CJF7111.BA0587
TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 16th July 2018
The last few times I've been to Bicester there's been two Links sitting side by side in the cabinet. They look identical, but their prices differ by a rather surprising £400! So every time I go in there I look at these two Links and try and work out why one is more expensive than the other, but never really got to the bottom of it. There was a theory that the bracelets were different, one might be chunkier than the other, but on closer inspection I really couldn't see an appreciable difference. Indeed I couldn't tell them apart. Interestingly, they have exactly the same part number on the back, with no suffix to denote a change... so, what can the reason be?
Well, when you get the two watches close together and you hold them up to the light you realise that the dials are a slightly different colour. You see how the one at the top of the page looks silvery-white, and the one above looks sort of more like a gold/biege tint? Well that's not entirely a trick of the photograph, that is reality... although you'd be hard pushed to notice it.
So apparently, at some point TAG changed the dial colour slightly but didn't change the nomenclature, which is why you end up with two watches with the same part number but different prices. Interestingly, the older watch is the more expensive, not because the dial is more attractive, but because the prices are based on discounts off the original list prices and when they changed the dial they also dropped the price. I'm guessing perhaps the Calibre S models weren't selling as well as they'd hoped and they were trying to shift them by making the pricing more attractive...?
For your information, the less expensive Link Calibre S is available for £2085, a considerable saving over the original price which was £3000+ if I remember correctly. The other one, as I said, is £400 more, but still a good bit cheaper than the original list price. Unfortunately I can't remember whether the later (cheaper) one was the gold tint dial or the silvery-white one... it was all very confusing, believe me!
On the wrist it wears a little smaller than you'd expect for a 42mm, it definitely felt a lot smaller than my 43mm Aquaracer, but then the design is a lot sleeker and it's entirely appropriate for a dressier watch. I'm a fan of the Calibre S, but somehow the watch didn't really excite me very much. I love the bracelet, I have to get either a Link or a different watch with the Link bracelet because it is fantastic... but overall this one just didn't really do it for me, and that was a surprise because I thought if anything the Calibre S was one I'd most likely get on board with. But no, sadly this was very underwhelming. I don't know if it's because I'm used to seeing the Calibre S dial with a yellow background and this one came across as a bit 'safe' in comparison, but whatever it was, it just didn't give me that feeling.
It's not very often you find a watch that is overshadowed by it's own bracelet, but generally the Link range continues to appear very 'safe' and 'unexciting'... and yet it has such a gorgeous bracelet that you can't help wanting one all the same. It's quite frustrating to say the least... maybe, ultimately the answer is to stump up for a Calibre 16 with a nice pinstriped face?
CAT2010.BA0952
It's a possibility, but the problem is for that kind of money I can think of about ten watches I'd rather buy. If you do fancy one of these CJF7111 Links though, bear in mind the bezel is very highly polished, so check the condition before you buy pre-owned. If you want a nice clean one, but you want to save yourself a good chunk of money, the outlets (like the one at Bicester Village) would be an excellent place to start and you also get a two year warranty, no matter how old the watch is when sold - which is especially good for automatics and a complicated quartz movement like the Calibre-S.
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