TAG HEUER ENTHUSIAST: ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 Green Dial/Bezel Watch

Tuesday, 1 September 2020

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 Green Dial/Bezel Watch

WAY201S.BA0927

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 17th Aug 2020

Ah the green Aquaracer... cause of much consternation for me last year and in the UK at least a watch that was nigh on impossible to find anywhere. As far as I know the London boutique was the only place that actually got any, and they only had two... both of which sold as soon as they hit the shelf. I was genuinely interested, but I wasn't going to buy without seeing one and then they went out of stock on the website, so even that option got closed down. Then I got a message from Aneta at Oxford Street that they weren't getting any more and I had to get my wife hers from the website or risk losing out completely!

Last year's model: WAY2015.BA0927

Then around Christmas someone dropped a hint that maybe 2020 would bring a new green Aquaracer, or perhaps new stock of the steel bezel version (the hint was pretty vague and I didn't push for more details) and so here we are in August 2020 with the new green dial / green bezel Calibre 5 Aquaracer. And.... well, to be honest, I'd still like to see the steel bezel version.

Seeing this in a cabinet next to the 'Batman' bezel Aquaracer GMT, it's clear that the dial is striking, but not quite as striking as I expected - the jewelled blue dial of the WAY201T simply outshines it (more on that to follow) and I can't quite work out why that is. Obviously I haven't seen the older version, but I have seen my wife's Aquaracer and the green on that is really bright. Is it perhaps the slats in the dial that are dulling it down? Maybe, maybe not...

For me, it's pretty clear that the aluminium bezel on this watch is a mistake. It matches pretty well with the dial (unlike that dogs dinner of a Formula 1 that came out last year, the CAZ2016) but it is so flat and lifeless that it drags the dial down and makes it all appear rather dull. This is a real shame, because it's a good idea - it just doesn't appear to have been executed as I would have liked it.

On the other hand, maybe it's a conscious decision. People who did get to see the WAY2015 in the flesh commented that it was really, really bright... maybe even too bright for everyday wear. But that's kinda what I was hoping for and why this one has left me a little disappointed.

Still, if you do like it at least this one is freely available (RRP £2300), but for me it's missed the mark. Maybe one day a WAY2015 will turn up somewhere* and I can finally put my mind at rest one way or the other, here's hoping...

*And by 'somewhere' I clearly mean Bicester Village with a 30% discount!