SPOTLIGHT ON: New Arrivals at TAG Heuer Bicester Village

PHONE THE STORE: (01869) 249008

EMAIL THE STORE: enquiries.bicester@tagheuer.com

Some good news, the TAG Heuer Bicester Village store will re-open on Thursday the 3rd of December. 

While they have been closed the store has moved just a small distance to the other side of the 'street' and as such it will be all shiny and new when you pay them a visit.

In the meantime you can still place orders by phone (Monday) and email and I believe this will continue even after the store re-opens on Thursday, so make sure to check here regularly for new stock updates.

Speaking of which, here are the latest arrivals to the store...

CAR2090.BH0729

CARRERA HEUER 01 CERAMIC 43mm 

LIST PRICE - £5150

BICESTER PRICE - £3090

CAR2150.FC6266

CARRERA CALIBRE 1887 43mm

LIST PRICE - £4450

BICESTER PRICE - £3115

CAR2A10.BA0799

CARRERA CALIBRE 1887 43mm

LIST PRICE - £4150

BICESTER PRICE - £2905

CAS2110.FC6266

CARRERA CALIBRE 16 43mm

LIST PRICE - £3950

BICESTER PRICE - £2765

CAT2050.FC6322

LINK CALIBRE 16 43mm

LIST PRICE - £5595

BICESTER PRICE - £3915

CAY211Y.BA0926

AQUARACER CALIBRE 45 41mm

LIST PRICE - £3450

BICESTER PRICE - £2415

WAE1114.FT6011

GOLF QUARTZ 37mm

LIST PRICE - £1695

BICESTER PRICE - £1185

WAH1210.BA0859

FORMULA 1 QUARTZ 37mm

LIST PRICE - £1195

BICESTER PRICE - £835

WAR215C.FC6336

CARRERA CALIBRE 5 39mm

LIST PRICE - £3000

BICESTER PRICE - £2100

WAR215D.FC6181

CARRERA CALIBRE 5 39mm

LIST PRICE - £2895

BICESTER PRICE - £2025

WAS2112.FC6181

CARRERA CALIBRE 6 39mm

LIST PRICE - £2850

BICESTER PRICE - £1195

WAY101A.FT6141

AQUARACER QUARTZ 43mm

LIST PRICE - £1350

BICESTER PRICE - £945

WAY1313.BA0915

AQUARACER QUARTZ 32mm

LIST PRICE - £1795

BICESTER PRICE - £1255

WBC1350.BA0600

LINK QUARTZ 32mm

LIST PRICE - £1950

BICESTER PRICE - £1365

WBD2111.BA0928

AQUARACER CALIBRE 5 41mm

LIST PRICE - £1850

BICESTER PRICE - £1295

WBG1312.FC6412

CARRERA QUARTZ 36mm

LIST PRICE - £2100

BICESTER PRICE - £1470

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre S Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 by WatchBox Reviews

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer / Bamford Calibre 5 'Aquaradar' Limited Edition

 

WAY208F.BA0638

It's fair to say that Bamford's unique take on our favourite watch brand has produced some hit and miss results thus far. On the upside the carbon Monaco was pretty darned cool, the coffee-dial Carrera was cute and quirky and they've also made a stunning Monza with yellow highlights... but against all that there are some pretty nauseating Bamfordized Monacos about and of course the watch I absolutely love to hate - the Bamford Carrera Basketball (or whatever the hell they call it).

Oh my God, I hate that watch so much I can't even begin to explain. In fact if I need to explain why it's horrible then please take yourself off somewhere and have your taste level checked. Even if they had moved the text so that it wasn't on top of the black lines it would have been something, but no... they couldn't even be arsed to do that. And why does the date window look so shonky? Aside from the fact that it's just floating in the middle of the dial I... mean, it actually looks kinda melted!

But let's forget about that, because that was a 'Bamford' and this new watch is a TAG Heuer / Bamford with a proper TAG Heuer part number, just like the carbon Monaco, and that, let's not forget, was pretty darned cool.

So what do we have here then, well... principally we have a Calibre 5 Aquaracer (although TAG Heuer are doing their best to confuse us by having a 'ticking' animation on their website!) made entirely of grade 2 titanium, including the bracelet, so this should be nice and light on the wrist despite the 43mm diameter.

The theme is 'radar*' and I must say I really do like the dial, it's not completely original, we've seen Bell and Ross watches in a similar vein, but it's certainly a first for TAG Heuer and I think on the whole they've done a nice job.

Titanium has a unusual look to it and in this live photo (kindly supplied by C11 Forum member Abrod520) it almost resembles the sand blasted finish on my old 4000 Series, but it does give the watch a definite 'look' that sets it apart from the rank and file Aquaracers you'll find in your local Goldsmiths. The only downside though is that titanium scratches up and this particular grade of titanium more than most apparently, although I'm told a pencil eraser will make it as good as new again. I wouldn't know about that since my titanium Carrera is still scratch free, but my clumsy Tudor Pelagos LHD owning friend Rich tells me it definitely works. Good to know!

This one also reminds me of my steel 3000, which is probably why I'm feeling rather drawn to it. Indeed, I've long been asking for an up-to-date, 'man-sized' 3000 and this isn't a million miles away from that. The only problem there is that if I bought this would I still need my beloved 3000s?

Mmmm, that's a downside I hadn't considered until now... but maybe it's different enough? After all, the 3000 doesn't have orange rimmed hands, a stripey second hand, a cyclops or a funky 'radar' themed dial... 

I also like the orange dashes around the edge of the dial and that triangular orange marker on the bezel looks particularly 'retro' - it's not lumed though, which is a shame.

So, as you might imagine, this costs a little more than the regular Calibre 5 Aquaracers... what with it being titanium and a Bamford limited edition. It's not the rarest of limited editions though, as there will be 1500 of these... but I'm not unhappy about that to be honest, as it increases the chances of actually getting to see one before they all get snaffled up. Also, that's probably enough to dissuade the flippers and that has to be a good thing!

When I first found it on the TAG Heuer USA website the price was in dollars and it suggested a retail price of just under £3000, but now it has made it onto the UK website it's showing as £3250, so a little bit more than I thought, but still not completely outrageous.

Word on the street is that this is the last of the current 'Aquaracers' as a new line will be launched in 2021. I'm guessing, since they've 'announced' that to the world, it's probably coming sooner rather than later, so I'm excited to see what they have in store for us next year.

I do like this one, and I'd love to get a chance to 'see one', but while I think it looks great, it worries me that it's titanium and that it scratches easily. I've managed to keep my Carrera unscathed, but only because I rarely wear it. I don't really want to buy another watch that I'm scared to wear, especially one which is more of a sporty model.... although, you never know, I might well be seduced if I actually get to see one in the flesh.

*Radar? Or maybe 'Sonar'. Given that it's a dive watch, Sonar would make more sense I guess!

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Exclusive Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Carbon Dial' Quartz Chronograph Review by The Watch Village

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 Elegant 'Jack Heuer 88th Birthday' Limited Edition

 

CBN2041.FC8306

TAG Heuer's 'Jack Heuer' anniversary models are some of the most revered and sought after pieces among the Calibre11 cognoscenti and this one seems to have been greeted with pretty much universal acclaim (something quite rare on the C11 forum, at least until this year's 160th Anniversary 'Silver' Carrera came along). There are one or two sticking points however and we'll come to those in due course.

To begin with though, let's get the basics out of the way; the CBN2041 is based on the recently released Carrera 'Elegant' and as such it has a 42mm case diameter and is powered by TAG Heuer's in-house calibre Heuer 02 movement. The Heuer 02 gives this watch a power reserve of 80 hours, something the brand are no doubt proud of as they insist on printing it on the dial of every new watch that comes out!

I guess it's fair enough, but like many I'd prefer if it was perhaps printed on the back rather than the front. Traditionally the 'Swiss Made' text has been printed at the bottom of the dial, and while that does still appear at the extreme edge of the dial on the chapter ring, well... I can't help thinking that perhaps this particular piece should have been made as 'timeless' as possible with as little unnecessary dial clutter as possible.

Still it's a minor quibble. From the pictures at least the very light grey dial seems like a nice choice and seems to work pretty well with the black subdials. That 'Panda' dial has mass appeal, but I'm guessing a black/white dial might have looked a little jarring with the 18k rose gold case, so this seems like a good compromise.

As you can see from the picture above, the watch has a display case back to show off that all important 'in-house' movement and the rotor is captioned with a quote from Mr Heuer himself, which is a nice touch and the back of the strap is also embossed with his signature. 

This watch celebrates Jack's 88th birthday (19th November 2020) and as such TAG Heuer have limited this watch to 188 pieces. I don't really get why they think it's important to link the anniversary to the number made, especially when it's not quite 'right'. If it was 88 pieces that would make sense, but like the Monaco 50th Anniversary (limited to 169pcs of each reference) it seems a little bit pointless somehow.

Unfortunately, that isn't one of the niggles I spoke about earlier...

Leaving aside the 'half there, half not' running seconds which is a matter of personal preference (and the subject of some debate since the Monaco Heuer 02 launched a while back) I feel like the 'infinity' symbol on the dial is a little odd. I get that it's '88' on its side, and it's an infinity symbol, but... yeah, again I feel like this watch should have erred more on the cautious side and that seems just a little bit 'gimmicky' to me. 

I mean, watch designers can't win can they, they either get it in the neck for being too conservative or they get it in the neck for adding design touches that aren't strictly necessary... I guess some people will like it, I just think I could live quite happily without it, and like I said, it seems too 'gimmicky' for a watch of this stature.

The other 'niggle', if we can call it that, is the price. The CBN2041 is yours for £15,300, which in the TAG Heuer universe is pushing it. But, on the other hand, we should remember that this is a solid rose gold watch and gold is kinda expensive these days. Moreover, you are paying for exclusivity... 188 pieces is quite a limited run, but then this is three times the price of our average Carrera - it could go either way. Sure it's beyond the means of many who would like to own it, but how is that any different to any other desirable and expensive object?

I guess that's easy for me to say since this isn't exactly my 'style' and so I have no great sense of disappointment that it's out of my price bracket. Don't get me wrong, I do quite like it, it's certainly the most intriguing Carrera 'Elegant' that I've seen, but then the new 42mm Carrera doesn't really rock my boat anyway if I'm completely honest, so that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Happily for TAG Heuer my newly formed 'Council of Considered Opinion' (or COCO for short) voted this as the watch they'd most want for Christmas, so I don't think my reservations will trouble anyone's sleep. On the whole I think we can safely add this to the list of JH anniversary 'successes' and I'm sure the readers of the T.H.E. blog will join me in wishing Mr Jack a belated happy 88th birthday for the 19th, and here's to many more!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

FEATURE: All I Want for Christmas is...

As it's coming up to Christmas, I thought it might be fun to look at the TAG Heuer website with a view to picking something I'd like for Christmas.. and since nobody's actually going to buy me a brand new TAG Heuer for Christmas, I figured I might as well throw it completely open with no budget restriction whatsoever.

I also thought it might be fun to ask a few other people as well, so I asked most of the Calibre11 forumites I've interviewed for the blog and a few more, I also asked my friend Lee (who isn't really into watches like we are but he does have a Formula 1 chronograph), my friend Rich (who owns a few watches now, including a Tudor Pelagos LHD and a TAG Heuer 2000 Series) and last but not least my wife (who, as you know, owns several TAGs, an Omega and an Oris).

What I didn't consider when asking this question was that, a) people will naturally be drawn to the 'most expensive' watches so it's hard to tell if people are choosing it because it's their absolute favourite of the current range or is it partly because it's otherwise unobtainable and b) if someone already owns their favourite watch then maybe they are picking their second favourite because they've already got the one they really want.

Still, it's not a clinical experiment it's just a bit of fun and it has inspired a possible 'Council of Opinion' going forward - more on that at a later date!

So... it's perhaps not a massive surprise that the Nanograph (the most expensive watch on the website at the time) did very well indeed in this little poll with a total of three votes out of eighteen. Having said that and underlining what I said earlier, my friend Lee sent me pictures of four different Carreras and said 'whichever one of these is the most expensive'.

The Montreal Carrera and the Monaco Gulf Edition also did well with two votes each but after that it was a varied selection with the Historique Monaco, the black dial Monaco Heuer 02, the Gulf Formula 1 and the blue tortoiseshell bezel Aquaracer all finding favour with one person each.

Similarly one person chose the silver dial variant of the new Elegant Carrera (CV2A1AC) and one person picked a cool ceramic Heuer 02 Carrera (CBG2A90).

But the clear winner of this little poll, with four votes was the newly released solid gold Carrera 'Jack Heuer 88'. I guess that was entirely predictable since it ticks an awful lot of boxes for a lot of people and is a limited edition of 188 pieces into the bargain. Unfortunately it's also fairly unobtainable to most of us due to its £15,300 price tag...

As for my wife. well she scrolled down the page several times with a 'not really arsed about any of these watches' look on her face and eventually announced that 'if she had to pick one' she'd probably go with the purple Carrera with the textured dial. Truth is, she wouldn't because it's too big for her wrist, but I couldn't be bothered to enter into further discourse as clearly the website wasn't offering her anything particularly exciting. 

I have to say, the women's range is a bit ho-hum at the moment, with far too many mother of pearl dial Formula 1s on offer and far too many unremarkable Aquaracers littering up the place. She did sort of like the blue Aquaracer with the wavy dial on the blue rubber strap, but the brown 'unisex' Monaco with the brown diamond dial on a brown strap clearly offended her sensibilities and she declared confidently that 'no woman would want to wear that!'.

I'm starting to think that maybe I should interview my wife. 

So then it was my turn and to be honest I expected to have a lot more too choose from. One of the problems for me is that I'm not that keen on the Heuer 02 Carreras, I prefer the layout of the Heuer 01 and of course I already have a CAR2A1Z so anything that looks too much like that is out. I didn't really love the Nanograph when I tried it on either, so that's out as well and a lot of the very recent releases have been a little bit uninspiring.

All the funky textile strap and ceramic bezel Aquaracers have disappeared and while I do like the white dial Calibre 5 'Explorer' Aquaracer, at £1950 it seems a little cheap to choose that when I can choose literally 'anything'. Which brings me to the new tortoiseshell bezel Aquaracers... admittedly I haven't seen either of them yet, but the red/black one looks quite nice in pictures. But still, if I'm getting a free choice I feel like I ought to go with something a bit more upmarket. 

The blue dial Monaco Heuer 02 is a very nice watch, as is the Gulf version and I don't have a Monaco, so this would be a good choice, but... the one watch which catches my eye every time I scroll through the pages is the CV2A83 Calibre 16 Carrera. You could of course argue that it's simply the PVD version of my CV2A80 Calibre 16 Carrera (and not unlike the CAR2A1Z come to that) and for that there is no real answer or argument. My only defence is that it's just about different enough to make it reasonable to own both, albeit I probably wouldn't if I had to buy it myself because if I did I wonder how much I would wear the titanium version...

**NB: If you share my enthusiasm for the CV2A83, you can pick it up at a discount from the TAG Heuer Bicester Village Outlet, check it out here..

https://thbvstock.blogspot.com/2020/11/cv2a83fc6393.html

One thing that did surprise me was that nobody picked the silver dial 160th Anniversary Carrera, but then at least one person who picked the 'Montreal' chose it as a partner to the 'Silver' dial they already owned, so maybe that goes some way to explaining that?

So, the question is - what would you like for Christmas?

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 Review by Bruce Williams

 

HISTORY: TAG Heuer 2000 Exclusive (1999-2009)

 

The 2000 Exclusive came at a time when TAG Heuer was in the throes of becoming part of the LVMH group and looking to become more, ahem... exclusive. So what we have is a sort of 'higher end' version of the venerable 2000 Series, complete with a new more angular and chunky bezel. The 2000 Exclusive is rather 'new money' in it's approach with the big '12' and lots of gold bezels, but elegant it is not. Perhaps wary of competing with the Alter Ego series there are very few diamond 2000 Exclusives and (initially at least) a less than enthralling array of dial colours on offer. On the upside we do have a number of limited editions, some of which were very limited indeed.

One of the things I like about the 2000 Exclusive is the way they have kept the date 'level' even when it's at the '4' position, to my eyes it looks much better than the usual 'wonky' approach which always looks like it's been forced in wherever they could fit it. One downside of these watches though is the raised inner edge of the bezel which is highly polished and as such attracts a lot of little scratches, so if that's a deal breaker for you then maybe look elsewhere...

Interestingly, the 2000 Exclusive was never sold on any kind of strap (except the Aquagraph which was available on rubber) and I don't think I've ever seen where anyone has switched one onto a strap either. Perhaps this is a testament to the design and build quality of the bracelet, which is one of the nicest TAG Heuer have ever made in my humble opinion.

Please note, as usual exact case sizes are the subject of some speculation, I have gone with a generic 38mm for men's models and 28mm for ladies pieces. The 2004-2005 catalogues give the sizes for some models as 37.5mm and 27.2mm, but elsewhere we see sizes such as 39mm and 29mm.

1999 CATALOGUE

The 2000 Exclusive makes its debut in the 1999 catalogue, although only three pieces are shown - all three handers; a men's quartz, a ladies quartz and a men's automatic. One presumes that this didn't showcase the entire range, but merely a 'selection' to show the basics.

WN1112.BA0311: 38mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1351.BA0313: 28mm, black/gold dial, gold/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN2111.BA0311: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

2000 CATALOGUE

The 2000 catalogue shows two of the watches from the previous catalogue wearing new bracelets, seemingly this is the case across the board now and the old 2000 bracelet appears to have been dropped for the Exclusive range. From this I would assume we can reasonably surmise that any watches with the old style bracelet originate from 1999/2000? 

There are now a wider range of watches on display including for the first time quartz chronographs.

CN1110.BA0337: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

CN1111.BA0337: 38mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

CN1150.BA0337: 38mm, black dial, rose gold/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1112.BA0332: 38mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1150.BA0332: 38mm, silver dial, rose gold/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1311.BA0333: 28mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN2110.BA0332: 38mm, silver Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN2111.BA0332: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN1210.BA0336: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

2001 CATALOGUE

A lot of previously shown models are duplicated in this catalogue, but there are plenty of new pieces and also colour options are shown beneath the watches pictured.

CN1151.BD0347: 38mm, silver dial, gold/steel bezel on a two tone bracelet (quartz)

CN1152.BD0347: 38mm, black dial, gold/steel bezel on a two tone bracelet (quartz)

CN2112.BA0339: 38mm, blue Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN1110.BA0332: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1111.BA0332: 38mm, white dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1212.BA0336: 28mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1353.BD0342: 28mm, silver dial, gold/steel bezel on a two tone bracelet (quartz)

WN1354.BD0342: 28mm, black dial, gold/steel bezel on a two tone bracelet (quartz)

WN1350.BA0333: 28mm, silver dial, gold/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN2112.BA0332: 38mm, blue Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN1312.BA0333: 28mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

2002-2003 CATALOGUE

2002 sees a further, gradual expansion of the product range, including the addition of the first solid gold 2000 Exclusives for men and women.

CN1112.BA0337: 38mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

CN2110.BA0339: 38mm, silver Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

CN2111.BA0339: 38mm, black Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN1153.BD0341: 38mm, silver dial, gold/steel bezel on a two tone bracelet (quartz)

WN1154.BD0341: 38mm, black dial, gold/steel bezel on a two tone bracelet (quartz)

WN5140.BG0351: 38mm, silver dial, solid gold bezel case and bracelet (chronometer)

WN1340.BG0352: 28mm, MOP/diamond dial, solid gold bezel, case and bracelet (quartz)

2004-2005 CATALOGUE

The 2004 catalogue marks the point where the 2000 range splinters further with the introduction of the 2000 Aquaracer, and the beginning of the end of the 2000 Exclusive range. Undaunted, TAG Heuer started to introduce coloured dials into the ladies range along with the ultimate dive watch, the '2000 Aquagraph' which is clearly modelled after the 2000 Exclusive with the bezel in particular bearing a strong resemblance and is included in the 2000 Exclusive section of the catalogue as a consequence.

This catalogue also features a new range of bracelets, refreshing watches that we've already seen, but this is also the last catalogue to feature a full range of 2000 Exclusive watches as the range is rebranded Aquaracer and nearly all the 2000E models are expunged in the process.

CN2110.BA0361: 38mm, silver Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic) 

CN2111.BA0361: 38mm, black Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

CN2112:BA0361: 38mm, blue Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN111C.BA0359: 38mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN13IC.BA0360: 28mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1310.BA0333: 28mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN2110.BA0359: 38mm, silver Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN2111.BA0359: 38mm, black Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN2112.BA0359: 38mm, blue Clous de Paris dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN2310.BA0360: 28mm, pink guilloche dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

WN2311.BA0360: 28mm, blue guilloche dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

CN211A.BA0353: 42mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (automatic)

CN211A.FT8001: 42mm, black dial, steel bezel on a black rubber strap (automatic)

CN211A.ER004: Box set containing watch head, both straps and changing tools

2006-2007 CATALOGUE

As previously mentioned with the 2006 catalogue the 2000 name disappears completely along with nearly all the watches. The only carryovers are the Aquagraph (which drops the 2000 prefix) and the two (pink and blue) automatic ladies watches introduced last time around, though these are now categorized as 'Aquaracers' in the catalogue.

2008-2009 CATALOGUE

This is the final entry for the Aquagraph, which is itself the last remaining vestige of the 2000 Exclusive model line. Design cues live on in the Aquaracer series however, in particular the strong, angular bezel which appears to influence the look of such models as the CAF1112.

NON-CATALOGUE MODELS

CN111B.BA0337: 38mm, grey dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

CN111E.BA0337: 38mm, black/silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

CN111F.BA0337: 38mm, black/silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

CN111G.BA0337: 38mm, blue/silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

CN111H.BA0337: 38mm, silver/black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1110.BA0311: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1111.BA0311: 38mm, white dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1113.BA0332: 38mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1115.BA0332: 38mm, taupe dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1116.BA0332: 38mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (Palau L/E)

CN111C.BA0337: 38mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (FIS Alpine Skiing L/E)

CN111D.BA0337: 38mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (Seychelles L/E)

CN1119.BA0337: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (FIS Alpine Skiing L/E)

WN111A.BA0332: 38mm, taupe dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (Rangiroa, Tahita L/E)

WN111B.BA0332: 38mm, grey dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) 

WN111F.BA0332: 38mm, black dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (Mt Hood L/E)

WN111G.BA0359: 38mm, silver/diamond dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN111M.BA0332: 38mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (Cayman Islands L/E)

WN1315.BA0333: 28mm, teal dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN131D.BA0360: 28mm, blue dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (Seychelles L/E)

WN131H.BA0360: 28mm, white/diamond dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN131J.BA0360: 28mm, silver/diamond dial, diamond/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1151.BA0332: 38mm, black dial, gold/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN1152.BA0332: 38mm, white dial. gold/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN131K.BA0360: 28mm, MOP dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

WN5141.BG0351: 38mm, silver/diamond, gold/diamond bezel, case and bracelet (automatic)

WN1351.BA0333: 28mm, black dial, gold/steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz)

2000 AUSTRALIAN SUMMER OLYMPICS WATCHES

During my research for this post I came across a poster for a series of watches celebrating athletes competing at the 2000 Olympic Games. I was already aware of the Marion Jones and James Tomkins watches and had photographs / part numbers in hand, and I managed to find a photograph of the Susie O'Neill watch but no part number... as for the others, well no luck so far, if I do manage to find something I will amend the post accordingly.

CN1116.BA0337: 38mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (Marion Jones L/E)

XXXXXXX.XXXXXX: 38mm, silver dial, steel bezel / bracelet (quartz) (Susie O Neill L/E)

CN1118.BA0337: 38mm, silver dial, steel bezel on a bracelet (quartz) (J.Tomkins L/E)

LIMITED EDITION WATCHES

CN111C.BA0337: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Limited Edition - 700 pieces

CN111D.BA0337: Seychelles Limited Edition - ? pieces

CN1114.BA0337: Colin Jackson Limited Edition - 100 pieces

CN1116.BA0337: Marion Jones American Limited Edition - 150 pieces

CN1118.BA0337: James Tomkins Australian Limited Edition - 30 pieces

CN1119.BA0337: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Limited Edition - 300 pieces

WN111A.BA0332: Rangiroa, Tahiti Limited Edition - ? pieces

WN111F.BA0332: Mt Hood, Oregon Limited Edition - 800 pieces

WN111M.BA0332: Cayman Islands Limited Edition - ? pieces

WN1116.BA0332: Blue Holes, Palau Limited Edition - ? pieces

WN131D.BA0360: Seychelles Limited Edition - 2000 pieces

XXXXXX.XXXXXX: Daniel Kowalski Australian Limited Edition - 30 pieces

XXXXXX.XXXXXX: Susie O'Neill Australian Limited Edition - 80 pieces

XXXXXX.XXXXXX: Shane Kelly Australian Limited Edition - 80 pieces

Now, at the start of this post I mentioned that I had rarely seen a 2000 Exclusive on a strap, since they were only sold on bracelets and few people seem to switch them out. But no sooner had I written that than MZZLeather posted a photo on Calibre11 of his WN2110 Automatic on a purple leather strap. I thought it looked fantastic and with his kind permission here you can see how great the 2000 Exclusive looks off its usual bracelet and on a bespoke strap made by MZZ Leather himself! 

I have to say that silver Clous de Paris dial is the perfect 'blank canvas' for any colour of strap, and it kinda makes me reconsider my thinking about silver dials being a bit dull!

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