ON THE WRIST: Two Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5's Go Head to Head

WAK2110.FT6027

TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 13th December 2018

I've been to Bicester so many times recently that looking around the shop it's hard to avoid a sense of deja-vu... after all the stock can only change so much in the space of a few weeks. But then my eyes fell on a pair of Aquaracers and I realised with glee that I hadn't tried either of them on!

So first up we have the ceramic bezel, steel case version of the Calibre 5 500M Aquaracer and what a lovely watch it is. On the face of it the design is fairly plain, but the horizontal slatting on the dial gives it just enough texture to keep the interest going. I do think if this had a flat black dial it would be a little dull, but as it is this really works. Perhaps I'm a little more open to a black dial than I was a few months ago, at one point my collection seemed to be overrun with them but now that I have added a few silver and grey pieces things are a little different.

I will admit though, it doesn't come over as well in the photographs as as it does on the wrist, indeed I showed my wife the picture above and she didn't look overly impressed... but when you've actually got it on it definitely has a charm to it. The bezel appears fairly narrow compared to most Aquaracers, but that's really a trick of the design. Yes the ceramic insert is fairly narrow, but the steel bezel as a whole is probably no different than any other similar model. One thing you might not notice at first glance is the 'over-riders' on the edges, which catch the light and create interest - although I am slightly worried what else they might catch...

The watch is supplied on a rubber strap which looks an awful lot like the one I ordered for my yellow dial Calibre S Aquaracer, but here instead of a pin and buckle the band is fastened with a nicely machined steel clasp. I am a little nervous about the clasp as I seem to have issues with clasps like this digging into me, but if the worst came to the worst I could always swap it with the one on my Calibre S and put that back on its bracelet. 

Inside the watch we have the regular Calibre 5 automatic movement, and on the back (as you'd probably expect with a 500M diver) you get the usual 'diving helmet' engraved caseback found on the majority of Aquaracers. 

Full disclosure, I tried this on for the purposes of writing this post, I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did... in fact I was half tempted to put this on my credit card, but since I've already bought way too many watches this year I had to reign it in. 

WAK2111.BA0830

For sure, this Aquaracer is way more eye catching in the first instance and it looks great on the steel bracelet, but is it a bit much? I guess it depends how you feel about the colour blue, because this is not a subtle watch. It kind of reminds me of the blue Tudor Pelagos, another watch which is a bit 'Marmite', but strangely, if you'd like something a bit less 'in your face' you may be in luck...

The confusion of the WAK2111, which blue will you get?

Unusually, for some reason there are two pretty different tones of blue available, both of which are designated as being WAK2111. This is peculiar to say the least and something to bear in mind should you be tempted to mail order this watch without seeing it. No one seems to know exactly why this is the case, it's just one of those things... one assumes that at some point the colour was revamped but the number wasn't altered to suit. While it's true that they are both blue, the difference is quite noticeable and gives the watch a totally different feel.

To me the one on the left brings to mind the Omega Seamaster, whereas the one I tried on is definitely more akin to the Rolex Submariner 'bluesy'. Generally speaking both the WAK2110 and the WAK2111 are pretty similar, with both measuring 41mm across the diameter (the ideal size for these designs I would say) and both sporting the same movement, dial and ceramic bezel, so it's noteable quite how different they come across.

Speaking of the bezel, while I have double checked and confirmed that the bezel is indeed ceramic, I must say it really doesn't look like it. While the WAK2110 has a high polish finish, this one looks almost 'brushed', which is probably a good thing overall, since the watch is probably bold enough as it is without a gleaming slice of ceramic circling the dial. The other benefit of that of course is that with this one you won't be constantly wiping fingerprints off the bezel, which is my one other worry about the black version.

Overall, these are a nice pair of watches which wear well and would look good with a wide variety of outfits, but whether you'd want the blue as your only watch is open to debate. Personally I'd be interested to see a WAK2110.BA0830 as it would offer the best of both worlds, especially if you were looking to purchase a watch to be your sole everyday time piece.


PRICES

Currently both of these watches are available at the TAG Heuer outlet in Bicester Village at the following discounted prices...

WAK2110.FT6027 - Black Dial, Ceramic Bezel & Rubber Strap - £1495 (RRP: £2300)

WAK2111.BA0830 - Blue Dial, Ceramic Bezel and Bracelet - £1495 (RRP:£2300)