SPOTLIGHT ON: Aquaracer Quartz Caribbean Islands Limited Edition

WAP1121.BB0832

This one was limited to 500 pieces and appears to be a 39mm (although I have seen it listed as 41mm). I don't usually go for gold watches and even less steel and gold, however the blue dial looks fantastic with the gold bezel, hands and markers.

This is exactly the sort of watch you see in the TAG boutiques (though I haven't seen this particular one) and it always strikes me that unless you have been to the place on the dial or have some connection with it, it would be a bit lame to buy it. I've never been to the Caribbean so for me this isn't really ticking any boxes, but this one is at least nicely done.

Retail on this one was about $2100 (Jomawere selling for $1575 but it's showing as out of stock), which is quite steep for a quartz model, but I suppose you are paying for the gold - which seems to add a disproportionate amount to any watch. Seriously, I've seen watches that are £6000 in steel and £18000 in rose gold and I really do wonder how that can possibly be justified. 

Again if this was to turn up in a boutique around the £1500 mark it would be quite attractive but I think there's plenty of other things that would make a better buy.

http://www.chrono24.com/en/tagheuer/rare-aquaracer-caribbean-limited-edition-26-of-500-watch--id2824047.htm

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Formula One Quartz Chronograph Max Verstappen Limited Edition

CAZ101B.FT8028

In May 2016 Max Verstappen became the youngest ever Formula One race winner at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, incredibly this was also his first race for the Red Bull F1 team (and his first real chance to compete at the top level having been promoted from the 'Junior' Toro Rosso team). Love him or hate him, that's quite some achievement and given the changes to the rules of entry to Formula One, it's a record he's likely to keep for a very long time (FIA rules now preclude entry to the sport for any driver under the age of eighteen).

To celebrate what promises to be the first of many wins, TAG Heuer have released this Formula One Quartz Chronograph as a limited edition of 500 pieces through it's Dutch dealer network and, from what I'm reading on the Calibre 11 forum, the chances of seeing one (even in a Dutch shop window) are pretty slim as it sounds like the entire run has been pre-sold. 

Priced at 1350 Euros, it seems like a good buy as it has solid potential to become a future collectible, while at the same time offering the purchaser an affordable 'limited edition' piece with a genuine F1 connection. You may be wondering what the relevance of the orange sector on the dial is, well as far as I can tell it looks very much like reads about 18.5mins, which is about how old Max was in years when he took his maiden victory. 

Whether you take to this watch or not is very much going to depend on how you feel about the colour orange. Personally I like the orange on the dial, but I think the strap is a step too far. I can't help but think it's going to get very grubby very quickly. But this is for the Dutch market and the colour orange is a huge thing in the Netherlands, as can be seen by the speed at which these have been selling. 

Then again, I can't help thinking that an awful lot of these are going to be bought and kept in the box until we see how Max's career pans out, since in a few years these pieces could potentially offer the buyers who've snapped them up a decent return on their investment...

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Carrera Calibre 1887 Chronograph Nendo Time Machine Limited Edition

CAR2A14.BA0799

Limited to 250 pieces and only available in Japan, this Carrera is 43mm and houses the Calibre 1887 movement. Ostensibly the only difference between this and the standard CAR2A10.BA0799 is the addition of the elaborate red hands. So there's little to say about this particular model save to decide if you like the hands or not?

I'm kind of undecided. When I first saw them I thought they were fairly horrific, I mean they don't exactly look like they belong, do they? But as time has passed, I've kind of come to terms with them. I don't know that I'll ever really love them, but I kind of admire their quirky charm, 

Looking into this further, I was intrigued to learn that the watch comes in some pretty cool packaging, a book style box that includes a paper knife and a bookmark based on the shape of the hands (see link below). Pretty neat! Yes, this is definitely growing on me.

http://www.dezeen.com/2015/12/04/nendo-tag-heuer-carrera-time-machine-watch-timepiece-antique-hands-packaging/

http://www.tagheuer.co.jp/int-en/luxury-watches/carrera/carrera-calibre-1887-chronograph-43mm-time-machine-by-nendo-250-pieces-steel-bracelet

SPOTLIGHT ON: Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Korean Grand Prix Limited Edition

CV2A16.FC6272

Initially I wasn't 100% sure which year this particular watch came from, largely because details on this piece are very hard to come by. But after some diligent Googling I managed to find a forum post from August 2011 asking if anybody had any details on it, which suggests that it was issued in October 2010 for the inaugural Korean Grand Prix. Which makes a lot of sense I guess!

I think this is a very nice model, the blue hands and chequered dial look fantastic, as does the blue highlight on the top pusher and the blue stitching on the strap. My only reservation about this is that I've seen TAG's with blue highlights before and the company does seem relatively poor about making sure that the different elements match. Looking at the markings on this piece it looks like the blue on the pusher is a fair match for the stitching, but the hands look a completely different colour. 

It's a shame because this watch looks great and I think if I came across one of these in a TAG Boutique somewhere I would be severely tempted to buy one. But if the photos are accurate and the hands really are so much lighter in colour then I think I would leave it. That would annoy me so much that I don't think I would ever be truly happy with the watch.

CV2A1C.FC6272

As I said, details about this watch are hard to come by, but I assume it is 43mm with a glass caseback and is apparently limited to 300 pieces. As an aside, it also looks an awful lot like another special edition called the CV2A1C (albeit without the chequered dial) which has blue minute and hour hands and a plain second hand and was limited to a slightly less exclusive 400 pieces. This model also seems to have the same problem, only more so as the larger blue hands are even more obviously mismatched with the pusher, stitching and indeed the bezel.

VIDEO: Carrera Calibre 1887 Nendo Time Machine Chronograph Review by A Blog to Watch

SPOTLIGHT ON: Formula One Calibre 7 GMT David Guetta Special Edition

WAZ201A.FC8195

Well, I think the first thing to say about this is, who knew it wasn't quartz? I certainly didn't. It was only the white TAG logo and the price (£1850/$2450) which made me check and in fact (perhaps not surprisingly) it shares the Calibre 7 movement from the WAZ211A.BA0875 GMT. Strange then that there's no mention of this on the dial, usually TAG include the movement calibre on the dial or at the very least the word 'automatic'.

To be honest, now, comparing this with the WAZ211A I think I prefer the face of this one, and I really didn't expect to be saying complimentary things about this. I think the blue hands and markers look great and (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) I would be interested to see how this looked with a black rubber strap instead of that comedy leather cuff. I don't know if it's possible to remove the 'strap' from the cuff, but even if it was I really don't like this style of strap with the rivets, I've always thought it looks cheap (even when you see similar on a seriously expensive watch), at least they aren't silver (as they often seem to be) that would have been even worse.

Sorry, but the fact that this isn't quartz has really thrown me off, I was all ready to slate this, but now that I actually look at it, it's actually quite nice, the face at least. In fact if we could have this with 'Calibre 7' instead of 'David Guetta Edition' on a black rubber strap with a matching blue back (think Breitling) then I think we could be in business here.

Now that I've managed to find a picture of the back, I notice it doesn't mention its 'Calibre 7' movement credentials there either, which is very odd. And the chequered flag engraving is a bit out of place as well, I mean as far as I'm aware Mr Guetta is a DJ, not a racing driver... fair enough though, he probably travels a lot so the GMT function could well be useful to him.

So overall, I find this watch a bit confusing. David Guetta is not an obvious brand champion and I think that's partly why I 'assumed' this watch would be quartz, keeping the price low in the same way they did with the CR7 for Cristiano Ronaldo. The fact that it's automatic makes it more interesting, albeit the price difference over the standard GMT is a considerable £300 or thereabouts. Then again it's not unusual for a PVD case to make that kind of difference, just look at the current Aquaracers, and those leather cuffs must have cost 'something'... better not to have bothered if you ask me, maybe it's a 'French' thing?

Strange to say, but if one of these came up on the second hand market at a decent (read: cheap) price, I might be tempted. I really do like the dial and the bezel looks great too, I was going to say that the bezel is shared with the GMT but that's not strictly true. It looks similar but the GMT is actually 41mm whereas this model is 43mm in diameter (another plus for me).

Okay, so I've shocked myself with my postivity here, and the more I look at that dial the more I like it. Unfortunately Google can't find me a picture of the lume, it would be interesting to see how it looks with the blue markers and hands, rather tasty I shouldn't wonder!

ON THE WRIST: Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Speed Limited Edition

CV2A1J.FC6301

TAG Boutique, Cheshire Oaks 17th October 2016

This was one of three Carrera's I tried on on my recent visit to Cheshire Oaks, the other two being Mocaco Grand Prix models from 2012 and 2013. This one has quite an unusual look, and probably one that will prove a bit Marmite I suspect. It certainly didn't hold much water once I actually got it in my hands and on my wrist. 

I think my main problem with it is the way the dials break up the orange stripe, to the point that it no longer really looks like a stripe anyway, more a random orange splodge on the dial. Perhaps if they hadn't taken the orange around the 'seconds' sub dial it would have helped, but they didn't... so it hasn't. I'm not mad keen on the flag logo on the sub dial either, but I suppose this is a Goodwood Limited Edition so they wanted to put something on there especially as there's no room to decorate the back.

I guess it didn't help that I was being distracted somewhat by the 2012 Monaco GP Carrera sitting on the tray in front of me, but this one really didn't make a massive impression on me. It's a classic case of looking nice in the cabinet but once it's on the wrist it's a little underwhelming. 

Perhaps it has proved a little underwhelming with most people as it seems a little strange that a watch that is limited to 250 pieces should end up in Cheshire Oaks selling for about £1000 less than it's retail. I suppose when you look at it like that it's a bit of a bargain, especially for a Carrera with a display caseback. But for me it just didn't really have that certain something which made me want to buy it.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Link Lady Black Ceramic Quartz

WBC1390 / WBC1391

A first for the blog today, this is of course a ladies watch and perhaps the perfect solution for those who liked the looks of Cara Delevingne's signature piece, but were horrified when they saw how big it was (41mm - which is well oversized for a woman's watch, 'boyfriend watch' fad or not).

My personal interest in this is because my wife owns three TAG Heuers of her own, and she's currently contemplating an Omega Constellation 123.15.27.20.01.001 with a black face, stars and diamonds.

I must admit the dial is nice and the diamonds around the bezel look good, but for me I'm not sold on the strap. I'm not sure that she is either to be honest, and every time we see one the bracelet seems to be scratched, which is a bit of a worry. I wonder if it's partly because the links are so 'flat', does that leave them more liable to damage?

Personally I think she should at least see the Link Lady Black Ceramic before making a decision. The Link bracelet has a reputation for being one of the most comfortable available and the gold hands and markers look fantastic against the blacked out mother of pearl dial, while the diamonds can't fail to look spectacular against the black ceramic case. The ceramic, incidentally, is available in either a polished (WBC1390) or matte (WBC1391) finish (I think the polished will sell better, but then maybe not once you actually get to see them properly).

Both the TAG Heuer and the Omega are quartz movements with a date function, so nothing much to choose there and they are both fairly similarly priced. I guess it's just a question of taste. For me the TAG is the obvious choice, but I know she loves the stars on the Omega...

http://www.calibre11.com/first-look-tag-heuer-link-lady/

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Carrera Calibre 5 Ring Master (Muhammad Ali Edition)

WAR2A11.FC6337

Based on the the 1957 Heuer Ring Master, this new tribute to Muhammad Ali is certain to divide opinion. The case is 43mm with a rotating inner bezel (controlled by the second crown at 10 O'Clock) which allows you to time 3 minute bouts with 1 minute breaks or 2 minute bouts with one minute breaks.

It's kind of odd to see a TAG with so much empty, plain dial space, and while I like the symmetry of the date being at 6 O'Clock, it looks a little cramped on the top of the '30' marker. I quite like the minute markers as opposed to the more usual hour markers, but I'm thinking you would have to be really into boxing (which I'm not) to really buy into this piece. It's a bit like those 'Regatta' Aquaracers you see in the TAG Boutiques... if you don't sail then what are you actually going to use the five minute countdown for? I guess there's always boiling eggs.

WAR2A40.FC8222

At the launch of the new watch (which is limited to 750 pieces) TAG auctioned the special version pictured above, which not only included a pair of Ali's gloves and a certificate of authenticity, but also a one of a kind gold version of the Ring Master. 

While this watch definitely isn't for me, you can read a more detailed review by clicking the link below and visiting 'Calibre11'

http://www.calibre11.com/tag-heuer-carrera-calibre-5-ring-master-muhammad-ali-edition-war2a11/

FIRST IMPRESIONS: Formula One Quartz Chronograph - Watch Gallery Exclusive Limited Edition

CAZ101A.BA0842

Here's a novelty, TAG Heuer have teamed up with The Watch Gallery to produced a limited edition of 200 pieces of this black dial Formula One quartz chronograph. As far as I can tell there's nothing massively different from the standard CAZ1014.BA0842 model, it seems it's purely down to aesthetics and personal preference. For what it's worth I think the black and blue looks quite stylish, a little bolder than the blue/blue/blue/orange of the standard model which is okay but a little insipid for my tastes. Needless to say if I bought this it would soon end up on a nice black rubber strap.

I can't find a photo of the back of the watch, so I can't tell whether there is any marking to justify the extra £100 on the list price. I can't find any mention of this being a 'numbered' limited edition so I assume it isn't. If not it's a bit of a shame, because that would make this quite attractive to the collector.

This is presumably the ideal watch for people who like the colour scheme of the GMT (but don't want a GMT) or the David Guetta special edition (but are too embarrassed to buy one...)

Price is £1250 and is presumably only available from The Watch Gallery.

https://www.thewatchgallery.com/tag-heuer-f1-quartz-stainless-steel-blue-dial-twg-exclusive-mens-watch-caz101a-ba0842.html

ON THE FACE: Tag Heuer Senna Sunglasses

You will rarely see me outside without a pair of shades on, even if it's not actually sunny. Like my father I am seemingly quite sensitive to light and can't bear the slightest bit of sun. I do wonder if this policy has actually helped preserve my eyesight somewhat as I am forty seven now and my eyesight is still good enough that I don't wear glasses or contact lenses. I realise it's not as sharp as it was twenty years ago of course, but it's still fine and I can read things other people struggle to read even with their glasses on.

For a good few years I've been an Oakley fan, I've got two pairs of those, one of which (Jawbone) I rate very highly. The other pair are still very good but not quite as comfortable and they don't fit me as well. I was going to replace the lenses in the Jawbone frames, but they are really expensive and when I was looking I came across these instead.

Now straight away I have to admit that these came from eBay (and cost about £110), so they 'could' be fakes, but if they are they've gone to a lot of trouble. These come with a box, a pouch, a warranty card and a cleaning cloth and the lenses had various stickers on them (including one of Senna's signature' which I stuck on the glass of my watch cabinet (very small and subtle and very cool).

The build quality is excellent, they really do feel like a quality product and the lenses are super clear as well, just like the Oakley's (which makes me think they are genuine). When I first had them they did pinch my head just a bit after extended wear, but they seem okay now. I do have a massive head, so it's probably not something anyone with a normal sized head need worry about!

I do think the yellow highlights really make these shades something special, I absolutely love them and though they aren't quite as nuts as the Oakley Jawbones they have a bit more class to them without being dull. They do have 'TAG Heuer' and Senna's signature in the very corners of the lenses, but it's very subtle and doesn't look obtrusive or brash.

The Oakleys are pretty mental looking, though I have been known to 

wear them with a Panama hat (and a Slayer T-shirt, at the same time!).

I don't know what the proper list price of my shades is, but I guess it would be way over £200. I don't know if I would pay that for them, or for any other shades really.. but for what I paid for them I am very happy and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

FEATURE: Which of my TAG Heuers is my favourite?

Aquagraph       F1 Kirium       F1 Quartz       Carrera Heuer 01

Is the question almost no one is asking, but I thought I'd pose it anyway...

You'd think it would be a fairly easy question to answer wouldn't you, after all two of these pieces are quartz so we can discount those straight away... but wait, I'm not so sure that we can discount those pieces quite so easily

The F1 Kirium was my first TAG Heuer, which I bought new in 2004. Back then it never even crossed my mind that you could buy a watch which wasn't quartz, all I knew was it was the best looking watch in the range (to my eyes) and I wanted that one. Amazingly it didn't even put me off when I found out the price, I remained determined to secure it, and secure it I did (eventually).

It was nearly ten years later when I purchased my next TAG, in the meantime my wife had fallen under the TAG spell and had bought herself a 2000 series to go with the blue faced Aquaracer that I bought her. We had an insurance policy mature and my wife suggested that we spend the money buying watches, rather than saving it.

On a visit to Bicester I saw the Aquagraph and instantly fell in love with it, an Aquaracer on steriods it immediately stood head and shoulders above everything else they had and even though the insurance money wasn't enough I eventually went for it. Sadly I didn't get the box with the tools and the rubber strap, and the Aquagraph is not without it's faults, but it's a handsome beast to be sure.

For the next two years I kept looking, waiting for my next TAG to drop into my lap, but it wasn't until the promo photos for the Heuer 01 were launched that I got really excited, but at the same time trying not to get too excited until the price was announced. It was more than I really wanted to pay for a watch, but after six months waiting and then a further four months visiting jewellers to try it on several times, I finally took the plunge. With it's large diameter, skeleton dial and glass caseback it is without doubt the most 'impressive' watch in my collection and I do love it, but can I say for sure it's my favourite?

Lastly, we have my WAH1110-0 F1 Quartz, a beater I bought to wear everyday. This one should easily fall to the bottom of the pile, and yet if it was damaged I would buy the same watch again without hesitation. The lume is fantastic and legibility is probably the best of all four watches. That said, this is the watch that I wear everyday, the others I could not wear everyday for fear of them becoming scratched up. So, reluctantly, I have to put the F1 Quartz into fourth place.

It's hard to compare the Kirium and the Aquagraph, the Kirium is a very beautiful looking watch with a very dark purple dial (it looks black but it isn't) that makes a fantastic backdrop for the shiny hands. The elegant simplicity of it makes it by far the best looking Kirium as far as I'm concerned, shameful as it is I couldn't care less about the digital display and I always have it turned off. By contrast the Aquagraph is a brute of a thing, 16mm thick and very heavy on the wrist. It looks like a castle made of steel, but the dial is still very nice and I love the yellow hands (second and minute) on the chronograph.

And what of the Carrera?

Again it's different to the other two, even larger than the Aquagraph but lighter and more intricate and delicate to look at. It's really, really hard to choose one from these three... on the face of it the Kirium is the least valuable and the least impressive, but at the same time it's very tasteful, very comfortable (which the Aquagraph isn't so much) and very good looking, and it's also my first TAG, and nothing can change that.

I think my answer will ultimately change day to day, but I think maybe the Carrera is the winner, with the F1 Kirium second and the Aquagraph third. That seems really harsh on the Aquagraph, but I think my emotional attachment to the Kirium is just too long standing to overcome. The Carrera is something special, I don't think I am as emotionally attached to it as I am the Kirium, but having the skeletonised dial and the glass caseback puts it into another league and I love all the red flourishes and the rubber strap.

Okay, maybe predictable, but I have to go with the Carrera Heuer 01.

Mind you, I haven't been wearing the Aquagraph or the Kirium because I am still in the honeymoon period with the Carrera and want to wear it at every opportunity. In a few months, things may be different, but we'll see.

ON THE WRIST: Aquaracer 300M Calibre 5 Black Phantom Limited Edition

WAY218B.FC6364

David M Robinsons / Chester 17th October 2016

When I first saw pictures of the black phantom Aquaracer my first thought was 'what's the point of that exactly?', however my friend and fellow TAG enthusiast was rather more enthusiastic, and even more enthusiastic when he found out it was a numbered limited edition. I remained skeptical until I happened to see one in the Goldsmiths at the MK Centre. In real life it is very different to the pictures, the case looks darker, the dial lighter, and the hands and markers catch the light very nicely and made me think again.

On my recent visit to Chester I had the opportunity to try one on, and this really brought it home to me just how much I dislike the cyclops over the date. It really is quite disgusting... and I don't think that I am ever going to be able to look past it. Maybe on a bigger watch, I don't know, I'd have to see it... and really the chronograph version is my only option on the black phantom because this also looked incredibly small on my wrist. I don't really understand why, because it's 41mm and I wear a Formula One quartz everyday.

Part of the problem could be that I was wearing my Heuer 01 Skeleton, and that's 45mm so maybe the comparison was too stark, but also I've noticed that black watches tend to wear smaller on the wrist. I first noticed this with a PVD Monaco, and it seems to hold true with other watches as well. Strangely at the same time I tried on the three hand Aquaracer with the yellow and black rubber strap, which I believed to be 41mm as well, but definitely looked larger. I thought the three handers were 41mm and the chronographs were 43mm (same as the black phantom) so that has left me rather confused, to say the least!

Anyway, size aside, it is still a nice looking piece, however as usual I take issue with the strap. I suppose I should applaud TAG for being innovative with their straps and not just making everything on a bracelet, but these nylon things aren't doing it for me I'm afraid. Probably better than a 'technical' strap (a Nato in effect), it feels okay, but it looks odd, and the one on the non black phantom Aquaracer had a very muted yellow backing which is nothing like as sumptuous as on the rubber strap. 

For sure if I bought this or the chrono version I would have to get myself a rubber strap to put it on, and this is then of course an additional cost. I think I've pretty much ruled this one out to be honest, but I will have a look at a chronograph version in the future. Fortunately they aren't a limited edition, so there's no rush!

VIDEO: Grand Carrera Chronograph Caliper Calibre 36 RS Review by Banks Lyon Jewellers

VIDEO: Grand Carrera Chronograph Calibre 17 RS Review by iReviewWatches

VIDEO: Link Calibre 16 Automatic Chronograph Review by Benjamin Cottrell

VIDEO: Carrera Calibre S Quartz-Hybrid Movement Chronograph

VIDEO: Monaco Calibre 12 ACM Limited Edition Review by A Blog to Watch

OWNED: Formula One Quartz WAH1110-0

WAH1110.FT6024

I purchased this watch (from Fine Time Watches) at the beginning of August 2016, so at the time of writing I've owned this particular piece for about ten weeks. As I said in my Buying Experience post (link below) the photographs didn't do the condition of this watch justice as it arrived looking almost like new.

I should say right off the bat that I didn't buy this (primarily) on looks, I wanted a TAG I could wear every day and not get stressed about it getting marked. So the criteria was first and foremost 'price', not that I would have bought something I thought hideous just because it was cheap, but at the same time setting a low price limits you on what is available and that was a trade off I was willing to accept.

To be honest, when trawling eBay for cheap TAGs it's easy to get depressed rather quickly. There's an awful lot of beat up looking (usually orange or red faced) Formula Ones with crown guards missing and half the bezel worn away like it's been dragged down the road in a motorcycle accident. And they aren't all that cheap either, plenty of scratched up examples around the £600 mark...

So I was chuffed to bits with this for £450. Not only does it look like new, save for a few minor marks on the bezel, I actually think it's one of the nicest looking Formula Ones I've seen (certainly of its era). I presume the price reflects the fact that it's a basic three hander with no chronograph function, but I don't really mind that. For work it's most important function is probably the date first, the time second... and that will do for me.

When it first arrived I was blown away by the condition (largely because the photos appeared to show light wear on the bezel) but I was undecided about the face. I liked it, but I wasn't crazy about it. However, the first time I saw the lume I really started to warm to it.

The lume is absolutely fantastic and indeed legibility all round is spot on. You can't really go wrong with white hands on a black dial and with the huge white numbers and a red second hand, this ticks a lot of boxes regarding style and function.

As I've worn the watch, I've come to really love it and feel like I definitely made the right choice (regardless of price). There was a short period where I felt like I wanted to keep this in the box and not let it get scratched up, but I told myself that I had to wear it every day because that was the purpose of buying it. And I have, I've been good and it's standing up to daily wear extremely well. To be honest I don't think it looks much different to when I received it and the glass is immaculate.

The TAG Heuer printing on the side of the case is intact too, which is good. I'm not sure actually whether a lot of the examples you see on eBay where it looks like some of the text has worn away, is actually accurate or not. If you hold the watch and turn it the black text does disappear because it's quite deeply etched, but if you look at it straight on it's perfect. 

When I first got the watch I did think the date aperture was in an odd place (4:30) but I've got used to it now and it doesn't bother me at all. I also really like the white TAG logo on the face, I think it looks much better in white on this particular model than it would in green and red.

In fact I don't have a bad word to say about this watch, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the strap, or rather the buckle. The strap itself is very nice, quite a thick rubber with nice fluted details and TAG Heuer branding, but the clasp is horrendous, absolute garbage. After two weeks struggling I ordered a replacement buckle style strap because I couldn't put up with the rash on my wrist anymore.

Below are a couple of links to further posts about this watch and the replacement strap I purchased.

Links:

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Formula One Quartz WAH1110-0

BUYING EXPERIENCE: BT0714 Strap

ON THE WRIST: Grand Carrera Calibre 36 RS Caliper Automatic Chronograph

CAV5185.FC6237

TAG Boutique / Bicester Village 1st August 2015

Although this was quite a while ago I do remember trying this one on. I think I wanted to get a feel for the Grand Carreras, because in the cabinets they do tend to look larger than they are. At the time 43mm seemed quite large, but now having bought the Heuer 01 which is 45mm that seems a bit strange, perceptions change I suppose...

I remember being a little unsure about the appearance in general. It does kind of look a bit of a mess, I like elements of it, the red on the main crown and caliper crown, the bezel, the fuel gauge on the left hand side (not even 100% sure what that is to be honest, I will check*)... but overall the effect is somewhat muddled. I'm not entirely sure about the caliper system as well, the guy in the store explained it to me, and I kind of understood it, but I can't honestly believe anyone would ever go to the trouble of using it, talk about long winded and complicated!

Sometimes I look at the Grand Carreras and like them and sometimes I really don't, I like the use of colour against the black, particularly the yellow and red versions (not so much the orange) and the versions without the caliper look better in some ways and worse in others. I'm not fond of the straps either, and when you consider the prices which even in the outlet stores are north of £5000, I just don't see myself buying one. Of course you do get the Calibre 36 RS movement, which no doubt is a draw for some people, but for me I think the price would have to be very favourable to swing me round to it.

If I remember correctly it had a glass caseback, but it was split down the middle so it had two half-windows that didn't afford a lot of visibility into the movement, seems a bit of a shame when you have a quality movement that you can't really see it very well.

*According to the TAG Heuer website it is a permanent linear seconds, which is what I thought it probably was, though how easy it would be to read the seconds I'm not sure.

VIDEO: Aquaracer 500M Chronograph Calibre 16 Review by iReviewWatches

VIDEO: Aquaracer 300M Quartz Alarm Review by iReviewWatches

A trip to Chester and Cheshire Oaks...

This last couple of days I have been in Chester and also Cheshire Oaks where there is a TAG Heuer outlet store. There are quite a number of jewellers in Chester, though oddly the Ernest Jones seems to be completely down-market, focusing on fashion watches and the like. Maybe there's another Ernest Jones somewhere that I didn't see, but it was more like a H Samuels in there to be honest.

Beaverbrooks is almost opposite and had a decent selection of TAG Heuer's, albeit not the most exciting range I've ever seen. They did have the Red Bull Formula One (on the technical strap) which I tried on though, and also a decent selection of Tudor's (including the North Flag, Black Bay and the blue and grey Pelagos models) if you like that sort of thing...

Further down the street there is Walton's of Chester who stock a good selection of TAG Heuer's and quite a lot of Brietlings as well. My attention was particularly caught by the utterly nuts Avenger Hurricane, a 50mm resin cast monster with 24 hour hands. I really wish I'd gone in and tried it on actually, though I'm sure 50mm is way too big for me. The price is certainly way too much for me, somewhere between £7-8,000.

My next stop was David M Robinson's where I tried on the Aquaracer 300M Black Phantom and also the Aquaracer 300M with the black and yellow rubber strap. I'm sure there were more stores that I didn't really look in as well, including Boodles which had some very tasty Patek Philippe watches in the window (not really my thing, but you can't help but admire them).

Also there was a shop inside the shopping centre which had quite a selection of used Rolex's (alongside a lot of lower end brands like Citizen etc) and also had a few pre-owned Breitlings (including one monstrous silver chrono) and a Tudor Black Bay with the burgundy bezel which they were selling for £1700, which seemed pretty reasonable.

Just up from that there was yet another watch store, although strangely TAG Heuer was a noteable absentee from their roster. Perhaps TAG just have too many dealers in Chester? The store stocked a fair few of their semi-obvious competitors like Baume and Mercier, Bell and Ross and Hamilton so I fully expected them to stock TAG Heuer as well.

Moving on to Cheshire Oaks, I've always found the TAG Heuer store there to be a much nicer experience than the one in Bicester Village. The one in Bicester sometimes has better stock (but equally, not always), but the staff in the Cheshire Oaks one always seem much nicer and less pushy.

They have a very large selection of ladies Link watches in there at the moment, perhaps they are gearing up for Christmas, I guess that makes sense. But also a fair assortment of mens pieces too. Today I tried on the Monaco 24 in blue and silver, and also the orange / grey. A Carrera 'Speed' Limited Edition (250 pcs), a Carrera Monaco 2012 Grand Prix Limited Edition (3000 pcs) and a Carrera 2013 Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition (4000 pcs), all at hefty discounts.

I also spotted a black / green 500m Aquaracer (though the price seems to have gone back up on that one, they were selling for £1800 at one point, but now back over £2000, but still a huge discount off the list price of £4000), a good selection of Grande Carrera models in black with orange, yellow and red accents.

I wish I lived nearer the Cheshire Oaks store as it's a long drive up there for me. Of all the things I tried on today, the nearest I came to buying was definitely the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix Carrera, at £2400 it seemed like a great deal, but I just couldn't be 100% on it this time. If you've never been to Cheshire Oaks, it really is worth a visit, but take plenty of cash!

ON THE WRIST: Formula One Quartz Chronograph Red Bull Special Edition

CAZ1018.FC8213

Beaverbrooks / Chester 17th October 2016 

I wasn't particularly looking to test this watch out, but the selection on offer in this particular Beaverbrooks was less than completely exciting and this watch stood out a mile. Well actually that's not strictly true because I thought I was looking at this watch in the window and that turned out to be a different model!

Still, never mind, I asked to try the Red Bull Formula One watch and they dutifully fetched one from the store room, though how anyone was actually supposed to know they had it is beyond me. It's like in Goldsmiths in Leicester they keep the Steve McQueen Monacos 'under the counter' for some reason...?

Anyway, first impression was that it came in a rather funky blue box, with printing all over it (can't find a photo of it closed, sorry).

I must admit my heart sank a little when they opened it and I realised it was on the 'technical strap', I did enquire as to the availability of the bracelet version but was told it was sold out throughout the company, actually I'm not surprised.

Well let's address the strap first, as I said, I'm not a fan, but I must admit it was comfortable. Personally I find all that red stitching a bit tacky and off-putting, but that's a matter of personal opinion I suppose. What I wasn't impressed with was that the strap is very short, very short indeed! I have a 7" wrist, which I think is pretty standard for a guy, and the leftover strap didn't reach the second retainer, and they don't move (sewn in place) so on me at least it's completely pointless having it there. I think if you have bigger wrists than me you would probably not want to buy this watch on this strap.

The watch itself though is very attractive, the blue is a very nice shade. I kind of expected the blue to be more like the Red Bull blue, but it is much lighter in fact and complements the off white on the dial very nicely. The small red touches are very nice as well, and until I tried out the chronograph I didn't realise that this watch had a 1/10th of a second dial at the 6 O'Clock position, that's a very cool addition I think.

When TAG announced they were sponsoring Red Bull F1 I imagined the horrific watch that might come out of it, Red Bull's logo isn't exactly a work of art and I'm not keen on logos on the face of TAG's in general. Sensibly, TAG have kept the front of the watch completely free of Red Bull branding and it's only when you turn it over that you find the Red Bull logo carved into the back of the case.. A very, very good move in my opinion, as it keeps the watch looking classic and gives it universal appeal. I'm not a big fan of Red Bull but I would still wear this watch no problem.

Though I haven't seen the bracelet, I am pretty confident that it would be well worth the extra £150. This is a really nice watch but the 'technical strap' is definitely not my cup of tea, and if I was in the market for another quartz watch the bracelet version would be right at the top of my list.

Size 43mm

Price £1150

Power reserve N/A (Quartz)

BUYING EXPERIENCE: BT0714 Strap for Formula One WAH1110-0

When I received my WAH1110.FT6024 watch from FineTime Watches I was really happy with it, but it didn't take me long to realise that I wasn't going to get on with the strap. It seemed like yet again I'd bought a TAG second hand and couldn't get it to fit properly. The buckle on the strap was badly designed and it had two sharp edges which pressed into my wrist and really irritated my skin.

I must admit I was a bit annoyed, partly because I really liked the strap, partly because I couldn't believe this was happening yet again and partly because though the watch had seemed like a good deal I hadn't factored in the cost of another strap from TAG (remember the previous strap had cost me £120!).

So after a couple of weeks trying everything I could think of to resolve the problem I decided enough was enough and I went into town one lunchtime to enquire about the price of a BT0714. I'd looked on eBay and elsewhere on the net and the prices ranged from about £90 to about £300! Seeing as my previous strap had cost £120 from an AD I figured about £100 was probably about right. So I was pretty shocked when they told me that a BT0714 was actually £45.

Great, I thought... but then I got nervous and had them ring again and make sure it definitely came with the buckle (BT0714's seem to be sold on the internet with or without - maybe the ones without are fake?), they confirmed it definitely came with a buckle and I paid my deposit and left.

Delivery time was estimated at about four weeks, and bang on time I got a phone call telling me my strap was in store and ready to collect. The guy I saw the first time wasn't there but after some messing around they found my strap in a drawer (I couldn't really understand why this was an issue seeing that the woman who had rang me the same day to tell me my strap was in was standing right there, but still...) and then asked me if the original guy had quoted me £10 carriage.

I said no, but I didn't really mind (I just wanted the bloody strap) but the salesman waived it anyway and set about fitting the new strap to my watch. He enquired as to why I was buying a new strap to replace what to all intents and purposes looked to him like a perfectly fine rubber strap. Fair question I suppose, so I explained about how the buckle was badly designed and how it irritated the hell out of my wrist.

He said something about the buckle on a Breitling he'd owned not being that good and it was at this point I happened to mention that the buckle on the Carrera Heuer 01, was much better designed and that I had no problem with that at all. He rather comically stopped fiddling with the watch, looked at me with an air of disbelief and said 'You... have one of those?'.

I confirmed that I did, but that I hadn't had it long and hadn't worn it much. To which he replied 'You should have bought it here, we would have encouraged you to wear it!'.  

It didn't exactly bother me at the time but by the time I got back to work I was a little annoyed by his comment (actually not so much his comment but his tone), true I was wearing shorts and a work polo shirt, but so what. He doesn't know how much I earn, or indeed that I am the manager of my branch!

Still, the strap was (and still is) great. The end of the strap is a bit 'flappy' because the retaining loops aren't as tight as they perhaps could be, but it's fine and it was just so nice to finally be able to wear my Formula One without getting a terrible rash on my wrist. And I thought £45 was a decent price too.

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Formula One Quartz Watch WAH1110

WAH1110-FT6024

Once I had decided that the old WK1110 (2000 Series) was too small for me, the search began for a new 'everyday' TAG that I could wear for work. My criteria really was that it had to be a TAG and it had to be relatively inexpensive. Before my two '2000' series watches from eBay I had owned a Seiko that was uncomfortable, unreliable and lost a ton of money in six months (like 75% of it's value) and I was determined that from now on it was TAG or nothing.

So the options were either: a) second hand, b) TAG boutique or c) just wear my F1 Kirium everyday. 

Option B was a possibility, but even at knock down prices for old stock the TAG boutique watches would still be a little on the pricey side for me to wear everyday knowing it was going to get knocked about. 

Option C wasn't really an option, even though my F1 Kirium is now worth max £700, it's my first TAG and it really is pretty much in mint condition. There's simply no way I could bring myself to use it as a beater, I'd rather pay £700 for another watch and use that, even another Kirium F1!

So option A was the preferred route and I set about searching eBay for something suitable. Most of the F1's were around the £600 mark, anything sub that was pretty beat up or dodgy looking, but then I found one which looked tidy, on a rubber strap (yes!) and seemingly with only minor wear to the edges of the bezel. This was priced at £499, but my friend managed to find the seller's own website where he was selling the exact same watch for £50 less (which is about the value of the fees he would have had to pay eBay).

So I took the plunge and the next morning I got the watch, and to my absolute surprise it was like new. The apparent wear to the bezel was a reflection on the photo, in actual fact the PVD was pretty much perfect, there was a little scratching on the silver numbers on the bezel, but all very superficial and the sapphire crystal was unmarked. 

I felt like I got a tremendous deal on a watch that was even better than it looked in the pictures and I would certainly buy from FineTime Watches again. The only fly in the ointment (which was nothing to do with the seller) was that I really couldn't get on with the clasp at all, and after a couple of weeks of immense frustration I elected to buy a replacement (buckle type) rubber strap.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Fomula One Calibre 16 Automatic Chronograph

CAU2012.FT6038

Hard to believe that I almost completely forgot about this particular watch, especially as I've been lusting after it for so long. Isn't it gorgeous? That orange chapter ring looks fantastic and the little orange stripe on the crown just sets the whole thing off perfectly. In fact pretty much everything about this watch looks great to me, and yet...

I haven't seen one anywhere. I just can't find one to try on, to look at. I see them on eBay and some online retailers, but without being able to see one, I just can't buy it on the off chance. The other thing is that it has a silver steel clasp, which not only looks a little bit odd, but also I think the clasp is probably the same kind as came on my WAH1110-0 (albeit probably a 22mm rather than a 20mm). That in itself is not a deal breaker, I am prepared to replace the strap with a buckle variant, even if the the buckle is silver, that's not the issue. But I really need to see one close up, there's just no telling if this watch looks as good on the wrist as it does in the pictures. And it really does look good in the pictures...

The more I look at this picture the more I think this has just gone straight back to the top of my list of potential next purchases. I've always liked watches with a decent amount of colour on them and the orange and black combination is about as cool as it gets. Everything on that dial seems to pop perfectly, the white TAG Heuer logo, the date, the silver markers, I wouldn't change a thing on that dial. Wow, I really love this one!

New 'Articles' Tab Added to the Blog..

I've spent the last couple of hours trawling the A Blog to Watch archives for TAG Heuer related articles. I've linked to each one in the 'Articles' page (click the tab at the top of the page to visit). That should keep you occupied for a while, I know I will be reading these again and again!

SPOTLIGHT ON: Carrera Calibre 49 Chronograph McLaren MP4-12C

CAR2080.FC6286

Even though this model was aligned with the McLaren MP4-12C road car, I guess it was inevitable that the end of the TAG Heuer sponsorship deal with McLaren F1 would make this one a difficult sell. And it certainly seems that you can pick these up new cheaper than you can find them second hand at the moment (which doesn't bode well for the second hand value).

On the face of it this is a nice looking watch, the orange and black works wonderfully well and the carbon fibre dial screams high-tec. I really like the white numbers and the font looks modern and very cool. The strap is also nicely done with the orange stitching giving a nice accent.

Where the watch falls down for me though is the exposed centre of the dial, it really does look a bit of a mess with dials meshing in front of each other. I guess once you get used to it it would be okay, but at first glance it really doesn't achieve great legibility. I know it's very small on the dial, but I could have done without the MP4-12C text as well. I think it would have been much better to keep the McLaren references on the back of the case (as they have done on the new Red Bull Formula One).

The first time I saw one of these was in a local jewellers and the £3000 discount got my attention straight away, but while the case, strap, markers, carbon dial and hands all appeal, I just can't get past that muddle of numbers right in the the middle of the dial. If the carbon dial had a window for the date rather than the open aperture I think I could easily have fallen for this watch, and with a discount like that (and a limited edition of only 1000 pieces) I might have been minded to splash out for it.

Interestingly, I notice there is another McLaren Carrera in the range (the CAR2A12.FT6033), but that one seems to be still selling at it's full RRP. So maybe the Red Bull thing is a red herring, maybe they just don't sell because people don't like them? After all, you wouldn't really expect a 1000 piece limited edition to be attracting 30-40% discounts in the stores, would you?

Maybe £8000 is just pushing this watch up too high on the TAG Heuer scale, after all there's very little else in that price bracket other than some special Monaco's and beyond that the haute horlogerie. Or maybe the Calibre 49 doesn't have the cachet of the Calibre 36 (Zenith's El Primero movement). Still, if you can get over the strange and confusing dial, then at £5000 maybe this makes a lot more sense?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Formula One Quartz Chronograph Red Bull Special Edition

 

CAZ1018.BA0842

A year is a long time in Formula One. When TAG Heuer announced they were abandoning their long standing deal with McLaren and instead shacking up with Red Bull, I'll admit I winced a little. Yes I could see the logic in their thinking, TAG want to appeal to a younger demographic, and McLaren is the most 'statesman-like' of all the Formula One teams. In contrast, Red Bull sponsor extreme sports and air racing... but at the same time a year ago they were a team with a bit of an image problem.

You may remember about this time last year Red Bull were well and truly throwing their toys out of their pram because Mercedes wouldn't sell them an engine and the Renault engine (which was utterly compromised by the FIA's ridiculous token system) was about as much use as a chocolate teapot. What followed was a lot of very undignified squabbling which led to Red Bull terminating their contract with Renault, only to change their mind when the FIA didn't 'force' Mercedes to sell them engines and the only other options were out of date Ferrari engines or the Honda (which was even less appealing, frankly).

And so a compromise was reached whereby Red Bull would run the Renault engines but they would be branded 'TAG Heuer' (though I've barely heard anyone call them the TAG Heuer engines all year if I'm honest). And then somehow, everyone forgot about all the crybaby antics (yes Red Bull had a point, but it was the 'entitled' attitude that annoyed a lot of people), not least because Red Bull kind of stepped up and took some of the races to Mercedes. Sure, no one wanted to see Red Bull dominate again, but right now it's Mercedes who are boring the pants off everyone, and then of course along came this chap.

Yes, he's a jumped up teenager who thinks he owns the place, but Max Verstappen has without doubt been a shot in the arm for a sport which desperately needs to attract a younger audience. Yes he seems to be getting away with some very dodgy driving at the moment, and there's more than a little talk on the internet forums that he's being treated differently because he's 'box office', but the fact remains he won his first race as soon as he was promoted to the senior team from Toro Rosso and finally broke the Mercedes stranglehold on the season. Well, okay technically Rosberg and Hamilton were in the gravel trap on the first lap, and Ricciardo probably should have won if it weren't for a dodgy strategy from the team, but still, fairy stories don't get much better than that do they?

Somehow throughout the season Red Bull's image has improved dramatically and so the time was more than right for TAG to release a Red Bull special edition. Again I winced, expecting a ham-fisted 'Red Bull' logo plastered across the face of an entry level Formula One watch, priced as low as possible to draw in the crowds.

But how wrong could I have been! What TAG Heuer delivered is a very stylish looking chronograph, yes it's quartz (as expected), but in a sensationally smart move the Red Bull logo is banished to the back of the case. So what we are left with is a very smart looking chrono with an attractive blue face, available on either a bracelet or what TAG are calling a 'technical' strap.

CAZ1018.FC8213

For me the 'technical' strap looks far too much like a Nato (which I dislike intensely), but on the bracelet this watch looks extremely classy and at £1300 (£1150 on the technical strap) seems like good value for money. I have seen one or two of these in the shops, but I haven't yet tried one on. I think if I try one on I might be tempted to buy one and I'm trying to stay away from quartz watches. 

Also, following Max's maiden win, TAG are launching a special edition of the special edition, with an orange strap and a segment of orange on the dial. This will be available in Holland only from November 2016.