ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph

CAV5186.FC6304

TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 11th March 2019

Not the first time I've tried on this particular Grand Carrera I'm sure, but it still can't fail to catch my eye... you really can't go wrong with that colour scheme, can you? This particular Grand Carrera features TAG Heuer's complicated but effective 'caliper' system which allows you to read off recorded time to one tenth of a second, eventually. I say eventually, because it's not a quick process and so it's not going to be usable for quickly repeated timings, but for one off measurements, it's fine.

I've posted a video before which tells you how to use the caliper system and I will re-post it here for your perusal. As you will see, it's not exactly user friendly, but then I doubt many people will ever actually use it anyway, so does it actually matter? That's for you to decide.

Whether you like it or not, the caliper system definitely adds to the Grand Carrera's unique look, especially with the Cotes de Geneve striping on the plate in the middle of the dial. I must admit I don't know what that part is actually for, or why it is on top of the dial. I suspect it's more for decoration than for any practical purpose, or at least any practical purpose that couldn't have been achieved in a more conventional manner. Still, it looks pretty cool  and that's a good enough reason for it to be there I guess!

I think this is one of, if not my absolute favourite of the 'black' Grand Carreras, I really love the yellow highlights and the yellow stitched alligator strap sets it off perfectly. As you'd expect these come with a deployment clasp, albeit it is not coated, which I find a shame and as I've said before a bit of a pet hate of mine. The yellow backing on the strap is a nice touch as well and as with all Grand Carreras you get the usual split display window allowing you to see (some of) the Calibre 36RS movement. 

So we've established that I like this one, but of course there is a sticking point, and sadly that is the price. The list price for this one is a whopping £8900, and even with a generous 35% being offered in the outlets these still come out at £5790, which is a lot of money. But then, you are getting an El Primerio movement and a very unique looking watch from a big name Swiss manufacturer. Personally I think this is the sort of watch that's bought with the heart rather than the head, because logically it doesn't really make sense when you think what else that money could buy you, but if you see it and just love it (and you can afford it), then does it matter? 

As with all these coated Grand Carreras finding minty pre-owned pieces seems to be like finding a needle in a haystack, so given the discount on offer the outlet is probably your best option... and of course you also get your two year warranty, which is worth having on a movement like this for sure.