SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Bicester Village Winter Offer (Available Until 9th February)

CALL THE STORE: 01869 249008

Until the 9th of February at TAG Heuer Bicester Village you can get a great deal on a selection of timepieces AND get a free gift. Unfortunately, I don't know what the free gift is, maybe there's a choice? Best way to find out is to visit the store:

TAG HEUER CARRERA HEUER 01 CHRONOGRAPH

CAR201W.FT6095

LIST PRICE: £4295

USUAL OUTLET PRICE: £3005

SPECIAL OFFER PRICE: £2577 + GIFT*

TAG HEUER CARRERA HEUER O1 CHRONOGRAPH

CAR201Z.BA0714

LIST PRICE: £4295

USUAL OUTLET PRICE: £3005

SPECIAL OFFER PRICE: £2577 + GIFT*

TAG HEUER CARRERA HEUER 01 (TITANIUM) CHRONOGRAPH

CAR208Z.BF0719

LIST PRICE: £4795

USUAL OUTLET PRICE: £3355

SPECIAL OFFER PRICE: £2877 + GIFT*

TAG HEUER CARRERA CALIBRE 5 AUTOMATIC

WAR215F.BD0783

LIST PRICE: £4050

USUAL OUTLET PRICE:£2835

SPECIAL OFFER PRICE: £2025 + GIFT*

*NB - Gifts are available while gift stock lasts!

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Link 'Searacer' Regatta Chronograph

VIDEO: Heuer Calculator by Lovejoy Antiques, Jewelry and Watches

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Heuer: The Haslinger Collection / Bonhams Auction Hardback Catalogue

Admittedly my focus here is largely on the 'TAG Heuer' era (ie 1986 onwards), but with so much of the range rooted in historical models I can't help but have a passing interest in the Heuer era as well, even if a lot of it doesn't really appeal to me all that much.

But maybe that could change... this book is certainly a convincing place to start, featuring as it does a plethora of models including some that I actually like already such as the Jo Siffert Autavia.

The book was printed in 2010, has very nearly 200 pages and a hard cover (which is in excellent condition), I don't know if it's normal to print such a book as an auction catalogue, it seems an awfully expensive way to go, I would have assumed it would more likely be a paperback, but it seems no expense has been spared here with each watch getting its own double page spread and forewords from both Arno Haslinger and Jack Heuer.

One thing which is interesting is the guide prices, which seem awfully low considering the provenance of the pieces sold in this auction; but then in the last ten years Heuer prices have risen considerably. If only we knew then what we know now... anyway, I can't help thinking that in this instance the old adage 'show don't tell' applies, so here you are...

This is a fantastic book and I'm sure some of you are salivating at the prospect of finding one of these for your own book shelf. Surprisingly, it does seem like there are some about, there's one on eBay currently for a very reasonable £35, but if you are prepared to wait and hunt one out, or as I did - stumble across one by accident, you might be able to get yourself a bargain. I watched this for a few days on eBay at £15 and eventually bid £33 for it, but secured the lot for just £17, which I think really has to be the best £17 I've ever spent.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Pilot Quartz Chronograph

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Quartz Watch

WAY1112.BA0928

TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 24th January 2020

My first visit to Bicester Village since the decade turned to the '20s' and the stock remains largely unchanged from when I visited in December. January isn't a great time for Bicester Village in general I don't think, since the Christmas rush has been and gone and not too many people are looking to spend time shopping for luxury items. This caught my eye though, a nice simple everyday kinda Aquaracer with a pleasing blue dial.

If you wanted to design a 'mass-appeal' watch you couldn't really do much better than this. It's comfortably sized at 40.5mm (and you really can tell the difference from those big 43mm Aquaracers, believe me), and manages to walk the thin line between simple and uncluttered without falling into 'bland' territory.

Admittedly this probably isn't a watch that I'd buy, but this kind of watch isn't really aimed at the collector type. This is the kind of watch the big boys (Ernest Jones, Goldsmiths, etc) love to fill their windows with because it's attractive (that blue dial is sure to snag it some admiring glances), unfussy and best of all great value.

It's not the kind of watch that it's easy to wax lyrical about, it's largely a case here of what you see is what you get. A split dial with a simply textured outer ring and a smooth centre piece, lumed 'baton' hour markers with a triangular marker at the '12' position, a contrasting date and 300M of water resistance on a stainless steel bracelet with a rotating dive bezel. It really is as simple as that.

But sometimes less can be more and on the wrist this one definitely has a certain appeal. Personally it is a little too simple for me, I'd probably choose a chronograph even though it will cost more and I'll never use it... but this will make a great everyday watch for someone who perhaps wants to move up to a Swiss made watch but doesn't want to break the bank. It makes a nice affordable alternative to the AP Royal Oak as well, I'm sure it's no accident that the bezel looks the way it does...

List price for this piece is £1295, but here at Bicester Village you can pick this up with a two-year warranty for just £905; which means you can have this on your wrist for a good chunk less than an entry-level Formula 1!

TAG Heuer Bicester Village 01869 249008

Watch iReviewWatches video on this watch HERE

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Exclusive Quartz Watch

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Ile de Pins' Limited Edition by The Ambitious Peasant

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Carrera Panamerica Quartz Special Edition

CV1A10.BD0799

When I first clapped eyes on the CV1A10 Carrera, I was struck that it looked 'wrong' somehow... perhaps you have the same feeling? It took me a little while to figure it out, but then I noticed the 1/10 of a second counter at the 2:30 position... wait, what... is this quartz? - and if so, is this fake? Well, it is quartz, but no it isn't fake. This is a rare beast indeed, a genuine 'quartz' Carrera chronograph.

Now, let's be clear, the CV1A10 isn't the only 'quartz' Carrera, there was also a quartz (well, technically 'electro-mechanical') Calibre S a few years back, but that was a completely different proposition and immediately recognisable due to it's unique dial layout and functionality; this is a completely different animal, a quartz Carrera that on first glance could pass for a regular automatic. 

Ostensibly, I don't have a problem with the idea of a quartz Carrera. In fact I'm all for it, I was quite excited when the quartz Monaco came out a couple of years ago and I probably would have bought one were it not for the fact that it was too small (37mm) and too feminine looking for me; but I'm sure this 'battery-powered' Carrera isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea...

This one is labelled the 'Panamericana Special Edition' and it only really seems to be freely available in the United States (it appears on TAGHeuer.com but not TAGHeuer.co.uk, nor the Swiss or Brazilian sites), where it is currently priced at $2900. Which means you can have a full size, proper looking Carrera on your wrist for about £2200 without even going grey market or pre-owned, and that's got to have a certain appeal.

From what I can gather, this model was launched in 2015, so I'm not sure if this is something that's into it's last days and TAGHeuer.com are still selling off the balance of the stock, or if it's an ongoing model, I would suspect it's probably the former. I have seen another (rather nicer, if I'm 100% honest) Carrera Panamerican which has the Calibre 1887 movement and red rings on the subdials, but I can't find out if that's an older or a newer model (in fact I'm struggling to find out anything much about it at all - there's two images on Google Images which lead absolutely nowhere and that's about it). There was another Calibre 1887 Carrera Panamericana that had silver subdials that came out in 2013, so I suspect the one with the red subdials is probably later...

I like the price, but there's something about this to me that still doesn't look quite right, it almost looks like a fake that's very close but not quite there and I can't explain quite why that is. Maybe once you've seen that 1/10th of second subdial it niggles you every time you look at it? The dial looks particularly 'flat' as well, but I can only go off the pictures I have seen, maybe it looks better up close?

(EDIT: Another reason that's 'obvious now I think about it' is the dial layout; we're so used to seeing Calibre 16 Carreras with the 6-9-12 subdial pattern that this immediately throws you off.)

Still, if you're the sort of person whose lifestyle doesn't really lend itself to wearing an automatic, or if you just prefer the simplicity of a quartz movement but you crave the Carrera experience... at least there's something out there for you. Personally I'd probably plump for the Calibre S, mainly because it's more unusual looking but also because that movement is incredible and you'll never get tired of playing with it. Admittedly though, I suspect the price would be a good bit higher... and finding one 'new' might be a bit of a struggle.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Kirium Ladies Quartz Watch

VIDEO: Heuer Calculator by The Watch Kitty

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Rubber Strap for the Aquagraph

FT8001

When I bought my Aquagraph from Bicester Village back in 2013/2014 it was being sold in a normal box and on a bracelet, but as I now know, originally it was also available in a cool box with the three part rubber strap and buckle. I've long thought about picking up the rubber strap for it, but was scared off by the prices on eBay which suggested it was somewhere north of £250. But in recent times I've come to realise that if you want to know the genuine price of a TAG Heuer strap then the best people to ask are TAG Heuer; this one actually costs £115... it almost makes you think you might want to list them yourself on eBay and when you get a sale, order one in! Now there's an idea... (just kidding).

So yes, I've dallied with this idea for a good few years now, but it wasn't until last year when I visited Bicester Village and saw a NOS Aquagraph on a rubber strap that the idea really started to gather momentum. It looked pretty damned good, and I knew it would cut down some of the excessive weight of the Aquagraph. 

Not my actual watch

So Christmas rolled around again, and I knew the dreaded 'what do you want for Christmas' question would rear it's head once more ('dreaded' because at my age I don't really need anything and everything I want is 'watch-shaped' and costs way too much money) and for once the light went on in my head before Christmas rather an afterwards!

I ordered the strap from the TAG Heuer boutique and it came much quicker than I expected, I couldn't get over for a few days but when I did it was a relatively quick fit, much quicker than the Mutligraph, perhaps because it has drilled lugs to facilitate a quick changeover?

The rubber strap really changes the look of the watch and makes it a much more practical proposition. Not only does the bracelet add a lot of weight to an already heavy watch, but it's also not very flexible, it has no micro adjustment and the best fit you can get depends on a half link instead. I found the watch was often tight on the wrist and even when it was a good fit, in warm weather it often became uncomfortable. Admittedly I haven't had chance to wear it much since Christmas, but the rubber strap definitely gives you that bit more flexibility.

Not my actual watch

Speaking of flexibility, this rubber strap is very unusual in that it has an 'end link' which gives a great fit on the wrist and allows a slightly better angle off the case. I really like this strap, it looks really nice and has the TAG Heuer logo imprinted in it along with some markings, not really quite sure if they have a practical purpose or not - maybe they are something to do with diving, as this is after all a hardcore diving watch.

Before I bought this strap I usually only really wore the Aquagraph in the winter, but now I can see me wearing this more in the summer with a T-shirt and jeans. Perhaps I will switch it back onto the bracelet next winter for a change, that should help keep it fresh. It's hard to say which I prefer, it looks great on both the bracelet and the strap, perhaps the bracelet 'looks' better but it's definitely more comfortable to wear on the rubber so far.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer S/EL Quartz Chronograph

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Nanograph' Limited Edition by WatchBox Studios

OWNED: Seiko SNDE03P1 Quartz Chronograph

SNDE03P1

Pretty sure you weren't expecting this, right? Well, as it happens this past weekend I bought a Seiko wall clock, a fairly plain affair albeit with a rather nice textured dial that looks a bit like frost. Not quite to the level of the Grand Seiko 'Snowflake' you understand, but then it only cost £27.50 so you can't expect miracles! Anyway, this got me thinking about my last non TAG Heuer wristwatch...

As you probably know by now (if you've been reading my blog for a while) my TAG Heuer fixation didn't really kick off until 2016 when I bought my Carrera Heuer 01 and crucially (the same weekend) a pre-owned Formula 1 off eBay. But leading up to this I had worn a very 'TAG Heuer Carrera-ish' Citizen, a Breil and latterly (once I split the bracelet on both of those!) this Seiko SNDE03P1.

I must have bought this in the very early months of 2016, because I know I only had it for about six months. Once I bought the Formula 1 I took the decision to cut all non-TAG Heuer watches out of my life and sold this one on eBay. This wasn't quite the philosophical statement it might sound, it was more that by this point I had four TAG Heuer watches and I needed to start wearing at least one of them every day instead of keeping all four 'for best'.

This was a crucial stage in my watch collecting development actually, as I had to force myself to wear an 'expensive' watch everyday and get used to the idea that it was okay to do so. This helped me enormously in the long run and I now wear all but my automatics and my Microtimer on a daily basis. This might sound a bit daft, but four years ago the idea of wearing a £1000+ wristwatch to work was completely alien to me.

My Briel was a titanium Ducati model with a carbon fibre dial and that was an attempt to step up my watch game a bit, from memory I believe it cost me about £350... I took it back to get a quote to repair the bracelet and replace the curved crystal which had a scratch in it, this came in at £180 and it was about then that I realised that £2-500 tier watches were perhaps not the best way to go.

I decided that it would be far better to invest that £180 in a new watch (and believe it or not I actually managed to get about £80 for the Breil on eBay even with a broken bracelet and a scratched glass). I toyed with the idea of stepping up further, but then made the mistake of 'settling' for this blue dial Seiko.

I guess you can see why it appealed to me; blue rubber strap, metallic blue dial with orange highlights, dive bezel, oversized 45mm case, 6-9-12 chronograph... on paper it seems perfect, but owning this watch was definitely not a rewarding experience. In fact almost as soon as I'd bought it it felt like a mistake, but I persevered...

Obviously it's a few years ago now, but I do remember that the watch was very top-heavy. It seemed to rattle around on my wrist an awful lot, something I've never experienced with any of my TAG Heuers it must be said! And after a few months the watch started doing some weird things that necessitated a return to the service centre. So actually, that six month period was more like five because the watch was away for 3-4 weeks and I kind of remember being vaguely disappointed when it came back that they'd managed to fix it.

After this I really took against it and once the Carrera and the F1 were in the house it was only a matter of time, I think I received the Formula 1 on the Monday and the Seiko was on eBay by the end of the week. It didn't sell easily either, I eventually managed to salvage just £45 of my original £160 investment, so it didn't even hold it's value. So much for the mighty Seiko... ;)

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Exclusive Quartz Chronograph

FEATURE: The Exit Watch, What an Awful Idea!

The other day I came across an article which discussed the newly minted phenomena of the 'Exit' watch. Apparently the previous term 'grail' watch has become so overused, tarnished and generally devalued that a new concept was necessary to take it's place. The 'grail' watch is still apparently a 'thing' but the 'exit' watch is truly next level.

So what is the difference?

Well, a grail watch, has always been (to my understanding) a watch that one aspires to own one day, a watch that is not defined by value as such; because one person's grail could be a £1000 Seiko, while another's could be a £1,000,000 Patek Philippe, and nor is it necessarily by definition an 'achievable' goal. For example; I could easily hold up a £20,000 Royal Oak Offshore as my grail watch, but whether I would ever bring myself to spend that kind of money on one watch even if I had it in my possession is besides the point.

WAW2080.FC6288

I must say, personally I've never really had a 'grail' watch as such. There are watches that are out of my price range that I'd like to own, such as the Monaco 24 Gulf, or more fantastically the Monaco V4 (with or without the tourbillon), but they aren't an all consuming passion and they certainly don't warrant the term 'grail' watch for me. I like my watches too much to put one above everything in that way, and while I do have a nominal 'favourite' in my collection (and yes, strangely it is the one I paid the most money for) it definitely doesn't give me ten times the pleasure to wear it as a watch that cost £400.

So then, what exactly is an 'Exit' watch?

Apparently, the 'Exit' watch is more than just a grail; a grail watch is something you aspire to own, but the 'Exit' watch is the last watch you will ever own. It is the ultimate watch, the one that renders all future purchases pointless, the one you will perhaps be buried wearing... the perfect watch that makes your life complete and takes you out of the watch game forever.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore

It's a nice idea in theory, but I can't help but think that it's more than a little flawed as a concept. Any watch collector knows that what rings your bell today can seem tired and dull after mere weeks of close acquaintance, so the idea of 'one watch to rule them all' seems dubious at best. Besides, who wants to be taken out of the watch game altogether? That's a terrible scenario to contemplate, where's the fun in having one watch that makes your life complete when you can have ten or twenty or thirty?

Nah, this 'Exit' watch mallarky is definitely not for me, I couldn't even begin to think of one watch that could sate my watch-lust for good. If anything it's more likely to inspire me to want more but of a higher value and that's not good for my bank balance (or my marriage). No, I really must recommend you forget all this 'Exit Watch' nonsense as I sincerely believe no good at all can come of it!