SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Automatic Chronograph

165.306
 

As time goes by I become more and more attracted to collecting the older watches from the TAG Heuer back catalogue; there's just something about the 80s and 90s pieces in particular that catches my attention - could it be the 'relatively reasonable' prices compared to the prices of the newer pieces I wonder? So when EST1897 sent me an email inviting me to take 'another look' at their ongoing sale, this one jumped out at me...

The email seemed to imply that the prices had been reduced again, but it looks like it's still a blanket 20% off the original asking price and so this beautiful 2000 Series is currently standing at a pretty decent £715 (down from £895). I'm not sure I would pay nearly £900 for this one, but at £715 it seems pretty reasonable and you do get a one year warranty when you buy from EST1897 so that's worth taking into account - especially for an automatic watch of this vintage.

It's quite easy to pin this one down since it has an 'older' part number (meaning it's pre 1992) and it doesn't appear until the 1988/1989 catalogue. So there's a 3-4 year period we can quite easily say this watch originates from. In the catalogue it's shown on a bracelet, but it does say in the text underneath the picture that it is also available on a black leather strap. I don't for a moment think that this is an original strap and that 'Heuer branded' buckle looks suspiciously like the type you can buy from eBay for about £20. But still, it looks great on a strap and I would be quite happy to wear this one as it is (though I might be tempted to purchase an official 'TAG Heuer' branded buckle). 

This particular version of the 2000 Series, and especially the two tone versions, have always screamed Breitling to me and I believe there may have been some legal shenanigans between the two companies over this design. That seems a bit unlikely in this day and age where designs seem pretty interchangeable but I'm sure I read somewhere that there was some kind of dispute - I will try and find out more about that. 

Other than that the watch looks incredibly clean and the gold looks in excellent condition for the most part. There is a touch of wear on some of the gold over-riders and hands, but nothing really for a watch that's pushing thirty years old. These older 2000 Series also feature the cool 'internal' date magnifier which is mounted into the dial so you get the benefit of a cyclops without the unsightly bulge on the crystal. 

I think if I hadn't already bought myself a grey 2000 Series chronograph earlier in the year this would have been rather tempting, and the more I think about it the more I think that price for an automatic in this condition and with a twelve month warranty is not to be sniffed at!

LINK TO THIS WATCH ON THE EST1897 WEBSITE:

https://est1897.co.uk/collections/sale/products/tag-heuer-2000-series-165-306-37mm-bi-colour-mens-watch