VIDEO: TAG Heuer Brings Back the Legendary Night Diver by Time and Tide

 

ON THE WRIST: Breitling Endurance Pro Super Quartz Chronograph

 

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Ernest Jones / Milton Keynes, 13th September 2021

There was a time when I really liked Breitling, and very specifically the Avenger Blacksteel and Avenger Hurricane models, but I never quite took the plunge. The Avenger Blacksteel always seemed to turn up pre-owned with damaged coating and the Avenger Hurricane was always a little bit out of my price range... and by the time it started turning up at Bicester Village at a more 'sensible' price, unfortunately the magic was gone. I still have a sneaky admiration for both the Aerospace and the Exospace: any watch with a combination analogue and digital dial tends to spark my interest, although the mother of pearl dial, black diamond encrusted Emergency I looked at in the BV boutique a while back was too much even for me! 

But then it seemed that Breitling went completely off message, ditching their winged logo and discontinuing their cool 'modern' models left right and centre... while simultaneously releasing the godawful 'Navitimer 8' line and don't even get me started on this year's pistachio and salmon abominations! Thankfully they have seen the error or their ways and worked their way back into my good books with their extremely awesome Endurance Pro series.

GALLERY: Heuer Carrera 160th Anniversary Limited Edition Chronograph by Thingz I Like Too

Instagram @ thingziliketoo

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Targa Florio and Carrera Chronographs by Aron Dunlap OFD Watch Channel

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'VH5150' Special Edition Quartz Watch

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You may well remember me writing about this some time ago, but after that post was published I was contacted by a gentleman from the USA who owned the watch and believed he had bought it from the listing I had highlighted. 

He contacted me to ask if I could tell him any more about the watch as he now realised it was somewhat rare and as such he felt he couldn't wear it day to day which is why he had bought it in the first place. He also wasn't particularly fussed about the Van Halen connection, ideally he wanted to sell it and buy a normal 380.513 instead that he could wear daily.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 by Wristwatch Dave

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Dato 45 160th Anniversary Heuer 02 Chronograph

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Selfridges / London, 15th September 2021

Honestly the 44mm Carrera Heuer 02 Dato 45 160th Anniversary Limited Editions never really made the same impact on the watch scene as the 39mm Heritage Carrera Heuer 02 'Silver' 160th Anniversary Limited Edition or the 39mm Heritage Carrera 'Montreal' Heuer 02 160th Anniversary Limited Edition did they? 

Like those two fantastically lauded watches the two Carrera Dato 45s (let's just stick with that shall we or we'll be here until Christmas!) which came later on in 2020 were both released as limited editions of 1860 pieces and came either in a blue/white colour scheme or a white/black option (although whether that white is actually silver is open to debate). I still haven't seen the white/silver/black one and it's taken almost a year for me to come across the blue version, but boy am I glad I did! 

GALLERY: Heuer Carrera 160th Anniversary Limited Edition Chronograph by Thingz I Like Too

Instagram @ thingziliketoo

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Day/Date Review by Random Rob

 

INSTRUCTIONS: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Multigraph & Formula 1 CAC111D

 

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I've been looking for an instruction booklet for this watch since I bought it about two years ago. I found a video in Spanish once which sort of helped, but it wasn't until it occurred to me to search for instructions for the CAC111D Formula 1 watch that I made a breakthrough. With a watch that has no pushers and a multitude of functions (including two chronographs - split time & standard, countdown timer, alarm, second time zone and three different basic displays) all operated from the crown, instructions are a must. I'm just glad I've finally got the digital time to sync with the hands and it's really rekindled my love for a watch I've wanted for a very long time.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer S/EL Quartz Chronograph

 

INSTRUCTIONS: Removing the Backplate of the 2021 Aquaracer

Some of you will no doubt have read my post yesterday (ON THE WRIST: Aquaracer Tribute to 844) in its original form. Contained in that post there was some information which it now turns out was erroneous and as such has been removed. This originated in a conversation I had with Darnell at Harrods TAG Heuer about how the backplate is removed on the 2021 Aquaracer. 

Darnell (rightly) told me that the movement is accessed from the front, which I (wrongly) took to mean that the whole movement was 'front loaded' and inspection of the case seemed to support that since it was quite hard to see the join between the backplate and the case. I now realize this was because of the flanges which surround the backplate...

The truth is that to remove the backplate, first you must remove the bezel and undo some screws which go through the case and secure the backplate in the upright position; this seems a lot of hassle to go to just to make sure the helmet is exactly the right way up, but there we are, at least the mystery is solved!

Presumably once the screws are released the back plate is not screwed down tightly and it can be removed using a rubber friction tool. Makes me wonder though, how many backplates are going to get damaged down the line by people who do not know about this new quirk!

Many thanks to David at Calibre 11 for finding out the answer, much appreciated!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Calibre 17 Chronograph by Brent L Miller Time

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Tribute to 844' Calibre 5 Limited Edition Watch

 

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Harrods / London, 15th September 2021

Last time I visited Harrods, the room at the end of the corridor which houses the TAG Heuer (and other assorted) watches looked like a bit of a dump. Well that's a bit unfair, it wasn't a 'dump' as such, it just looked like a spare room that the 'rest' of the watches had been put in while they waited for the decorators to visit. This time that had all changed and the walls and ceiling were nicely finished so that they matched the rest of the 'boutiques' along the bottom floor corridor.

So I was more than a little surprised to be told that all this was about to be ripped out to make way for a dedicated TAG Heuer boutique, fitted out just like the one on Oxford Street. The man who told me this was the manager Darnell, a great guy who seemingly has almost as much enthusiasm for TAG Heuer as I do. Impressive!

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Titanium Chronograph by Jim Dollares

 

Instagram @ JimDollares

VIDEO: Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 160th Anniversary Limited Edition by Black Tag Watches

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: 2021 TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Watches & Calibre 7 Twin Time

 

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Way back in 2015 TAG Heuer (then under the control of the legendary Jean Claude Biver) announced a new cleaner and 'wider' logo for the brand. At the time some people loved it and some people hated the loss of the classic 'arrow' logo which had been with us since the 1985 takeover, but now six years down the line its kind of water under the bridge. What is surprising though is that even now you can still buy a brand new TAG Heuer watch with the old logo on the dial. Indeed, just a quick look at the TAG Heuer website reveals 8 different Formula 1 models (out of 35 available) still wearing the old logo and there is also at least one Aquaracer still on the site wearing the old badge too. 

(Does that not seem weird to anyone else? I was once told that everything made after 2015 would have been made with the new logo and so every dial that still carried the old logo must have been manufactured prior to that. I guess the dials could have been made in bulk at the start of the line, but it seems a bit odd to think that six years down the line there's still a mixture of logos available. I mean, I know that back in the 1980s watches left the factory with a mixture of Heuer and TAG Heuer branding on the crowns, dials, clasp and backplates, but back then it was a case of using old stock to survive.)

The Carrera still has the odd floater in the line-up too, but it's heading in the right direction and last week saw a further rejuvenation of the slightly tired range with the introduction of a selection of new Calibre 5 pieces all of course now wearing the updated TAG Heuer shield.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Aquagraph Calibre 60 Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Chronograph by Edgar the Jeweler

 

FEATURE: Is Trying On Expensive Watches a Good Idea? (featuring Jim Dollares)

Chopard Alpine Eagle

When I was in London recently I had the opportunity to try on a 'Chopard Alpine Eagle' which while not SUPER excessively expensive, is still something that I could not really contemplate buying without some serious saving and some intense soul searching. I was very impressed with the quality of the watch in the hand and I could totally understand why people who can afford to drop £11,000 on a watch without too much heartache would, but it also made me question whether trying on watches you know you can't really afford is a good idea. Does it make you dissatisfied with what you can actually afford or is it all part of the fun of being a watch enthusiast?

To find out, I thought I would ask our Swedish friend Jim Dollares,..

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Red Bull Special Edition Quartz Watch by Jim Dollares

 

Instagram @ JimDollares

VIDEO: The TAG Heuer 2021 41mm Carrera Day/Date Collection by Monochrome Watches

 

FEATURE: TAG Heuer Watch Boxes

 

'Kingsman' Limited Edition Connected

A slightly off the wall post today perhaps, but maybe something worth exploring briefly. As watch enthusiasts we all know the pleasure and pain of watch boxes, because after you get more than three or four watches you realise that you need something to put them in because the boxes they come in take up too much space. Suddenly those super cool multi-part boxes become less of a joy and more of a hinderance and as the pile mounts up it gets harder and harder to find somewhere to keep them all.

Or maybe that's just me? 

Anyway, today I thought I'd take a look at the boxes that TAG Heuer have offered through the last 35 years, using my own collection to illustrate (with a little help from the internet here and there). So let's start with the obvious...

WATCH HUMOUR: Steel Daytonas and Submariners Now In Stock!

 

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Titanium Heuer 02T Tourbillon Chronograph by WatchBox Studios

 

FEATURE: The TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blog is Five Years Old Today!

 

Well today is somewhat special because it marks the fifth anniversary of the TAG Heuer Enthusiast blog... and believe it or not, this is the 2101st post! Wow, no wonder I never have any free time any more! But still, how enriched has my life become since October 2016?

Looking back, my very first post was an 'On the Wrist' for the 41mm PVD Calibre 5 Aquaracer and one of the first comments I made was 'I can't believe how small it looks'. Well at least that opinion hasn't changed... plenty of others have though as I've researched oodles of TAG Heuer things, and of course my collection has grown from a starting point of four to its current 'bloated' state of fifty pieces... I certainly didn't expect that!

And nor did my wife!

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 1000 Series 844/5 Automatic Watch by Thingz I Like Too

Instagram @ thingziliketoo

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Automatic by Birth Year Watches

 

ON THE WRIST: Bell & Ross BR05 Automatic Watch

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Ernest Jones / Milton Keynes, 13th September 2021

Entering an entirely empty Ernest Jones today I was presented with two choices; either talk to the man who two years ago told me that the 'Omega Dark Side of the Moon: Apollo 8' didn't have a date because 'there is no date in space...' or talk to Charlotte. I chose Charlotte and was very glad I did as she was interesting to talk to, friendly and generally excellent - I only wish I could have bought a watch from her! Unfortunately today was only window shopping... 

Charlotte showed me two watches today, this striking Bell & Ross BR-05 and a Breitling Endurance Pro (which I will talk about another time). If I'm 100% honest, I chose the Breitling because I really liked it and this one because I thought it would make for an 'easy' target. I mean look at it. Have you ever seen such a stupid looking watch in all your days? Hmm?

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Pilot Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional Calibre 5 Watch by Edgar the Jeweller