VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Calibre 5 by WatchBox Studios

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watches

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Those of you who frequent the Calibre 11 Forum and my Instagram account (tag.heuer.enthusiast) may recall seeing a photo or two of these classic Formula 1s months ago... I actually bought the ladies one in February and ended up giving it to my wife in October (for our Wedding Anniversary) and the larger one for myself in May and then hid it in a drawer until after our wedding anniversary so that I could give it to her so that she could give it to me for Christmas. See, if I gave it to her before she'd had hers she might well have gone on a mission trying to find a ladies one... and I definitely didn't want that to happen!

WATCH HUMOUR: "Have you Seen the New TAG Heuer...?" by Aqua-G

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf Edition Calibre 11 Chronograph by The Time Bombardier

 

FEATURE: The COCO Council Watch of the Year 2021

 

Welcome back everyone, I hope you've all enjoyed the Christmas festivities while the blog has had it's annual two day holiday and are eager to find out the results of the C.O.C.O. Council watch of the year vote?

But before we get into that I just wanted to take a moment to thank the members of the Council for their participation in 2021 and beyond. While I often find myself disagreeing with a lot of what they say, I still think it's a good idea to get a mixture of opinions on each new release and their input has definitely added to the 'First Impressions' posts and even on occasion made me rethink my own initial thoughts. 

Thanks guys!

FEATURE: The Best and Worst of TAG Heuer 2021

 

Well here we are on the cusp of another Christmas and of course that means that once again it's time for my annual 'Round Up'. You may remember that last year I assembled approximately twenty fellow watch enthusiasts under the banner of the 'Council of Considered Opinion' to help appraise the year's releases and vote for the TAG Heuer 'Watch of the Year'. 

We followed that on through the year with each new release being given a 'First Impressions' score and while I could have simply used those scores for this post, I thought it would be much more interesting to have the council score the watches again, not least because first impressions often change. For instance, I imagine a lot of people have changed their opinion on the 2021 Aquaracer now that they've had a chance to actually see one... I know I have!. 

So grab a sherry and a mince pie and settle in for a look at all of this year's releases. Once again I'm keeping the scores of the top models back until Boxing Day (27th) when all will be revealed (including the 'Watch of the Year' result - which is voted for by the members of the council separately on a one member = one vote basis). I think it's pretty obvious which pieces are the top contenders, but will the vote end up split and a 'surprise' winner emerge? You'll have to come back on the 27th to find out...

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

Instagram @ thingziliketoo

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 7 'Twin Time'

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Tustains Jewellers / Leamington Spa, 16th October 2021

When the new Carreras launched back at the start of October, one in particular caught my eye... so when the opportunity came to take a closer look at the new pieces I obviously elected to go with this Calibre 7 'Twin Time'. Right from the start it was the absolute standout piece, but for me it was a watch that I thought I would admire without the slightest thought of ever purchasing. I still don't think I will ever actually own this watch, but having had it on the wrist I certainly wouldn't say never.

For me the Calibre 5 / Calibre 7 Carreras have always been 'nice' watches. As in 'nice but not really for me'. I've tried on a few of them over the years and always felt they were very middle of the road, very inoffensive, very.... 'mass appeal' to be completely honest. To me they were 'safe' watches made for people who weren't really that 'into' watches but who wanted something better than the run of the mill.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Calibre 5 Watch by Wrong Time Watch

 

INTERVIEW: Hubert (Calibre 11 Moderator)

Today we welcome our friend (and patient Calibre 11 Moderator) 'Hubert' back to the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blog.

Hi Hubert, can you believe it’s been two years since we did our first interview? So much has happened… back then we didn’t know what was about to hit us. Firstly how have you been, hopefully you and your family are all healthy?

Time flies!  I also can’t believe it’s been that long.  This pandemic has certainly made these past two years mesh together in a prolonged hallucination.  It certainly has been tragic for billions and a true test for everyone.  So I truly hope your loved ones and readers are keeping well and in good health.

So an odd way to start perhaps, but reading back through your first interview I noticed that you mentioned you wear the Connected Smart Watch twice a week. I never really picked up on this at all, so how has your Connected experience been? Is it still working? Have you upgraded to the 3rd Generation? Did you get a Super Mario?

Funny you should ask about the Connected!   If you remember, the current generation was launched right before the world shutdown.  As I did with the past two iterations, I purchased mine the day it was announced, on March 12th, 2020.  And while this model offers some nice upgrades in the form of a heart-rate monitor, programmable chrono-pushers, improved electronics, and an optional ceramic bezel; where it falls short is in its overall design, which is frankly, uninspired. Sadly the avant-garde look of its predecessors is gone and we are left with something that is hard to differentiate from the dozens of other smartwatches that can be acquired for a fraction of its price.  The distinct katana lugs that symbolized the bold, unapologetic re-interpretation of the historic Carrera, have been phased-out, in favor of the softened version of the Bove design.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 'Only Watch' Carbon Monaco Interview with Frederic Arnault by World Tempus

 

ON THE WRIST: Oris TT1 Automatic Watch

 

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Peter Stephan / Leamington Spa, 16th October 2021

A slightly random, opportunistic try-on this one. My wife wanted to look at the necklaces in 'Peter Stephan's' window and I happened to notice that along with several 'fashion watch' and lower echelon watch brands (Certina, etc) they also stocked some (slightly out of date) Oris pieces. This TT1 caught my eye, so while she tried on some jewellery I had a look at this quirky looking thing.

First thing to note is that officially this seems to be regarded as 43mm (at least on all the websites I've found - this model no longer features on Oris' website) but I think that is incorrect. I was wearing my Calibre 16 Carrera and this was 1-2mm smaller on the diameter. I've tried to see if they made this watch in more than one size, but I can't find that they did - so I am going to say this is more like 41.5mm than 43mm.

GALLERY: Heuer Carrera 160th Anniversary Heuer 02 Limited Edition Chronograph by Jim Dollares

 

Instagram @ jimdollares

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer S/EL Leather 'Montreux Jazz Festival' Limited Edition Quartz Watches

 

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It amazes me how after five years of research I can still come across TAG Heuer watches that I have never seen before and had no idea they ever existed. Such was the case today when I came across not one, but three examples of pieces made specifically for the Montreux Jazz Festivals of 1995 and 1996.

First this example with its unique 'Jazz' dial, two pieces of which I found on eBay (both from the same seller), one minty looking one on a green strap and one on a tan strap (which unfortunately has some slight bezel damage).

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Link Searacer Regatta Chronograph

 

VIDEO: Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 Bamford Carbon Limited Edition by WatchBox Studios

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Red Bull' Special Edition Quartz Watch

 

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Ernest Jones / Leamington Spa, 16th October 2021

Way back in February last year I posted my first impressions of the 2020 edition of the Formula 1 Red Bull Special Edition and at the end of that post I said I would reserve judgement until I could get my hands on one... little did I know it would be over eighteen months until I actually got one on my wrist. Of course that was in large part due to the disruption caused by Covid 19, but the big question is was it worth the wait? After all its predecessor, the awesome CAZ1018 is a tough act to follow so the CAZ101AK had some HUGE shoes to fill.

But first, let's address the part number. Way back in February 2020 I commented (about the CAZ101AB) that it was unfortunate that the watch had been released just as Lawrence Stroll announced that he was buying the Racing Point Formula 1 team and therefore the tie up between Red Bull and Aston Martin would come to an end. 'Unfortunate' because the watch had a backplate which read 'Aston Martin Red Bull' and clearly that wasn't going to be acceptable once the parties had gone their separate ways.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 'Green' Limited Edition Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Watch

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I've always been a little unsure about the red/blue colour-scheme on the classic Formula 1; it's quite hard to photograph well and it often looks like the red is almost unreadable against the dark blue background. But my favourite Japanese eBayer listed this one and it coincided with my trigger finger itching to buy something (even though I've been trying to save for something 'bigger'). Well, this was only £149 so I figured the damage wouldn't be too significant and like clockwork ten days later I got my usual 'package' from Japan with this beauty inside.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Watches by Brent L Miller Time

 

ON THE WRIST: Dior Grand Bal Automatic Ladies Watch

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Harrods / London, 15th September 2021

Ever since I showed my wife a photograph of a 'Dior Grand Bal' in a copy of the now sadly defunct 'QP' magazine a few years ago it's been right at the top of her 'dream watch' list. Unfortunately, despite much searching we'd never actually found anywhere in the UK that stocked them, until today... when we unexpectedly came across them in the 'Fine Jewellery and Watches' room in Harrods!

The Grand Bal comes in many different designs, all of which are very limited (for example this one is a run of just 88 pieces, though strangely this isn't mentioned on the website) and most of them are extremely beautiful. There are Grand Bals that come on ceramic bracelets or more traditional leather straps, but the defining feature of the Grand Bal is that it wears it's rotor on the front of the dial. Many examples are decorated with feathers, but there are also some other variations such as bows, intricate lattice-work and other fancy embellishments...

  

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

Instagram @ thingziliketoo

INTERVIEW: Kappa MD (Calibre 11 Forum Member)

Today we welcome a new face to the TAG Heuer Enthusiast blog, but one familiar to the members of the Calibre 11 forum... 

Hi there! First of all, I'd like to thank sir Rob for this interview and for allowing me to share my passion for watches, especially motorsport watches and more specifically TAG Heuer! My love for watches actually stemmed from my love of motorsports first and thus led me to the only brand which is synonymous with motorsports --> Heuer / TAG Heuer!

My name is John Paul but my friends call me JP or Doc Jaypes. I'm a 38 years old physician from Manila Philippines. As I have mentioned, I'm a doctor and I specialize in Urologic Surgery / Urology. I've used 'kappa_md' in both car and watch fora alike ever since I joined discussions (proud member of PHI KAPPA MU Medical Fraternity)

Well we're very pleased to have you J.P. and thank you for taking the time to do this interview. So let's start with a very obvious first question, how did you get interested in watches?

Growin up, I used to own different watches before like Timex, Guess (?), Nike, Casio, G-Shocks, Technomarines etc. but they were either gifts to me, purchases I made for time/fit purposes or something that really is part of a casual get-up. They were not really part of any collection that I have. They were nice for their purpose and I wasn't serious yet in watches in general. Most of these are already given to family members or life has come to an end. The only watches I have right now are TAG Heuer.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Twin Time 41mm by Time and Tide

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Elegant Heuer 02 'Middle Eastern' Limited Edition Chronograph

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When the 42mm Carrera 'Elegant' range was released last year, there was one notable absence from the range when compared to the 44mm Carrera 'Sports' range, that being a piece with a green dial. Well, I don't know if TAG Heuer are intending to remedy that in the future (maybe the green dial fad is just starting to run out of steam?) but here at least we have exactly that. True the chances of seeing one outside of the Middle East are pretty slim, but you never know... 

GALLERY: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Quartz Chronograph