ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Link Calibre 5 Diamond Bezel Watch

 
WBC2113.BA0603

TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 19th April 2021

I realise that most of you will probably have no idea what I'm talking about here, but in 2019 I suffered through the entire 23rd season of the US reality TV show 'The Bachelor'. This epic waste of time followed a buff, cheesy grinned 'All American' Football player called Colton Underwood as he went on his personal (doomed) quest to find luuurve and ultimately a 'wife'. Spoiler, it didn't work out; though oddly Colton did end up with a restraining order served by one of the contestants. Go figure!

For those of you not entirely au-fait with the show, The Bachelor is semi-contractually obliged to end with a proposal, they even have a designated jeweller called Neil Lane who pops up at the end to offer the lead a selection of engagement rings to choose from; so the pressure was on right from the start and Colton was ill equipped to handle it (in more ways than one). At the time Colton's big 'secret' was that he was a virgin, but it turned out he had a much bigger secret which finally emerged just a few weeks ago (and which didn't exactly come as a massive surprise to be completely honest)!

If these opening paragraphs give the impression that Colton was in some way interesting and intriguing, please be assured that this could not be further from the truth. Colton's season of 'The Bachelor' was dismally dull and people only continued watching to find out why he jumped over a very high fence. No really, that was the teaser trailer every single week! So dull was this season that the only thing I can actually remember about it was that throughout the show Colton was wearing a blue dial watch with what looked like a diamond bezel. 

I kept trying to catch a glimpse of his watch and eventually came to the conclusion that it was a TAG Heuer Link, something that became abundantly clear during the penultimate episode when poor Colton spent an inordinate amount of time with his head in his hands... giving the camera long, lingering shots of the watch as Colton sobbed into his palms as he tried to wrap his head around who he really wanted to date (host Chris Harrison perhaps?). A cynic might even venture that TAG Heuer paid for this apparently gratuitous product placement, but who knows? 

Let's just say that The Bachelorette (which is produced by the same company) certainly wasn't above this sort of thing. A previous season in 2017 included a trip to Switzerland and more importantly a slightly clunky visit to the Breitling boutique in Geneva where one lucky contestant (the eventual 'winner' strangely enough) was gifted a Breitling Navitimer. Needless to say he wore this on his wrist throughout the rest of the season, prompting other contestants to comment on it and thus sowing the seed that a Breitling Navitimer is a good engagement present in the minds of millions of impressionable American women. Go Breitling!

Of course, the TAG Heuer Link has a long and varied history prior to its 'starring role' in Colton's season of The Bachelor (beginning life as the S/EL in the late 1980s) but the current range, while essentially 'pleasant' to look at, just doesn't seem to have grabbed the world's attention. It's all very nice and the bracelet is very pretty, but to put it simply - no one really cares. Which is a shame, but that's how it is. In fact, such is the apparent level of disinterest in the Link range as a whole that I keep expecting it to be revamped (again) or discontinued completely, but for now at least it seems like TAG Heuer are soldiering on with the current pieces.

I actually think this model with the diamond bezel is one of the most attractive of the present pieces. Often diamond bezels can look like an afterthought, but here it seems very integrated into the design and it looks fantastic against the stunning blue dial. That said, I've never liked the crown on these Links, it seems a bit of a peculiar shape and looks out of place with the rest of the overall look. Also, while the bracelet is beautifully finished I've always thought the larger links at the end are a touch too big for their own good. I don't know why that is, maybe it's the way they join the case with that chunky central link? I'm not sure, but it seems at odds with the watch's otherwise classy and dressy demeanour. 

I get that the diamond bezel is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I must admit I like it. I wouldn't mind adding at least one diamond bezel to my collection at some point and right now I would say that this is probably at the top of my 'diamond bezel wants list'. 

What, you don't have a 'diamond bezel wants list'... what kind of watch enthusiast are you anyway?

It seems that the opportunity for this watch to earn itself a nickname ('The Colton') has long since passed and Colton himself seems to have moved on to wearing a Rolex, of course. But still, from most angles this is a great looking watch, with or without diamonds and one that you can pick up right now from the TAG Heuer Bicester Village Outlet at a whopping 40% discount; which means that rather than paying £5250 you'll be picking this up for just £3150...

Who knows what the future holds for the Link range, maybe it will survive, maybe it won't. Maybe it will even become a ladies only model? But then if it does, what would replace it? Is there even a mass market for dressy men's watches anymore? It seems a shame if not, but then saying that I feel like one of those annoying people who moan about a particular shop closing and then concedes that they haven't bought anything there for twenty years.

Who exactly is the modern Link customer? I've been on the Calibre 11 for five years and I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen someone post a wrist shot or even bring it up in conversation. Still, I've never been one to follow the herd - maybe I should start saving?

Contact TAG Heuer Bicester Village on (01869) 249008 to check stock or arrange a UK delivery.

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FEATURE: Three Things TAG Heuer Could Improve On...

 

Today I thought I would write something a little different, so here's my top three things that I think could be improved in TAG Heuer world...

#1 The TAG Heuer Website.

TAG Heuer have fairly recently revamped their website and superficially it looks great. They've added animated watch faces so you can see the watch's hands moving and you can even operate the chronographs, which is fun and gives a bit of life to the same old computer generated renders. A few more real life photographs wouldn't go amiss; they seemed to add photo galleries to some pieces a while back but that seems to have gone by the wayside recently, which is a shame.

Also, the details on the website are absolutely woeful. The other day I wanted to double-check if the red hour markers on one of the Manchester United Heuer 01 Carrreras were actually lume or just paint and so I visited the website to check. There was no 'light/dark' picture, but since this was an older model it probably pre-dated that particular feature. So I clicked on the 'dial' section of the details panel at the bottom of the page and no word of a lie it literally said 'Black'. What use is that to anyone? It doesn't even mention that the dial is skeletonised for God's sake!

 

Compare this with one of TAG Heuer's closest competitors and it looks pretty damned bad. Breitling give you more information about the strap on their super cool Endurance Pro pieces than TAG Heuer give you about a whole watch, plus they give you pretty much every dimension you could ask for and it still annoys me to no end that TAG Heuer removed the part numbers from the main page and stuck them in a pointless drop down menu right at the bottom of the article page. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

All in all, the website (though pretty to look at) leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to getting down to the nitty gritty. Even looking at the newly released Aquaracers it gives you the barest minimum details when it comes to the movement. It tells you the balance frequency and the power reserve and that it's automatic, but that's it. Oh, actually that's not quite true - it also helpfully tells you that it shows hours, minutes and seconds...

#2 Strap Availability and Compatibility

Watch guys (and gals) love straps; a new strap is an easy way to refresh a watch or to give it a whole new look, especially if you have a silver or white dial which will literally go with almost anything. But TAG Heuer treat their strap selections like an official secret and you honestly can't 'assume' anything. One downside of the whole bespoke strap/lug thing is that you can never quite be sure if a different strap will fit or not and unless TAG Heuer expressly tell you it will then you're digging in the dark.

The same goes for bracelets, I wondered if perhaps the BA0842 bracelet would fit the WAZ101A orange dial Formula 1... but the computer doesn't confirm it will. I think it will, logically it should given that there are other 43mm three handed Formula 1s that I 'assume' share the exact same case, but unfortunately that isn't necessarily so and I'm not really willing to order a £300 bracelet in the hope that it will fit.

The silly thing is that with a bit of thought and effort TAG Heuer could create a bracelet and strap section of their website and generate thousands if not millions of pounds of additional sales. If they put the effort in to show exactly which straps will fit your watch I'm sure their customers would get hooked and spend a fortune on building a collection of different options - I know I would!

#3 Non 'In-House' Movements

I'm not suggesting for a moment that TAG Heuer should take everything in house and I don't believe there is any need to do so. The whole 'in-house' thing is a bit of a red herring forced upon the industry when the Swatch group threw their toys out of their pram over supplying ETA movements to companies outside of their group. 'In House' does not automatically mean 'better', there are some perfectly adequate, reliable and well proven movements out there which perform just as well, if not better than the movements produced 'in-house' by the manufacturers. 

The issue with TAG Heuer seems to be that they switched from ETA to Sellita (which is a clone movement) but they also seem to have gone for the lower quality model from the range available. To be honest, I am not the most technical person when it comes to watch movements, but this is something that comes up time and again in You Tube videos and articles and while I'm sure it's not something that really bothers a large proportion of TAG Heuer's customer base sooner or later I think they will need to address this for the sake of their standing within the more informed watch community (at the very least they should address the spinning rotor issue which is well known with these movements).

There really is no need for TAG Heuer to manufacture their own three hand movement (with the accompanying inevitable price rise and servicing cost) when there are already plenty of good movements available, indeed I really think the 'In House' thing should be kept for watches like the Monaco and the Carrera. Just choose a movement that is suitable for the price being charged for the watch... we really shouldn't be seeing watches costing £2000+ sharing movements with microbrand watches costing less than £500. Is it any wonder the fakers are buying the same movements these days?

Well there we are, three things I think TAG Heuer could improve on, and I didn't mention plastic movement holders once!

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BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Watch Strap Extravaganza!

Over the course of the last few months I ordered several straps from the TAG Heuer Outlet at Bicester Village and though Tom offered to post them out to me I really wanted them to fit them for me; at least the ones I knew were likely to be tricky. So I waited and waited and eventually the store was allowed to re-open by which time there were seven straps waiting for me...

I had ordered an orange and a yellow strap for my classic F1s, basically as spares because my yellow one is already starting to grub up around the retainer even though I only replaced it last year, and the orange because I could see that was starting to get a bit grubby too (actually a lot grubbier than I thought once I saw the new one!). I have recently bought a strap changing tool from 'Watch Gecko' and I'm happy doing those myself, it was only £10 but streets ahead of the crappy tools I had before.

Way back in September last year I bought a blue dial Kirium WL1116 and when it arrived it was clear that the leather strap had seen better days. I can't remember exactly when I ordered the strap but I think it had to come from Switzerland and it took a while, and then of course it arrived just at the wrong time and then the boutique was closed again... 

I knew this one was likely to be tricky to fit because the strap is fitted with pins rather than spring bars and that means you have to punch them out, which is not so easy on the side of a watch case with curved sides. God knows why they thought that was a good idea, I guess they figured it wouldn't need changing very often - which I suppose is true and I guess it is certainly a more secure fixing!

A bit too secure as it turned out. Tom tried valiantly and he actually managed to get the old strap off, but unfortunately he couldn't get one half of the new strap to line up with the case and so eventually he had to concede defeat and the watch had to go back to the service centre for fitting.

It was a similar story with my white dial 4000 Series, only this time poor Tom couldn't get one side of the bracelet off (also pins, not spring bars) and so that one had to go back too. I don't know how they got that one off, maybe they drilled the pin out and started again? Would be interesting to find out.

Fortunately it only took just over a week before I got a call to say the watches were back and ready to collect, and I was very happy with the results. I had bought the white dial 4000 with the express intention of fitting it with a genuine blue sharkskin strap and I really do think it looks fantastic. 

The other straps I picked up were a BT0724 perforated rubber strap which I intend to put on my WAZ101A orange dial Formula 1 just as soon as I get it back from being repaired, a green plastic strap for a new Formula 1 I bought recently but as yet haven't posted about and a red leather strap for my white dial, automatic 'S/EL Leather'. 

I actually ordered that strap before the watch had arrived (from Japan) and I thought it was coming on a black strap. When it arrived it turned out it was on a dark green strap that I rather liked and I was in two minds about switching them over or just keeping the red for a rainy day. In the end I decided to swap them over and Tom said that one was really easy, so I should have no problem putting the green one back sometime. I am thinking about slowly getting some more of these 'S/EL' leather straps, there were eight to choose from originally, top of my list is the turquoise, could be a nice easy Christmas present for my wife to get me!

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 'Titan' Special Edition Chronograph

 

CAW218B.FC6496

Before we get into this one, it seems only right that we address something rather peculiar about this watch... that being what exactly is it supposed to be for? Because on the TAG Heuer website it is called the 'Monaco Titan' Special Edition (due to the use of titanium in the case, a first for a Monaco), but equally some people who have bought it have been told it is made to celebrate 50 years since the making of the film 'Le Mans' (the 'Steve McQueen Le Mans Limited Edition), one person who has bought it said the inside of the box says 'Le Mans Limited Edition' (but it doesn't stipulate whether it means the race or the film) while others say their box doesn't have this inscription at all.

To confuse matters further, Max Verstappen was presented with a special (presumably) one-of-a-kind Monaco Titan, with his race number on the dial and a graphic of the Monaco circuit on the back of the watch - which seems a rather strange thing to do if it is indeed supposed to be celebrating the film 'Le Mans' or indeed the race itself...

Also, why a titanium case but a Calibre 11 movement and 'Heuer' on the dial? Wouldn't it make more sense for a titanium case to carry the in-house Heuer 02 movement? 

Overall it seems TAG Heuer's use of 'Special Edition' and 'Limited Edition' is extremely confused. A logical explanation would be that 'Special Editions' aren't part of the on-going range, while 'Limited Editions' are physically numbered on the back plate. But my Senna Formula 1 has 'Limited Edition' printed on the box, but there is no numbering, nor do I know how many pieces it was 'limited' to. Frankly, it's a bit of a mess.

Leaving all that aside, this one kind of sneaked out without any major fanfare or explanation save a teaser on TAG Heuer's Instagram account. Which seems rather a shame as it has met with seemingly universal approval from the members of the Calibre 11 forum - in fact I don't think I've heard a bad word about it, except when it comes to the price.

Ah yes, the price. Brace yourself people, because this one is not for the paupers among you. While the basic blue dial Monaco Calibre 11 now costs a substantial £5250, this one attracts a £1300 premium, pushing up the retail price to a fairly eye-watering £6550... which, titanium case or not, is rather a lot of money for any watch with a Sellita movement!

But then the price is what it is, only the customer can decide if they think it's worth it or not if not then don't buy it. From a design perspective I think this one is pretty sharp and the silver dial looks very cool (not something you hear me say very often), the only thing I'm not massively keen on is the flash of red on the '12' marker.

People have commented that this is a kind of (reversed) cousin to the CAW211Z 'Phantom' Monaco  from the 50th Anniversary collection, and I can see that. But while that black dial piece also had this red flash, to me it looked right there, but here for some reason it looks a bit unnecessary. I think the red chrono second hand alone is enough, I suppose the only plus here is that most of the time the red hand will be set at the '12' position so that bit of red paint will be largely obscured...

Other than that I can't really fault this one, I've always preferred the 'flat' hour indices of the older Monacos and they are of course present here and the black sub-dials go really well with the sparkling silver dial (the standout feature of this one for sure). Maybe they could have done away with the red stripe and given this one red subdial hands instead? 

I read somewhere that the chrono pushers on this one are sand-blasted whereas on the CAW211Z they were polished. I'm not sure if that is a good idea or not, initially it probably looks better, but over time might they not 'become' polished as they are depressed and used? It could end up looking a bit of a mess, but then again, how often does anyone actually use them?

Finally, we come to the strap, a unique part made for this model. You may remember the tortoiseshell bezel Aquaracers released last year which had rubber straps that were patterned to look like leather... well, I'm told (by people who've witnessed this first hand) that this one has a leather strap that feels like rubber. Which seems more than a little odd to me. Why on Earth would you want a leather strap that feels like rubber (which is inherently a 'cheaper' material) but without its waterproof qualities? I have no idea...

Still, I know you're all dying to find out what the C.O.C.O. Council thinks of this one, so lets throw it into their enclosure and see how they respond...

CAW218B.FC6496: Monaco 'Titan' Calibre 11 - 8.1 / 10

"

"I think the idea of a titanium Monaco is great as its quite a large and top heavy watch anyway so making it slightly lighter appeals to me. I do like it but I feel maybe it needs a bit more colour in there. The silver dial is nice but doesn't really contrast against the case or so it appears from the photos. I don't know... That said, I do like it and it reminds me very much of the 70's for some reason, which I suppose is a good thing as it's a retro watch anyway! I would give this Monaco a rating of 7/10. I like it but it just needs something else on the dial in my opinion but big plus for the titanium case!"

"It's an almost perfect combination of a traditional design with modern materials. I am happy, that the Calibre 11 movement is kept alive! I wonder if they considered combining this Titanium case with a light asphalt dial, like on the 1989-1999 Special Edition. This watch could pioneer more Titanium versions, e.g. in a colour-scheme like the new Titanium Aquaracers (green / Bamford). A Titanium version of the new Monaco bracelet might also work well."

"Based on looks this is a 9 for me, but movement and price drags it down to a 7."

"Really good edition, probably the best C11 after the McQueen and the grey LE for me. Saw the grey 02 on display yesterday and I think I would still prefer that one though. The thickness and weird case design of the modern Monaco still put me off though. The sandblasted finish even highlights these drawbacks so max a 7 for me."

"Love it. This is pretty much the first TAG Heuer in recent years that I have really liked and really would like to buy. Not surprisingly, the price is up there though, being titanium, so I'm not going to be an owner. There really isn't anything to not like so does it get a 10 out of 10? Yes it bloody well does!"

"I appreciate that it is a new case material for Monaco, but the dial is a bit boring. I have some doubts about this year's Monaco line-up. Even though it is the 50 year anniversary since the great movie "Le Mans", Limited edition Monaco does not come out. Why?"

"I'm a little conflicted about how I feel on this one. The silver sunburst dial is as compelling as the dial on the Silver 160th Carrera, plus the panda treatment on the Monaco makes it even more appealing. The sandblasted titanium case is cool, but not cool enough to make me spend the extra cash to buy one. Overall the watch has classic good looks and is a gorgeous piece. Having said that, for a Monaco, it's a little conservative and perhaps even a tad boring. The Blue McQueen is still the gold standard and this one falls short in comparison. Moreover, there are other Monaco LEs I'd rather own that cost a lot less. If TAG Heuer had made this the "Max 33 Monaco GP Titan", like the special one that Max Verstappen got, it would have made this watch much more desirable and worthy of its price. Furthermore, there's still a bit of mystery about whether this is a so called "Le Mans Edition". While it's printed on some boxes, there's absolutely no mention of this by TAG Heuer or the media."

"Pros: I like the look with the sandblasted titanium and I am sure it's weight will help with the top heavy feel on smaller wrists. The strap and clasp are well done. The contrast stitch and matte finish go well with the watch. The dial finish looks like it will have tons of character with the sunray and contrasting sub-dials. Colour choices for dial and sub-dials - perfect! Lastly the unconventional set up with using Calibre11 makes it a "Monaco".

"Solid 8 for me. Points deducted for CA compliant strap."

Cons: I don't like how the hands on the sub-dials seem to disappear. I feel they should either have been red to match the chrono hand or in some contrasting finish or color. As they are, I don't feel they are a useful feature. As it was a pro it is also a con. If Tag is going to charge this much for a watch it needs a replacement for the Calibre11. It is a defining feature of the watch but is an inexpensive machine finished movement making the 8k price a bit steep for me and taking off a point for me."

"Dear Tag Heuer, take the automatic rotor off the H02 and make a hand wound Monaco and Carrera. They will be a hit, feel thin, vintage and unique. I will then I feel you can charge 7k+."

"Too expensive for Calibre 11 movement. Strap feels cheap and like rubber."

"8/10 for me. Its nice, real nice but I Feel it might look a little wishy-washy in the metal, but the renders are nice. Cant wait to see some better photos of the box. I still tend to like my CAW211Z better. One thing they got right though with this one which I thought was missing on the Z is the Crown and pushers are sand blasted along with the case. They are polished on the Z which I thought was a bit of a design Faux pas."

"Nice watch, I like the case finish and the contrast of the face, my doubt would be the bonus/advantage to some, the weight, I like a hefty watch so this might counteract the visual attraction. Strap suits, but this might have been the the one for a bracelet of similar material to the case, in a bold design? Price is better than expected but that then means it will be snapped up quickly, some by enthusiasts others by scalpers hoping for a quick buck on the 500 piece run."

"I love it. The colour, sand blasted texture, red accents...It all comes together so nicely. The strap is great and suits the piece really well. If I had the cash I would definitely be going for this one. It is super photogenic as well, the photos of it on the wrist that I've seen are great! I want this... 9/10"

"I'm not a Monaco person, but this is definitely one of the nicer ones. If I was in the market for a Monaco, then I think this would be third on my list, behind the classic blue McQueen and the 1970s green Côtes de Genève dial. Limited to 500 means most collectors who want one should easily be able to get it. 8/10"

"8/10. Really like this one, it's rather captivating on the wrist. There are a couple of minor things I might have done differently that keep it from getting top marks, but overall it's a very fun watch. Don't love how much they're charging for the Calibre 11 models though. Still, it's one of the few modern Monaco models I could see myself hunting down in the years to come."

"9.5/10. And that's coming from a non-Monaco-desiring Heuer fan. I think the accent colour of the second hands of Heuer editions should be red as a signature design element as much as possible, and the Titan Monaco perfectly exemplifies how and why."

The CAW218B is limited to 500 pieces worldwide and is available from the TAG Heuer website now.

https://www.tagheuer.com/gb/en/timepieces/collections/tag-heuer-monaco/39-mm-calibre-11-automatic/CAW218B.FC6496.html

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FEATURE: The C.O.C.O. Council Rates the TAG Heuer Monaco 50th Anniversary Collection

The 50th Anniversary Collection

Isn't it funny how 2019 seems like yesterday? Well it's not entirely surprising... last year I heard an article on the radio where they were talking about how time appears to go faster when you get older, and the conclusion was the reason for that is that as you get older you tend to experience less 'new' things. The brain doesn't really bother to remember the 27th time you've walked round your local park, the 64th time you've put the bins out, or even the 15th time you woke up with a hangover, on your sofa... with a pizza stuck to your face. And let's be honest, the way things have been for the last year and a bit, 'new' experiences are in short supply for most of us...

So if it seems like only five minutes since the 50th Anniversary of the Monaco to you, well you're probably not alone. But in actual fact it's been more than two years since the covers came off that first, rather peculiar looking green dial Heuer Calibre 11 Monaco; what a trend setter that proved to be, in it's own 'special' way! 

Little did we know that it was only the first in a slew of green dial TAG Heuer's to come, although as green watches go, it's somewhere out there in it's own little universe. Indeed, I recall the first leaked images of the CAW211V suggested the dial to be more 'brown' than 'green' so it was rather a (pleasant) surprise when the watch actually appeared and proved rather more appealing than I initially thought. And even better when you took it away from the stylised 70s backgrounds that TAG Heuer seemed determined to display it against.

This first of the five Monacos came out towards the end of May 2019, and it was only about three weeks until the red dial 80s Monaco broke cover in mid-June. This one made a big impact with it's metallic red dial and slightly odd silver subdials... initially I thought this was the one I would choose, but for me it hasn't 'lasted' quite as well as I thought it might.

One month later TAG spat out the 'concrete' dial 90s Monaco and again the renders lied to us! Leaked images suggested a really boring, really dreary disaster of a Monaco - but in reality the dial was intriguing and textured like no other TAG Heuer before it (again, a trend setter in its own right) and the blue and red details worked magnificently with the light grey dial. This is my pick of the 50th Anniversary Monacos, and for me it was all downhill from here.

It was a long old wait for the fourth anniversary piece, which didn't rock up until the back end of September and... to say it was underwhelming would be an understatement. Looking at it objectively, it's actually quite a nice watch - but following a funky green/brown Monaco, a sparkling red Monaco and a concrete textured dial Monaco on a blue strap this one was fighting a losing battle from the start. 

I've often wondered if the watches should have been released all at once, or in a different order, but I think whatever they did the 00s and 10s Monacos were never going to match up to the first three pieces. What's more I didn't really understand how the CAW211Y was supposed to represent the 00s, at all. Not that I could suggest something more appropriate, but the green and red were so well designed and the 90s kinda made sense once you got your head round it, whereas this one... umm, what? That said I feel like this one could be the sleeper-hit of the series, just give it a few more years to 'mature'.

Another two month wait ensued, meaning that the fifth and final 50th Anniversary Monaco didn't emerge until mid November, by which time (frankly, after watch number four) we'd all kinda lost interest. This one for me was the least interesting of the lot with it's supposedly 'phantom' (but not really) aesthetic, though strangely this was one that seemed to create a lot of enthusiasm in the watch community. Well, sorry... I didn't get it then and I don't get it now. 

Amusingly, this was the only one of the five that I actually 'almost' got to see in the flesh. I was visiting a TAG Heuer boutique one day (I shan't say which one) and they told me they had one of these 'out the back' and would I like to see it? I stood in the shop waiting excitedly, wondering if the watch would look better than the photos suggested, only to be presented with the dark grey dialed TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 12 'Final Edition'.

I don't know about you, but when these things happen my brain seems to shut down. So I gazed at the watch for a moment, trying to reconcile what I was expecting to see and what I was actually seeing and then slowly came to the realization that what I was actually holding was not actually a CAW211Z at all, and that I would have to break this to the person standing next to me waiting to hear my enthusiastic gushing.

Aaaawkward!

So for me, despite my initial enthusiasm for the red dial CAW211W, two years on my opinion has settled as follows:

1. CAW211X (90s - Concrete dial)

2. CAW211V (70s - Green dial) 

3. CAW211W (80s - Red dial) 

4. CAW211Y (00s - Black / White dial) 

5. CAW211Z (10s - Black 'Phantom' dial)

But while my opinion is as valid as anyone else's, it never hurts to get a second opinion... so yes, finally it's time to turn all five Monaco 50th Anniversary pieces over to the C.O.C.O Council for appraisal and evaluation.

Usually when I ask the C.O.C.O council to rate watches I ask them to score out of ten, but this time I simply asked them to put them in order of preference and collated the results from that. One esteemed member suggested using an F1 style scoring system, which I tried, but this didn't change the results very much at all other than closing up the gaps a little bit. I also tried turning the scores into percentages, but the outcome was still the same - two models vying for the win, with the remaining three relatively evenly spread out.

A couple of the members unfortunately failed to grasp this radical new system, with one saying they were all awful and another giving them all 3 out of 10... but we still had a good number of responses that I could actually use and which provided a pretty solid top five. So here we go...

CAW211V           CAW211W           CAW211X           CAW211Y          CAW211Z

5th - CAW211Y (1999-2009): 1 x First place, 213 F1 Points, 13% of vote

I think it was pretty obvious that this would end up last, although I don't mind it at all. I just don't think it had the necessary 'specialness' in this company to stand out. 

4th - CAW211Z (2009-2019): 1 x First place, 229 F1 Points, 16% of vote

Likewise this one was a little too 'plain' to really stand out in such colourful company and for me this was the least exciting of all. Still it was never in any danger of coming last...

3rd - CAW211V (1969-1979): 4 x First place, 242 F1 Points, 20% of vote

Slap bang in the middle with an entirely 'average' percentage of the vote, the green dial model was probably the most divisive of the five watches, picking up as many 5th places as wins.

2nd - CAW211X (1989-1999): 5 x First place, 312 F1 Points, 25% of vote

My favourite and it seems quite a few other people's favourite (since 4 other people voted it the best one), but I knew it wouldn't win simply because I knew the red one would.

1st - CAW211W (1979-1989): 6 x First place, 328 F1 Points, 26% of vote

It wasn't as clear cut as I expected and as it first seemed (the concrete dial made a late charge but couldn't quite catch up its early losses), but the red '80s Monaco won out in the end. 

A few of the C.O.C.O. Council members also made some observations...

Mspeedster said:

70s. This one is the most interesting and vintage in its appeal. I might have rated it as my favourite, but I'm simply not into green watches.

80s. The gorgeous red dial is amazing. I like this one as much as the 90s, however it's almost too pretty. I feel it would be like having a big red ruby on one's wrist. Hence I wouldn't wear it that often, dropping it to 2nd place.

90s. This one is most in keeping with the blue, red, & white colours of the original 1133B. Thus it looks the most Monaco-like to me. The concrete asphalt dial treatment was fresh and fairly unique when this watch was released, giving the watch a certain X factor to it. Aesthetically, the whole watch just comes together.

00s. I like the classic black and white color scheme. The thick circle ring reminds of other Heuer watches of the 70s. But compared to my top 3, this one is just a step behind.

10s. I might feel differently about the stealth look of the 10s edition if I were to see it in person. But in photos, its stealthy look isn't enough to elevate its ranking. Still, it's a great looking watch.

Thingsiliketoo said:

I think Tag Heuer did a nice job of designing these for each the decades they represent.

I like the watches in order of release - first place is #1 69-79. The colour and dial Côtes de Genève finishing of the dial puts this Monaco way out front of the others. Also the strap pairing just tops it off. Everything on this one works for me. Fourth and Fifth releases are very close and could switch possibly if I could see them in person. If it was a race, release one would be up by a full lap, 2 and 3 evenly spaced behind half a lap and behind them by a quarter lap coming to cars 4 and 5,ending with a photo finish.

And Abrod520 said: 

1970s: The clear best, not just of this line-up but it's also one of the more interesting Monaco LEs they've done so far.

1980s: The color is a bit much for me, but again an interesting (if unsuccessful) experiment with the subdial shapes.

1990s: The next best design, the experiment with the dial texture is interesting. A bit boring but it works.

2000s: Nothing much interesting here. I guess the only experiment was that they highlighted the circular track on the dial? Which just served to jumble it up. The clear loser of the range.

2010s: Very cool in renders and would have been my 2nd choice, but in reality it's just washed out which is too bad. I like the case finish, though.

Finally, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Chrono24 and see how these watches fair on the open market, given there was only 169 of each made... obviously the cheapest price is the most relevant since anyone can put anything on for a silly price, it just won't sell. 

Most affordable, and no great surprise honestly, is the CAW211Y (00s) with an asking price of £5350 (which is exactly what it cost new). Next up is the concrete dial CAW211X (90S) at £6790. Then comes the CAW211Z (10s) at £7300 and then.... it's actually the red dial CAW211W at £8400. Which leaves the green dial CAW211V out in front by some margin, the cheapest price on offer being £9700, quite a jump from the original list price!

I can't help but think the CAW211V benefits from that initial impact of being the 'first' piece released, but also the fact that it represents the period '1969-1979' which is the period of most interest to Monaco enthusiasts and perhaps it's unique look and cool Cotes de Geneve dial don't hurt either...

Next time we'll be checking out the new Monaco Titan Calibre 11 Special Edition.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CAW211V (Green dial 70s Monaco)

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2019/05/first-impressions-tag-heuer-monaco-50th.html

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CAW211W (Red dial 80s Monaco)

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2019/06/first-impressions-tag-heuer-monaco-50th.html

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CAW211X (Concrete dial 90s Monaco)

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2019/07/first-impressions-tag-heuer-monaco.html

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CAW211Y (Black/white dial 00s Monaco)

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2019/09/first-impressions-tag-heuer-monaco-50th.html

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CAW211Z (Phantom dial 10s Monaco)

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2019/11/first-impressions-tag-heuer-monaco-50th.html

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Classic Quartz Watch

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Chronograph Review by EDC Gunner

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 2019-2020 Dealer Catalogue

 

While I have managed to amass a considerable number of TAG Heuer catalogues and literature, dealer catalogues are always harder to come by. I have several from the 00s, but until now nothing more recent than 2011. Every now and then I see one on eBay but the prices are always £100+ which is more than I am willing to pay, especially if they aren't even in English! 

But the other day I was lucky enough to spy a dealer catalogue on eBay (with a very poor picture) listed for £39.99. I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting as the description wasn't terribly descriptive - but I knew that whatever it was I didn't have it so it was worth a punt. I had visions of it arriving and being a lot smaller / thinner than I anticipated, but in actual fact I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was indeed a full sized, ring-bound dealer catalogue which also included two other booklets with it.

The transaction was easy enough and the catalogue rocked up in a couple of days. The cover is a bit creased but to be fair that was mentioned in the listing. Apart from that it's all in very good condition.

One of the booklets is a staff training manual which illustrates how to layout window displays etc, and the other is a guide book for staff on the Connected smart watch. Our Catalan
friend Albert AMG contacted me to express an interest in that and seeing that I really didn't have any myself I decided I would send it to him to add to his every expanding collection of Connected paraphernalia. I really can't think of a better place for it. :)

It's kind of ironic that the catalogue includes the rarer than hen's teeth green dial Aquaracer, I thought the catalogues only usually carried the core range... but there it is, taunting me on page 94!

All in all, a very nice piece to add to my collection and a very fair price to boot.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Classic' Quartz Watch

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Quartz by Luxury Bear

 

FEATURE: My Top Five TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Classic' Quartz Watches

Back in the 1980s things were different; mechanical watches were old hat and everything was waaay more colourful. Nothing epitomised this more than the HUGE success of the 'Swatch' watch, and TAG Heuer, finding itself in a less than dominant position in the watch market, decided the way forward for them was an upmarket version of the Swatch; thus the original, super-colourful, resin-cased Formula 1 was born. Boom! It was a massive success in it's own right, firmly establishing the newly minted TAG Heuer brand name in the minds of thousands of young (and potential future) customers and in the process helped to turn the company's fortunes around.

At 34/35mm it's a little bit small by todays standards, but for some reason I find it wears a lot better than you would expect. Maybe it's the bright colours, maybe it's the TAG Heuer shields on the strap or maybe it's just that it is what it is and if you don't like the size then wear something else? I do vaguely remember when I got my first classic F1 wishing it was bigger, but I eventually got used to it and it no longer bothers me in the slightest. Indeed, I now have nine of these and I'm slowly homing in on the complete set.

What sets these apart really is how collectible they are, the bright colours are fun and you just want to 'collect them all' as I believe the saying goes. Of course it helps that the prices are relatively affordable as well; I've picked up classic F1s from as little as £120 and I think the absolute most I've paid has been £370 for a NOS ladies 'raspberry' (complete with original box and papers). In fact I would say my entire collection has cost less than £1700, including replacement straps.

While we are on the subject of straps, please don't go paying eBay prices for these straps - they are all available direct from TAG Heuer at £32 each, less than half of what eBay sellers will charge for them!

An unusual subject for a top five perhaps given that all these watches are essentially identical, but I really love these watches and any excuse to post photos of them is worth exploiting, so here we go:

#5. 373.513 (Orange & Grey)

We kick off with the only watch in my top five that doesn't have a resin coated case, but what it does have is an almost neon orange bezel and strap and that more than makes up for it. Like most of my classic F1s, this one came from Japan and aside from some scratches to the glass, it's in pretty good condition. I've actually just picked up a new strap for this one and it really is bright - makes you realise how grubby mine has gotten over the years!

#4. 388.513 (Light & Dark Blue)

One of the more difficult colour schemes to find at affordable prices (and in good condition for some reason), I finally found one in the UK just a few weeks ago although when it came it was wearing a black strap. While I'm sure it's a lot more practical than the light blue strap it originally came on, it looked a bit odd and I was happy to pick up a replacement from Bicester Village. Needless to say it doesn't quite match the bezel but I imagine that's changed colour since it left the factory so you have to make allowances I guess...

#3. 382.513 (Yellow & Grey)

The top three are pretty hard to sort into a definitive order and on a different day this could easily have claimed the top spot. For some reason (maybe the glass?) the dial on this one is much sharper than any of the other classic F1s I own and the silver ring around the dial sets it off magnificently. The yellow case matches the dial perfectly and is such a fantastic, vibrant yellow (which my photo utterly fails to capture!) I can't see how you could look at this one and not smile. Again my 382.513 came from Japan and was worth every penny.

#2. 380.513 (Yellow & Black)

One of, if not the most impactful colour schemes of all of the classic Formula 1s, this yellow and black version is also one of the most sought after. Again this arrived on a black strap, which is understandable because I've only had this a year and my yellow replacement strap is already starting to discolour (and really if I've worn it 20 times I would be surprised). As a matter of fact I've just picked up another replacement in readiness for it getting to the point where I can't take its grubbiness any more... factor in £32 a year for straps with this one!

#1. 385.513/085 (Red & Black)

This was the first classic Formula 1 that really caught my eye, and one that I struggled to find at a sensible price for a while. This model started out as the 385.513 with a black strap, but then TAG Heuer decided to release the same watch on a red strap so the black strap version became the 385.513/081 and the new (mostly) red model was given the /085 suffix. 

I actually bought mine on the black strap and then bought the red strap separately. I'm debating whether to buy another one so I can have both models in my collection, but it seems more than a little extravagant. That said, mine isn't in the best repair, there are three dates each month when the date wheel doesn't change and the bezel isn't the best either. In fact it's probably a more efficient use of funds to buy another one than to invest money in repairing this one.... so that's settled then.

I hope you enjoyed this Top Five, for more please visit the TOP FIVES MENU PAGE.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre S Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 2021 Collection by World Tempus

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 2000 Quartz Chronograph

 

262.206

For a long while now it's been clear that my collection has had a rather obvious 'missing piece', that being a 2000 Series. True I do have the 2000 Multigraph and more recently the 2000 Tristar, but neither of those models are truly 2000 Series watches - they just use the same case and bracelets. I did try and re-buy my old black dial 2000 Series a little while back, but when it arrived I realised that it wasn't quite the same (it had a polished 12 instead of a lumed one) and besides that the crown needed replacing and I wasn't getting myself into a £300 repair bill while the option to return it was available.

I put the idea of getting another 2000 Series to the back of my mind because while I liked them I knew the bracelet would cause me trouble (I ended up buying rubber straps for both my original black dial 2000 and my Multigraph because the clasps on the bracelet drove me insane), which was a shame because I would have loved to get the men's version of my wife's blue dial 2000, but I knew it wasn't to be.

On the other hand, the Tristar bracelet (which is the same as the 3000 Series bracelet incidentally) never caused me any problems; but the older 2000s always tended to be rather more expensive. Then the other day I came across this 2000 quartz chronograph on eBay at £400 with the option to make offers and I had a sudden urge to buy it.

My wife also has a grey dial 2000 (this was her second TAG Heuer and the one she initially wore daily until she built her own collection) which I had always liked the look of, so this one really appealed to me, and the icing on the cake was the chronograph movement with the accompanying thicker case. In the pictures the watch was shown on an aftermarket leather strap with a 'Heuer' buckle, but it also showed the bracelet (which appeared to be full length or close to) but no end links...

I fired off a message to the seller to check that they had the end links and it transpired that he had but he had forgotten to load the photo of them onto the listing. He duly loaded them up and, now satisfied that I wasn't letting myself in for a wild goose chase, I offered a reasonable £350.

An hour or so passed with no response and I figured the seller was probably going to let my offer run the full 24 hours and then maybe accept at the last minute if he didn't get a better offer. But then suddenly the offer was accepted and I got a message apologizing for the delay in accepting as he'd had to pop out. 

After I had paid, I noticed another 262.206 had appeared on eBay and for some reason it made me a little nervous. I started to get paranoid and look through the seller's feedback a little more closely and suddenly it all looked a little fishy - you know, lots of 'Private Listings' etc... and I began to wonder if I hadn't made a schoolboy error in my haste to add this to my collection.

In actual fact, I needn't have worried. The watch arrived promptly (albeit in a fake barrel case... not the first time that's happened) but the watch was in excellent condition and even the chronograph appears to work as it should. Result! 

The (non TAG Heuer) strap it was on was nothing special (black leather with white stitching) and the 'Heuer' buckle was clearly not original, so I took that off and put it back on the original bracelet, which fortunately had exactly the right number of links to fit my wrist. I much prefer it on the bracelet, it just looks 'right' and further confirms my theory that aftermarket straps never look quite how they should. I haven't looked into it but it wouldn't surprise me if TAG Heuer did sell this watch on a black leather strap at some point, but this one looked a bit too thick and the white stitching was a bit off-putting for me, especially with a rather matt grey dial. 

I'm a little conflicted about the dial, I do like the grey, but then when I see a later 2000 with a gorgeous blue dial I feel a little cheated. But then I know the bracelet on that one will drive me mad and it won't look the same on rubber. Besides, I only have one other grey dial watch and several blue ones, so it's all good.

Interestingly, you may remember when I got my gold plated 3000 Series from America I was slightly perturbed by the fact that the running seconds and the chronograph second hand beat twice per second. I did wonder if perhaps it had had the movement replaced with something a little weird, but I notice this 2000 Series which is of a similar vintage does exactly the same thing. What's more the second track on the dial has the half seconds marked also - so clearly the watch is supposed to beat twice per second or that would be completely pointless! In fact now I have realised this, looking again at the gold 3000 I can see that it also has the half seconds marked on the rehaut, so clearly that movement is correct too.

All in all, it's another splendid addition to the family and the more time I spend with it the more I like it and actually the more I appreciate that grey dial...