VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer S/EL Leather 'Montreux Jazz Festival' Limited Edition Quartz Watches

 

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It amazes me how after five years of research I can still come across TAG Heuer watches that I have never seen before and had no idea they ever existed. Such was the case today when I came across not one, but three examples of pieces made specifically for the Montreux Jazz Festivals of 1995 and 1996.

First this example with its unique 'Jazz' dial, two pieces of which I found on eBay (both from the same seller), one minty looking one on a green strap and one on a tan strap (which unfortunately has some slight bezel damage).

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Link Searacer Regatta Chronograph

 

VIDEO: Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 Bamford Carbon Limited Edition by WatchBox Studios

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Red Bull' Special Edition Quartz Watch

 

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Ernest Jones / Leamington Spa, 16th October 2021

Way back in February last year I posted my first impressions of the 2020 edition of the Formula 1 Red Bull Special Edition and at the end of that post I said I would reserve judgement until I could get my hands on one... little did I know it would be over eighteen months until I actually got one on my wrist. Of course that was in large part due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, but the big question is was it worth the wait? After all its predecessor, the awesome CAZ1018 is a tough act to follow so the CAZ101AK had some HUGE shoes to fill.

But first, let's address the part number. Way back in February 2020 I commented (about the CAZ101AB) that it was unfortunate that the watch had been released just as Lawrence Stroll announced that he was buying the Racing Point Formula 1 team and therefore the tie up between Red Bull and Aston Martin would come to an end. 'Unfortunate' because the watch had a backplate which read 'Aston Martin Red Bull' and clearly that wasn't going to be acceptable once the parties had gone their separate ways.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 'Green' Limited Edition Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch

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I've always been a little unsure about the red/blue colour-scheme on the classic Formula 1; it's quite hard to photograph well and it often looks like the red is almost unreadable against the dark blue background. But my favourite Japanese eBayer listed this one and it coincided with my trigger finger itching to buy something (even though I've been trying to save for something 'bigger'). Well, this was only £149 so I figured the damage wouldn't be too significant and like clockwork ten days later I got my usual 'package' from Japan with this beauty inside.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Watches by Brent L Miller Time

 

ON THE WRIST: Dior Grand Bal Automatic Ladies Watch

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Harrods / London, 15th September 2021

Ever since I showed my wife a photograph of a 'Dior Grand Bal' in a copy of the now sadly defunct 'QP' magazine a few years ago it's been right at the top of her 'dream watch' list. Unfortunately, despite much searching we'd never actually found anywhere in the UK that stocked them, until today... when we unexpectedly came across them in the 'Fine Jewellery and Watches' room in Harrods!

The Grand Bal comes in many different designs, all of which are very limited (for example this one is a run of just 88 pieces, though strangely this isn't mentioned on the website) and most of them are extremely beautiful. There are Grand Bals that come on ceramic bracelets or more traditional leather straps, but the defining feature of the Grand Bal is that it wears it's rotor on the front of the dial. Many examples are decorated with feathers, but there are also some other variations such as bows, intricate lattice-work and other fancy embellishments...

  

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 1000 Series 844/5 Automatic Watch by Thingz I Like Too

Instagram @ thingziliketoo

INTERVIEW: Kappa MD (Calibre 11 Forum Member)

Today we welcome a new face to the TAG Heuer Enthusiast blog, but one familiar to the members of the Calibre 11 forum... 

Hi there! First of all, I'd like to thank sir Rob for this interview and for allowing me to share my passion for watches, especially motorsport watches and more specifically TAG Heuer! My love for watches actually stemmed from my love of motorsports first and thus led me to the only brand which is synonymous with motorsports --> Heuer / TAG Heuer!

My name is John Paul but my friends call me JP or Doc Jaypes. I'm a 38 years old physician from Manila Philippines. As I have mentioned, I'm a doctor and I specialize in Urologic Surgery / Urology. I've used 'kappa_md' in both car and watch fora alike ever since I joined discussions (proud member of PHI KAPPA MU Medical Fraternity)

Well we're very pleased to have you J.P. and thank you for taking the time to do this interview. So let's start with a very obvious first question, how did you get interested in watches?

Growin up, I used to own different watches before like Timex, Guess (?), Nike, Casio, G-Shocks, Technomarines etc. but they were either gifts to me, purchases I made for time/fit purposes or something that really is part of a casual get-up. They were not really part of any collection that I have. They were nice for their purpose and I wasn't serious yet in watches in general. Most of these are already given to family members or life has come to an end. The only watches I have right now are TAG Heuer.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Twin Time 41mm by Time and Tide

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Elegant Heuer 02 'Middle Eastern' Limited Edition Chronograph

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When the 42mm Carrera 'Elegant' range was released last year, there was one notable absence from the range when compared to the 44mm Carrera 'Sports' range, that being a piece with a green dial. Well, I don't know if TAG Heuer are intending to remedy that in the future (maybe the green dial fad is just starting to run out of steam?) but here at least we have exactly that. True the chances of seeing one outside of the Middle East are pretty slim, but you never know... 

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300M Professional by Fun With Watches

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 Watch

 

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Goldsmiths / Milton Keynes, 13th September 2021

For the past few months I've been seriously considering the idea of purchasing a 'WAY/WBD' or possibly 'CAY' Aquaracer, if only because once they have disappeared from the shops the stress of ensuring that I don't end up buying a fake on the pre-owned market is too much. Admittedly I do already own a 'WAY' model in the WAY208C, but I'd also really like a steel version and the front runners are either the white dial version with the black hour markers and orange second hand, and the blue dial with yellow accents. 

I can't honestly remember the last time I actually tried on a blue dial (WAY/WBD series) Aquaracer, it must be a long time ago - maybe it was that limited edition 'Hawaii' model with the turtle on the dial and the palm trees on the back plate that I found in the old TAG Heuer outlet store at Bicester Village?

GALLERY: Heuer Carrera 160th Anniversary Heuer 02 Limited Edition Chronograph by Anthony_Ranalli

 

Instagram @ Anthony_ranalli

VIDEO: Heuer Silverstone by Crown and Caliber

 

HISTORY: The TAG Heuer SLR (2004-2012)

 

The TAG Heuer SLR started life in 2004 with the release of the CAD5110; probably the most curious looking watch the company have ever released. Following on from the McLaren F1 idea, this watch was only available to people looking to purchase the Mercedes Benz SLR super car and of course, at this particular moment in time TAG Heuer and Mercedes were still very much connected through their associations with the McLaren Formula 1 team and former TAG Heuer owners Ron Dennis and Mansour Ojjeh. 

The back of this first piece is numbered, but unfortunately it doesn't say of how many. A quick Google reveals that Mercedes made 2157 SLRs, so it must be less than that. The watch wasn't cheap by any means and given the scarcity of them on the pre-owned market perhaps we can assume that the take up rate wasn't too high? Or maybe the owners just aren't selling, or they sold them on with the car...

A notable feature of the watch is that it is a 'regulator' the only example that TAG Heuer have ever made, at least since the company was taken over in 1985.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch

UPDATE: New Index Page

Today I think I finally found the character limit of the 'Index' page, which was not entirely unexpected if I'm completely honest. So now I have introduced a new 'Index' page which you can access from the tab at the tap of the page or by clicking this link. This now leads you to a menu where you can select the year you wish to view posts from.

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/index.html

Simply click on the banner for the year you are interested in and you will be taken to a new page with a complete list of posts for that period. Please let me know if there are in issues and I will do my best to resolve them.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1 by The Covert Crow

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Porsche Special Edition; Heuer 02 Chronograph

 

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Harrods / London, 15th September 2021

This is the last of the three watches I tried on in Harrods on this hot September day and it's probably my favourite. Yet again it's a watch that doesn't show itself at its best in photographs, but it's not quite the revelation that the blue dial Dato 45 Carrera 160th Anniversary LE was (for example). 

When TAG Heuer announced that they were going to collaborate with Porsche they unfortunately set up a lot of expectations. People were getting very excited about it and (for the most part) expecting 'Heritage' this and 'Retro' that, but to be honest when I think of Porsche I don't think of a company that is 'Retro' or 'Heritage'. Sure the 911 has massive history behind it, but to me as a casual observer the company are more about pushing the model forward through continual evolution rather than trading on some whimsical 'glory days'.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Carrera CV2113 by Thingz I Like Too

 

INSTAGRAM @thingziliketoo

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 Porsche Special Edition by Watch the Fresh Faces

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 2014-2015 General Catalogue & Watch Time 'TAG Heuer Special' Magazine

Isn't it amazing how sometimes you check eBay at just the right time? I tend to look at the site at least every few days for watches, but I only check for catalogues now and then. So I was really lucky to catch this one which I found with only a couple of hours left to go and a very reasonable starting price of £30 (which is what I got it for). The catalogue is in superb condition and included some update sheets, pity there was no price list but still a great find!

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Kirium Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera CV2113 Chronograph by Marshall Time

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 Elegant Chronograph

 

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Goldsmiths / Milton Keynes, 13th September 2021

Whilst I have come across the 'Elegant' Carrera in store before, it's never been one that I've been massively moved to try on. It simply isn't a model I gravitate towards and is certainly not something that I would ever buy or wear. But despite that, I was still intrigued enough to give it a go, after all as I keep saying - until you get a watch on your wrist you're only getting half the picture.

And once again this 42mm anthracite dial Carrera proved the point, as it was much nicer on than I had anticipated even by looking at it in the cabinet. For sure it's still not something I would ever buy, but I can still appreciate a nice dial, and this one is absolutely stunning.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Carrera Elegance Heuer 02 Chronograph by Anthony Ranalli

 

Instagram @ Anthony_ranalli

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1500 Series & 6000 Series Quartz Watches by The Time Bombardier

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 '2021 Senna' Quartz Chronograph

 

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If you feel like you've seen this watch already and can't understand why it's getting a 'First Impressions' post here in November 2021, you're not alone. More than one member of the esteemed C.O.C.O. Council commented that they thought this watch was already in the line up, which is perhaps slightly embarrassing from people who should know better, but also (I think it's fair to say) indicative of the lack of 'inspiration' to be found with this release.

So yes, this is clearly little more than a DLC coated version of the steel 43mm CAZ101AF released just over a year ago in October 2020, albeit wearing the strap from the CAZ201B Calibre 16 model that came out alongside it. But despite that, I have to say I rather like it...

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 3000 Series Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 WAZ101A Quartz Watch by Random Rob

 

ON THE WRIST: Chopard Alpine Eagle Automatic Watch & L 'Heure du Diamant Ladies Automatic Watch

 

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Harrods / London, 15th September 2021

This was my wife and I's first visit to Harrods in over two years and for the first time ever we decided to stop and look around the 'Fine Jewellery and Watches' room instead of simply walking through it on the way to the more 'regular' watch boutiques. I'm really glad we did too because we found all sorts of goodies there including a Dior boutique selling the ladies Grand Bal, all manner of bejewelled Hublots and Roger DuBois (many of which were clearly pushing the boundaries of taste) and the Chopard boutique which was well worth a visit.

I've never been a big fan of the brand if I'm completely honest, because the Mille Miglias left me pretty cold and nothing else spoke to me much either. However, that all changed today when I came face to face with the Alpine Eagle for the first time (and our Swedish friend Jim Dollares was first in line to tell me 'I told you so)'. He did actually, although I had completely forgotten about it since I saw the release photos a while back... so it came as a welcome surprise and the perfect start to a great day out in London.

GALLERY: Heuer Carrera CV2119 Calibre 17 Chronograph by Anthony Ranalli

 

Instagram @ Anthony_ranalli

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 Unboxing and Review by The Opulent Life

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Tudor Black Bay 58 Automatic Watch (featuring Jim Dollares)

Hi everyone, Jim Dollares here! You might wonder why the TAG Heuer Enthusiast blog posts a Tudor 'Buying Experience' today? Well, this one is as much about the Aquaracer, as it is about the Tudor Black Bay 58... 

Buying Experience: The Time I Almost Bought the Aquaracer!

Background

Going back four or five years when my obsession with watches started, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer was one of the watches I admired the most. I remember one of my first watch loves to be the WAY211B with its superb combination of blue and black, paired with a super comfortable and stylish strap. Since then the Aquaracer has always stuck in the back of my head and I knew that one day I would get one. 

Fast forward to 2021 and I decided I was ready to pull the trigger on another watch and this time I was going to get myself a nice proper dive watch. I enjoyed summer but was missing a good piece to just wear and not worry about and I was now pretty sure that the sexy looking blue dial 41mm aluminum bezel Aquaracer (WBD2112) should be the one. I was also feeling a bit stressed since TAG Heuer had recently launched a new version of the Aquaracer and time was running out to get the one I truly wanted: the previous generation has always been the absolute best Aquaracer in my opinion and the thought of buying a pre-owned version with all the super fakes around now gives me nightmares! 

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Quartz Watch