FEATURE: A trip to London in search of TAGs (and other watches)

WATCH FINDER at the Royal Exchange

The first thing I noticed when arriving at Watch Finder in the Royal Exchange, was the three Richard Milles in the cabinet right next to the door. So I finally got to see a Richard Mille in the flesh and... I dunno, it wasn't as mindblowing as I expected it to be somehow. The dearest of the three was £92,000 but I'm not entirely sure whether it was new or pre-owned. I struggle to see how it is worth that much, but then I guess you could say that about a lot of other watches too.

A slightly disappointing start then, but overall Watch Finder was great fun. There wasn't nearly as many TAGs as I hoped (especially since they have about 15 pages of them on their website) but I did find a rather nice limited edition Monaco to try on (see separate review HERE) and I was pleased to note that the condition of all the watches seemed very good.

There were a ton of Rolexes in there (as you might expect) but I didn't look at them to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the Rolex, and besides everywhere you looked there were Audemars Piguets and Hublots! Pretty impressive stuff, although some of them were hideous.

WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND at the Royal Exchange

Next stop was Watches of Switzerland just around the corner, but this was quite a small shop and carried no TAG Heuers. They had IWC's, Panerais and a lot of Rolexes (of course) but nothing of much interest to me I'm afraid to say, so I moved on.

OMEGA at the Royal Exchange

Next stop was the Omega boutique back inside the Royal Exchange, not for me though... my wife had her eye on a Constellation, but I think she's since gone off the idea, not least because we've seen several examples in stores where the strap is already scratched. I think it's because the links are so flat, and scratch is going to stick out like a sore thumb. They had the James Bond Seamaster in there which comes in a hilariously OTT box, but nothing much else really grabbed me, I just don't really get the Omega thing.

WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND on Regent Street

Watches of Switzerland in Regent Street is a very cool place to visit, with good stocks of TAG Heuer, Hublot, Tudor, Panerai, Ulysee Nardin, Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Baume and Mercier, A Lange and Sohne and more. My wife tried on a Tudor 'Clair de Rose' and the Omega idea went out the window. 

TUDOR Clair de Rose (the rose is the second hand)

We were served by a very nice chap who explained all the options to my wife and allowed me to snaffle a Tudor catalogue (unfortunately for him the wife wasn't quite ready to buy that day), it was only his second day but he seemed to be coping well.

ULYSSE NARDIN 

Upstairs in the centre of the room there was a display with various random watches, including the most expensive watch we saw all day, a Ulysse Nardin. No idea what it was, but it was over £100,000, which is waaaaaaaaaaay out of my price bracket! 

As we moved up Regent Street we came across another Omega boutique but didn't venture inside. Omega really seems to be trying its best to follow Rolex up into a higher price bracket, but to me a lot of their watches seem a little overpriced. It wasn't that long ago they were using ETA movements, just like a lot of their 'followers' deride other brands for.

Actually London is odd, because it seems like everywhere you go you see Rolex signs and it's hard to contemplate just how many places there are to buy them in such a small area. But Omega is trying hard to catch up with several of their own boutiques as well as many other stores selling their products too.

OMEGA on Regent Street

The plan had been to get a train to Harrods, but the Picadilly line was in chaos so instead we walked down to Selfridges. We followed the signs for watches and came to a rather paltry looking selection of what (on closer inspection) proved to be a load of fashion watch crap... and for some reason Nomos Glashutte!

After a while we figured out that the watches we wanted were in the 'Wonder Room', and we headed over to that corner of the building and were once again confronted by a plethora of Swiss watches. More Hublots, Tudors, TAGs, Breitlings, Audemar Piguets, Rolexes, Patek Philippes, etc than you could shake a stick at. It was here that I tried on the 1974 McLaren Carrera (see separate review HERE) which was nice, but seemed a trifle pricey given it's cost relative to the Heuer 01.

THE WONDER ROOM at Selfridges (Oxford Street)

Our final stop was at yet another Watches of Switzerland, just opposite Selfridges on Oxford Street. This was the only W.O.S. branch in London which stocked 'pre-owned' watches, and while this was true the selection was limited to about fifteen pieces (which was a little disappointing), also there was no TAG Heuers in this store either, which was obviously another black mark against it. Actually, there was one TAG in the store, a pre-owned Carrera Calibre 1887 (see review HERE), which was in good nick for its age (aside from maybe the clasp not being a perfect fit).

WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND on Oxford Street

We enjoyed our day, but I must admit it was a bit overwhelming by the end. Imagine always wanting to see a Lamborghini and then being confronted by hundreds if not thousands of them, that's a bit how it was... I'd never seen a Hublot or a Richard Mille before, or a Ulysse Nardin, or a Panerai for that matter. I'd never seen a tourbillon either (Hublot - £70,000 in the Wonder Room), so it was a bit too much to take in and by the end of the trip we'd rather reached saturation point. 

It was a great day though, and if nothing else it's given me a certain amount of confidence when it comes to potentially using Watch Finder to purchase pre-owned items. In all honesty, TAG's presence in the capital seemed a bit underwhelming. The selection of watches available was a bit run of the mill, although to be fair, perhaps it just seemed that way given the glamorous watches it was competing for the attention with?

There is a TAG Heuer store in London somewhere, but as far as I know it's not in the main central part, perhaps next time we will make the effort to hunt it out and pay it a visit. I think that would be good.

ON THE WRIST: Formula One Quartz Chronograph James Hunt Limited Edition

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Goldsmiths / Sheffield 26th November 2016

I didn't go in with the intention of trying this watch on, it just caught my eye while I was trying another watch, and I must admit (to my surprise) I rather liked it. The strap, of course, is horrendous. But it would be simple to swap it for a nice rubber strap and then we would have a very nice piece indeed. 

The stripes on the face actually look better in real life than in the picture, and removing the hideous strap would also solve the problem of the stripes not matching (well not even trying to match) where they run across the face. I guess a lot of people will think that's a stupid comment, but to me it really looks wrong, either make the stripes on the face bigger or the stripes on the strap smaller (or better yet both), because as it is it looks a bit silly.

Which is a shame, because otherwise this is a nice watch. The assistant assured me that the back has James Hunt's signature printed on it and I'm sure it does, but of course you can't actually see it because of the nasty, flimsy, crappy strap. Did I mention I didn't like the strap, I think I did... 

Leaving the strap aside though, this is a very nice watch and I would choose this over the Red Bull version I think, and I didn't honestly think I would be saying that this morning! C'mon TAG, stick a lovely rubber strap on it and make my day.

ON THE WRIST: Carrera Heuer 01 Black Phantom Ceramic

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Goldsmiths / Sheffield 26th November 2016

Since I already own the original Heuer 01, purchasing this was never on the cards, but catching sight of it in Goldsmiths I was intrigued to give it a go. Truth be told, when it was in the cabinet it looked like the grey phantom because of the way the light was hitting it and reflecting. It wasn't until it was taken out that I realised that it was in fact the ceramic black phantom version instead.

Obviously it's very similar to mine in a lot of way, but the phantom element and the ceramic case does give it a different aesthetic. Calibre 11 are right about the ceramic and the fingermarks, I was very much aware of the marks on the case the whole time I was wearing it, and I think that would really annoy me if I owned it. 

List price appears to be £5100, but Goldsmiths were selling this today for £4650 and I was told that a further deal could be done if I was seriously interested in purchasing (as it was Black Friday... well Saturday), I have to say I wasn't particularly tempted. Side by side I prefer mine (just as well really), and I don't see that a £1100 premium is really worth it. I suppose you're getting something a little bit different, but as far as I'm aware this isn't a limited edition or anything. I guess we'll have to put it down to personal taste.

http://www.calibre11.com/review-tag-heuer-carrera-heuer-01-black-ceramic-edition-car2a90/

The TAG Heuer Enthusiast Gallery Blog

I am currently in the process of compiling as many TAG Heuer numbers as I can find, with the aim of producing a separate blog which will provide a pictorial guide to TAG Heuer's watch history. So far I have trawled the entire Watch Finder site and TAG Heuer's own website for numbers, I also have about six TAG Heuer catalogues to go through and then there are other websites (and eBay of course)... and then there's the old catalogues on Calibre 11 to go through as well I suppose.

It's a rather long and laborious task finding and posting a photograph of each watch, but I hope that in the end it will be a rather nice place to browse and will fulfill something that I wanted to find myself. I've posted about 50 watches so far I think and ultimately what would be great is if when it's much more complete people could tell me which numbers are missing as they find them.

The blog is searchable, either using the search box at the top, or the labels (which pops out on the right hand side). You can search for the catalogue number or the type: Carrera / Formula One / etc and it will remove all watches that don't meet the criteria. You can also use the menu at the top to change the view, but the ones which seem the most suitable are 'Snapshot' and 'Flipcard'. As I say, it's early days at the moment, but if you'd like to take a look then by all means and if you want to leave me feedback or suggestions then please use the comments on this blog to do so. I will leave a link to the new blog at the bottom of this post.


Thanks, Rob

http://tagheuerenthusiastgallery.blogspot.co.uk/?view=snapshot

ON THE WRIST: Carrera McLaren 1974 Chronograph Limited Edition

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Selfridges / London 24th November 2016

Limited to just 1974 pieces these are getting a little bit scarce now, and it's not hard to see why. The panda dial looks great and the orange highlights really give the watch that little something extra. I am a recent convert to these tyre tread straps as well and this one is the perfect choice for this particular piece.

As you'd expect with the Calibre 1887 this piece has a display back, which looks great and nice to see that they didn't feel the need to cover half the crystal back with a McLaren logo (see the Nismo Carrera for exactly how not to do it!). Similarly the dial is completely free of any mention of McLaren, with the discreet but cool orange text on the bezel the only indicator that this is something special.

I really like this watch, but the price is a bit of a turn off. At £4150 this is serious money, and puts it alongside the Heuer 01 (which to me is a bit much really). Nevertheless, I will be keeping my eye on this one when it comes on the second hand market and hoping (probably rather optimistically) that it might, maybe, possibly turn up in the TAG Boutiques?

ON THE WRIST: Monaco Calibre 12 Chronograph Limited Edition

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Watch Finder / London 24th November 2016

I must admit I was slightly disappointed in the selection of TAG Heuers available in the London 'Watch Finder', given the vast number available on their website. But I suppose in London space costs money and they don't have an awful lot of it, and what they do have is predominantly dedicated to Rolexes.

Still, I did find this little beauty, which is limited to just 250 pieces and is in superb condition. It's three years old and has one tiny scratch on the case just next to the top pusher, but that really is about the only fault I could find. The strap is in great shape as well, although I'm not really a fan of alligator straps. What you can't see in the picture above is that the inside of the strap is lined in red, which looks pretty damn cool actually.

I like the Monaco aesthetic, but if I ever buy one it will have to be something that has 'more' than just the standard look. This watch fits that bill, with a very cool carbon fibre dial, the red touches on the hands and the red stitched and backed strap. It felt nice on the wrist too (though I wasn't crazy about the polished buckle - immaculate though it was) and certainly gave me pause for thought. I've always thought if I bought a (non 24) Monaco then it would probably have a black PVD case, but this one was pretty special.

Not sure on the original list price, but Watch Finder are selling this for £3600, which sounds about right given the condition and the limited edition status.

http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Tag%20Heuer/Monaco/CAW2119-FC6289/19890/item/33936

ON THE WRIST: Carrera Chronograph Calibre 1887

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Watches of Switzerland / London 24th November 2016

Came across this watch pre-owned in the Oxford Street 'Watches of Switzerland', it was eight years old and retailing at £2375. Had no idea what the 'new' cost should be, and was quite surprised to find it listed on Goldsmiths website at £3800 when I got home. Quite glad I didn't know that at the time, because that seems like a bit of a bargain to me and might have coloured my thinking process.

Nice display back showing off the Calibre 1887 movement (which is very nice to see), slightly less impressed with the bracelet and in particular the clasp which didn't seem to close quite as flush as it should. Also the bracelet felt like it was about the right size, but didn't seem to sit well on my wrist. I don't think I could have taken a link out, and I don't think there was any micro adjustment possible on the clasp either, which was a bit of a concern. The bracelet looks very similar to the one they are now using on the Heuer 01 and I find it a bit clunky somehow, it has a similar problem with the lugs as well, looking blocky... but that could be because I am used to the rubber strap on the Heuer 01 which blends so much better.

As before, though I really like the 'minute marker' style of these Carreras, for some reason they just never seem to pop that well. I don't know if it's because they are too reflective or what, but it would be nice to see a version with lume on to see if that solved the problem. This watch has some nice details, like the red on the top pusher and the tip of the second hand, and this particular piece was in good condition for its age (save perhaps the clasp issue) but for me it's a little bit too run of the mill to get me genuinely excited.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Microtimer Quartz Watch

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Though I've never actually seen one of these, I've always had an interest in them. Of course, it could be that if I actually got to try one on I might totally change my mind, but there's something about it which I like, I think it's just that it's so very different and epitomises the 'Avant Garde' side of TAG Heuer which I appreciate (I'm potentially more likely to buy something unusual like this than a 'traditional' 'Heuer' Carrera).

The CS111C is largely the same as the original CS111B launched in 2002 as a limited run of 999 (then known as the Micrograph), that watch won the Best Design Award at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve and generated sufficient interest to be added to the standard range.

There is an excellent article about this piece on the Calibre 11 website (link below) where the author explains his relationship with the model and how he's sold and bought back the watch a couple of times. I can imagine that, honestly... it's so 'out there' that I can imagine someone getting tired of it only to miss it's quirkiness once it was gone.

I'd definitely like to try one on, even though I'd rather put my money into automatic watches, I just can't help but like it, even if it is slightly odd. My main concern really (and one which is mentioned in the Calibre 11 article also) is the watch's susceptibility to scratches, or rather the extent to which they show up on the highly polished surface. As someone who tends to walk around shielding his watches from any slight perceived danger, this would probably make wearing this watch more trying than enjoyable, but equally I could see me trying one and falling in love with it.

Check out the article below, it's worth it just for the photograph of the special Brazilian edition with the denim strap!

http://www.calibre11.com/tag-heuer-microtimer/

VIDEO: Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Review by BreitlingSource

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Monaco Calibre 12 Singapore Grand Prix Limited Edition

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This Singapore Grand Prix Limited Edition Monaco is limited to 400 pieces and I really, really like it! It's quite amazing how much difference a little splash of colour here and there can make and this particular watch is lifted tremendously with the addition of some green hands on both the main and sub-dials. This is nicely set off with some similarly coloured stitching on the strap, making this one of the nicest non-PVD (and non 24) Monaco's in the range. 

Probably not an easy watch to track down, but I did find one currently on offer on Chrono 24 for £4225 (unworn, new old stock). I think if this turned up in a TAG boutique I would definitely think about buying it.

ON THE WRIST: Aquaracer Chronograph Calibre 16 Black Phantom

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Ernest Jones / Manchester 12th November 2016

I've been interested in trying out this watch since I tried on the Limited Edition 41mm three hand version in Chester in October. At 41mm and with a black case it felt somewhat small on my wrist though this could be because I was wearing my 45mm Heuer 01 when I went in to the shop and the other watch I tried on in that particular shop was a 43mm Aquaracer.

This (non limited) chronograph version is 43mm and pretty thick with it. It kind of reminds me of my Aquagraph in shape and bulk, but as it is coated titanium it is nothing like as hefty. Some might prefer the lighter watch, but I do like my Aquagraph, you certainly know you've got it on! 

Unfortunately for me, I think the simplicity of the smaller black phantom works better with the blacked out aesthetic and they don't make that in a 43mm case. Also as I've mentioned before I'm really not a fan of these nylon straps, but that would be easily remedied. The real deal breaker for me was the cyclops though, the more I see these Aquaracers with them the more I hate them. I think the TAG cyclops is particularly nasty as they have a ridge around the edge rather than blending into the main glass which just looks shoddy to me. 

To be fair it's not like I've tried on a whole bunch of other brands with cyclops on the glass, so I don't have much data to compare, but I've never noticed that ridge on a Rolex (for example), but maybe that's one of the compromises you accept for the less expensive watch? Or maybe it is there and I've just never noticed it? Whichever, the cyclops really bugs me, and I don't feel that this watch (or any watch) really needs one. It seems at odds with the whole 'Phantom' feel, and the date really isn't that small anyway. 

My other slight gripe, was that the markers and hands on the 41mm version seemed to catch the light more, though I am at a complete loss to understand why that should be. I can only assume the difference in lighting in different shops. But whatever the reason, it certainly made this 'on the wrist' experience a bit of a damp squib.

Perhaps it didn't help that while I was trying this on my eyes were being drawn to the Carrera Senna that was on the counter in front of me (see separate review), but even so I feel rather disappointed as I quite liked the idea of a phantom watch in my collection. I even contemplated asking if it would be possible to purchase separately a non-cyclops glass to fit the 41mm (if I could get over the size - which I think I could because it's no smaller than my Formula One). 

Ah well, I suppose the purpose of these 'on the wrist' visits is to help separate the wheat from the chaff and find out which watches really ring my bell, and so I don't consider it a wasted opportunity as I now know that cyclops's are definitely something of a red flag for me. 

http://www.tagheuer.co.uk/int-en/luxury-watches/aquaracer/aquaracer-ladies-300m-calibre-16-automatic-chronograph-black-phantom-43-mm-black-steel-bracelet

MEGA DEAL!: Aquaracer Calibre 5 at Goldsmiths - £500 off!

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A friend of mine pointed out to me today that Goldsmiths are currently offering this model at a fantastic price, £1350 (reduced from £1850), which is cheaper than even the grey market importers are doing them for. True it has got the nasty nylon strap, but with the £500 you save you could swap it out for the rubber strap with the yellow back or even a stainless bracelet. If it wasn't for that cyclops I think I'd be jumping on this deal myself. Don't know how long the deal is on for so maybe if you are interested then check it out sooner rather than later!

http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Goldsmiths-Exclusive-TAG-Heuer-Mens-Aquaracer/p/17381086/

ON THE WRIST: Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Senna Special Edition

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Ernest Jones / Manchester 12th November 2016

Finally got to try this one on a trip to the Trafford Centre at the weekend. As we know, I'm now a fan of the tyre tread rubber straps (after my initial skepticism) so that was a good start, and the buckle is the push button type (not unlike the Heuer 01), so again all good there. 

The watch itself is a good size, perhaps wearing slightly smaller than you might think from a 44mm watch, but again this may be something to do with the black case. The pushers are nice and the overall impression is good, I'm not completely sold on the wizzy red bits on the 12 O Clock subdial, I think that may be a touch of red too much - and I don't say that lightly, I love watches with red on, but this looks a little bit naff in my opinion.

The back of the watch is solid (no glass case back here unfortunately), with a large Senna 'S' in red. This being a 'Special' edition rather than a 'Limited' edition there's no numbering to make you feel that little extra specialness of being one of only so many people in the world to own this watch, I know it's a little thing, and often meaningless (especially when we're talking thousands of pieces), but still.

My problem is this, wearing this watch for a few minutes brought to mind another watch that is also black with red flashes, is a limited edition and is also much cooler and only another £50. So it is with regret that I must remove this watch from my list of possible next purchases because it simply doesn't make sense to pay £3950 for this, when for £4000 I could have a 40th Anniversary Monza on my wrist.

Yes I hate the strap, and it's going to cost me another £150 to change that, but I think that makes a lot more sense to me than this one, and I'm damned sure it'll hold it's value better as well. That being said, if this was to turn up in the boutique with a sub £3000 price tag on it than I might reconsider, but even then I think to be honest this doesn't actually stand a value comparison with that 2012 Monaco Grand Prix Carrera I saw the other week.

Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice watch. But it seems a lot of money for what it is, especially when you consider that £4000 also gets you a Carrera Heuer 01 like the one I already have.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Aquaracer Black Phantom 'One Piece' Limited Edition

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'One Piece' is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda and has been serialised in a weekly magazine since 1997. The main character is called Monkey D Luffy, a young man whose body gained the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit. With his diverse group of pirates (named 'The Straw Hat Pirates') he explores the Grand Line in search of the ultimate treasure known as 'One Piece' in order to become the next King of the Pirates. So now you know...

Unsurprisingly, this paticular Aquaracer is only available in Japan, in a limited number of 500 pieces. Although Joma Shop have on sale if you really fancy it. It's currently showing on offer at £1950, having been £2100 with a list price of £3000. I don't know how accurate that is, and there also seems to be some disagreement about the size. TAG Heuer list the size as 41mm, as do Joma Shop, but Hodinky are listing it as being 43mm. I'm somewhat inclined to believe TAG themselves (obviously) especially as I would imagine a watch specifically for the Japanese market would tend to the smaller size.

As for the watch itself, it's an unusual beast and though I actually quite like the bezel with the compass markings on it, I wonder if it serves any practical purpose? Probably not, but then I suppose it doesn't really matter, it's not like I've ever used a tachymetre... 

Leaving aside the red 'One Piece' characters on the dial (which mean nothing whatsoever to me) the mixture of blue markers and general phantom appearance works quite nicely. Maybe they could make a non 'One Piece' version with a red second hand instead... 

As you can see in the link below, there is mention of a limited steel bracelet, but I think this must be an error as I can't find any mention of this anywhere.

http://www.tagheuer.co.jp/int-en/luxury-watches/aquaracer-calibre-5-phantom-one-piece-edition-500-japan-limited-steel-bracelet

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Aquaracer 300M Calibre 5 Premier League Special Edition

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You are looking at the recently announced 'Premier League' special edition 300M Calibre 5 Aquaracer, and while I'm not a fan of the sport and find the link somewhat tenuous to say the least, I actually think this watch looks rather stylish. I'd love to see this one without the lion's head and the slightly odd numbering on the bezel, the red minute hand could stay or go for me as long as the second hand stayed red.

I expected this to be another quartz piece, like the horrible CR7 Ronaldo Formula One, but it uses the Calibre 5 which can be found in several watches throughout the TAG Heuer range including several Aquaracers, higher end Formula Ones and also Carreras (including the Muhammad Ali Ringmaster we looked at a couple of weeks ago). 

TAG really seem to be getting things right of late, and I can only assume that Jean Claude Biver's influence is really starting to come through now. He does seem to have a very logical and correct approach to the brand (for instance concentrating the Formula One range on quartz movements) and while the football specific parts of the this watch don't interest me in the slightest, the overall look is aesthetically pleasing and rather stylish.

This model is actually now available and it looks like the list price is £2150 (at least that's what Goldsmiths are selling it for on their website) and the size is 43mm. It's a 'Special Edition' rather than a 'Limited Edition' so numbers will probably depend on how it sells, I think it will probably do quite well.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Aquaracer Calibre S Hybrid Chronograph Fernando Alonso Limited Edition

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This is another one of those TAG Heuer's that's a little bit hard to find information about. I do know that it was limited to 3500 pieces and that it contains the rather unusual Calibre S movement. If you'd like to know more about this movement then click HERE, basically from what I've read it seems that this is a quartz watch with a mechanical chronograph (although I'm not sure it's as simple as that because how would a mechanical movement work with those partial subdials?). 

HERE's some more info from Calibre 11 website about the Calibre S (in the Carrera). 

Very unusually, this watch uses the hour, minute and second hands as the chronograph with the left hand subdial providing the reading for tenths of a second and the right hand subdial counting 100ths of a second! Apparently when you press the crown in normal mode it resets the watch into chrono mode so all the hands move around to the 12 O'Clock position ready for timing. Once you are finished with the chrono the hands will return to their 'standard time' position.

I quite like this idea, as the owner of an F1 Kirium, one of my favourite things about that watch is how when you wake it up from sleep mode the hands spin around and resume the time. This function (sleep) saves the battery and I believe I'm on only my third battery in thirteen years now (mind you I don't think I was doing it properly the first seven years anyway!). So that appeals to me, and I'm sure would provide endless entertainment...

This particular watch is quite a smart looking model, the strap looks great although I'm not sure what kind of clasp it is fitted with. The combination of dark grey, silver and red ties in perfectly with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 theme and the Fernando Alonso branding is kept quite discreet, which is good. 

TAG have given this a white logo, which tends to signify a mechanical movement (quartz watches tend to have the red/green logo - although my F1 Kirium also has a white logo) or perhaps that they view this is a mechanical movement which just happens to have a battery power supply... I'm not sure but I kind of like that it's a quirky model and neither truly one thing or the other.

This model is discontinued (and there's very little info on the net) but I'm assuming it came out in 2015 since that was the first year that Alonso drove for McLaren. Watch Finder has the list price as £1660, although they don't have an example for sale, and indeed one of the few I can find for sale is being offered at a lofty $3000! 

I guess for the money you are getting a limited edition F1 WDC related watch with 300M of water resistance and a pretty unusual movement, so for £1660 that is quite appealing, but I think $3000 is stretching it just a tad. It's a fine looking watch but that is decent Carrera money at the end of the day.

EDIT: Thinking about this further, as it says McLaren Mercedes on the bezel, this watch must have been released in 2007 when Alonso was at the team the first time (with rookie Lewis Hamilton). Alonso's second stint at McLaren began in 2015 but by then the team was partnered with Honda.

VIDEO: Formula One Calibre 16 Chronograph Review by iReviewWatches

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ON THE WRIST: Aquaracer 500M Calibre 16 Chronograph

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TAG Boutique / Cheshire Oaks 19th September 2015

For the last couple of years I've regularly seen this watch (and similar ones, some with the date on the left hand side) for sale at big discounts in the TAG boutiques in Chester and Bicester. On this particular occasion they were offering this model at a huge saving, down from £4000 or thereabouts to £1850.

Nigh on 55% off a brand new TAG is not to be sneezed at and I did strongly consider purchasing this one, but in the end I just wasn't sure enough about it. Even now when I see them I still can't quite make up my mind about it, which probably means it was the right choice not to buy one. I really like the colour scheme, I am very keen on black and green, but to me it's not bold enough. The black could be be blacker and the green should be much bolder in my opinion, but as I've said before my choice of black and green would possibly be a bit too strong for most buyers.

Also of course, I already owned the Aquagraph which is not dissimilar, yes this one is black PVD coated and so it is aesthetically different, but essentially it is a chunky 500M diver - albeit one with lesser specifications than the Aquagraph. But that didn't stop me trying it on of course, and it was okay, but somehow it didn't really look like a £4000 watch to me. I paid £2,100 for my Aquagraph and the list on that when it was being made was about £3000 I believe and I can't quite see where the extra £1000 is coming from. True the Aquagraph stopped being made quite a while ago and if it was still in production it would probably be at least £4000 now, but somehow despite this watch's size it lacks the Aquagraph's 'presence'.

It's a shame because I like the individual elements of the watch but it seems to add up to less than the sum of its parts when viewed as a whole. I can't remember what the clasp was like as it was quite a while ago that I tried this one on, I do quite like the strap and wonder if it would fit the Aquagraph?

I'm guessing (given the discounts and the number of times I've seen it in the boutiques) that this one hasn't been the most successful of TAG's products, but if you snagged one during the period they were shifting them for £1850 then you probably got yourself a big chunk of watch for your money.

ON THE WRIST: SLR Series 4 Chronograph

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TAG Boutique / Bicester Village 2nd April 2016

When I first started to really get into watches and TAG Heuer in particular, this was one of the first watches that really caught my eye. I think it was partly the strap that did it, that louvred effect is very cool and very reminiscent of the air vents on the actual Mercedes SLR that this watch was created to celebrate.

This watch was made in a limited run of 3500 (somewhere around 2008 I believe), and again it's somewhat surprising to me to find one brand new 8 years later. But then this watch is probably not for everybody, for a start it's quite a big watch so those with slim wrists would probably find it a bit large and the styling is quite unique and different to any other TAG Heuer and so may find a more select audience of admirers.

It was interesting to try it on and on the wrist it didn't seem quite as unwieldy as I feared it might have been (this was before I bought my 45mm Carrera Heuer 01), this may be partly because the pushers are set into the case rather than protruding from the case and so the size taken must include them. Still, don't imagine this wears like a 43mm because it certainly doesn't, this is a chunk of Switzerland alright.

Unfortunately I can't remember the exact price, I think it was somewhere between three and four thousand pounds, certainly more than I was willing to pay for it anyway. Personally I still haven't really made up my mind whether I like it or not. It's an odd one for sure and I wonder if I might not find it more appealing if the case was a little smaller relative to the bezel?

It's slightly disappointing to report that the watch features a solid caseback, for this amount of money I would have thought a glass back would have been in order, especially as you can get some very nice display backed Carreras for under £3000. But still, I'm sure there are some people who won't let that put them off as this is exactly the kind of watch that will have it's own limited fan club who believe it to be the best watch TAG Heuer have ever made and more power to them. But it's not one I will be buying any time soon I don't think.

http://www.calibre11.com/tag-heuer-slr-series/

VIDEO: Formula One Calibre 5 Watch Review by iReviewWatches

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BUYING EXPERIENCE: Carrera Heuer 01 Skeleton Dial Watch (Iconic Watches - Blackburn)

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One thing that can cause watch buyers a lot of heartache is where to buy your next watch from and where to get the best price. There's always plenty of deals on eBay, but once you get beyond a few hundred pounds it takes a certain strength of will to click the button and take the plunge. But there is an alternative, and I'm sure most of you have seen names such as Precision Time and Iconic Watches popping up in internet searches offering 20% or so off the prices of the watches in your local jewellers.

These companies are part of what is called the 'grey market', whereby they buy the watch you require from an authorised dealer in a different country at a discount and (in some cases) use the currency difference to offer you a discount on your domestic price. Because the warranties on watches are usually 'worldwide' all it really means is that your watch has a warranty card filled in a different country, and you might lose a few days off your warranty while the watch is in transit.

I must admit I was very skeptical about using one of these companies for a number of reasons and it took me an awful long time to decide to go ahead with the deal. What appealed to me the most about Iconic Watches over the other companies was that they have an actual high street presence rather than being an anonymous internet company that could disappear overnight and take my money with them. To me that was a major source of reassurance, and it also meant that I could collect the watch and see it before I paid the balance due (which for me was a massive plus).

As much as it may be socially awkward to use a grey market dealer, the fact is that when I made my purchase the Carrera Heuer 01 was selling for £4000 (having been reduced from it's initial market price of £4300 - and which some jewellers are still selling at incidentally) and I was able to purchase mine for just £3290. For me £710 is a lot of money and represents a good couple of weeks wages, so I really had to consider this option.

Once I had completed my due diligence and satisfied myself that I wasn't making a terrible, terrible mistake, I contacted Iconic who answered my emails promptly and without fuss. On the website they were quoting about a four week lead time, but mine actually came within four days and having placed my order on the Monday I received a phone call on the Friday telling me that my watch was ready for collection. This of course sparked a slightly panicky phone call to my wife asking if she wanted to make a six hour round trip to pick up my new watch!

As it happened we made a day of it and stopped off at 'The Spread Eagle' in Mellor for lunch before heading into Blackburn to find Iconic, which seemed somewhat less than visible on Google Maps! Eventually we gave in and phoned them to ask directions and a few minutes later we were standing outside the shop. They had told us to press the intercom as the shutters would be down, and the door was unlocked and we made our way inside.

I had this idea that the inside of the store would be dripping with Rolexes, Hublots and the like, but aside from a Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco, an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and a small range of mid price TAG Heuers and Omegas there was just a few pieces of jewellery (which I didn't really pay much attention to if I'm honest). I suppose the security and insurance considerations have to be taken into account, but it was a bit of a shame that there wasn't the opportunity for drooling over more watches that I couldn't afford!

We asked why the shutters at the front of the shop were down and they said they hadn't opened them for about five years, apparently their internet business keeps them so busy they simply don't have time to deal with off the street customers. I must admit when I saw the above photo it did give me pause for thought as it doesn't exactly look like the kind of place you'd want to drop £3000+ on a watch (indeed Iconic list watches on their website that exceed £500k!). Appearances are misleading though and the shop is very nice inside, it's just that any shuttered shop looks less than appealing, which is good if you don't want passing trade I suppose...

The staff were very welcoming and friendly and we mentioned that the owner of the The Spread Eagle had been wearing a Rolex (it turned out they had sold it to her). My watch was unboxed and presented to me for approval and then the owner showed me how to adjust the strap. All in all it was a very pleasant experience and I left feeling very happy with my decision (and my watch).

A few days later I had an email from Iconic asking me to rate them on Trust Pilot (which I did), in return they furnished me with an insurance valuation for my new watch for free. I was quite happy to do this as I had nothing but good things to say about them and I will definitely use them again in the future, and would recommend them to anybody who is thinking about using them but is worried like I was. Sure it may be slightly frowned on, but £700 is £700 at the end of the day and that goes a long way towards my next purchase.