ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquracer 500M Gold Bezel

WAJ2150.FT6015

TAG Heuer Boutique / York, 21st July 2018

Essentially the same as the watch I reviewed before, this one differs due to it's steel case construction, rather than the PVD coated titanium of the WAJ2182. Doubtless there would have been a cost saving for the steel version, but when you're talking about a watch with a solid 18k rose gold bezel and a list price of over £4000 for a three handed automatic, that's rather academic.

So it really comes down to personal preference and I can say with absolute clarity that I think the WAJ2182 is by far the better design. The great thing about the PVD version is the contrast and the way the case sets off the gold bezel. With the steel case the effect is a lot more muted and not nearly as dramatic. Plus, to me the black case brings out the 'goldness' of the bezel, whereas with the steel it looks more of a 'dirty' gold, if that makes sense?

But then not everybody likes PVD watches, they are less hard wearing than steel and difficult and costly to repair if they get badly scratched, and one thing that this one does have over the WAJ2182 is the crown. This one has a steel crown whereas the one on the black version is made of rubber. On the face of it that's not a terrible idea, but it's not executed quite as well as on some later watches (for example the original Heuer 01 Carreras), but that's not enough to change my mind I'm afraid. It's not that I don't appreciate 'two-tone' watches, but this one misses the mark. Maybe this one would look better on a bracelet? 

WAJ2150.BA0870

Ah well, what do you know, they actually made it on a bracelet and to these eyes it looks a lot better. I'm still not sold on it, but it definitely works better than on the rubber, I just think it looks more cohesive on the bracelet. I don't think the rubber looks like it goes with the steel case / gold bezel combo, where it fits in with the PVD case rather well. But then again, on the bracelet I'd do away with the gold bezel and save myself a ton of money, so... yeah. This one isn't working for me I'm afraid!

As it happens, last time I was over at the Bicester outlet, they had both watches side by side in the cabinet. There's a good chance they still have them, though from what I understand business has been brisk lately so you might want to check before making a journey. Some pretty substantial savings to be had on these as well, which makes them both a lot more attractive!