Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Tuesday, 29 September 2020
BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Classic Quartz Watch
382.513
Searching eBay for 80/90s TAG Heuers you will inevitably find listings for cool watches at great prices in Japan. Up until now I've always resisted since buying in my own country is stressful enough, never mind adding in customs, import taxes etc... but a couple of weeks ago (encouraged by a positive anglo-American buying experience for my wife's F1 last year) I finally took the plunge and added this stunning grey/yellow resin Formula 1 to my ever growing collection.
This particular model has always intrigued me as I used to see an elderly gentleman at the swimming baths wearing one everyday (swimming in it!) and one day he turned up wearing some dreadful Garmin thing and I had to ask what had happened to his TAG Heuer. He said he still had it, it hadn't finally leaked and been destroyed, but he'd had it since new and he fancied a change. He was actually thinking about selling it and if I knew how to contact him I probably would have been interested, but what with the whole Covid thing, I haven't been swimming for six months...
So, as you know I recently picked up a couple of resin F1s at very affordable prices (about £170 a piece and this one worked out about the same including the £24 postage from Japan. Supposedly import duty is 2.5% from Japan to the UK and so I was expecting to pay £5 or so, but then when I looked at other sellers on eBay who want you to pay up front they are charging £80. I imagine there would be some processing fees and maybe VAT to pay, but my watch turned up and the postman put it through the door with no fees to pay, so... I still don't actually know what the real score is.
As far as I remember it was another one where I waited until the last second to bid and nobody else bid against me, I'm getting a bit confused now as I've bid on three watches in the last few weeks, but I'm reasonably sure that that is what actually happened. In fact it must be because I'm sure I got the watch for the starting bid of about £145.
Straight out of the package I was blown away by the dial, I really love the silver ring around the edge and the hands look fantastic against the yellow background too. Lume is still there, but weak all over - which is to be expected for a tritium lume watch of this vintage. The strap looks genuine, but it's definitely a little thicker than all the other ones I have. I wonder if this is an original strap and the aftermarket ones were made thinner at some point?
There are still a few resin F1s I'd like to get my hands on, the red/green one and possibly the blue/black one or the blue/blue one... but these all seem on the harder side to find in good condition at reasonable prices. I do wonder now if I will keep my black F1, as it's a little bit dull when compared to the other three, it also looks smaller on the wrist than the others as well. Maybe I could use it to fund the next one...
If nothing else this has taught me not to dismiss watches from Japan out of hand, which is great because for some reason Japan seems to have some fantastic watches at very fair prices. The only thing you do have to be careful of though is bracelet lengths, I've seen countless really nice and unusual TAG Heuer watches for sale with 6.1/2" bracelets and finding links for really old watches can be an absolute nightmare (as I know from my experiences with my steel 3000!).
All in all then this one gets a big thumbs up from me and it might even be my new favourite resin F1!
Monday, 28 September 2020
Sunday, 27 September 2020
ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 'Sports Manufacture' Chronograph
CBN2A5A.FC6481
TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 17th August 2020
I'm sure many of you were as perplexed as I was when they announced that the new 'Sports Manufacture' Carreras were 44mm in diameter. Having released the Heuer 01 initially as a 45mm piece and then scaling it down to 43mm, it seemed a little odd to then release the Heuer 02 at a size half-way between the two. Especially when one of the complaints constantly levelled at the new Carreras is that they are too big.
Of course, that's subjective; it depends partly on your wrist size and partly on your own preferences and to be honest I can't help thinking that most of the people who say these things wouldn't buy a watch like this anyway, but still... people keep telling themselves that watch sizes are getting smaller, and they don't like the fact that it's not happening.
Anyway, another factor in the 'too big/no it isn't' argument is the lug to lug measurement. Put simply, a big watch with short lugs can wear the same as a smaller watch with longer lugs. Now traditionally the Heuer Carrera was renowned for having very long lugs, which works fine on a 36-39mm model, but if your watch is 43mm to start with then long lugs are going to make the watch wear like a freaking 50mm Brietling Avenger Hurricane!
The solution of course is to make the lugs shorter and that is exactly what TAG Heuer have done, with dramatic effect. In short, if you've seen these new 'Sports Manufacture' but you are put off by the 44mm diameter, I would say suspend your skepticism until you've actually tried them on because to me these wear like a 42-43mm watch, not a 44mm.
With the Covid restrictions it's obviously more of a problem to try on multiple watches, so I elected to go with this one, but I'm pretty sure they did have all four in the boutique that day. Unfortunately that does mean I can't comment on the new bracelet, but I can tell you that the alligator leather strap was comfortable and as you'd expect came fitted with a push-button deployment clasp.
On the wrist the watch is chunky and looks expensive (which it kinda is...) and seems quite brutish. It's not a 'pretty' watch, it's very masculine, even with the rose gold touches and yes I can see why the old-school Carrera perhaps find it slightly inelegant (ironically). But it's a modern watch for modern times and while it didn't massively appeal to me, I'm sure it will be popular with its target audience. I definitely think I prefer this to the new 'Elegant' model, I really don't like the pushers on that one and I feel like the dial will be way too big for me without a thick tachymetre bezel to reign it in.
Maybe next time I visit a store I will try either the blue or green versions and see if it feels different, this one really didn't make a lasting impression on me (although admittedly I am writing this over a month after I actually visited the store so that is perhaps a little unfair), but I'm not entirely unhappy about that since I don't have £5395 lying around just at the moment...
Needless to say, the CBN2A5A comes fitted with the (quickly becoming) ubiquitous Heuer 02 movement, replete with its impressive 80 hour power reserve. We know this because it says it on the dial, which is something else about this watch that some people definitely don't like. I do think the font could have been a little smaller as it does feel slightly crammed in there - but really, I think I would get used to it quite easily.
Overall the watch does give the feeling of something very substantial and well made, but it just didn't ring my bell like I thought it was going to. At the end of the day though it's all subjective and one man's delight is another man's sh*te; all you can really do is go with what works for you and don't listen to other people telling you what you are 'supposed' to like. That's always been my approach and I ain't going to change it anytime soon.
Definitely don't worry about the 44mm diameter though, it really doesn't feel anything like a 45mm Heuer 01 in size, but it is quite thick, and because the lugs are compact it is quite chunky. It will be interesting to see how it plays on a bracelet, I always found the Heuer 01s on bracelets felt a lot bigger and chunkier than the ones on the rubber straps... hopefully I will be able to try one on soon and find out.
THE CBN2A5A.FC6481 on the TAG Heuer website:
Saturday, 26 September 2020
Friday, 25 September 2020
BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Kirium Quartz Watch
WL1116.FC6113
My long held affinity for the Kirium is well reported here on the 'TAG Heuer Enthusiast' blog, and perhaps some of you may remember the first post of this year which was a closer look at the WL1116 Kirium owned by Tom (Manager of the Bicester Village outlet store). In that post I said I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one some day and it seems like yesterday was my lucky day because not only did I find one in extremely good condition and at a very reasonable price, but it also came on a strap which ticked another box on my Kirium purchase wishlist.
That being said, the strap is looking a bit sorry for itself but that was clearly shown in the listing and was reflected in my offer! This was up for a reasonable £450, but having established that the cost of a replacement navy blue strap from TAG Heuer was £110, I decided to offer a respectable £375 instead. Perhaps I should have gone even lower; my offer was accepted within about ten minutes... oh well, it's still a damned good price if you ask me and the strap is still functioning, it's just that it does look a bit tired and cracked and it certainly isn't going to last all that much longer.
The polished steel is pretty much immaculate, as is the crystal. Really the only issue this watch appears to have is the aged leather strap. As I remarked when I was looking at Tom's WL1116 the dial is a gorgeous tone of dark blue and while this is my third TAG Heuer Kirium (fourth if you count the white dial one I bought and sent back a year or so ago) it's my first with the classic 'Mercedes' hands, which does give this one quite a different look.
I'm really rather impressed with this and I hope to add more leather straps to my collection going forward!
Thursday, 24 September 2020
Wednesday, 23 September 2020
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Formula 1 '5150' Special Edition
Van Halen circa 1986
Being an old man (51 next month!) I am one of relatively few people in the UK who got to see the original line up of Van Halen the first time around... I mean, me and the other 80,000 people who attended the 1984 Monsters of Rock concert at Castle Donington - obviously! This was a rare UK performance for the band who had only previously visited the UK as a support act for Black Sabbath on their 1978 tour for the album 'Never Say Die'. This festival performance was of course off the back of Van Halen's diamond selling (certified 10M US Sales) album '1984', from whence came the hit songs 'Jump', 'Panama' and 'I'll Wait'.However, following this gargantuan success the band split with their larger than life vocalist David Lee Roth and in his place enlisted the services of one Sammy Hagar, late of the band Montrose and his own successful solo career which spawned the hit 'I Can't Drive 55'. In the process Van Halen unofficially became 'Van Hagar' and their music became more poppy and in tune with the mid 80s era. Needless to say, I was not overly impressed as by this time I was now 16 and had moved on to bigger and better things..
Meanwhile Van Hagar continued on (without me), with a number 1 album called '5150' (remarkably '1984' had only made it to the number two spot, kept at bay by Michael Jackson's ludicrously successful 'Thriller' album on which Eddie Van Halen played, coincidentally!) that sold a relatively 'disappointing' 6M units in the USA... they must have been devastated, huh? '5150' is probably best known for the hit single 'Why Can't this be Love' and true to form the band embarked on a World Tour that consisted of 114 dates, 111 of which were in the United States...
No joke, the other three dates were in Canada.
Anyway, by now you are probably wondering what on Earth this little trip down memory lane has got to do with anything at all? Well, it seems that TAG Heuer produced some '5150' Formula 1s. I don't know if this was given to the crew or the promoters or maybe sold at the merchandising booth? In fact I can't really tell you much about it at all other than that it is clearly a modified 380.513, with a 'V H 5150' dial.
I can tell you that it originally came in a long form cardboard box rather than the round plastic tub, which was perhaps a more practical storage solution for carrying on the road, or maybe they hadn't got around to making the plastic boxes just yet? Either way, this is a pretty unique piece of rock'n'roll history and one of the most surprising TAG Heuer collaborations we've seen yet.
More pics here:
Unfortunately I have no idea how much this sold for, I'm guessing the high hundreds given that a mint, boxed 380.513 would probably command $500+ on it's own... though I can't help but wonder if a thirty four year old watch that's still in the box and complete with crown stopper, might not contain a very dead and very leaky battery?
Tuesday, 22 September 2020
Monday, 21 September 2020
BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Classic' Quartz Ladies Watch
360.508
Now that my wife has fallen for the charms of the classic Formula 1 watches (as have I of course), her enthusiasm for acquiring more of varied colours shows no sign of abating. There are three or four models she would like to add; the black/yellow being one, the shocking pink another and the two tone navy/baby blue is also in the running... last but not least is this light grey/pink model which she's been after for a while. Bizarrely I managed to find four examples on eBay over the course of two days, which is just plain odd if you ask me!
Two of those were being offered by sellers based in Japan, which raises the question of import taxes (I'm actually in the process of buying a Formula 1 from Japan myself, but as yet it hasn't arrived)... but as there were two available in the UK it didn't seem necessary to over-complicate things!
Annoyingly, I found one of the UK listings before the one I eventually bought and it needed a new strap and a new battery, (I've never bought a watch off eBay that needs a new battery, because that is a gamble... they say it needs a new battery, but is that all there is to it? Maybe it's true, if so how long has that dead battery been inside the watch? Has it leaked and trashed the movement?) but since I own several of these and have changed the batteries in them myself I reasoned that it was probably a risk worth taking and I know the strap is only £32, so...
The watch was an auction with a starting price of £149.99; hard to find it may be in this colour scheme (although with two for sale in Japan, clearly not as rare as was first thought!) but I reasoned that with no battery and a broken strap the seller might be prepared to let it go at a much better price, so I made an offer of £115. The seller didn't respond and I thought it might be a good idea to find out more in case I wanted to bid higher so I contacted the seller and asked them if they knew when they battery had died. Admittedly it would have been smarter to ask this before making my low bid, but there you are... we all do stupid things on eBay!
The seller said they had no idea, but it was quite a long time.... which worried me, but I had already made an offer so I had to hope it would expire and I could forget it and move on.
Irritatingly the next afternoon I found the one I eventually ended up buying with a 'Buy it Now' price of £149, this one had a complete strap but also a dead battery! Again I contacted the seller to enquire about the deadness of the battery and this time I was told it had been a couple of months (so let's assume 3-6 months)... but of course, my offer on the other listing hadn't quite expired so I had to sit on it for a few more hours or risk ending up with two grey/pink F1s!
Thankfully the offer eventually expired and I was free to buy this one. It came a few days later, packaged in a TAG Heuer service case and looked in superb condition - but even so I was nervous about it until I unscrewed the back and saw a pristine movement, completely untarnished by battery acid! Luckily I had the 377 battery required in stock and once changed the watch sprang into life and has been ticking away nicely ever since.
My wife will be getting this for our 27th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks time (she does know that, but she hasn't seen it yet), I'm sure she will be over the moon with it as it really is quite pretty and in extremely good condition for its age.
Sunday, 20 September 2020
Saturday, 19 September 2020
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Elegant' Carrera Heuer 02 Chronograph
CBN2011.BA0642
A new Carrera has arrived, yes... another one, they really are busting them out this year huh? Hot on the heels of the 44mm 'Sports Manufacture' models (I realise that everyone else just calls it the 'Sports' but I like to do things properly and that is what it was called when I first saw it written down so I'm sticking with that!) which, ahem, divided opinion on the Calibre 11 forum somewhat, we have this new range of 'Elegant' Carreras.
I suppose 'Elegant' is a good word to describe these as it doesn't ascribe any potentially contentious attributes like 'Heritage' or 'Classic' might, but at the same time it does jar a little and brings to mind a certain motor manufacture of slightly dubious origins that likes to use the name 'Superb' for one of it's high end motors... but then again, I guess it does-what-it-says-on-the-tin and these certainly do look 'elegant'.
Perhaps too elegant for little old me. I have tried on the older Calibre 16 Carrera that this watch replaces and while I liked it very much I quickly concluded that it wasn't something I was ever likely to buy since it was a bit too stylish and dare I say it 'elegant' for my particular 'look'... (i.e. it wouldn't gel too well with my lime green and black Nikes)!
Fortunately the Calibre 11 Forum is populated by people for whom style and elegance is second nature and the response there has been pretty much universally positive. If you don't frequent the Calibre 11 forum (and if not, why not?), I can absolutely assure you that any largely positive response regarding a new watch is a rarity to say the least, but this new collection seems to have hit a home run - even with some of the steadfastly and willfully obstinate members (mentioning no names, Mr Orange). Nobody has even mentioned the vestigal running seconds counter at the '6' position, which is usually something that comes up with these 'two and a half' register Heuer 02 movement watches!
CBN2012.FC6483
There are four models in the initial release, although I wouldn't mind betting we will see additional dial colours in the coming months... (my money is on a green dial on a bracelet at some point, although how 'Elegant' that would look remains to be seen) and this is definitely one for the kind of customer who would have purchased a Calibre 1887 Carrera in the past.
Speaking of the Calibre 1887 Carrera, those 'mushroom' chronograph pushers are a rallying cry for the cultivated Carrera owner and probably go at least some way to stimulating the general approval fluttering around the forum at the moment. I'm not a big fan if I'm honest, they have their place for sure, but these particular Carreras have pulled off a modern yet timeless look and as such the pushers seem a little fussy and antiquated to me.
CBN2010.BA0642
So you guys know that I have an issue with watch websites who offer no genuine opinions and merely parrot press releases, but since this is a genuinely new watch I feel I ought to at least offer something in the way of specifications. So here we go:
WATCH DIAMETER: 42mm
MOVEMENT: Heuer 02 chronograph with an 80 hour power reserve
DIAL COLOURS: Silver, Blue, Black and Anthracite
THICKNESS: 14.4mm
WATER RESISTANCE: 100 Metres (suitable for surface swimming, no diving)
CBN2013.FC6483
PRICING:
CBN2010.BA0642: Black dial on a bracelet - £4395
CBN2011.BA0642: Blue dial on a bracelet - £4395
CBN2012.FC6483: Anthracite dial on a brown leather strap - £4395
CBN2013.FC6483: Silver dial with gold details on a brown leather strap - £4550
I look forward to seeing these in the stores, but I look forward to seeing the Calibre 16 versions in the outlets even more - perhaps I might change my mind at the right price... :)
FURTHER READING:
ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Calibre 16 Carrera
CALIBRE 11 REVIEW OF THE NEW CARRERA 'ELEGANT'
Friday, 18 September 2020
SPOTLIGHT ON: New Arrivals at TAG Heuer Bicester Village
CALL THE STORE ON (01869) 249008
Just a small little update for you today, albeit with one exciting new inclusion! As always pieces are limited so please call the store before travelling long distances.
CAR2A1AB.FT6163
CARRERA Heuer 01 45MM (Aston Martin S/E)
LIST PRICE: £5295
BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £3175
WAR215C.FC6336
CARRERA Calibre 5 39mm
LIST PRICE: £3000
BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £2100
CAK2112.BA0833
AQUARACER 500M Calibre 16 43mm
LIST PRICE: £2850
BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £1995
CAV511B.FC6231
GRAND CARRERA Calibre 17 43mm
LIST PRICE: £4950
BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £3465
WAP1452.BD0837
AQUARACER Quartz 27mm
LIST PRICE: £3195
BICESTER VILLAGE PRICE: £2235
To view more New Arrivals posts click HERE to the visit the New Arrivals Index
Thursday, 17 September 2020
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Patrouille des Glaciers' Quartz Limited Edition
WAZ1115.FT8023
You may well have noticed this watch in my latest 'New Arrivals at Bicester Village' post; for me it's one that I was previously aware of but which I knew almost nothing about. Seeing the watch appear at Bicester inspired me to dig a little and to bring the finer details into focus for you...
I'm sure for the vast majority of you 'Patrouille des Glaciers' means absolutely nothing, as indeed it did for me. Until yesterday I assumed it was some kind of mountain rescue service in Switzerland or something, but in actual fact it is a bi-annual ski/mountaineering race organised by the Swiss Armed Forces which takes place at the end of April at the base of the Pennine Alps.
Speaking as someone who has never tried to ski and has no real inclination to try, it looks pretty tough going - maybe that's why they only do it every two years?
One thing I haven't been able to establish is who Jonathon Haverford is, but the figures appear to represent the total time taken to complete the race (8hrs, 42min, 15sec). I did find an article relating to a Chinese team taking part in the 2016 race which mentions then TAG Heuer CEO Jean Claude Biver, so I assume that TAG Heuer were sponsoring the event.
The watch is limited to 200 pieces and features an anthracite dial similar to the Calibre 5 Formula 1 I tried on last year in Watches of Switzerland in London. I was mightily impressed with it then and I bet it looks just as good here - though clearly the large red 'Patrouille des Glaciers' logo marks this out as something extra special.
The watch has a unique feature that I wasn't previously aware of, that being the '1' on the date wheel has been replaced with this 'Swiss' flag shield, in much the same way that 'K' is used on the date wheels of the 'Air-K' limited editions. I think this is a nice touch and a nice little surprise to start each new month.
Anthracite dial aside, this is one of the most basic TAG Heuer watches you can buy, but it's still a good looking piece. I've tried a different watch on with this strap and I liked it, but I know it's not for everyone - one person who shall remain nameless told me they thought it looked rather 'cheap'! I must admit at £700 in Bicester Village I was debating with myself all weekend whether I should just go get it, but in the end I decided to leave it.
At that price it would be the cheapest item in the shop and it was probably sold even before I was thinking about it (affordable Formula 1 watches in the outlets usually don't last five minutes) and at £700, with an anthracite dial and limited to 200 pieces, I'm sure somebody must have walked out of there a very happy bunny indeed*
*FYI: I spoke to the store yesterday and they did indeed sell the watch very quickly, but they still have two pieces remaining. I do not expect them to be there for long though, so if you are interested I really would not delay further. Call the store on (01869) 249008.
Incidentally, I believe there is no a system in place for purchasing from the outlet over the phone without the need to visit the store physically, so even if you don't live near to Bicester Village you can still get yourself a bargain!
Further reading / watching for skiing enthusiasts:
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Tuesday, 15 September 2020
HISTORY: The TAG Heuer Formula 1 (Era Four: 2008 - 2011)
Continuing our look at the long running TAG Heuer Formula 1 product range, we come to the fourth era spanning 2008 - 2011.
2007 / 2008 CATALOGUE
While the ladies range remained largely unchanged, it was time for a complete revamp of the men's watches, with the only pieces carried over being the CAC111B (Indy 500 S/E), the WAC111A (Alarm) and the ani-digi CAC111D. Everything else from the men's range was discontinued and replaced with a slightly larger 41mm selection. I find these a great improvement, with a much sharper looking dial and a more interesting chronograph design.
WAH1110.BA0850: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1110.BT0714: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
WAH1111.BA0850: 41mm, white dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1111.BT0714: 41mm, white dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
WAH1112.BA0850: 41mm, red dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1112.BT0714: 41mm, red dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1110.BA0850: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1110.BT0714: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1111.BA0850: 41mm, silver dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1111.BT0714: 41mm, silver dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1112.BA0850: 41mm, red dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1112.BT0714: 41mm, red dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1113.BA0850: 41mm, orange dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1113.BT0714: 41mm, orange dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
Legend has it that legendary Spanish watch designer Fernando Alonso was responsible for the new look of the F1 range, but I can't find anything to substantiate this rumour whatsoever. Indeed, the 2007-2008 dealer catalogue claims that Kimi Raikkonen (who was by now the World Champion and driving for Ferrari, not McLaren) was the one who was involved in the redesign!
There were also some additions to the women's range, though I can't honestly say adding chronographs to these glitterballs made them any better...
CAC1310.FC6219: 37mm, white MOP dial, diamond bezel on a white nizza strap (folding clasp)
CAC1311.BA0852: 37mm, pink MOP dial, diamond bezel on a steel bracelet
CAC1311.FC6220: 37mm, pink MOP dial, diamond bezel on a pink nizza strap (folding clasp)
2008 / 2009 CATALOGUE
The ladies range remains mostly the same for the 2008/2009 catalogue, the only change being the withdrawal of the (rather ugly it has to be said) black rubber straps on the WAC1214 and WAC1215 models. For the men's range though, all the watches from the previous catalogue remain except the CAC111B Indy 500 model which has been replaced with two new 44mm models.
Also new in this catalogue are the new 44mm Formula 1 'Grand Date' chronographs with the 'rev counter' subdials. These are most commonly associated with the aforementioned Kimi Raikkonen and indeed Kimi gets his own limited edition version of this model (albeit one that's limited to 10,000 pieces - the least limited, limited edition in TAG Heuer history!). For me the black cased variant of this watch (CAH1012) is one of the coolest looking Formula 1 watches TAG Heuer have ever produced.
Also new are the WAH111A and WAH111B 41mm alarm watches, although the WAC111A is also retained in the range for now.
WAH111A.BA0850: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel, alarm function on a bracelet
WAH111A.BT0714: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel, alarm function on a rubber strap
WAH111B.BA0850: 41mm, silver dial, black coated bezel, alarm function on a bracelet
CAH1010.BA0854: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1010.BT0717: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1011.BA0854: 44mm, silver dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1011.BT0717: 44mm, silver dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1012.BT0717: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel, black case on a rubber strap
CAH1014.BA0854: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1014.BT0718: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH101A.BA0854: 44mm, anthracite dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet (Indy 500 S/E)
CAH101B.BA0854: 44mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet (Indy 500 S/E)
2009 / 2010 CATALOGUE
The 2009 / 2010 catalogue is very light on women's watches, with only four models shown (WAC1214, WAC1215, WAC1216 plus the CAC1310 chronograph) in five variations. This suggests the diamond bezel range is on its way out, although the next catalogue reintroduces the WAC1219 along with the new 'ceramic' Formula 1s. But for now the focus is on the men's range and in particular the small seconds and Calibre S models.
The Kimi Raikkonen model has disappeared from the catalogue, but in its place there is a new variation on the CAH1010 theme, the CAH1015 which has steel crown guards and a silver crown. All three previous alarm models have also been discontinued and replaced by one 41mm, black dial only piece with a steel bezel (WAH111C).
WAH1010.BA0854: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1010.BT0717: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
WAH1011.BA0854: 44mm, white lume dial, black coated bezel on a bracelet
WAH1011.BT0717: 44mm, white lume dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
WAH111C.BA0850: 41mm, black dial, steel bezel, alarm function on a bracelet
WAH111C.BT0714: 41mm, black dial, steel bezel, alarm function on a rubber strap
CAH7010.BA0854: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH7010.BT0717: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1015.BA0855: 44mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a bracelet
2010 / 2011 CATALOGUE
The 2010 / 2011 catalogue brings us a brand new range of ceramic ladies watches and a redesign of part of the basic three hand range, with the WAH1110 now sporting a completely different dial design (but keeping its number for some strange reason!). We also have an interesting khaki variant available on both a bracelet or a new style colour matched strap.
Speaking of the new rubber strap, the folding clasp fitted FT6024 replaces the pin and buckle style BT0714 - but it is definitely not an improvement, the clasp is badly designed and digs into the wrist of the wearer, which is a shame because the rubber part of the design is very stylish.
As mentioned previously, the diamond bezel ladies models remain but with a somewhat scaled down range.
WAH1110.BA0858: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1110.FT6024: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
WAH1113.BA0858: 41mm, khaki dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1113.FT6025: 41mm, khaki dial, black coated bezel on a khaki rubber strap
WAH1210.BA0859: 37mm, black dial, black ceramic bezel, ceramic/steel bracelet
WAH1212.BA0859: 37mm, black dial, black ceramic/diamond bezel, ceramic/steel bracelet
WAH1214.BA0859: 37mm, black dial, diamond bezel, ceramic/steel bracelet*
WAH1211.BA0861: 37mm, white dial, white ceramic bezel, ceramic/steel bracelet
WAH1213.BA0861: 37mm, white dial, white ceramic/diamond bezel, ceramic/steel bracelet
WAH1215.BA0861: 37mm, white dial, diamond bezel, white ceramic/steel bracelet*
*Note the position of the date on these models is different to the other two pieces in the range.
2011 / 2012 CATALOGUE
This era of the Formula 1 was drawing to a close, but there were a few more surprises left in store before TAG Heuer revamped the line up once again for 2012. An orange version of the face-lifted three hander was added to the range alongside a rather cool looking new Calibre S, one I've always had one eye on myself. Besides that the new models came mostly in the ladies range including some new chronograph versions of the ceramic watches alongside the brand's first gold and ceramic pieces.
CAH7011.BA0860: 44mm, grey/white dial, steel/black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1116.BA0858: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1116.FT6024: 41mm, black dial, black coated bezel on a black rubber strap
The WAH1214 and WAH1215 have gone from the catalogue, replaced by the WAH1217 and WAH1218 pieces shown below. Note the new model has the date at the '3' position bringing it into line with the rest of the ceramic bracelet range. At the same time a new steel bracelet model is introduced with Arabic numerals and the date at the 4:30 position...
WAH1217.BA0859: 37mm, black dial, diamond bezel on a steel/ceramic bracelet
WAH1218.BA0861: 37mm, white dial, diamond bezel on a steel/ceramic bracelet
WAC1214.BA0852: 37mm, black dial, diamond bezel on a steel bracelet
WAC1214.FC6218: 37mm, black dial, diamond bezel on a black nizza strap
WAC1215.BA0852: 37mm, white dial, diamond bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1221.BB0865: 36mm, white/dia dial, dia/ceramic/gold bezel on a steel/gold/cer bracelet
WAH1222.BB0866: 36mm, white/dia dial, dia/ceramic/gold bezel on a gold/ceramic bracelet
CAH1210.BA0862: 41mm, black dial, ceramic bezel on a ceramic/steel bracelet
CAH1212.BA0862: 41mm, black/diamond dial, ceramic/dia bezel on a cer/steel bracelet
CAH1211.BA0863: 41mm, white/diamond dial, ceramic bezel on a ceramic/steel bracelet
CAH1213.BA0863: 41mm, white/diamond dial, ceramic/diamond bezel on a cer/steel bracelet
WATCHES NOT FEATURED IN CATALOGUES
These watches are from this era of the Formula 1 but for whatever reason did not feature in the catalogues at the time.
CAH101B.BA0860: 44mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a steel bracelet (Indy 500 S/E)
CAH101C.FT6026: 44mm, grey brick dial, steel bezel on a rubber strap (Indy 500 S/E)
CAH1010.BA0860: 44mm, black dial, black bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1010.FT6026: 44mm, black dial, black bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1011.BA0860: 44mm, silver dial, black bezel on a steel bracelet
CAH1011.FT6026: 44mm, silver dial, black bezel on a black rubber strap
CAH1012.FT6026: 44mm, black dial, black bezel/case on a black rubber strap
CAH1013.BT0717: 44mm, black dial, black bezel/case on a rubber strap (Rabat L/E)
WAH1015.FT6026: 44mm, special dial, black bezel, steel case, rubber strap (Mexico L/E)
WAH1012.BA0860: 44mm, orange dial, black bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1012.BT0717: 44mm, orange dial, black bezel on a black rubber strap
WAH1012.BA0854: 44mm, orange dial, black bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1010.BA0860: 44mm, black dial, black bezel on a steel bracelet
Visit the 'History of TAG Heuer' page HERE
WAH1013.BA0860: 44mm, special dial, black bezel on a steel bracelet (Gulf S/E)
WAH1013.BT0717: 44mm, special dial, black bezel on a rubber strap (Gulf S/E)
WAH111B.BT0714: 41mm, silver dial, black bezel on a black rubber strap (alarm function)
WAH1017.BA0858: 41mm, black dial, polished bezel on a steel bracelet
WAH1115.BA0858: 41mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet
Visit the 'History of TAG Heuer' page HERE
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