WAB1112.BA0801
A few weeks ago I bought a few 'Dealer Catalogues' from eBay and a watch that caught my eye in there was this WAB1112. Prior to this I hadn't really had much exposure to this style of Aquaracer, the only ones I'd seen before were the McLaren/Alonso/Hamilton and the China Team Regatta limited edition Calibre S models that I had seen and tried on at Bicester Village. This one caught my attention firstly because of the yellow second hand and secondly because in the catalogue I bought this was actually described as a 2000: Aquaracer, rather than an Aquaracer. So it seems that in the same way the Aquagraph started life as the 2000: Aquagraph, this watch started as a model in one series before becoming the first in a series of it's own right.
Looking around it seemed the cheapest you could pick this watch up for was £7-800, which seemed a little bit excessive to me, but eventually I managed to find an immaculate piece which was bidding under £500. I had to go to £570 to secure it, but I did get full box and papers and warranty card (stamped 'Bicester Village 2009' oddly enough) so I can't grumble about that. It was a bit of a gamble because the seller only put a few not terribly brilliant photos up and none of the back. Once I saw the back I felt a lot more at ease as it is very similar to the back of my Aqugraph and something I don't think a faker would bother with replicating.
The bracelet does feel a bit tinny and cheap, but no different to the CAF1112 I just sold, and it also has the pressed clasp in common with that watch, which is a shame, but it does the job I guess. I like the simplicity of the watch and for me I kind of think of it as the 'classic' diver in my collection. It reminds me a little of the Tudor Black Bay, especially when the light catches the bezel markings. That may make some people furrow their brows but when you look at the watch in the context of my collection, in comparison to my other divers it is very much more 'classic' in style.
The WAB1112 arrived within days of the CAF1112 leaving the house which gave me a very narrow window of opportunity to get a few pictures of them side by side. For some reason both watches look like they have black dials in this picture, but I can assure you they are both blue. So in essence I've traded one blue Aquaracer for another (albeit with the added bonus of about £100 cashback) and I have to say I don't have any regrets. I'm a little undecided about this new addition to the stable, I like it right enough... but it is a little out of my 'comfort zone' if you like, so I think I'll have to see how it goes. I definitely prefer it to the CAF1112 though, that's a watch I genuinely shouldn't have bought in the first place. Unfortunately, watch collecting isn't an exact science and along the way you have to accept there will be some (relatively costly) mistakes and this is one of them.
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