CAV518H.FC6273
Ah, the Grand Carrera... something just keeps pulling me back to it, and this one is pretty cool it must be said. Released in the UK only, this one was limited to just 150 pieces and as such it's no surprise that I've never actually see one. Oddly enough, a quick Google tells me that Watchfinder actually have one in stock, and unusually it doesn't look like it's been worn as a beater by a pig farmer. Seriously, every time I've seen one of these on eBay (which isn't often to be fair) it looks like its had a very hard life, so it's intriguing that they have what looks like a decent piece available.
That said, I'm a trifle confused by it, as the watch shown clearly has a grey second hand and text on the bezel when it should be bright blue. What's up with that? The strap should also have blue stitching, so I don't know what's going on there, but they're asking £3650 for it so I'd want to know! It's a shame because I really like the blue highlights, it makes a nice change from the standard red or yellow, and aside from a little damage around the bottom lugs it looks surprisingly well preserved.
But then again, the Grand Carrera is a 'difficult' watch. I used to really love the PVD case ones, especially the caliper models, but now when I see them I don't really feel the same about them. I actually prefer the steel versions, in particular the chronograph versions with brown, blue and black dials, albeit it the blue dial version is a Japan only 500 piece limited edition, so not much chance of finding one of those.
It's a bit of a shame the watch doesn't have a PVD clasp as silver clasps on black watches is something of a pet hate of mine, not that I have the means to buy one of these at the moment, and anyway, I'd have to think long and hard about investing in another Grand Carrera after my unfortunate experience with the Calibre 8 GMT (barely wore it, sold it within a year and lost a load of cash).
Oddly enough, here's another one that looks grey, maybe it's just the photographs then? It looks pretty neat on that perforated rubber strap though. This one sold for £2650, which is a bit more like it, although again there's some damage to the coating on the case, which would surely bug me.
The Grand Carreras are aptly named, at 43mm they are big on the wrist, bigger than a 43mm Aquaracer I would say, and some of the ones I've seen have rather shaky dials, which again is something to check before buying. I really would like another Grand Carrera, but I think it's going to take some time for me to pick the exact one because they really aren't all that affordable, considering they're not exactly the top of the TAG Heuer tree and definitely don't have anything like the cache of the Monaco or the standard Carrera.
Well, I'll keep looking, maybe one day I'll find the perfect one. Probably when I least expect it!
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