Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Thursday, 22 February 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Heuer Autavia Jo Siffert Collector's Edition by Calibre 11
CBE2114
First off, I'm sure that almost everyone who visits my blog is also at the very least 'aware' of Calibre 11, which is the TAG Heuer blog run by David from Time and Tide watches. But if not, then you should definitely visit Calibre 11 because not only does David post some fantastic articles and pictures but there is also the forum where you can talk yourself silly about TAG and Heuer with Hubert, Dtf, Jim Dolares, OttoWilliam, Mr JKL Foams, Elbeik and all the other fab, fun guys... and even Mr Orange. :)
So as you may remember, when the Autavia was re-issued last year it didn't really do it for me. I found the bezel appeared too thick, the numbers on the bezel too blocky and oversized, the strap and bracelet options too retro for me personally, and while the Jack Heuer edition was a great improvement, especially with a much better bezel design, it still didn't really do it for me. But then, it's a deliberately retro watch, so it's probably never going to and that's fine. I don't have a problem with TAG making retro watches for retro guys and (despite certain ridiculous comments on the forum) I don't expect every TAG to be aimed at me. However, way back last year I did mention that I did quite like the Jo Siffert dial version on the TAG Heuer Autavia from the mid 2000s (which sank without trace) and lo and behold.... here we are.
Okay, it's not quite the same as that one, but the combination of the panda dial with some subtle blue detailing really lifts this piece up way above the other versions (in my honest opinion) and is perhaps better for being less in your face with the blue.
The watch is supplied with both the beads of rice bracelet and a black leather strap, which seems to have gone down very well on the forum. I must admit I prefer the black leather to the tan strap that most Autavias come on, but it still doesn't quite do it for me. Don't get me wrong, I think the plain black leather strap is perfectly in keeping with the retro theme but as I've already said, I'm just not a retro guy.
Personal niggles aside, this dial is absolutely stunning and I think David did a magnificent job with this limited edition of 100 pieces. So good it seems that all 100 sold out within less than 24 hours, which is fantastic. I just hope they all went to good homes and don't start appearing on eBay at ridiculous prices, because I'm sure if the Alec Monopoly F1's can triple in value then these will easily attract a huge premium, especially as TAG Heuer have blocked their customising partner 'Bamford' from replicating this colour scheme.
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Well, Hubert over at the Calibre 11 forum has pointed out that rather than TAG blocking the sale of 'Bamford' specials of this configuration, apparently Bamford reached a gentleman's agreement with David over the use of these specific colours for the Autavia. Also, apparently David has had to cancel the sale of one watch due to the customer already having tried to pre-flip it at a 50% premium. Can't say I'm surprised, but it's a bit of a shame that he has had to do that already.
You can read more about this limited edition and see lots more pics here:
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Thursday, 15 February 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Aquaracer Quartz 300M Khaki
WAY101E.FC8222
TAG seem intent on blowing their veritable load pre-Basel this year, first we had the twelve new Heuer02 Carreras and now we have a new quartz powered 300M Aquaracer which is available in 'some' countries and also as a pre-sale online.
Presumably this is a 'Special' edition, rather than a 'Limited' edition like the Khaki Calibre 5 released last year (alongside the camouflage Calibre 5) and while the render above isn't terribly engaging, the photograph below makes it look a lot more interesting.
I'm not sure, but this 43mm Aquaracer could be the first quartz model to feature a cyclops. I'm sure the red, blue and black models released last year didn't have the dreaded goggle eyed date window, but there's probably something really obvious that I'm overlooking.
I do think the dial on this one is a great improvement on the Calibre 5 Khaki, for one thing at certain angles the TAG logo completely disappeared on that one leaving what looked like a huge piece of empty dial. Also the bezel on this one looks rather classy with what appears to be gold markings, but I'm not sure whether they might look a little more 'green/gold' in the flesh.
As usual though, we have the horrible and massive silver retaining bars on the NATO strap, which is a shame, because otherwise the strap looks quite nice and fits in with the overall scheme very nicely.
Tuesday, 13 February 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Launch the Carrera Heuer02 Range
CGB2090.BH0661
TAG are putting the Heuer 02 movement into the Carrera, which is bound to cause some excitement, especially for those who appreciate the improved symmetry of a 3-6-9 sub dial configuration. Launching in twelve models to start with, and with a small price hike (£200 on the gold model) it's only available in the 43mm range to start with, but presumably this will be extended to the 45mm eventually...?
CBG2050.FC6426
In a way it would be quite nice if they left the 45mm watches alone, and would give them a bit more variety and differential aside from a simple 2mm diameter change. But I would be surprised. I can see these being very popular, not least because the main issue with the 6-9-12 layout is that the brand logo has to move to the 3 position, and undoubtedly it looks 'better' at the 12 position.
CBG2010.FT6144
The drawback though is that the date has been moved from the 3:30 position to the 4:30 position, which is okay - and to be fair a lot of people don't like the 3:30 position, but what I really don't like is that these new models have gone the Drive Timer route and dispensed with the date window...
But still, this is an improved movement, which has already created much admiration in the Autavia and I guess it can't hurt to try and import some of that 'Heuer' magic into the TAG Heuer Carreras... (don't get me started on that nonsense again).
These watches will start appearing in stores in June 2018.
Monday, 12 February 2018
FEATURE: Another Trip to London and the new TAG Heuer Boutique on Oxford Street
In the past I have written about several trips to London with my wife which involved significant watch browsing, but today was different. Today I took my friend Rich (who last year bought himself a Pelagos LHD) instead, and this trip was much more watch focused as a result. Rich hadn't been to London for about 9 years, way before he got interested in watches, so this was a great opportunity to share with him all the cool things I've seen over the past few years.
But we started off with a brief visit to The National Gallery. I knew we were going to be in London a bit too early, so we headed down to Trafalgar Square so that I could show Rich a couple of pictures in there. I showed him 'The Ambassadors' by Holbein and 'An Experiment with a Bird in a Vacuum Pump' by Joseph Wright.
THE AMBASSADORS
Holbein's piece is incredible and getting in early before the crowds gave us the chance to really appreciate the incredible detailing in this painting, it really seems like you could feel the velvet texture of the figure on the right's coat and the tassles the figure on the left is holding are also particularly fine.
AN EXPERIMENT ON A BIRD WITH A VACUUM PUMP
Wright's painting on the other hand is notable mainly for it's incredible use of candlelight, the way it illuminates the figures around the table and also the depiction of the gloomy corners in the background. It really is pretty amazing even if the subject of the painting is slightly unpleasant.
We looked at a few other paintings on our way out, but we were now heading for Leicester Square (stopping briefly in the Lego shop for Rich to dribble over the 'Millennium Falcon' - an eye watering £649!) and on to Regent Street. Our first port of call was 'Watches of Switzerland' and here we clapped eyes on the brand new Formula One Quartz with the black dial (like the Red Bull version only black).
CAZ101E.BA0842
The new Formula One looks great, although I have to say I think I prefer it in the blue dial (Red Bull) configuration. They also had the NATO strap version which I don't like, mainly because the strap retainers are massive and ugly. There was some comedy as the lady in the shop (who was very nice) told me the bezel was rotating and I tried, then struggled and finally gave up and finally gave it back to her to try... after which she conceded that it probably didn't move! While the bracelet is fine I wasn't terribly blown away by the folding clasp.
Also in Watches of Switzerland I finally got to try on my friend's Tudor Pelagos LHD. That might sound slightly stupid, but the fact is Rich's wrists are so small and he's taken so many links out of his bracelet that I can't actually get it over my hand to try it on!
Being largely titanium the watch was surprisingly light for a chunky 42mm diver and felt great on the wrist. It's funny, last year when I went down to London LHD's were notable by their absence and the man in Watches of Switzerland was super-impressed that my friend had one as he told me 'I can order you one but I've no idea when you will get it'.
This time they had one in the window and at least one inside, but the nice lady still tried to reassure us that it was 'very rare' and hard to get, even though we seemed to see it everywhere, which was rather disappointing for Rich...
We had a good look at the Breitlings, Bell and Rosses, Zeniths, Hublots, Baume and Merciers and the other Tudors, but ignored the dull Longines display and Rados.
We were in Watches of Switzerland for quite a while (there are three floors of watches) and before we left we headed to the back of the second floor and had a quick look at the Cartier boutique. I'm not usually into Cartier, but the other day I saw a nice Cartier Santos 100 in black DLC on Watchfinder's site and lo and behold here it was.
This is a very different kind of watch for me, but I really like it. I particularly like the red second hand which gives it a definite limited edition Monaco vibe (especially with the square case). The strap was really nice as well, it seemed like something akin to the TAG material straps only rather better quality (as you'd expect at this price to be fair). The clasp I wasn't so taken with, like the new Link it's the kind the folds in from both sides and seemed awkward to put on, also I'm not sure the pushers wouldn't dig into my wrist, I think I'd have to try it on again. One problem is I don't think you can size the strap until you buy it, so you can't be entirely sure, that's a bit of a shame.
The caseback is solid and I'm not entirely sure what movement is inside, though from a little research it appears to be ETA (though that info is dated and it could potentially have been changed). The watch is just under £7,000 and I'd say it looks worth every penny, it's certainly stylish and the one I saw on Watchfinder has already sold for just under £6,000. I can't say I'm that surprised, this is a very nice looking watch indeed, maybe this is the watch I should be saving for?
After a quick pit stop at the Slug and Lettuce on Hanover Street, we made our way along Oxford Street towards the new TAG boutique, but on the way we came across a 'Swatch' shop and popped inside to have a look at the System 51 models, and in particular the System Schwiiz.
Rich really liked it and was debating whether to buy it when his wife rang him, which was quite funny since it was almost like she could sense he was about to 'spend money' or something. In the end he decided to think it over and we moved on down Oxford Street.
Just before we got to the TAG boutique we came across a Goldsmiths where I found the black and red version of the Drive Timer. I tried it on and was very impressed with it, although I still can't quite shake the niggling feeling that it's basically the same as my Heuer01 (this could continue for some time I think...).
CAR2A1H.FT6101
Again the staff in here were very nice and positively encouraged me to take one of the new 2017-2018 TAG Heuer catalogues with me (cheers!) and then after a few more steps down Oxford Street we finally arrived at the TAG Heuer flagship store.
As you can imagine, I was pretty excited to visit the new store (and so was Rich, a long time Aquaracer enthusiast), but sadly I have to say I was rather underwhelmed. Firstly there was a doorman there who just kinda glowered at us, I mean... there's doormen at lots of places in London, but most of them are welcoming (while at the same time letting you know that they aren't going to stand for any funny business), this guy didn't say a word, he just kinda stared grumpily at us. I mean we were schlepping around London all day, so we were dressed pretty comfortably, but that really shouldn't matter. I had a woman in Selfridges offer to let me try on a £22,000 Audemars Piguet not half an hour after I left TAG, so... y'know.
Secondly, this is supposedly the biggest collection of TAG Heuer watches in the UK or Europe (I'm not sure), but it was pretty ho-hum to be honest. There was almost nothing in there that I hadn't seen anywhere else, one notable exception being the 2016 Heuer Mikrograph which was a nice surprise.
CAR5A1A.FC6374
The only other items that I hadn't seen elsewhere recently was a Monaco LS (surprisingly cool) and a diamond bezel Heuer01 on a steel bracelet (pretty ugly to be honest, but a seemingly reasonable £7,000). Leaving aside the surly doorman, it wasn't that the staff were particularly unpleasant to us, or unprofessional, but the store just seemed to have a 'coldness' to it that didn't make you want to stay there... a bit like a pub with a bad atmosphere I guess, just something doesn't feel quite right. It also has this slightly 'temporary' feel, they haven't fitted it out properly so you can still see the brick walls above the cabinets so it kinda feels like a pop-up store. I'm guessing it's a deliberate choice to make it feel 'edgy' or something, but to be honest I much prefer the feel of the Meadowhall store.
After making sure they didn't have a secret stash of WAY208C Aquaracers.... nope, still sold out - although apparently they still get enquiries (bet they wish they'd made more of those and less of the blue nylon strap phantom Aquaracers huh... more on that shortly) we decided to cut our losses and left. But not before the doorman had gurned menacingly at us for a second time. I mean seriously dude, what is your problem?
So we crossed the street and walked straight into Selfridges' 'Wonder Room'. What a difference from there to here, the door took us straight to the TAG Heuer counter where a very friendly salesman engaged me in conversation abut my orange and black CAU2012 Calibre 16 Formula One and was only too happy to let me try on the aforementioned blue phantom Aquaracer.
WAY208B.FC6382
There were two main reasons for trying this one on, for one thing I wanted to get a feel for how the WAY208C might feel should I ever decide to buy one without being able to try it on first, and second... I really want to like this watch, but it doesn't really work. If you look at some pictures on the internet they show the blue on the dial really popping, but in reality it doesn't, it's just really muddy and phantom-like. I get that with the grey phantom, but here it doesn't really come together and this picture (above) really shows what the watch is actually like.
I really want it to look more like this, but it just doesn't - which is a shame. And the lume seemed very weak as well, which was disappointing, and odd, since the WAY208C seems to have great lume.
Selfridges also had the camouflage Aquaracer which is another model I really, really like, but I can't abide that strap. Rich suggested getting a black nylon strap with blue stitching which is fitted to a steel cased Aquaracer from the same range, but I'm not sure if it would fit since I believe the Camo model is 43mm and the Aquaracer we were looking at was 41mm. If they made that Aquaracer in a 43mm version then that could be an option though...
We spent quite a long time in Selfridges', which has an amazing selection of just about every watch brand you can think of: Hublots, Bretilings, Corums, Girard Perregaux, Tudors, Carl F Bucherers, Roger Dubuis, Piaget, Chopard, Cartier, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Frederique Constant, Tissot... though I must admit I don't think they had Omega or Patek watches in there.
They did have Bulgari though and we got to see a few examples of the amazing Finissimo (we also saw the 'tourbillon' version pictured below, but not until we visited Bond St later).
As a rule, I don't like to waste people's time, and so generally I don't try on watches that I can't potentially afford to buy. My thinking is that I will try on a £8,000 watch, because if I absolutely fall in love with it, then potentially I could save for it, and so to me that means I'm not wasting the salesman's time. On the other hand I won't try on a £14,000 watch, because realistically that's not something I'm going to be able to afford in the near future
However, we were looking at the Audemar Piguet Royal Oaks and a very friendly lady came up to us and started asking us if we wanted to try one on and since I've never tried a Royal Oak on before I suddenly got very bold and decided I was going to give it a go.
In a way, I think it's sometimes dangerous to try on watches that are beyond your means, because if you totally fall in love with it, it could mean that you become a little dissatisfied with what you have and what you can realistically afford. The Royal Oak I tried on was a shade under £22,000 and I was very impressed with it, but thankfully it didn't 'ruin me for cheaper watches' or anything. Which isn't to say that I didn't love it, because I did, I just think that I have a kind of inner reality check which stops me getting too carried away. I think the same thing happened when I got the opportunity to try on the Monaco 24 Concept watch years ago, I knew I couldn't afford it, so I didn't allow myself to get too about it.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Vampire'
However, I was very impressed, and should the day come when I have some seriously chunky amounts of cash available to spend on watches, I think I would certainly consider an AP Royal Oak Off Shore. I know Rich was totally blown away by it as well, an incredible watch.
I looked to see if they still had the Royal Oak Ceramic Concept watch (£160,000), not that I was going to try it on... just wanted to show Rich, but sadly it had gone. Our friendly sales lady confided that they weren't able to order it either, apparently most of the bigger watch companies just send them watches to sell and they should think themselves lucky... interesting to know!
From here we made our way back down Oxford Street before veering off at some point in the hope of finding Avery Row. We followed a road which looked promising and as luck would have it at the end, right in front of us was a very narrow little passage leading to Avery Row.
This was a part of London I had never been to before and the reason for this detour was to find the Watchfinder branch situated there.
By this time it was raining quite a bit and we were glad to find it and get inside, but damn if this place wasn't a HUGE disappointment. Canary Wharf was a bit of a let down compared to the Royal Exchange, but this one was pathetic. I don't think they could have had more than fifty watches in the whole place and we barely stayed five minutes. I didn't even notice the five TAGs they had until I went back outside and saw them in the other window... I can't remember exactly what they had, but there was a PVD coated Monaco and a not very nice gold bezel, steel bracelet Aquaracer from about ten years ago.
WAJ2150.BA0870
Rather dejected, we returned to the miserable rain and trooped along until we found the back of the Breitling boutique on Bond Street. I visited this boutique last year with my wife and tried on the excellent lightweight Avenger Hurricane 45mm, this time I got to try on the Breitling Chronomat 44 Jet Team, which is a limited edition of 500 pieces and looks and feels fantastic on the wrist.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, this is also slightly out of my immediate price range... I think it was around the £7,200 mark, or something like that. A lot of money, but a very cool watch. Once again the sales lady in there was absolutely charming and wasn't remotely phased by our (wet) jeans and T-shirts.
We had a good look around the boutique before setting off again, it was starting to get dark now and we were getting hungry, so we didn't really visit anywhere else on Bond Street. We did look in a few windows, including the Opera Gallery where we saw a very neat picture of a horse made out of the ends of paintbrushes and also a large scale face made up of what looked like bike chains (incidentally, this is where I saw the Alec Monopoly sculpture last year).
And so we came to Richoux on Picadilly which is a lovely Edwardian restaurant and patisserie where we enjoyed the Richoux Cheese Burger. I really wanted a carrot cake (highly recommended) but I couldn't manage it and after a suitable rest we crossed the road and wandered up Burlington Arcade.
I'd never been up Burlington Arcade before and it was surprising how long it was... it seemed to go on and on. It was also quite dark and lit mainly by tree lights outside the shopfronts, so in a way it kind of feels like it's open air since the roof is so high.
We spotted a Hublot boutique in there with some nice pieces, including a sapphire case Big Bang. Also, further along there was a vintage Heuer Monaco with a blue dial on offer for £29,000... personally I'd take the Royal Oak Off Shore and £7,000 in the pocket without a moment's hesitation! But still... it was interesting to see a pukka old Monaco (with it's original red box no less).
We also spotted a vintage Bulgari snake watch which was interesting as we had seen the most up-to-date incarnation in Bond Street just a short time before.
Leaving Burlington Arcade we crossed back over the road and took a short walk down to Fortnum and Mason. Rich had never been here before so it was just a quick walk in to get a feel for the place and then back out and down to Green Park to catch the tube to Kensington.
Our ultimate destination of course was the Harrods watch room, but first we made a slight detour through the (very polluted) streets up to the Seiko boutique, which was somewhere neither of us had been before.
This was one shop where Rich probably knew more about the watches than I did, since I'm not terribly into the Seiko range. There were some nice watches in there to be fair, but it seems a bit strange that you would pay £4000 for a Seiko and that's not even getting into the Grand Seiko stuff. It's a slightly odd boutique in that the prices start at around £300 for some of the basic models, although some of them are quite nice too, there was one particular model with a dark grey bezel and a Submarineresque aesthetic which I quite liked and another with a very smart blue to black fading dial with a very cool and intricate wave pattern on it.
Again the staff in here were very nice and respectful and one lady in particular was super friendly without being in the slightest bit pushy. We probably stayed for about a quarter of an hour and then headed back down the Brompton Road, along the front of Harrods to the far side and entered the door. We slipped through the fine jewellery room, fully focused on our goal and trying not to be dazzled and sidetracked by the incredible Harry Winston and Piaget creations.
We arrived at the usual bottle-neck next to the Rolex store and I was somewhat confused. Where last year there had been a room full of boutiques there was now a big hole in the floor and a sweeping staircase down to the new watch room. But, at the top of the stairs there remained the Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Cartier and Richard Mille booths. Richard Mille's new booth was particularly tiny and I wonder if this is a temporary measure as I don't believe the watch room renovation has been completed as yet.
I think there were six Richard Mille pieces on display in all, albeit most of those were ladies watches covered in diamonds and there seemed to be no 'classic' Richard Mille 'RM35' type watches available to look at. Amazingly, even here, gawking at watches that cost more than our houses (probably) the salesman was 100% professional and greeted us on entry.
We headed downstairs and into the (quite busy) Hublot boutique, more crazy watches were to be found including the Depeche Mode watch and the skeletonised Ferrari model.
The Depeche Mode watch looked a lot better in the flesh than it does in pictures and it comes in a colossal box with the Depeche Mode logo on the top. I could be funny and say it's the best thing Depeche Mode have done since Alan Wilder left, but I won't. And actually it's not true, there was one good song on 'Playing the Angel' after all. :)
The Ferrari watch is really something, but sadly at £107,000 it's something else that won't be gracing my collection any time soon, but it does serve to make the AP look rather reasonable in comparison.
We checked out the Panerai boutique, and the elegant A Lange and Sohne pieces, where again a splendid chap told us he would be more than happy to help us with any questions, even though it must have been clear to him that neither of us looked likely to be in a position to splurge £168,000 on a timepiece...
As we'd already been to a Breitling boutique we gave that a miss, but had a quick look at the TAG Heuer collection (just in case there was a WAY208C knocking about) and the Tudors, including the Black Bay Harrods numbered edition, which I had never heard of but which Rich seemed to know about. The piece they had there was number 38, apparently Tudor doesn't do 'limited editions', so it's an open ended run. I thought it looked rather nice I must admit and at £2700 it looks like good value for money.
There was one more place I was looking forward to taking Rich, and that was Roger Dubuis. In a day that was sometimes a little disappointing (not least being too full for carrot cake in Richoux), thankfully Roger Dubuis lived up to expectations and even provided us with the new Aventador S to dribble over.
Limited to just 88 pieces in yellow (and eight in orange IIRC) this is something quite remarkable and certainly caught my attention. Again, at $185,000 it's not something I will ever get to own... but critically, the sales lady was polite and asked if we knew the brand and if we owned any of their pieces. Also on show was one of the 'Knights of the Round Table' watches and a quadruple tourbillon Excaliber piece which was as incredible as it was oversized!
I know I'm banging on about the service a lot today and yes I am trying to make a point, that obviously being that of all the crazy watch stores we went in, the only one were we felt a little uncomfortable was TAG Heuer. If I can walk into a boutique where watches cost nearly as much as my house and be made to feel welcomed, then surely it shouldn't be asking too much to feel welcome in the flagship store of the 'affordable luxury' brand that I champion and defend over all others (and crucially, that I own and continue to buy).
Okay, maybe it was partly that we were expecting too much, and I will definitely go back. But on the day I would happily have bought TAGs from Harrods, Goldsmiths or Selfridges, but it would have taken something quite special to have made me part with money in the TAG boutique itself, and as we've already ascertained all the WAY208Cs are gone.
Overall, and despite some minor disappointments it was a fantastic day, but suddenly around 7pm we started to feel very tired and decided it was time to start the long journey home. According to Rich's phone we'd walked about 9 miles and about 19,000 steps, no wonder our legs are still aching!
Thursday, 8 February 2018
Wednesday, 7 February 2018
OWNED: TAG Heuer Microtimer
From the moment I first clapped eyes on a Microtimer, I wanted one. My wife, it has to be said, was not convinced - at all, but since I've had it, she's rather changed her mind. I still don't think she likes it anywhere near as much as she likes my Heuer01, but she definitely likes it a lot more than she did.
If anything, my appreciation for the watch has only grown since I picked this up last February on eBay for about £650. It was a bit more scratched than the pictures really gave away, but as I can now tell you, this is a difficult watch to photograph. I mean, I'm no photographer, far from it, but this one is tough!
So, within a week of it arriving, it was dispatched to my local TAG dealer to have it polished. It cost about £100 if I remember correctly, but it came back in incredible condition, and with no discernible deterioration of the stamped logos on the face and clasp.
Sadly, it must be said, even with the very minimal wear that I have given this, the case just picks up marks like no other watch I've ever had. It doesn't actually have any scratches as such, but if you look in some of these pictures you can see above the dial there's a kind of mark which looks like a smear or fingerprint, but it's actually some sort of light abrasion. I must admit, if there's one thing I don't like about this piece then it's definitely this aspect. In a way, I know it wouldn't look as cool, but it might have been a better choice to have given it a brushed finish.
Oddly, I was reading an old QP last night (from 2004) which was talking about the launch of the prototype Microtimer (and the Monaco Sixty Nine) at Baselworld and they were saying that the watch was supposed to be manufactured from something called 'LiquidMetal' which is apparently nigh-on impossible to scratch... I can only assume there was some reason why they didn't make it out of this, because if there's one thing this watch isn't, it's scratchproof!
At first the extremely wide strap is a bit weird, but once you get used to it it's actually very comfortable and serves to soften the 'squareness' of the watch. Also, because the watch face is curved that also makes the watch a lot more ergonomic - ideal for those of you who find the flat, square Monacos a bit of-putting (anyone?).
The deployment clasp is good, with the twin button system rather than friction fit, but it does take a while to settle if you adjust the rubber strap. It seems to need the strap to flatten down before it will bite properly, but once you've got it right it works fine. Occasionally you might need to get a finger under the clasp to give it a firmer press to secure it, but for the most part it works as intended and again is very comfortable.
The Microtimer sits very nicely on the wrist, but I do tend to wear it more in the Winter than the Summer. For one thing the wide rubber strap is a little sweaty in the hot weather, and also I find it works really well with a log sleeve shirt. It slides easily under the cuff and just looks the business, whereas with a short sleeve it doesn't seem to work quite as well. Part of that though is me being worried about picking up scratches I think, and obviously a long sleeve gives a better level of protection which makes wearing it a little more relaxing.
Speaking of scratches, you may notice a nasty scratch on my arm which came courtesy of one of my cats, called 'Mr Biver'.
Mr Jean Claude Biver & Mr Biver
'Mr Biver' started life as Poppy... and then the vet told us he was a boy (despite his vet card saying he was a girl!) so we changed it to Chester, which didn't stick and finally Mr Biver (the wife wouldn't go for Hublot of Vacheron...). Anyway, Mr Biver is a lovely cat, but he really doesn't like being picked up and tends to wriggle and accidentally scratch, definitely not a good idea to pick him up when wearing a nice watch, and definitely not when wearing a Microtimer!
In the interests of fairness, I should add that my other cat is called Ming, and she's about as hard to photograph as the Microtimer! But I digress...
Amazingly, I think, apart from my everyday Formula One that I wear to work, I probably wear this watch more than all my others. As I said, it does tend to be my default Winter watch, and I think for that reason I tend to prioritise it during the colder months, to the detriment of some of the others. For example, I haven't worn my black and orange CAU2012 Calibre 16 Formula One for a good few months, conversely that to me is a Summer watch to be worn with a short sleeve, so in a way they complement each other.
The Microtimer has a plethora of functions (none of which I really use) including, most impressively, a 1/1000th of a second chronograph, but also, a lap timer with memory function, two time zones, an alarm (which works) and a very good backlight (which also works). Also, as you can see in the pictures, the display is a negative which looks very cool and much better than the ladies version which has a more traditional 'positive' display.
There's a lot of things I like about this watch, and another one is the TAG Heuer logo stamped into the case below the dial. It's perfectly sized, not too big to be distasteful, in fact it's quite subtle, but I would definitely miss it if it wasn't there and I was mightily relieved when it came back from the polisher that it hadn't been adversely affected.
I have to say, although I wanted one from the moment I saw one, I did wonder if the allure would wear off, after all, this is a digital watch at the end of the day (albeit a very high end one), but I can honestly say I would probably consider this one of my top three watches. I mean, that tends to change throughout the year, but in any case I don't think I will ever sell this (unlike David from Calibre 11 who has bought and sold three or four of the things), my only worry is that it will go wrong and will TAG be able to fix it if it does?
Prices vary dramatically, low end seems to be about £600, but you can pay up to £1400 or so if you go to a proprietary Watch re-seller. But bear in mind this is one watch that does not look good when it's scratched, so either make sure you get one in good condition or factor in the cost of a refurb.
Tuesday, 6 February 2018
FEATURE: The 'Best' Worst Fake I've Seen Yet...
As we all know, shopping on eBay for luxury goods is something to be approached with caution. Often the knowledgeable buyer can spot a fake a mile away simply because the item has clearly never been made, but with TAG's propensity for making special versions of otherwise standard watches (slightly modified dials for sale in specific markets, with fish, playing cards or city skylines spring immediately to mind) and not really telling anyone about it, sometimes one needs to do a little research to clarify the authenticity of the piece.
And then there are the real gems, watches so unbelievably bad that they are hilarious. Here then is one of those watches. At first it just looks wrong, but the more you look at it the more wrong it becomes...
The copper dial is unusual, but on it's own, not enough to be dismissed out of hand, but the green applied markers, look all kind of wrong. Then there's the bezel, it looks like it's made of pewter or possibly plasticine. Then there's the whole 'striaghtness', or rather lack of it. Sure the bezel isn't centered, but the whole dial is wonky.
Then there's the bracelet and clasp... how long is that thing?
And look at the thickness of those links, truly exceptional workmanship...
I must admit, normally I'm the first to hit the 'Report' button (not that it always does any good), especially when I see something I fear might be good enough to trick the unwary out of serious money. But this is so bad, I simply couldn't be bothered... not only is it obviously fake, but it's hideous, and frankly anyone who finds this attractive in any way at all deserves to lose their money. Mind you I can't see it climbing too much from it's £5.99 asking price anyway, which in itself should be a red flag!
Sunday, 4 February 2018
Saturday, 3 February 2018
FEATURE: Why This Pic Could Lead to my Next Purchase...
A friend of mine forwarded an article to me the other day, which led to me reading through a lot of TAG related articles on WatchPro Site and ultimately corresponding with a great guy there called Todd. Todd sent me this photo of his 100th and 101st Daytona 500 Carrera Heuer 01s, and what a lovely pair of watches they are!
While I'm not likely to purchase a Daytona 500 model, this is a good comparison between the original Heuer 01 and the newer 'Drive Timer' version. The key differences of course are the Arabic numerals, the ceramic bezel and the leather strap and it's interesting to note how these details change the overall look of the piece.
And there's the rub, because as you collect more watches you become aware that you don't really want to buy pieces that are too similar in appearance to the ones you already have, but here with the changes they've made I think these two, though undeniably similar, are distinct enough to make it worth owning both.
This does put me in a bit of a quandary in a way, because equally I could get a Red Bull Drive Timer, which is steel and blue and so looks more 'different', but... I really like black and red, so that's a tough choice to make. Thankfully I don't have the cash available as yet to put me in the position to choose, and of course there's plenty of time for something else to crop up (and that new Formula 1 is certainly tempting), especially as Baselworld is starting very soon.
The other option, as I mentioned the other day, could be the Heuer01 with the gold lugs and hour markers, but that's a fair bit more expensive again...
Friday, 2 February 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Ladies Quartz Formula One Range for 2018
WBJ1312.FC8231 WBJ1311.BA0666 WBJ1317.FC8230 WBJ1416.BA0664 WBJ1411.FC8232
These are the new ladies Formula One quartz watches for 2018. Available in a combination of 32 and 35mm sizes, these represent a distinct modernising of the women's range with what appear to be Panerai style sandwich dials on some of the pieces.
I think the pick of the bunch here is definitely the steel and blue model, and for my money the steel and blue with the bracelet and diamond bezel. I think the least successful would be the black one, it seems a bit anonymous apart from the gold hands and diamond indices, the case just seems to disappear into the background, but maybe it will look better on the wrist and in natural light. Perhaps it's just that it looks like a less exciting version of the black Lady Link that came out recently?
Prices start at £850 for the leather strap models which seems like a good value price point to me.
Thursday, 1 February 2018
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula One Chronograph Quartz in Red/Black
CAZ101E.BA0842
Just browsing the TAG Heuer website and came across this lovely new quartz Formula One piece, while basically a simple colour variation on the blue and white 'Red Bull', I think this is a welcome addition to the range and is available on both a steel bracelet and the now ubiquitous NATO strap.
CAZ101E.FC8228
Sizing on these watches is 43mm and the bracelet retails for £1200 exactly, while the NATO version is a little cheaper at £1050. Both watches are rated to 200m, and obviously feature aluminium bezels (nobody should really be expecting ceramic at these prices).
I am still rather taken by the Red Bull model and if one came along at the right price (on a bracelet) I might be inclined to add it to my collection, failing that... this might be a nice alternative.
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