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Those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time will perhaps remember the trials and tribulations I have experienced when it comes to watch sizes. I bought a 35mm 2000 Series in 2015 and immediately sold it on because it was too small for me, then I bought a 37mm 2000 Series, wore it for a year and decided it too was too small for my 7.5/8" wrist and sold it (my biggest watch regret to date incidentally)... but then fast forward to 2021 and my collection is festooned with 35 and 37mm watches, in fact so much so that the average size in my collection is currently standing at 38.7mm!
But aside from my classic F1s, the smallest 'normal' watch I own is my 36mm blue dial Kirium (on a blue leather strap). This works in a smaller size because the whole thing is highly polished and the blue leather strap makes it feel more substantial somehow. I think, much like gold, when you have a very eye catching and highly polished watch it doesn't need to be quite as big, in fact a watch like that in 40mm could be a bit too big for its own good.
The classic Formula 1s are 35mm, but I've always thought that because of the bright colours and also the shields on the strap, they wear a little bigger than they really are and as such I've always shied away from certain 'vintage' 80s models like the Airline, which I really want but in my heart of hearts know is probably going to annoy me because it's not as big as I'd like it to be.
And then there's the 'Executive'... it's not so long ago that I wrote a 'Spotlight On' post about this very piece, in which I said that I wasn't going to buy it because a) the seller had clarified that the 36mm diameter stated on the eBay listing included the crown and b) because the seller reckoned the bracelet would only fit up to 7", which is well short of what I need and realistically finding links for one of these was going to be a non-starter.
Tritium lume is not great, but better than expected for it's age.
Unfortunately the three handed Executives were only made in the (13) midsize diameters, with the larger (06) size reserved for the chronograph models which a) I don't really like as much, b) are even harder to find, and c) are a lot more expensive. Plus I am a bit wary of buying older chronographs as while the main hands seem to keep going forever the chronographs always seem to need repairing sooner or later.
So I forgot about it for a few months, and then when I found it again instead of re-reading my post I fired off the same questions to the seller, only this time they told me the bracelet was short but there was a lot of spare links and would probably expand to 8". The watch was being sold by 'Vintage Pawnbrokers' and I headed to their own website to see if it was the 'customary' £50 cheaper (due to no eBay fees) but no it was the same price as on eBay (£500). It was also returnable which made me think it was worth a punt, especially if the bracelet was a lot longer than I initially thought.
And so (very late) on Saturday night I fired off a rather cheeky offer of £375, figuring they'd had it for six months already so it was worth a shot. This was an epic misjudgement on my part, because the offer expired late on Sunday night, and there is every chance that rather than ignoring it, they might just have never seen it. So I sat on it for a day or so, hoping they might message me and say 'Oh hi, sorry we didn't see your message until Monday and it was too late, can we please sell our watch to you for your derisory £375 offer maybe...', but they didn't...
And of course, by now I'd decided that I wanted it. So I fired off a second offer for a slightly more reasonable £415, which was accepted. It's worth pointing out that all 'Vintage Pawnbrokers' watches come with a year's warranty, which is well worth having when you're buying a watch of this age, and given the scarcity of these pieces I didn't think the price was too bad. Yes you could argue that no one really wants them, and I know the seller had this on eBay for at least six months which bears that out, but at the same time - the condition is incredible, it came in its original box and with a spare bracelet shoulder, a spare Heuer clasp and more spare links than I actually needed, so I really do think it was fair at £415. Especially since I have zero intention of selling it again.
When the watch arrived I was initially irritated by the fact that as I was unwrapping it it seemed to be in a non-TAG brown plastic box, but once I got all the bubble wrap off I was pleasantly surprised to see the TAG Heuer logo on the box top, I had just never seen one of these particular types of boxes before! The box did have some sticky residue on the top and front side, but I managed to remove it with a fast drying solvent, albeit it did take some of the colour with it, which is a bit of a shame.
Opening the box I was immediately struck by the condition which was better than the photographs suggested, and then of course the watch's diminutive size! As I picked the watch and cushion out of the box I noticed the enormous amount of 'extras' sitting in the bottom of the box and then just how short the strap on the actual watch was. It can't have been more than 6" long and even with the clasp fully open I couldn't get it over my hand to try it on.
But no worry, because the Executive's bracelet is held together not with pins and collars, or even split pins, but actual screws! Very tiny screws admittedly, but screws all the same... and so it was pretty simple to size the bracelet to my wrist (you can actually see the screws in the pictures; what looks like gold tips on the individual links are the actual screws which hold it all together).
And yes, for sure it is a bit small on my wrist, but it doesn't look 'silly' which I feared it might, and while it's not going to be a watch I'm going to wear in the summer with a T-shirt, it will look great peeking out from under a cuff in the winter (and it will certainly fit under the tightest of cuffs - see pic below)! Let's not forget this watch is over thirty years old and quite delicate, so maybe a bit of 'protection' in use won't be a bad thing anyway.
The Executive next to my Calibre 16 Carrera...!
Of course, when you see the Executive next to my 43mm Carrera it looks rather small, but you also notice that the watch doesn't actually have any lugs, which makes it appear even smaller than it might otherwise do. I think the bracelet helps here, if this was on a plain, thin leather strap I think it might look a bit too small, but on this flashy looking bracelet it just about gets away with it.
So yes, despite it's lack of heft, I am rather smitten with my little Executive, which might come as a surprise to some people who have me pegged as a 45mm Heuer 01 wearing brute. What can I say, maybe I'm finally maturing and starting to come round to the 'vintage is best' way of thinking!
;)
My mid 80s Executive features a variety of brandings. The dial, backplate and box carry the TAG Heuer logo, while the crown and clasp are 'Heuer' branded. As I mentioned I also received a spare clasp, this is also branded 'Heuer' but it is a simpler affair, just the shape of the Heuer shield pressed into the metal with no embellishment, whereas the one fitted to the watch has a proper Heuer shield in gold plate.
This is not unusual, my 3000 Series watches are similar in this respect and this watch was available prior to the TAG buyout with a Heuer branded dial and we know very well that TAG Heuer used up all the Heuer branded parts through the remainder of the 80s and even into the early 90s. While it would no doubt increase the monetary value if this one had a 'Heuer' branded dial, as ever I am more than happy that my particular watch wears the proper TAG Heuer logo.
:)
Of course now I'm looking for an 'Airline', but I only want the one with the super cool 'printed' bracelet...
SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Executive Quartz Watch
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