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...
Three members of the council also provided some additional commentary; we'll hear from DTF and Mspeedster on the 27th, but today we'll enjoy further insight into almost every watch from 'Abrod520' (who also provided some spectacular comments last year). It rather amuses me that we agree on almost nothing...
CBN2A1F.FC6492 CBN2A1F.BA0643
'TH:2021' kicked off in February with the release of the first TAG Heuer/Porsche collaboration. Opinions were mixed on release it must be said, with many disappointed that the collaboration wasn't more 'Heritage-y'... but that's no great surprise. And having finally seen the pieces myself in Harrods in September, I have to say it was a nice surprise. For me the watch looks better on the bespoke leather strap than on the bracelet and it seems the COCO Council agree as this is the first of our 'Top Ten' watches of 2021.
CBN2A1F.FC6492 (Leather Strap): XX/10
CBN2A1F.BA0643 (Bracelet): 6.8/10
Abrod520: Not really very interesting, much more could have (and should have) been done to make this a special edition with Porsche. The dial texture is somewhat interesting though so it gets an extra point. Deduct one point for that gross-looking strap though, plus it just doesn't match the watch as well as the bracelet does.
Further reading:
CAZ101AG.FC8304 CAZ101AH.BA0842
Next up was a rather surprising pair of watches rendered in lurid orange and lime on a dark grey base. I love that TAG Heuer were trying something different here, but these missed the mark for me. Initially released with the orange version on a bracelet and the lime on a strap, the lime got a bracelet later in the year but so far the orange is still only available in it's original form. Still, there's nothing to stop you ordering the strap for the WAZ101A orange dial Formula 1 is there?
CAZ101AG.FC8304 (Lime/Grey on Textile Strap): 5.7/10
CAZ101AG.BA0842 (Lime/Grey on Bracelet): 5.4/10
CAZ101AH.BA0842 (Orange/Grey on Bracelet): 5.3/10
Abrod520: Lime green/grey model - nice colorway, interesting strap. Deduct 1 point for the bracelet not being as cool as the strap.
Further reading:
CAR5A8C.BF0707
This 'high-end' Heuer 02T tourbillon arrived early in the year and wearing a titanium shell. The blue dial was attractive and it was nice to finally see a solid dial tourbillon rather than a skeleton, but the price of the 'affordable' tourbillon climbed again to a not so affordable £17,000 and a titanium case couldn't really excuse all of that hike. Despite that, this one just missed out on being in our top ten with a highly respectable score.
CAR5A8C.BF0707: 6.7/10
Abrod520: This is new?
Further reading:
CBK221D.FC6479
The next release was a blink and you'll miss it one as TAG Heuer teamed up with Hoodwinkee for the Dato 45. Not my cup of tea really, but the vintage crowd loved it and predictably all 250 pieces were sold out before you could say "Ooooh, it looks a bit 'wonky' doesn't it?". Equally predictably many of those pieces were being offered on watch sites at a sizeable premium within 24 hours; such is the world we live in!
CK221D.FC6479: XX/10
Abrod520: It's just fantastic. I had my doubts about how successful this would be without a sunray dial like the original silver reedition, but this is just fantastic and TAG has done a truly excellent job on this right down to the vintage-style date font. I love wearing this watch.
CAZ101AC.BA0843
A new trend in recent times has seen TAG Heuer revitalizing models by putting them on different straps or bracelets and calling them 'Special or Limited Editions'. This is a bit of a joke really, a Gulf Formula 1 on the standard BA0842 F1 bracelet is neither and could be easily achieved at home, same goes for the black dial Carrera Sports that was offered on a leather strap later in the year, but with this particularly model it did actually seem worthwhile and kinda made me wonder why they hadn't given this one the ceramic centre link bracelet in the first place?
CAZ101AC.BA0843: 5.4/10
Abrod520: The F1s are not my cup of tea but the newer ones are getting back to the funky roots of the model and I appreciate that.
Further reading:
WAZ101A.FC8305
One of the standout releases of the year for sure was this stunning orange dial Formula 1, and for once I can say I put my own money where my mouth is cos I actually bought this one off the website at full retail! Of course at the time I was under the slight misapprehension that this might be a somewhat 'limited release' (a la the old green dial Aquaracer) and I did not want to miss my chance. No regrets though, this is fantastic. Although I did not get on with that funky strap unfortunately. Still my watch of the year though.
WAZ101A.FC8305: XX/10
Abrod520: Also not my thing but the dial really is very cool. Looks like a basketball, as others have observed. It's very fun in person too. The restrained use of colors (keeping everything else to black/white) works really well.
Further reading:
WBP201B.BA0632 WBP201C.BA0632 WBP201A.BA0632 WBP208B.BF0631
At first it looked like TAG Heuer had shot themselves in the foot when they announced the new range of 300M Aquaracers... almost no one seemed to actually like them and I even remember one You Tube channel claiming the watches looked so dreadful that they were sure to be redesigned before they actually hit the shops. Well, no... and once people actually got to see them the positive feedback started to roll in and that is why I am not surprised to see that Council has (slightly) upped it's score for these models.
WBP201A.BA0632 (43mm / Black dial on a bracelet): 6.1/10
WBP201A.FT6197 (43mm / Black dial on black rubber): 6.1/10
WBP201B.BA0632 (43mm / Blue dial on a bracelet): 6.1/10
WBP201B.FT6198 (43mm / Blue dial on blue rubber): 6.0/10
WBP201C.BA0632 (43mm / Silver dial on a bracelet): 5.9/10
WBP208B.BF0631 (43mm / Green dial on a bracelet): 6.3/10
WBP231B.BA0626 (36mm / Blue dial on a bracelet): 6.3/10
WBP231C.BA0626 (36mm / Silver dial on a bracelet): 6.0/10
WBP231D.BA0626 (36mm / Black dial on a bracelet): 6.1/10
Abrod520: Men's Aquaracer - Very nice update, the date is very poorly integrated and the cyclops makes it worse. The bezel only having 60 clicks instead of the previous model's (as well as most of its direct competitors') 120 is a letdown. Still, worth taking a look at.
Ladies Aquaracer - I think the dials on these are nicer than those on the 43mm model. I also met a guy at a TAG event this week who was wearing the 36mm black dial - I have to say, for smaller wrists, it's a pretty good diver option regardless of your gender. It's not particularly feminine - which of course, is a benefit for anyone considering a rugged diver, of course.
Further reading:
WBP208C.FT6201
On release TAG Heuer included this 'Tribute to 844' model, which again at first I wasn't too sure about, but having seen it last September in Harrods I have to admit I was kinda won over. I still don't like the dark cream lume and I did not appreciate the re-writing of history that claimed the Aquaracer was born of the 1000 Series (it wasn't, the Aquaracer was literally a renamed 2000 Series that ended up looking like a 3000 Series!), but leaving that aside this was clearly the best of the first wave of Aquaracers and as I expected the Council have voted it high!
WBP208C.FT6201: XX/10
Abrod520: Really cool with the matte dial, vintage-look lume and lumed bezel. I'm disappointed that the Grade 5 titanium case isn't lighter than the steel models, though I suppose I'll find out through the years if its strength benefits have any real results to show for themselves! Regardless, it's a lot of fun to wear and while I think it should have had a better date integration I really enjoy it.
Further reading:
CBL2116.FC6497
The first of two Limited Edition Monacos released in quick succession, the green was a guaranteed success and sold out within a day. Live photos proved the watch wasn't as green as we all thought, in fact most of the time it looks kinda like a black dial, but when the light hits it right the green comes through. Maybe it's better that way? Of course these soon turned up at a premium, with some examples being offered for £8000 or more...
CBL2116.FC6497: XX/10
Abrod520: It's very nice, very handsome. Looks great in person but ultimately doesn't tug at the heartstrings. It's too thick, and the vestigial running seconds is yucky. The sunken subdial effect is very nice though.
Further reading:
WAR201P.FC6485
With the new Calibre 5 Carrera collection on the way, this was the last gasp attempt to shift some of those older pieces and, well... it is quite cool actually. I did see one of these in Harrods in September and it's not bad. I mean, it is what it is, a basic blue dial Carrera slightly pimped with the addition of a red second hand. It's nice, but it's nothing to lose your mind over... if you know what I mean.
WAR201P.FC6485: 5.8/10
Abrod520: "Captain Carrera" just doesn't have that much of a reason to exist, and it's not very interesting either as an offering, or in person.
Further reading:
CBK2117.FC6266
This was rather more inventive; a red dial Calibre 16 for the Bahrain market. The render looks pretty horrible but photographs tend to show it in a better light. Would really like to see one in person to form a proper opinion, but that's probably never going to happen...
CBK2117.FC6266: 5.3/10
Abrod520: It's funky, like the dial texture - almost reminds me of Nomos, in a positive way. Though it should still be mentioned that Nomos cost 1/2 of this...
Further reading:
CBK221F.FC6479
Another 'big-hitter' Limited Edition with a green hue, though this one actually looks more like 'teal' than 'green'. Despite that TAG Heuer called it the 'Green Heritage Carrera' and once again the watch was sold out in double-quick time. This was bound to be a favourite amongst the 'Heritage-centric' C.O.C.O. Council so it's no surprise to see that it's in the running for 'Watch of the Year'.
CBK221F.FC6479: XX/10
Abrod520: Also fantastic. The dial is truly mesmerizing in person and the contrast with the vintage-look lume is delicious. If I had had a spare $7k when I tried it on, I would have bought it on the spot.
Further reading:
CAW218B.FC6496
And then TAG Heuer hit us with another Limited Edition... I can't help thinking it might have been a good idea to spread them out a bit, but what do I know? The Titan (titanium) Monaco sold out within a week, despite a £7000+ price tag and scored very highly with the Council on release. Not only that, but a special modified version was also presented to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen who wore it on many podiums throughout 2021. Can it take the Watch of the Year title?
CAW218B.FC6496: XX/10
Abrod520: Very nicely done, though perhaps needs to be experienced in person in order to truly appreciate. I had the chance to try it on, and like the teal Carrera if I had the extra $8k I would have bought it. It's great.
Further reading:
Piece Unique
Created for auction as part of the 'Pink Dial Project' in support of Breast Cancer charities, this 'piece unique' is really rather good looking and notwithstanding the worthy cause it is supporting it's rather a pity this one isn't available to the public at large.
Pink Dial Aquaracer (Piece Unique): 6.6/10
Abrod520: Nice effort on it. This auction saw everything from just a regular model with a pink dial, to truly unique pieces. This is a nice middle ground, with the interesting dial texture plus the pink hashes on the bezel.
Further reading:
CBL2191.FC6507
For years the Calibre 11 forum have been talking about a 'skeleton' Monaco, but I never really thought we'd see one. And when we finally did, well... I don't think anyone dreamed it would look quite like this. An extremely divisive piece this one, some people loved it and some absolutely hated it. Me, I'm still not quite sure what I think of it...
Monaco Carbon Skeleton (Piece Unique): XX/10
Abrod520: Not really a release if you ask me. But it's cool, clearly they were having fun with it and it works nicely as an homage to the Monaco Dark Lord.
Further reading:
WAZ2011.XXXXXX
This is one of those 'Special Edition' TAG Heuers that you only ever come across by accident. Made exclusively for people who attended the Sun Valley 'Tour de Force' motor event in 2021, this watch was a modified version of the anthracite dial WAZ2011 and each one was personally engraved with the owners top speed to make it all the more special and personal. Very cool.
WAZ2011.XXXXXX (Sun Valley Edition): 5.3/10
Abrod520: What is this?
Further reading:
CBN2A1G.FC6501
Love them or hate them, 'phantom' watches seem to be here to stay and this one (a limited edition of 300 pieces for the Japanese market) was another watch that divided opinion when it appeared in September. And honestly when you look at real life photographs of it you can kind of understand why; the subdial and bezel text remains bright white but the hands and hour markers are blacked out which means that telling the time is difficult. This reminds me of that yellow and black Formula one of about ten years ago where the (black) hands disappeared completely rendering it pretty much useless... but at least this one had a cool green sapphire caseback.
CBN2A1G.FC6501: 6.4/10
Abrod520: Still too big, but at least the running seconds gets a true subdial, plus the blacked-out look will shrink this on the wrist. I'd love to try it on in person.
Further reading:
WBP201D.FT6197
The overall opinion of the new Aquaracer was just starting to take a turn for the positive when TAG Heuer launched this new 'Night Diver' (perhaps taking the opportunity to mildly cash-in on the hype surrounding the release of the latest James Bond film 'No Time to Die') and it seems like it was just the shot in the arm the Aquaracer needed to get it back on its feet. Personally I think the octagonal markers look worse on this particular model than any other of the new Aquaracers, but overall it's a very cool watch and no great surprise that the Council has ranked it in their 'Top Ten'.
WBP201D.FT6197: XX/10
Abrod520: So cool. So nicely done. The horizontal slatted dial works sooo much better with a matte finish. I was picking up my 844 Edition the day I tried this on, and again if I had the extra $4k that day I'd have probably impulse-bought this too. It's that cool. Wish it was still titanium underneath though, like the older DLC Aquaracers.
Further reading:
WBN2011.FC6484 WBN2012.BA0640 WBN2010.BA0640
WBN2010.BA0640 (41mm / Black dial day-date on a bracelet): 5.8/10
WBN2011.FC6484 (41mm / Silver dial day-date on a strap): 6.0/10
WBN2012.BA0640 (41mm / Blue dial day-date on a bracelet): 6.0/10
WBN2013.BA0640 (41mm / Blk-Gld dial day-date on a bracelet): 5.8/10
WBN2110.BA0639 (39mm / Black dial date-only on a bracelet): 5.7/10
WBN2111.BA0639 (39mm / Silver dial date-only on a bracelet): 5.9/10
WBN2112.BA0639 (39mm / Blue dial date-only on a bracelet): 6.1/10
WBN2113.BA0639 (39mm / Blk-Gld date-only on a bracelet): 5.9/10
WBN2410.BA0621 (29mm / Mother of Pearl dial): 5.5/10
WBN2411.BA0621 (29mm / Blue dial): 5.6/10
WBN2412.BA0621 (29mm / MOP/Diamond dial): 5.4/10
WBN2413.BA0621 (29mm / Blue/Diamond dial): 5.5/10
Abrod520: They're OK. Date looks better at 6.
Further reading:
WBN201A.BA0640
WBN201A.BA0640: XX/10
Abrod520: It looks pretty nice, but I don't think a "caller" GMT works very well with a fixed 24-hour scale. Should have been developed with a true jump-hour complication.
Further reading:
CAZ101AJ.FC6487
CAZ101AJ.FC6487: 6.3/10
Abrod520: I gave it a 5 because of the interesting work with the strap. It's not very interesting in person, though.
Further reading:
CBN2014.BA0642
CBN2014.BA0642: 6.4/10
Abrod520: The green's nice I guess but doesn't do much to overcome the shortcomings of the 42mm chrono model.
Further reading:
So there we have it. I hope you enjoyed this rundown of the best and worst of 2021 (and Abrod520s insights of course). So which is your pick of the bunch and which one do you think will come out on top? Of course it's impossible to please all of the council all of the time, but which watch pleased most of the Council for most of the time? All will be revealed back here on the 27th of December! See you then...
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