ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carreras at Bicester Village

CAR201P.BA0766                     CAR201U.BA0766

TAG Heuer Outlet / Bicester Village, 4th December 2019

More of a 'Duel' post than an 'On the Wrist' perhaps, here we have two watches which are for the most part identical, but with two very different aesthetic finishes. Concentrating on the similarities first, both of these are 43mm and are powered by the outgoing Heuer 01 movement which features a 40 hour power reserve and a balance frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Both come on the same brushed steel bracelet (with polished mini centre links) with push button clasp; neither of which feature micro adjustment holes incidentally. Both dials feature the exposed 'skeleton' movement, with red highlights on the chronograph second, minute and hour hands; they also feature steel pushers with red and black highlights, a sapphire crystal coated with anti-reflective material on both sides and a sapphire display caseback.

CAR201P.BA0766

Material differences then are hard to find, indeed there's really only two areas where these watches diverge; the first and most obvious being the bezel and the second being the background colour on the skeleton dial. The CAR201P features a nominally 'black' dial alongside (as if you haven't already noticed) a diamond-set bezel containing 152 stones, all of which combine to weigh more than 1 carat. 

This is clearly not a watch for a shy, retiring type... and perhaps nor is it a watch for someone of my vintage. I'm sure this would appeal to a younger guy, with perfectly sculpted hair and a white denim jacket (customised of course) and trainers that cost nearly as much as his watches... but actually this does appeal to me, I just don't know if I would feel comfortable wearing it (at my age)!

I must say the diamonds seem very well set and are very smooth to the touch (a rough feel is a dead giveaway for aftermarket diamond settings apparently) and they look fantastic; it's quite surprising how much they alter the overall look of the watch compared to their effect on say a diamond bezel Grand Carrera.

At £7795 the watch would be a bit of a non-starter for me, but here at Bicester Village this watch is currently retailing for a much more pocket friendly £3800, which really puts a rather different complexion on it; especially when you consider the inherent value of the diamonds...

CAR201U.BA0766

But of course, this being an outlet the CAR208P is still relatively expensive in comparison to the other Heuer 01 models which are also heavily discounted at the moment, and this 'brown' CAR201U is rather an attractive proposition itself at £2155 (RRP £4400, so more than a 50% saving!). This model represents an altogether more sober aesthetic and it certainly makes for a pleasingly subtle alternative to the regular black model we've all become familiar with over the last three years.

Perhaps 'duelling' these two pieces is a tad 'redumbnant' as I would have thought they are unlikely to appeal the same buyer, and yet... they both appeal to me. I did rather like the very dark brown dial Grand Carrera chronograph I tried on last year in the York outlet (which has since closed) and this one has a similar feel to it; particularly that at first glance you could think it was black, but on closer inspection the brown gives it a warmer overall tone. 

Would I swap my black Heuer 01 for this one? No I don't think so, but if I did I think I would take it on the brown leather strap instead of the bracelet. I've said many times that I'm not a fan of the Heuer 01 on a bracelet, I just don't think the lugs work with it. It's almost like they designed the lugs to work with the contoured rubber strap that the watch was originally launched with and then when it came to fit the bracelet it was a case of 'that will have to do'. It's a shame because there's nothing wrong with the bracelet itself, but without the rubber or leather straps to soften and blend the transition from one to another it still looks awfully clunky to me.

Cards on the table then, which would I buy? I appreciate the subtle charms of the CAR201U for sure, but ultimately I don't think I'd necessarily wear it that often. I'm sure I wouldn't wear the CAR201P too often either, but I get the feeling that when I did I would really enjoy the experience, so for that reason I think I'm going to plump for the bling on this occasion.