FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 39mm Calibre TH20-00 Chronographs

 

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I almost feel like I should preface this post by saying that when you read my comments you should probably bear in mind that this new line of 39mm Carreras is at least partially aimed at the type of customer who bought the so called 'Glassbox' vintage style Carreras of the last few years (most, if not all, of which were limited editions...) and as such this model isn't really aimed at me.

But having said that, it feels like TAG Heuer have tried their best to keep enough DNA from the aforementioned 'Glassbox' Carreras to satisfy the vintage Heuer fans, while giving these a veneer of modernity, hopefully sufficient that it might increase the spectrum of appeal to people who didn't lust after or perhaps never even saw the previous 39mm Carreras. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2023 Watches & Wonders Releases by Watchfinder & Co

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG HEUER Carrera Plasma Diamant D'Avant-Garde 44mm Tourbillon & 36mm Watch

 

Last year TAG Heuer shocked us all with the first incarnation of their 'Plasma Carrera' and to be honest until I saw their teaser for Watches & Wonders 2023 it never crossed my mind for a second that they would be doing it all over again. Only this time... throwing caution completely to the wind.

Now honestly, I can't remember what score I gave the 2022 version, but looking back to last Christmas and the Watch of the Year Vote for 2022, the original 'Plasma' scored a respectable 5.9 out of 10. Which is probably more than I would have expected when you consider that the majority of the people voting are somewhat conservative when it comes to watches and aren't shy about expressing themselves when it comes to the abomination that is the 'modern' Carrera.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia Heuer 02 Flyback Chronograph by Brent Miller Time

FEATURE: TAG Heuer Watches Are Now 'Gender Fluid'!

 
TRIGGER WARNING: Cameron Diaz wears the two-tone Aquarcacer... with diamonds!

The 21st century is a confused and confusing place...

Believe it or not, in the old days, TAG Heuer never used to make models that were designed 'specifically' for women. Indeed, I believe the first watch they actually made that fit that bill was the Alter Ego series (which had no male counterpart), and this was also the first production TAG Heuer that ever had diamonds on it, or at least the first one with a diamond bezel. 

Prior to the Alter Ego what TAG Heuer used to do was to make watches that looked pretty much the same, but in a range of sizes (generally 37mm to 25mm in three or four steps). This can be seen throughout the history of TAG Heuer with watches such as the S/EL, the Kirium, the 2000, 3000 and 6000 - all essentially the same, albeit perhaps the smaller sizes would have more colourful dials and/or straps.

VIDEO: Heuer Carrera '60th Anniversary Panda' Heuer 02 Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Autavia Heuer 02 Flyback Chronograph

 

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Touchwood Centre, Solihull, 20th March 2023

TAG Heuer boutiques seem to be popping up everywhere now, I'd love to know how many they actually have in the UK, considering a few years ago there was about three. Of course most of these new ones are not run by TAG Heuer themselves but by Goldsmiths/Watches of Switzerland, which doesn't affect the customer much apart from if you are looking to access some of the limited editions that come and go in the blink of an eye. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Solargraph' Watch by Worn & Wound

 

MAGAZINE FEATURE: TAG Heuer's Monaco 69 and Microtimer Concept Watches by Theodore Diehl

 

When the first quartz-controlled wristwatches appeared on the market many years ago they were exceptionally expensive, often costing much more than a regular mechanical Swiss watch. After a short time the prices dropped as the technology matured. After the initial shock passed, the industry was quite pleased with the quartz development since the vast number of quartz-based calibres that were being offered made it child's play for designers to create a boundless series of shapes and forms to fit every taste. Quartz wristwatches, or at least those without specialised functions, became low-priced fashion items, and many people bought several of them in various shapes and colours to match their favourite clothes or even their mood. The rest is history.

After the revival of the mechanical watch industry, the separation of the quartz and mechanical worlds was fairly strictly adhered to. Major houses did offer quartz watches for the few customers who requested them, but almost under a cloak of secrecy. Quartz wristwatches were often not even mentioned in catalogues for fear of diluting mechanical watch brands' PR image. Not any longer, however it is a more or less public knowledge that companies such as Rolex (working together with the Swatch group) and even firms such as Patek Philippe are spending large sums on the future development of of electronic wristwatches or hybrid mechanical/electronic calibres (these products might not even be released during our lifetimes, but, for established brands, looking 50 years ahead with R&D is not uncommon).

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 40mm v 41mm by Time & Time Again

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph Watches

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 28th January 2023

Since I started this blog nearly seven years ago, I've tried on hundreds of watches... but it's relatively unusual for me to be sitting in a boutique with a watch on my wrist trying to decide whether to buy it or not. More often than not I'm trying the watch on so that I can write about it, irrespective of whether it is something I genuinely think I might buy, and while I do feel a little bad for 'wasting' the salesperson's time, who knows if my post might influence someone to visit a boutique (maybe even that boutique) and lead to a sale down the line. Besides, the whole point of having stores is so that you can visit and assess the watches and see if they are right for you, by putting them on your own wrist - which is really the only way to know for sure.

The store I probably visit the most is the TAG Heuer boutique in Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre, which is ironic since it's nowhere near where I live (there's actually a TAG Heuer boutique in the town closest to where I live, but I have never visited it and I haven't actually been into that town for over three years!) I really like going to the Meadowhall store because the staff are great, especially Maxine who was showing me the Solargraphs - and some other things - today), and they never make you feel pressured or rushed, which is why when I find the right new TAG Heuer for me that's where I will be buying it from.

VIDEO: The Ultimate TAG Heuer Monaco with George Bamford by Escapement24

 

FEATURE: Was the Moonswatch 'Mission to Moonshine' Really a Complete Disaster?

Like many of you I'm sure, I watch a fair number of YouTube 'watch channels' and while they do serve a purpose - whiling away a tedious dinner break for example, the older I get the more irritating I find them. Most recently my irritation has come in the form of the mock outrage directed at the Swatch 'Mission to Moonshine'. 

As I'm sure you know, unless you have been living under a rock this last few weeks, Swatch recently released a new version of one of their plastic 'Speedmasters' with a gold plated chronograph second hand, which unfortunately did not live up to the 'hype' created before the release... and so people, they got MAD about it.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia Calibre 5 Bronze Watch by WatchBox Reviews

MAGAZINE FEATURE: TAG Heuer - Reinventing the Wheel by James Gurney

 

Reinventing the Wheel

Of all the strange and wonderful developments watchmaking has thrown up over the past few years, TAG Heuer's V4 is undoubtedly one of the most radical. The industry has seen almost everything from novel materials being used in the manufacture of hairsprings and escape wheels to the basic architecture being exploded and re-assembled, but everyone has always left untouched the basic idea of power being transmitted through toothed wheels. Everyone, that is, except TAG Heuer.

Although watchmakers have always had to be wary of the way gear wheels mesh and recognise the need to balance precision against the freedom required to stop gears locking up, better answers have been sought in the wheels themselves and, for example, the profile of the gear teeth. Even when TAG Heuer began looking for a project that would cement and support their growing reputation for more 'horologically legitimate' watches, there was no plan to rethink this fundamental of watchmaking. As Stephane Linder, product director at TAG Heuer said 'We wanted to get back our reputation for innovation'.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia Review by Swiss Watch Expo

FEATURE: Hodinkee Says 'Bring Back the Original TAG Heuer Formula 1'

I'm sure it was no coincidence, but three days before Swatch unveiled their latest riff on the plastic Omega Speedmaster the great and omnipresent 'Hodinkee' posted an article proposing the rebirth of the original TAG Heuer Formula 1. Yes really. But would that actually be such a good idea? In all honesty I am not remotely convinced.

Let's think back to the mid 1980s for a moment. Swatch was killing it, Heuer was (sorry to say it) dying on its arse. This is when popular fables tell you the big bad TAG corporation swooped in and undid all Uncle Jack's good work. In truth, TAG saved and re-invented the company, and key to this success story was the introduction of the resin bodied Formula 1. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Review by Next on Wrist

FEATURE: The Joy of Switching Out Straps

 

Visit any watch forum and you will always find a thread where people are discussing which straps they are wearing on their watches, where they came from, how much they cost and which exotic animals were killed in the process. No word of a lie, someone on the THF Forum has watch straps made of giraffe and hippo leather - I can't even with that. But who am I to cast aspersions, do I not own a pair of brightly coloured sharkskin straps for my 4000 Series? Why yes I do... and here they are.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Automatic V Quartz by Brent Miller Time

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 'Turquoise Dial' Ladies Watch

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When the 36mm Aquaracer was launched (in silver, black and navy blue) a couple of years ago it was (quietly) hailed as a victory for the small wristed who found the 43mm Aquaracer just too damned big to wear. But subsequently (and initially if you were cognisant of the fact that the wave dial pattern has only ever been available on ladies watches) it became apparent that while 36mm may indeed be a nominally 'unisex' size, in truth TAG Heuer definitely view this a ladies watch. Of course there's nothing to stop anyone wearing pink, teal or torquoise dials with diamond hour markers, but let's be real, for the vast majority of the population this is a ladies watch. Besides which, it is in the ladies section of the TAG Heuer website (...but then so are the Solargraphs, go figure).

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Heritage Director Nicholas Biebuyck Interviewed by Eleonor Picciotto for Revolution Watch

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T Chronograph

 

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TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 28th January 2023

It's not everyday one runs into a Heuer 02 Tourbillon Carrera and it's even less common to run into one with solid rose gold lugs that cost a staggering £1000 each! Indeed I was very lucky to see this one at all as this particular watch wasn't on 'general display' but was residing in the safe and awaiting collection by its lucky new owner. Needless to say I was extra, extra, extra careful handling it, especially as it wasn't wrapped in plastic (not that I am ever anything less than extremely careful when trying on watches you understand, wrapped or not)!

 

I always liked the old Heuer 01 with gold lugs, but at £7000 odd it was always a bit out of my price range, especially since I already had the original Heuer 01 skeleton. But still every so often I would come across one and lust after it for a while until the memory faded. I must admit I've never really felt the same about the Heuer 02 skeleton as I do about the Heuer 01, which is mainly due to the dial layout. I know a lot of people value symmetry, but to me the H02 layout always left a lot of awkward, empty space at the top of the dial and as you can see this CAR5A5U is no exception.

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

 

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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

 

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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

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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

 

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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

 

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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

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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

 

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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.