FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Twin Time 'GMT Watch Club' Limited Edition

 

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We're still only part way through the 'Watches & Wonders' releases, but for reasons far too tedious too explain (let's call it 'technical reasons') today we will be looking at something else. But don't worry, I'm still going to cover the 36mm 'unisex' Carreras, the Calibre 16 F1 Chronos and of course the Monaco Rattrapantes. I'm sure you're looking forward to that one... 

Okay, so this one is quite a special watch that's limited to just 24 pieces. Yes, you read that right, just 24 of these are available, which the 'Fine-Watch-Club' website claims is the smallest batch of 'limited editions' TAG Heuer has ever made. This isn't actually true, because off the top of my head I can think of at least two models made in much smaller runs (Jimmy Butler Carrera tourbillon - 5pcs and the LE Carbon Bullhead - 10pcs). But whatever... 

It doesn't alter the fact that this is an interesting take on the current WBN201A, swapping the blue dial for what they are calling a 'bronze' dial. This combined with the half white GMT ring and in particular the blue second hand and blue tipped GMT hand combine to create quite a bold statement. 

The watch is made to celebrate the 24th anniversary of 'GMT Magazine (hence 24 pieces), and it's quite cool that the watch can wear the logo of the magazine slap bang in the middle of the dial without it looking overly out of place; since of course the watch is a 'GMT' or 'Twin Time' as TAG Heuer prefer to call it. Some might find the logo a tad too bold and attention grabbing, but then again this is supposed to be about celebrating the magazine, so I think it is okay. I mean, if it was printed in white then that definitely would have been a bit OTT, but as it is, it's fine. 

At the time of writing the watch is still available to purchase for the sum of 3990CHF, which is perhaps somewhat surprising given the extremely limited quantity. But to be honest the website isn't doing itself any favours, featuring as it does, just two very poor quality photographs alongside the usual not particularly reliable renders. 

With so few of these around we'd be very lucky to experience one of these in person, but from what I can see here it's definitely one of 2024's better releases so far; let's find out if the council agree with me...

9/10: "This is actually pretty interesting! I really like the blue accents. The chapter ring going from cream to brown reminds me of a macchiato. I’ll call it the coffee dial. 9/10 for me. I love it!"

5/10: "I don't know if the colour scheme is a reference to something. But it's not very appealing to me."

7/10: "The blue seconds hand, although part of their colour scheme, just doesn’t work for me. Everything else is a nice look to me."

5/10: "I quite like the colour scheme. Reminds me a bit of a Grand Seiko although not quite as good."

7/10: "Could be better in real life."

7.5/10: "I normally wouldn't be into brown and blue, but somehow this quirky combo works on this watch. In the sunlight, the dial looks more like champaign brown and gives me a '70s vibe."

6/10: "Not for me, but I can see the appeal."

3/10: "Not a fan. I find it bland. Blue hand looks like it shouldn't exist in this watch."

7/10: "Bit brown."

8/10: "This is a very strong proposition from TAG Heuer. Lovely colours and I could see myself rocking this bad boy. Strong 8 from me."

8/10: "Yeah, I like this too and genuinely think it will look even better in real world photos, given the usual poor renders TH put out. Plus it’s got a proper case and not one hidden by stupid shaped glass. ;)."

7/10: "I like this one!"

4.5/10: "I've mulling this one over and whilst I quite like the colour scheme, that bolded 'GMT' text just irks me. It's just, so....., bold and it stands out and therefore takes over the dial. Reluctantly, I can only go 4.5/10 but without the GMT text, I'm thinking closer to 7."

7/10: "I wouldn't easily opt for a brown/bronze watch. But I think this copy is still a good success. Beautiful appearance and a bit mysterious. Partly because of the blue accents. So well done."

3/10: "Looks awful in my book."

4/10: "I think these should have a separate category, since a 24-piece limited edition isn't really something most of us will encounter. That said I'd call it a 4, the colours aren't too interesting and using the same copper/brown for the bezel as the dial doesn't do it any favours."

7/10: "I like it, and they say is ‘24 numbered pieces', so I guess it is not the lazy ‘One of 24'"

6/10: "I would have scored a bit higher if they had utilized additional blue accents (like they have done in the past with the Zenith model), but I recognize that could be difficult with a non-chronograph timepiece and a simpler dial layout."

9/10: "Greatest colour combinations."

VIDEO: Inside the TAG Heuer Manufacture by Wristcheck

 

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Five (2022-2024)

 

At the tail end of 2023 TAG Heuer announced that Julien Tornare would move from Zenith (also in the LVMH group) to take over as CEO. Previous CEO Frédéric Arnault meanwhile would become 'Head of Watches' for the LVMH group with his remit covering brands such as TAG Heuer, Zenith, Hublot, Louis Vuitton and Bulgari.

2022 WATCHES

2022 was a strange year, as we were still living with the aftershocks of the pandemic. The watch industry was bubbling though, fuelled by people working from home for the first time (and thus saving commuting fees) and unable to go on holiday. This fuelled a luxury watch bubble which wouldn't burst until the beginning of 2024 when prices for super desirable pieces like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Rolex Daytona fell sharply.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Split Seconds by Watches TV

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper Solid Rose Gold Calibre TH20-06 Chronograph

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For most people the 'Skipper' dial version of TAG Heuer's 39mm glassbox Carrera has been the runaway winner, and even I must admit it does have a certain charm about it. So what better way for TAG Heuer to capitalise on this success than to issue a new version in a solid 5N rose-gold case? 

What? Yes, more solid gold watches from TAG Heuer. Has no one told them about the cost of living crisis or that the watch bubble has burst? I guess the people this is aimed at don't have such every day worries as mortgages to contend with and can probably find the requisite £18,750 simply by fishing a hand down the back of their Fritz Hansen sofa. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Panda by Monochrome Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz 'Indy 500' Special Edition

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At some point I should probably write a post about the many Indy 500 watches TAG Heuer have produced, but for now let's concentrate on this brand new model released last week at Watches & Wonders 2024. TAG Heuer have been pretty consistently releasing Indy 500 watches for the last few years, some of them really nice and some of them not so much. From the renders this one looks to be one of the better ones, perhaps bested only by the CAZ101AD released in 2020 with its black case, asphalt dial and red brick stripe.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer at Watches & Wonders 2024 by Revolution Watch

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Panda' Glassbox Calibre TH20-00 Chonrograph

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Okay then, here we go with the first of the new watches released at Watches & Wonders... and I thought I might as well start with the one most people will have the most interest in, since a) it's a Carrera Panda, and b) it doesn't cost £120,000. Oh don't you worry, we'll get to those new Monacos eventually... but probably not anytime soon as there's a lot to digest there and I feel like I haven't really understood all the intricate details, like why it costs more than my house did in 2003!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2024 Watches & Wonders Releases by Time & Tide

 

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

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As I'm writing this, on Sunday the 7th of April, we're just days away from the opening of Watches & Wonders 2024... and knowing that most likely I am going to be asking a lot of the Council of Considered Opinion over the next few days I thought rather than asking them to give their 'First Impressions' score for this one, I would just keep this simple.

VIDEO: Is the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Any Good? by Teddy Baldasserre

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Dato 'Green' Calibre TH20-07

TAG Heuer Boutique / Milton Keynes, 18th March 2024

I think I've been pretty clear on my feelings about the 2021 Hodinkee Dato and the 2023 39mm glassbox Carreras in general come to that... and I was also less than enthusiastic when I wrote my 'First Impressions' post for this new teal dial version back in February. So honestly I was all ready to hate this even before I got it on the wrist. But... and this just shows that I am nothing less than professional at all times, I was somewhat shocked to find that I actually liked this one a little more than I thought I would.

Now don't get the wrong idea, I didn't feel like the scales had dropped from my eyes or anything, but in the flesh it certainly looked better than expected. The thing is my expectations were low. Very low. I actually gave it 3/10 when I gave my 'First Impressions' score, so there was a lot of room for improvement and even now I don't think I would give it more than a generous 5, but still it's not the disaster I thought it was and that's something.

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Cartier Pasha Quartz Watch

 

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While my wife Rose does have a pretty healthy selection of TAG Heuer watches that she's collected over the years, she hasn't been quite as loyal to the brand as I have. Over the years she's picked up a skeleton-dial Oris Atelier and an Omega Constellation quartz (both of which are right up there amongst her favourites) and now she's expanded this betrayal to include her very first Cartier. 

For a while she had been looking at a number of blue mother of pearl dial 'Links' on Watchfinder but couldn't quite decide if they would ever look as good in real life as they did in the pictures (my guess is not). Prior to that she had been looking at some nice looking Dior watches on the same site, but gave up on them when she realised how small they were...  and then she started looking at Cartier. I must admit I was quite surprised at this because she's never been one for Art Deco and she hates Roman numerals on watch dials (which most Cartiers of course have). 

OWNED: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Chronotimer' Quartz Chronograph

 

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Hard to believe but I've now had my CAF1010 'Chronotimer' for six years. I wouldn't say it only seems like yesterday that I drove to Sheffield to pick it up, but I still remember the experience quite vividly and I particularly remember driving home down the M1 and being distracted by the sunlight reflecting off the polished hour markers, hands and the digital display frame. 

The watch was purchased pre-owned from 'Parkers' and came with a slightly tatty but complete set of boxes. along with the booklet, warranty card and a service card from TAG Heuer and a bracelet that was just long enough for my 7.1/2" wrist. I originally found the watch listed on Ebay for £995 but later found the watch on Parkers own website for £945 (due to them not having to pay eBay fees).

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Tourbillon by Black Tag Watches

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Albert AMG

Hello Aquaracer fans, today we have another 'Top 10 Aquaracers' post for you, but unfortunately this month's guest Albert-AMG hasn't provided any text with his selections so to prevent this post being just a bunch of pictures I will step in and provide my own thoughts on his choices. 

ON THE FACE: TAG Heuer 'Flex' and 'Pro-Shield' Sunglasses

TAG Heuer Boutique / Stratford, London 21st March 2024

It must be said that the reaction to TAG Heuer revisiting their sunglasses range has not been entirely positive in the watch community... it seems that TAG making shades again somehow means that they will not be taken seriously as a watch company - don't ask me how that works because I don't understand it. No Rolex don't make shades, but they don't need to. I don't see the connection. Are Mont Blanc not taken seriously as a pen maker because they make watches... and fragrances? 

To be honest  I'm more surprised that companies like TAG Heuer haven't started making fragrances yet, since they have plenty of contacts in the LVMH group they could tap and fragrances are even more profitable than watches. Besides, I already own a pair of TAG Heuer shades and I like them a lot, so I was keen to see what the company would come out with.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1000 Series 'Lume Dial' Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

FEATURE: Red Bull Racing Factory Visit

 

Now look, I know what you're thinking.... lucky old Rob got to go to the Red Bull factory as a guest of TAG Heuer or Red Bull or some other generous benefactor... isn't life just cushty as a super-famous and important watch influencer? Well, no... haha,  you couldn't be more wrong. Because in actual fact I got to go to the Red Bull factory today because my amazing wife bought me/us (the outrageously expensive) tickets for Valentine's Day. 

Yes indeed, my wife is awesome!

And so on the morning of the 18th of March we headed off to Milton Keynes for a few hours of bumbling around the MK centre. Annoyingly the Goldsmiths was shut for refurbishment, but at least the TAG Heuer boutique was open and they had both the watches we were interested in seeing in stock - namely the green dial Dato and the new 'Polar Blue' Solargraph. I will write about these separately (because I desperately need content and Watches & Wonders is still so, so far away), but the TL:DR is that the Solargraph was disappointing while the Dato wasn't actually as bad as I expected it to be. Go figure...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Chronometer by Birth Year Watches

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Four (2019-2021)

 

Due to serious health issues, the legendary Jean Claude Biver stepped down as CEO of TAG Heuer making way for Stephane Bianchi, although he in turn would make way for Frederic Arnault less than two years later. Frederic would stay in the position for four years, eventually being promoted to CEO of LVMH Watches. 

2019-2020 CATALOGUE & DEALER CATALOGUE

2019 saw the introduction of the Heuer 02 movement in a big way, including a limited edition 'Nanograph' which featured a silicon hairspring.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Pink/Green 36mm by Perth Watch Girl

 

FEATURE: Maybe Don't Try This at Home...

Long term readers will know that over the last few years I have bought and sold a huge number of 'classic' Formula 1s, indeed at one point I had fifteen of them and was homing in on 'completion'. But then I realised that I didn't actually want twenty 30 year old watches sitting on my shelf lining up to expire on me and so I decided to sell a few. And then a few more. And then once I started selling them I just couldn't stop until I had only one left - the very first one I got. 

I guess I could have saved myself a lot of hassle and just kept that one in the first place, but as usual I got carried away, over-stimulated by all the bright colours... until I realised that the only one that didn't look silly on my 7.1/2" wrist was the all black one with red highlights. Isn't that just typical?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Dato' Calibre TH20-02 by Chisolm Hunter

 

FEATURE: EBAY: No Fakes. No Fraud. No Doubt?

With adverts like the one above eBay is doing its best to convince us that their site is a super-safe place to buy watches. Of course, when it comes down to it only watches above the value of £1500 are actually sent for verification/certification - but to the casual observer who's not paying too much attention to the finer details eBay is depicted as a safe marketplace, which is... convenient. While I applaud eBay taking some kind of action, we've already seen people receiving watches with warranty cards that don't match their watches so I guess the question is do we trust the super-duper eBay authentication service? And if we're supposed to trust them to spot the super fakes of 2024 then presumably it should have no trouble spotting a really bad fake on their site, right? 

Apparently not. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Peach Dial' Calibre 7 Automatic by Brent Miller Time

FEATURE: C.O.C.O. Meet Up London 2023

Way back in 2022 our Swedish friend Jim Dollares announced that he planned to visit London and wanted to arrange a THF forum meet-up. Despite a tiny ripple of enthusiasm in the forum this ultimately came to nothing and ultimately we decided on Jim and I meeting in London with Charlie (Imagwai) joining us in the evening for dinner. But once the date was set it transpired that this wouldn't be possible due to child care commitments and the intervention of British Rail... instead Charlie said we were welcome to visit him in his opulent Kent abode in the evening, so that's what we did.

Yes I already mentioned British Rail, and British Rail were quite a big part of this story one way or another. Put simply, there was a rail strike, which meant if we were gonna make this work then we needed to take the trains as much out of the equation as possible. So, I decided the smart thing to do would be to drive to Charlie's, get the train to London and back, and then drive home (Jim was staying overnight with Charlie before heading back to the airport). This eventually turned into ‘drive to Orpington’ since the limited train service available served that station better than Charlie's local station, albeit the last train back was still a ridiculously early 6:05pm!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Year of the Dragon' Limited Edition Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Titanium (1984-1988)

The 'Titanium' was a very short lived and very '1980s' watch (both literally and figuratively). It first appeared in the 1984 Heuer catalogue and had its last appearance in the 1987/88 TAG Heuer catalogue. As such it is another one of those odd watches that can be had with either a 'Heuer' or 'TAG Heuer' branded dial and there's a good chance that even if you get a TAG Heuer dial the backplate and clasp might well still be stamped with the old 'Heuer' logo... that's just how it was in the 1980s kids!

I find some of the 'Titanium' designs appealing, but others markedly less so. I actually remember looking longingly at a 220.206 on eBay for quite some time, to the point where I went to the trouble of enquiring if TAG Heuer had any spare links should I need to extend the bracelet. Unfortunately the response I got was that they wouldn't sell links for watches of that age and it would have to be returned to them to be 'worked on'. As you might imagine, hearing that I thought better of it and turned my attention to something else. A shame really as the 220.206 is a cool looking watch and would have been a nice addition to my collection... but no way was I putting myself in that position. 

Okay, well clearly this isn't going to be another super-long 'History of' post because there are only eight models in total (and only eleven variants of those). Needless to say I'm still working on the rest of the Carrera posts and they will be along in good time. 

VIDEO:TAG Heuer Carrera 'Skipper' Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'OneLife Rally' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph

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Occasionally TAG Heuer will make 'special order' models for special clients, generally organizations or charities; these tend to be standard models that have been modded with a logo either on the dial or the backplate. This one popped up on the TAG Heuer forum (I think it was spotted on Instagram) and it's basically a stock CAZ101AM that has been customized with a 'OneLife Rally' engraving on the side of the case and on the backplate.  

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Reverse Panda Glassbox TH20-00 by Gullie

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Shane Paradis

 

As you know, this year we are celebrating 20 years of the magnificent Aquaracer and today I'm pleased to welcome the newest addition to our 'Council of Considered Opinion' - Shane Paradis. Shane is an American with a refreshingly positive attitude to quartz and older TAG Heuer models in general, which leads to some interesting and dare I say it 'unexpected' choices in his personal list of  'Top 10 Aquaracers'. He's also the first person not to include any of my Aquaracers in his Top 10, but I won't hold that against him. Honestly!

VIDEO: The Outstanding Revival of the TAG Heuer Carrera BY ID Guy

 

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

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After the disappointment that was 'LVMH Watch Week' (Polar Blue 34mm Solargraph aside - potentially, though it remains to be seen) the feeling I had when I clapped eyes on this limited edition release for Qatar, was 'THIS IS MORE LIKE IT'. And while repeated exposure has tempered my (over) enthusiasm a little, this is still perhaps the most exciting TAG Heuer of 2024 so far and most importantly it's not bloody teal!

THANK YOU: 750,000 PAGE VIEWS!

Wow. It really doesn't seem like five minutes since the blog hit the half million views milestone, and yet here we are at 750,000 already! I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, for some reason the blog has been picking up views rapidly in recent times... I'm not 100% sure why that is, I can only assume it must be the renewed interest in TAG Heuer generally that's sparking people to search the brand and in the process they are coming across links to the blog.

This last month in particular has been very busy with an average of about 1800 page views per day and February 2024 is already the biggest month in the blog's history with nigh on 50,000 views this month alone. It seems like a given that the counter will top the one million views mark this year, so I can only say a big thank you to everyone who visits and reads my nonsense, and of course a massive thank you also to everyone that has contributed to making this the best TAG Heuer dedicated blog on the internet over the last eight years.

Still the only one as far as I know. 🤣

Tomorrow we'll be looking at the new limited edition Qatar Carrera Day/Date and then on Monday our newest COCO recruit will be sharing his Top 10 Aquaracers with us. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T 'Ginza Boutique' Limited Edition Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

 

Wow. Cool watch, but I thought Tim would have realised that there were no end links and you shouldn't be able to see the ends of the strap like that... but apparently not!

FEATURE: Is There Ever Going to be a Genuinely New TAG Heuer Watch Ever Again?

 

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As much as I enjoy writing this blog, as the years wear on it does frustrate me that everything is so damned predictable. I mean what do we have to look forward to really? More Carreras, more Monacos and more Aquaracers. Which is fine.... and of course we have the Autavia and the Link floating around, basically doing nothing much and the Formula 1 propping up the whole shebang - although judging by last year's output you have to wonder for how much longer?

It seems like TAG Heuer have become so obsessed with their own history and heritage that they can't even contemplate starting with a blank sheet of paper, which is odd when you consider that this is a company who proclaim themselves avant garde at every opportunity. But then they've painted themselves into this corner where they can't even use a dial colour without referencing racing cars, drivers' helmets or Steve McQueen's underpants.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph by Brent Miller Time