FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre TH20-11 Chronographs

And so Watches & Wonders 2026 came around and to literally no one's great surprise it turned out that those Monaco wall clocks that we'd seen in the F1 paddocks were indeed 'leaks in plain sight' just as expected! But how would the Heueristas react to this? A new 'Calibre 11' style (read - left hand crown) movement and reshaped case but now wearing a TAG Heuer badge. 

Sacre bleu indeed! 

Not that it bothered me of course, in fact I'd always preferred the Calibre 12 Monaco because of the TAG Heuer branding and the right hand crown (yes, really), but I always wished it had the horizontal hour markers from the Calibre 11 instead of the weird (radial) batons. So now I've got two out of three, but the crown is still on the wrong side of the case. Hey ho.

Not that I would be springing nearly £8,000 for any watch, let alone a Monaco... but these weren't hiked anything like as much as I expected given the new movement AND the titanium case. Honestly, when you look at it like that this represents much better value for money than the outgoing CAW211P (or maybe that was just overpriced in the first place), but the question remains - is that logo a dealbreaker or not?

I fully expected the Heuer loving Council to be giving this a good kicking, but it seems they have been won over by the in house movement and the new case which is more square and (when you look at it) more faithful to the original Monaco. But while TAG Heuer might consider that a win, just think what a home run that could have been without the problematic TAG Heuer logo.

Now me personally, I think TAG Heuer should never have made new watches with Heuer logos on because anything made after 1985 is by definition a 'TAG Heuer' and not a 'Heuer'. But I can see why they did it, because no doubt the feedback they got back in the late 90s was 'these re-issue Carreras are nice, and I would totally buy one if only it had the Heuer logo on it'. So okay, a totally understandable business decision. But now it seems they want to distance themselves from the past, which is also fine by me... but even I can see that this is the one watch where this is a problem.

This watch is SO connected to Steve McQueen (and in turn the Heuer brand) that even I would argue that perhaps an exception should be made for the blue dial model. The other two new models can be TAG Heuer, but this one really should still carry the Heuer logo on the dial. Put TAG Heuer on the back if you want, call it Heuer by TAG Heuer perhaps, I don't know... but this really feels like two steps forward and one step back to me. 

Sure, some people won't really care (I think the TH logo looks fantastic, personally), but a lot of people will. And anyone who's been saving up to one day own a SMQ Monaco may well feel their money is better spent on a pre-owned CAW211P, especially when that watch will probably cost about 50% less (for example, Watchfinder have one today for £3950)... in fact I can't help wondering if the price of used SMQ Monacos is about to take an upward swing? 

But what of the watch itself? Well, I kinda like it and oddly when you put it next to the CAW211P it does make the outgoing model look a little too curvy and 'dated' perhaps? I'm not crazy about the pushers, they look a bit too big to me, but I appreciate that they've tried to sculpt the watch so it wears better on the wrist. Also removing the running seconds gives the dial a cleaner look... but that crown, it looks like it came from a different watch altogether.

As for the other two, well I think I've made my feelings about green watches clear over the last year or so, there's just too many of them now and I can't help but roll my eyes every time I see a new one (although I still love my green dial Aquaracer... and maybe I should update my 'Top 5 green watches' post* because there's certainly a lot more choice now!). That said, this green dial Monaco is pretty sweet looking... but I'm not so sure about the two tone case on the black dial model. To me that would make much more sense as a limited edition for the Monaco boutique or something, but presumably there will be a plain titanium version at some point? 

*Okay, maybe I never actually did a TOP 5 Green watches, cos if I did I can't find it!

Or maybe not? And for that matter, will there be a steel version or will that just be for the 'poor man's' right hand crown TH20-00? Who knows... but I know one thing, £3100 extra for two gold pushers, a gold crown and a thin bezel seems like rather a lot to me... and it doesn't even really look that great (having initially scored it a 6/10, I've reduced that to a 4.5/10). 

Okay, let's find out if the Council agree with me this time... (probably not). 🤣

Green 9/10, Blue 9/10, Black 9/10: "I think they are all looking really good in real life. I really want one, especially the black dial."

Green 8/10, Blue 8/10, Black 8/10: "A good redesign. And, it's really nice to have a modern movement with the traditional left-side crown. Just a little disappointed they replaced the old Heuer logo."

Green 8/10, Blue 8/10, Black 8.5/10: "Black and gold is my favourite. I will miss the Heuer branding but understand the change as this seemed to be the last watch holding on to the branding. Glad to see a modern iteration on the Cal 11 as the outdated movement seemed antiquated in this new era of inhouse movements. Hopefully these do well for Tag, still wished they were just a bit smaller and cheaper."

Green 3/10, Blue 7/10, Black 410: "They did a decent job with this one."

Green 7/10, Blue 710, Black 6/10: "My opinion of these will surely evolve, but my initial impressions are generally positive. I like that they have reworked the movement for a left side crown and utilized horizontal indices. I would have preferred Heuer on the dial, and I do think they would sell better with that, but I also realize they are trying to capture a new audience that sees TAG Heuer in various marketing efforts (including in F1). I dislike the shape of the crown and the pushers appear too large so things are disproportionate to my eyes. I will have to see the new clasp to form an opinion but the old style worked great and looked great."

Green 8/10, Blue 9/10, Black 8/10: "The new Monaco models stay very close to the original in terms of design, while now featuring the updated TH20-11 movement inside. There are also some nice, rather subtle design touches, like the two-tone execution. The mix of pin buckle and folding clasp is quite a clever detail as well. All in all, I would say these are really well-done pieces. The pricing is likely in line with the brand’s market strategy, the development process, and general inflation. Still, it does feel rather exorbitant for the average person. Of course TAG Heuer wearers are not exactly average mortals."

Green 8/10, Blue 8.5/10, Black 7.5/10: "Nice releases, price is better than might be expected, new movement is interesting too. I like the green dial more than I thought I would. It should be a Heuer though for me, I don't understand their thought process. If I was in the market for a Monaco.. I'd be looking at the used market for a Heuer signed reissue."

Green 8/10, Blue 7/10, Black 7.5/10: "Blue dial would have been an 8, but I took a point off because of the loss of the Heuer branding."

Green 8/10, Blue 6/10, Black 8/10: "The green and two-tone are 8/10, excellent. I really do like the movement upgrade and heartily applaud TAG for their restraint in removing the running seconds! These two Monacos are a proper modernization. The blue McQueen though, should not have been updated with these new crown and pushers IMO - this one should really have remained a more faithful vintage reissue and definitely should not be wearing the TAG logo - why TAG insists on leaving their heritage behind while still advertising on it, is beyond me. This one's a 6/10, because the movement upgrade is still a great move."

Green 6/10, Blue 8/10, Black 7/10: "The two tone is interesting, and I’ve always been a fan of the classic Monaco, but I’m still not sold on 90% of green dial watches. The update to the movement is cool, and probably long awaited."

Green 7/10, Blue 6/10, Black 8/10: "I agree with the previous comment: aside from the blue Monaco, I think they should have updated the rest to a more classic look. However, I’m very positive about the new movement and also think the update was a good move. As for the price, Japan offers the lowest prices in the world, so if you’re ever traveling to Japan, be sure to pick up a Monaco."

Green 5.5/10, Blue 5.5/10, Black 5.5/10: "There's only one McQueen, or two if you count original and facelift, these are just Monacos?"

Green 8. Blue 7/10, Black 7.5/10: "If it weren't for the fact that it replaces the CAW211P (for me a 10/10), the blue model would be my favourite, but at the very least, this iconic blue dial version should have retained the Heuer logo… and perhaps a different crown design as well. That's why, although I find it the most beautiful of the three, it's the one I give the lowest score to, since the TAG Heuer logo is more forgivable on the other two Monacos, which aren't trying to be a McQueen."

Green 7/10, Blue 7/10, Black 7.5/10: "Overall, I think TAG Heuer did a great job in updating their most iconic watch. In theory, these should wear better than the Calibre11. Being a lighter, slimmer and more ergonomic design. But I have to deduct points for the loss of the Heuer badge. The McQueen just isn't the McQueen without Heuer on it."

Green 5/10, Blue 5.5/10, Black 6.5/10: "I really do my best when I see a Monaco. But the fire doesn't go on.."

Green 6/10, Blue 6.5/10, Black 4/10: "I do like green dials but I've seen enough now. That said it works well with the Monaco's vintage feel. I think the blue is the nicest of the three, but like the other two what is going on with the subdials? Not good. I don't mind two tone watches and black & gold goes well together but I'm sorry but this does not work for me. a bit of a mess!"

Green 8/10, Blue 5/10, Black 7.5/10: "The green dial is my favourite of the three. Do we really need yet another  (yawn!) blue dial? The two-tone looks more like a gold 'accent' design but this is always a good combination. The extra price is ridiculous though!"

Green 8/10, Blue 3/10, Black 9/10: "Well I am super excited at the new movement and the Instagram posts are creating a great buzz, but the “Steve McQueen” ????? You can’t reinvent the Steve McQueen no matter how they try and pitch it…sooooo I’m gutted especially as it’s my all time favourite. But, having said that I do like the the other two… I just can’t score the blue one any more purely because it should never say TAG Heuer on the Steve McQueen!!!" 

Green 8/10, Blue 8/10, Black 9/10: "These three are all really cool in fairness. Serious bonus points for putting their actual brand name on the McQueen dial and not being pompous by sticking with Heuer only. Shame they’re so expensive now, but scoring them on looks alone."

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1000 Series Quartz by Birth Year Watches

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Japanese Cherry Blossom' Limited Editions

I've always rather liked black mother of pearl dials, indeed I recall seeing a Calibre 16 Carrera with a black MOP dial at Bicester Village many years ago and being rather taken with it. But it always struck me as a dial for someone with a decent sized watch collection, because I don't think I'd want one if I only had a few watches. But each to their own of course, if you only have one watch and it's got a black MOP dial and you love it then more power to you! I do remember not that long ago a lovely black MOP dial Carrera appearing on the Watchfinder website, I must admit I was rather tempted but at the time I was saving for my Carrera 160 and I think the Carrera was 39mm not 41mm too, so I let it go.

For some reason TAG Heuer only seem to use black MOP dials (in men's watch sizes) for Japanese / Pacific Region releases, usually limited editions, which is a shame... but presumably they don't think they will sell here in Europe. And so once again we have these two new Japanese 'cherry blossom' inspired models, released in a limited run of 150 in the 39mm date only configuration and 200 for the 41mm day/date.

I'm honestly not a fan of the new three hand Carreras, in fact I've barely given them a second's thought since they were released, but these look quite nice. I get the idea with the pink second hand but from photos I'm betting it looks a bit plasticky (same can be said about the red hands on my Formula 1 honestly) so I would prefer a polished second hand personally... and while 39mm is a bit small for me, I do think the date only model looks the nicer of these two.

The 41mm day date is powered by the TH31-02 movement while the 39mm appears to have the older Calibre 7 movement inside - which is to be expected as TH hasn't yet updated the 39mm Carrera. Both watches are individually numbered on the outer rim of the display caseback and both watches also feature the text 'Japan Limited Edition'. 

Okay, now these are out of the way we can focus on the watches TAG Heuer released at Watches & Wonders and the new pastel coloured F1 Solargraphs that are supposedly released at the Miami GP (but somehow already on the website). 🤣

For now it's over to the Council of Considered Opinion... 

41MM 7/10, 39MM 6/10: 41MM "This actually looks quite nice. I'm not getting 'cherry blossom' vibes but definitely cherry! I like the negative day date and the pink second hand is the right shade of pink for the dial." 39MM "It's still a nice looking watch but just not as appealing as its bigger brother."

41MM 7/10, 39MM 6/10: "Weird that the dials look completely different colours in these pics and yet they're both black MOP?!"

41MM 8/10, 39MM 7.5/10: "I was hesitating to buy the watches limited to Japan this time because they had a special feeling after a long time, but I decided not to buy them."

41MM 3.5/10, 39MM 4/10: "I don’t like MOP on watches… so it’s 3.5/10 and 4/10 for me."

41MM 6/10, 39MM 5/10: "Better black MOP than the normal..."

41MM 8/10, 39MM 7/10: "I prefer the dial and chapter ring overall on the 41mm, but what’s with the hash mark under “automatic”? That just looks like a leftover artifact that was never meant to make it onto production dials."

41MM 7/10, 39MM 7/10: "7/10 for both, I like the elegance and restraint."

41MM 3/10, 39MM 5/10: "Not really a fan of mother of pearl, but this one is sufficiently different to be worthwhile. Would like to see real life pictures really, but based on these, I'd go 3/10 (41mm) and 5/10 (36mm)."

41MM 8/10, 39MM 8/10: "Black mother-of-pearl makes a nice dial, although those renders don't show much colour."

41MM 6.5/10, 39MM 6.5/10: "I'm a fan of Sakura and I quite like MOP dials too,these have a much darker dial finish than I might have expected though. I would have thought a pinker tone to match the blossom? Maybe I'm missing something! They look quite nice though and probably better in the metal than the renders. Nothing earth shattering but nice enough."

41MM 5/10, 39MM 5/10: "TAG churns out a MOP for Japan so often it's become boring." 🥱

41MM 6/10, 39MM 6/10: "Ok, classic Carrera 3 hander."

41MM 4/10, 39MM 4.5/10: "I prefer the real blossom." 🌸

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Night Diver' by The 1916 Watch Co Reviews

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre TH20-00 'Harrods' Limited Edition Chronograph

  

TAG Heuer Boutique / Harrods, London 19th March 2026

The TAG Heuer 'boutique' in the Harrods department store is like no other that I've ever been in. In fact it doesn't really feel like you're in a TAG Heuer boutique at all because it lacks most of the usual stylings of other TH boutiques: the Monaco wall clock, the Steve McQueen pictures, the racing helmets and books, etc. Additionally, unlike the flashy AP, Rolex, Vacheron and Hublot boutiques found nearby it shares a small room with other brands such as Zenith, Tudor and (gasp) Bremont! And oddly, even though it was redone recently, it still feels kind of temporary somehow. Which is weird; like a store cupboard that's been turned into additional retail space or something... 

Anyway, I hadn't actually planned to go to Harrods today, but I found myself with a couple of hours to kill between appointments and decided to head there as it was near where I had lunch (The Scarsdale Tavern in Edwardes Square, not bad at all and ideally situated if you happen to be visiting the Design Museum). At first I didn't really see anything very interesting, certainly nothing like the array of treats you generally find in the 'flagship' Oxford Street store, but then I caught sight of the new 'beige' Seafarer (not for me, that one) and much more interestingly the Harrods Limited Edition Carrera that I wrote about last year.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox 41mm by Bruce Williams

 

FEATURE: My Top 10 Formula 1s by Mspeedster

Today we have a visual treat in store as we once again invite a guest to share their 'TOP 10' Formula 1s. Mspeedster is a regular over at THF Forums and the fourth person to share their picks so far and we're certainly seeing some variety! Which is great, though it might make it a bit tricky to assemble an ultimate top ten (though it's early days yet, I will worry about that nearer to Christmas). 

Don't forget, if you'd like to see the other posts in this series honouring the 40th anniversary of the Formula 1 you can do so simply by clicking on the banner at the bottom of this page.

Over to you, Mspeedster:

VIDEO: Heuer Monza '40th Anniversary' Chronograph by The 1916 Watch Co Reviews

FIRST QUARTER ROUND UP: New Pieces (Jan/Mar)

 

By this time next week we'll be knee deep in Watches & Wonders and presumably we'll know for sure whether or not those slightly odd looking, left hand crown, TAG Heuer branded Monaco clocks they keep putting up in the Grand Prix paddocks were a massive (hiding in plain sight) leak or just a weird way of advertising a watch that doesn't actually exist. My feeling is (and has been for some time) that it is the former, because why on Earth would you do that otherwise?

Well, soon the truth will be known and doubtless there will be tons of other new models released that need looking at too. But as I have said many times before I simply cannot keep spending all my time looking at new watches and ignoring the rich and varied history of the brand, so I will be very selective about which ones are featured and given C.O.C.O. 'First Impressions' scores... otherwise we'll be reading about nothing else until June!

But obviously I still want to make sure everything is covered, so to combat this overload of 'new release' posts I've decided to do quarterly round ups (rather than just one 'half-year' one) to keep you up to speed. So with that said, let's start by looking at the watches that we haven't previously spoken about...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 'Mastering Time' Book... Hard Pass by Hobby of Hours

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Wempe' Limited Edition Chronograph

One of the nicer Carreras of recent times has to have been the 'Swiss Alps' tourbillon that came out in a limited run of fifty pieces back in 2024. Despite being hampered by being a 'glassbox' this one fared rather well with the 'Council of Considered Opinion', scoring a creditable 6.5 on release (falling slightly to a 6.3 at the end of the year) and to me it was a no brainer that the blue/silver 'panda' would return at some point... and hopefully without the dirty great hole in the dial needed for the tourbillon. 

And sure enough, here it is (kind of), albeit once again in a limited run of fifty for the German luxury watch retailer 'Wempe'. Which seems a little odd to me, because surely it's easier to sell 50x 39mm chronographs than 50x tourbillons, no?*

*And no, it's not just 50x watches in Germany because I am reliably informed that Wempe operates in the US too.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Skipper' by Random Rob

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Glassbox' Rattrapante Chronograph

I guess this was inevitable wasn't it? Having engineered a new Rattrapante movement for the Monaco a couple of years ago it was an obvious move to slide it into a Carrera case at some point and here it is. Are you excited? Does it make your balls tingle? What if I tell you that it costs in excess of £100,000? No, I don't understand why either... but we'll gloss over that, because what's the point of moaning about it. It wouldn't make any difference if it was half that, I still couldn't afford to buy it and given there's no real reason a split seconds chronograph should cost this kind of money given that you can get them for a fraction of the cost from other manufacturers, we have to kind of treat these watches as TAG Heuer's 'Richard Mille' models. Strategically overpriced to appeal to the kind of people that will only buy a watch if they know other people can't afford them...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 6000 Series Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 2000 Searacer Velcro Strap

 

Years ago I managed to get hold of a leaflet for the 2000 Searacer, which showed that the watch could be purchased either on a bracelet or on a black sailcloth strap, but also that there was a red velcro strap available which came in a pouch with a strap changing tool. I remember a long time ago I enquired about the black sailcloth strap and being told that it had been discontinued. I don't think I ever asked about the red velcro strap as I thought that there was zero chance of that still being available...

But then a few weeks ago a new forum member at TH Forums contacted me and told me that she had ordered a 2000 Searacer from Japan and that she had already got hold of the red velcro strap for it directly from TAG Heuer. Interesting!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Ladies Link by Birth Year Watches

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1s by Daniel Lo

Welcome to the latest in our series celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the TAG Heuer Formula 1. Last year Daniel interviewed me for his website 'grandprixwatches.com', so when I came up with the idea of doing this 'Top Ten Formula 1s' thing, and seeing that Daniel is a rabid Formula 1 fan, who better to ask to join in than him? 

So without further ado, it's over to you Daniel... and don't forget you can find all the 'Formula1@40' posts by clicking on the banner at the foot of this post. 

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List 2011/2012

 

NOT BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Link Calibre S Chronograph

Considering how many watches I've owned over the last ten years (70+ all of which have been TAG Heuers) it's perhaps somewhat remarkable that I've only ever owned one Link. I mean, that's one more than the number of Autavias I've owned... or Monacos... or Monzas, Silverstones, Airlines, Titaniums, 1000 Series or indeed Connecteds. But given how freely available affordable quartz Links are (and have been) on eBay since I got into the hobby it still feels a little odd that I've only owned one. 

That was a Link Searacer that I searched high and low for and eventually found for a bargain price on the H&T website, having dropped from £995 to £750 and finally to £495 (IIRC) when I finally snapped it up. It was an odd watch, which is probably what I liked about it, but for some reason I never really 'loved' it. It was rather bulky somehow and the lack of micro adjustment bothered me as the bracelet was always too tight or too lose and while sometimes I liked its dial, sometimes the weird layout looked kinda ugly. I eventually parted with it for around the same price as I paid for it... so perhaps it wasn't that great of a bargain after all!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1500 Series Quartz by Birth Year Watches

 

INSTRUCTIONS: TAG Heuer 2000 CK111R Searacer

Recently I was talking to someone about the CK111R they had just bought and offered to send them a scan of my booklet, only to find when I dug it out that it was only printed in Japanese! This made some sense as I imported the watch from Japan a few years ago and since I had already owned the Link Searacer I didn't need to use the manual myself. So while I'm sure I would have looked at it when I opened it, I never needed to refer to it so I forgot all about it.

I tried looking for a copy online, but to no avail (though I did at least find out that the movement is a modified version of the ETA 251.262 called the 251.262R). 

Using my booklet for another watch which contains the normal 251.262 and my knowledge of using the Link and 2000 Series Searacers, I have compiled these notes which I hope will prove helpful to someone in the future, since this another one of those watches which must be very confusing if you don't have a manual!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'David Guetta' Special Edition Quartz GMT by The 1916 Watch Company Reviews

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer 41mm Carreras, F1 Solargraph and Day/Date Carrera

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 23rd January 2026

Another visit to my favourite TAG Heuer boutique and, well... as we'll see in a moment it was 'interesting' but hardly what I'd call 'exciting'. And honestly, it was a bit of a turning point for me perhaps. Because standing in that boutique with about £20,000 of watches on the desk in front of me it really made me question (once again) the point of this blog. As I've said before, I am not a rich man. I now own half a (struggling) business but I'm not remotely rich, in fact I'd probably be better off working for someone else. 

So honestly, the chances of me buying a glassbox Carrera for £6700 are quite literally ZERO. I wouldn't buy any watch for £6700. I wouldn't buy a watch for more than £5000 at the absolute max (not unless my financial situation vastly improved) and the most I have ever spent on a watch to date is £3300. Sure I could sell my entire collection and I would be able to buy three or four watches at £6700, but today it feels to me like what you're getting for that money is what TAG Heuer basically consider a run of the mill Carrera chronograph.

Well no, I guess the run of the mill Carrera chronograph would be the Calibre 16, but even so if I was parting with the best part of £7000 I would want to feel like I was picking up something 'special', and sadly I just don't feel that way about these. At the same time, I've recently been speaking to someone who lives in America, who was excited to tell me about the limited edition 'Caribbean' watches she'd been hunting down and it really made me think about how much fun I used to get from this hobby when it was more about chasing old F1s and 90s S/ELs...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 2083 1/1000min Stopwatch by Birth Year Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Seafarer'

 

Predictably, when TAG Heuer launched their black dial limited edition Seafarer in 2024, I wasn't much of a fan. Aside from the 'retro' aesthetic, it looked way too blingy and the 'Tide' button looked way too big to me. Also, at 42mm it didn't really seem to make a lot of sense, given that it was most likely aimed at trying to attract attention from vintage Heuer enthusiasts (who naturally prefer 'vintage' sizing). Perhaps that's why it's still available to this day, despite being a limited edition collaboration with Hodinkee? And that also tells you something pertinent about Hodinkee's 'pulling power' in the mid 2020s... 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Classic Formula 1 Restoration by Watch Fanatic

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1s by The Highwayman

Today, we are joined by the newest member of the Council of Considered Opinion 'Dave The Highwayman', for the second of our '40 Years of the Formula 1' celebratory posts. Dave is the newest member of the C.O.C.O. and a valuable addition given his thoughtful and insightful comments, so I'm interested to see what his top ten Formula 1s might be...

DTH: When Rob asked me to write a piece about my top ten F1's, I really had to delve into the memory bank. Trying to recall what I thought of them at the time, and importantly, what I was actually wearing in the second half of the 80's.

I remember the original F1 watches very well, I was not however a customer at the time. In truth, they really didn't appeal to me. I was...and still am a man entirely untouched by fashion trends! One could argue I was very much the target market, I was young, I had a little money and I was into motorsport. They just didn't hit my spot though, I wore a suit for work and wanted a “serious” business-like daily watch. 

I chose to wear a well used 70's steel Omega Geneve. That watch was actually my first “deal”, bought for £50 from a colleague and later sold back to the same guy for a £100. I still feel slightly bad about that one.. The F1's were quirky, small, colourful and in my mind at the time.. something of a novelty, throwaway item. I looked at them but didn't seriously consider buying one.

I did however buy an example of the totally forgotten Avia “Turbo” for weekends. In black and red,it matched my black XR3i with red bumper inserts.. Ahh, those were the days, before the inevitable, crushing disappointment of adult life set in !

Looking back, that Avia was clearly intended as a cheaper F1 alternative, aimed squarely at the same market. Multiple bright colours, racing stripes and “Turbo” printed on the rubber strap. They also shared the same ETA movement as the F1 for about a quarter of the price, nothing changes does it..

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Astronomer' Limited Edition by Random Rob

CATALOGUES: Heuer Catalogue (1985/1986)

You can now access a HUGE library of TAG Heuer / Heuer catalogues direct on the blog by clicking the 'CATALOGUES' tab at the top (in the drop down menu on a phone/tablet) or clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Circuit Board and Battery Replacement by Solim BD

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 41mm Glassbox Chronographs

 

As you probably know by now, I'm not a huge fan of the second generation of glassbox Carreras, especially the 39mm ones which look tiny on my 7.5" wrist. I actually don't mind some of the 42mm models and it's a shame they don't offer the purple dial, for example, in the larger case as that one is rather nice. So it's not that I'm completely 'anti-glassbox' and I do have some 37mm watches in my collection (so it's not purely the size). I think it's a combination of the diameter, the glass dome and the thin 'not-a-bezel' visible under the crystal conspiring to make it feel a bit dinky and a wee bit feminine (honestly). 

But perhaps I'm not the only one with reservations? Perhaps TAG Heuer themselves realise that maybe they went a little bit small, because at LVMH Watch Week they released three new glassbox chronographs in a larger (41mm) diameter. Yay, for common sense!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Extreme Sport Calibre TH20-02 'Twin Time' Chronograph by The 1916 Company

 

FEATURE: CEO Antoine Pin Leaves TAG Heuer

Antoine Pin

Aside from being the 40th anniversary of the Formula 1 this year, it's also the 10th anniversary of the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blogspot. Can you believe I've been doing this for ten years already? And in that time how many CEOs do you think TAG Heuer has had? Well if you guessed five, well done. First we had Jean Claude Biver (2014-2018), then Stephan Bianchi (2019-2020), Frederic Arnault (2020-2023), Julien Tornare (2024) and finally Antoine Pin (2024-25/26). Which means TAG Heuer heads into 'LVMH Watch Week 2026' without a CEO.

Prior to this Jean Christophe Babin ran the company from 2000 until 2013 and then Stéphane Linder briefly took over until Jean Claude Biver was persuaded to sprinkle some of that famous 'Biver' magic on the brand. I guess I am biased since I really fell in love with TAG Heuer when Mr Biver was in control (I even named one of my cats 'Mr Biver' believe it or not) but I've never really felt any of the gentleman that followed him really spoke to me the way he did.

But then Mr Biver is one of a kind. A giant of the Swiss watch industry, who has the success (and personal wealth) behind him to forge his own path. I somehow doubt Mr Biver was looking over his shoulder the whole time he was in control of TAG Heuer.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer at LVMH Watch Week by Time & Tide Watches

 

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List (January 2026)

 

It's time for another look at the TAG Heuer website and how the prices have changed over the last six months. Almost nothing has left the catalogue since July, in fact the only watches that have disappeared from the website are the Goodwood Festival of Speed Carrera, the stainless 'Year of the Dragon' Carrera and the Aquaracer Superdiver (which can currently be had at a rather tasty discount from the Bicester Village outlet).

There has been a price rise (as usual these are marked in blue) and while it's never welcome it doesn't seem to have been as horrendous as I was led to believe it was going to be. In fact it's pretty similar to what we've seen in recent times with increases of between £50 and £200 on most references. I did chuckle to myself when I saw that TAG Heuer had added another £900 to the tourbillons... you know, the ones that went up £9000 last year. The bizarre thing there is that the pre-owned market for TH tourbillons doesn't seem to have risen at all and you can find these £30k+ watches for around £11k, which doesn't seem very sustainable.

There was one watch which actually dropped by £100, I don't know if it was a mistake or what, but I've marked it in green.

Items marked in red are new since the last price list I did back in July. Most of these are genuinely new items, but there are a few random older models that have reappeared on the website for some reason. 

Interestingly, the Monaco range seems to have emerged fairly unscathed, with most of the prices staying the same. Perhaps the thought of pushing those DLC coated skeletons over the £10,000 threshold gave them pause for thought? Oddly though the basic blue dial Heuer 02 Monaco increased by £250 on the bracelet (and £300 on the strap, work that out!) while the black dial versions remained the same. Interesting.

As one of the longest standing models in the catalogue the 'Steve McQueen' Monaco has long been a barometer for pricing, and here again we see another £200 added to the price. This doesn't really surprise me to be honest, since the majority of watch collectors who want to buy a Monaco gravitate towards the left hand crown 'Heuer' branded version... and what's another £200 when you're spending this kind of money? 🤣  

Anyway, that's this job done for another six months... enjoy! And if you want more price lists then click the 'Price Lists' tab at the top of the page or click on the banner at the bottom of this post.

If you click on the pages they should open up larger, if you still can't read them I suggest opening them in a new tab.

VIDEO: Heuer Autavia 'Viceroy' Calibre Heuer 02 Limited Edition Chronograph by The 1916 Watch Company Reviews

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1s by Shane Paradis

 

As you can see from the banner above, this year we are celebrating forty years of the TAG Heuer Formula 1. I'd like to hope TAG Heuer themselves would do the same, but... we'll see. TAG usually reserve anniversaries for their 'Heuer' models, but the Formula 1 is enjoying a surge in popularity so it would be nice if they did acknowledge it this year. I mean, they celebrated 40 years of the Monaco and it was only in production for about 20 of those, hahaha.

So I thought, what better way to celebrate this very special birthday than to invite some fellow 'TAG Heuer Formula 1' enthusiasts to share their favourite models with us. Just like in 2024, with the Aquaracer's 20th anniversary, each month we'll have a 'Top Ten' and (assuming we get some kind of consensus and not just 110 different models) at the end of the year we can crown the top ten TH F1's ever.

First up we have Shane Paradis... and straight off the bat I have to say I don't think I would have predicted these particular references. I think this is going to be an interesting project!

VIDEO: Producer Michael Visits TAG Heuer in Las Vegas

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraphs and Calibre 16 Chronograph

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 31st October 2025

Due to the ridiculous number of watches released at the end of last year this has been delayed quite considerably, hence it might seem a bit out of date! 

So finally the last two of the original nine Formula 1 Solargraphs are here and it could perhaps be said that they saved the best for last. Right from the start I thought if I was going to buy any of these new models it was either going to be the white/red one or the black/yellow one (both of which I owned previously in their 35mm incarnation). Well the white/red one came out in September and it didn't prompt me to reach for my credit card and so far this one hasn't yet either. I definitely think it's one of the best of the nine, possibly even top two, and I appreciate that it has a black DLC steel case (which seems to imbue it with a touch more 'substance') but does it really cut it?

VIDEO: Putting the TAG back in TAG Heuer by Monochrome Watches