions. And, in case you missed it, here's a link to the 'History of the Microtimer':   

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2023/01/history-tag-heuer-microtimer-2002-2008.html

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Microtimer (2002-2008)

 

The story of the Microtimer really begins in 2002, with the release of its almost identical predecessor the Micrograph F1. I must admit I had never heard of the Micrograph being referred to as the 'Micrograph F1' until I looked in the 2004 TAG Heuer catalogue, but it kinda makes sense. At the time the Formula One range had been discontinued and the company were utilising their branding relationship with Bernie Ecclestone's 'Formula One' in different ways, here and also with the partly digital 'F1 Kirium' (both watches having 'Official Timekeeper of the FIA F1 World Championship' engravings on the backplate).

The main difference between the Micrograph and the Microtimer is that the Micrograph was only accurate to two decimal places or 1/100th of second, whereas the Microtimer is a 1/1000th of a second chronograph, and also the Micrograph was a numbered limited edition of 999 pieces whereas the Microtimer was a regular part of the line up.

There is little point in consulting the catalogues here as I usually do, as only one version of the Microtimer appears throughout the lifespan, the negative dial CS111C. However, there were a few variations (very few), with a positive display version also available and then both with diamond edges.

Finally, it seems there was one other version, though whether it was an actual 'production' model or a watch modified at a customer's request is unclear. This is the CS111E-0 which features additional diamonds on the watch case. Funky!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 39mm V Omega Aqua Terra by Brent Miller Time

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Ladies Diamond/Rose Gold Automatic Watch

 

WBN2451.BD0567

If you are a regular reader you will know that every six months I scour the TAG Heuer website and produce a price list of the available models (you can access these via the 'Price Lists' tab at the top of the page or by clicking HERE). While the prices themselves are of marginal interest, the main purpose of this is to provide a snapshot of what models were available at any given time for any future historians frustrated by the transient nature of a website which only displays what is for sale today. 

In the process of this analysis I came across a new watch that I hadn't seen before. Given that (at the time of writing) it is the 5th of January it's possible that this was actually added sometime towards the end of last year, but as it is for the purposes of the COCO Council and the 'Watch Of The Year' we are going to have to consider it a 2023 release. Not that I imagine for one second that this (almost) completely iced out 29mm Calibre 9 Carrera is in with a shout at the 2023 WOTY, ho no.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Jack Heuer' CV2117 Limited Edition Chronograph by Swiss Watch Expo

ON THE WRIST: Heuer Carrera 'Heritage Panda' Heuer 02 Limited Edition Chronograph (by Charlie M/Imagwai)

 

CBK221H.FC8317

As you probably know by now, in the normal course of events when TAG Heuer release a new watch I generally post a 'First Impressions' post based on whatever pictures and videos I can find followed by an 'On the Wrist' post later when I've had a chance to get hands on with the product. Of course with all these super limited editions of late it's not been possible to do this because they never make it to the boutiques. But thankfully on this occasion we can kill two birds with one silvery stone as our most recent journalistic recruit 'Charlie M (aka Imagwai)' has actually bought the latest Carrera Panda and as such is superbly placed to give us his 'First Impressions' & 'On the Wrist' all wrapped up in one splendid post... 

VIDEO: LVMH Watch Week Interview with Frederic Arnault by Wei Koh for Revolution Watch

 

If you haven't already seen this video it is well worth watching. Frederic confirms that the latest 'Panda' Heritage Carrera is the last of the so called glassbox Carreras and basically reveals that in 2023 TAG Heuer will introduce a standard 39mm chronograph Carrera to their range. Interesting stuff! 

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List (Jan 2023)

The time has arrived once again for us to document the contents of the TAG Heuer website, and by extension the prices on offer in January 2023. While an imperfect method, bi-yearly 'price lists' are the best way I can think of currently to archive the TAG Heuer output, especially since so much of the product is special or limited edition stock that wouldn't feature in a catalogue.

Quite a few Aquaracers have disappeared since last July, with most of the WAY and CAY ranges now being replaced by WBP models. Aside from that, the main changes are in the Carrera section with quite a lot of new entries there and also a few Formula 1's (including those very brightly coloured ones).

As normal, price rises are indicated in red (that's pretty much everything) and new items are coloured blue. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link 'Senna' Calibre 16 Limited Edition Chronograph by Nav Reviews Watches

FEATURE: TAG Heuer's 'Senna' Branded Watches

True F1 legends are few and far between. While that statement may seem a little odd at first glance, if you think about it, it's not that wide of the mark. Some supposed 'legends' don't last much beyond their tenure in the sport, and most start to fade as the population ages and starts to forget. Or some, like Sebastian Vettel, unfortunately end up in a situation where their early domination peters out until people start to wonder just how exactly he managed to win four WDCs in a row and was it in fact just the fact that they were driving the best car?

Then there's drivers like Fernando Alonso, who despite not winning as many titles as he really deserved, still command huge respect and a huge salary too, because he always gives it everything.

And then there's Ayrton Senna. A driver who (the older) current F1 drivers grew up watching and often still revere as 'the best', if nothing else for but his relentless competitiveness and desire to dominate everyone that stood between him and the titles he believed were his and his alone.

One thing's for sure, Ayrton would absolutely hate modern F1, as someone who wanted to attack every lap like it was for pole, he would have been disgusted at the idea of only having three engines to last a season and having to back off so as not to put too much stress on the mechanicals.

When you think about it like that it's easy to understand why we will never see another 'Senna'. Modern F1 just isn't built like that. In fact, if anything, Senna's arch nemesis Alain Prost would likely be the poster boy for the current era, a man who somehow managed to compete with Senna driving (in his own words) only as fast as absolutely necessary to win the race.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Superdiver' 1000M Watch by Doug FNJ

 

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!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link 'Senna' Limited Edition Calibre 16 Chronograph by Nav Reviews Watches

 

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'.