SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer 1000 Series Diver 980.913N

980.913N

Way back when I started my gallery blog, I spent many an hour trawling through websites and catalogues trying to find as many TAGs as possible, and one which caught my eye at the time was this beautiful red bezel, red dial 1000 Series diver. 

Not that I've been seriously looking, but I've not come across one of these since, until a week or so ago when one came up on eBay. All these photographs are from the listing for that watch which eventually sold for a tidy £800. 

I contacted the owner (Terry) because there was no mention of size, and I was really hoping it would be at least 40mm... Terry kindly sent me a couple of pictures of the watch next to a rule, but these only confirmed my fears that the watch was a little on the small side for my 7.75" wrist. It looks to be about 36mm to me, much too small for me unfortunately. 38mm really is my absolute limit. I must admit I was a little bit gutted.

Overall the watch looks in great condition, but there are a couple of places where there is some wear, the most noticeable of these being just above the bezel on the top left lug. I think I could have got over that if the watch had been 40mm, but sadly it seems like this is one of those watches I will have to admire from afar.

Terry owned the watch from new, he bought it in August 1991 from Mappin & Webb in Selfridges, London. The watch was sold with the original boxes, booklets and the receipt. It also came with the full original bracelet (including spare links) and Terry says the watch has never been touched save for battery changes (done by TAG stockists, and while he worked in London, at Harrods).

The watch also came with a 95 page TAG Heuer catalogue from the period which showed the watch, which is always a nice thing to have. Terry said he had considered selling the catalogue separately, and I kind of wished he had because I would definitely have been interested in that, but in the end he decided to include it in the watch sale, which is fair enough I guess.

I never asked Terry how much he originally paid for the watch, I notice he photographed the receipt but framed it so the price wasn't visible. Thinking about it, it's entirely possible that he might have owned the watch for 26 years and then sold the watch for more than he paid for it, if so what a result!

But at the same time I think £800 is a result for the buyer too, as they are getting a rare and beautiful early TAG Heuer 200m diver for less than the price of a modern Formula One quartz.