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!