WBP201F.BA0632
TAG Heuer really excelled themselves at this year's 'Watches & Wonders' watch fair, dropping six must-see models; the least compelling of which was probably this orange dial Aquaracer 300 Professional. Yes, you heard me right, TAG Heuer released an ORANGE dial Aquaracer and it wasn't even close to being the headline release, such was the quality (and surprise) of TAG Heuer's 'W&W 2022' line-up.
But by any standards an orange dial Aquaracer is a big story, after all it has been more than ten years since there was an orange dial Aquaracer available, and truthfully, that one was kinda disappointing. The WAJ1113 (released in 2010) was a nice package with its black rubber bezel and 500M water rating, but it had one Achilles heel; the dial was just too damned dark for its own good.
And so with the release of the WBP201F an awful lot rides on the exact tone of that orange dial; too dark and the watch will miss the 'summer/beach' vibe, too light and it will come across as insubstantial. So far the evidence hasn't been conclusive; the official photos show a very dark orange (one that almost looks like it fades to black, which it clearly doesn't). Other photos taken on the stand show a variety of tones depending on the lighting, which leads me to suspect that this probably isn't a million miles away from the almost perfect tone of last year's WAZ101A Formula 1, albeit without that watch's textured dial.
As I discussed in my recent post about trying on the blue fumé dial Aquaracer 200 Professional, I'm once again drawn to my conclusion that when looking at the new Aquaracer's it's hard not to feel like you are making a compromise in accepting either. Here, looking at this otherwise excellent combination, I just can't help wishing that this watch was exactly as it is, but with the more typical Aquaracer hour markers found on the 200 Professional models. I just don't like these octagonal markers and I don't honestly think that's going to change.
Otherwise, the 43mm is clearly the model of choice to feature this (seemingly) bright orange dial, contrasting perfectly as it does with the black ceramic bezel insert and the black edges of the hands and (frustratingly, only some* of the) hour markers. And of course with the 300 Professional you get that easy-to-adjust clasp, perfect for when you wear this to the beach on a hot day.
(* Reserving judgement here but look at the picture above, it looks like the octagon markers are not black)
Well there we have it, and whether you see this as a 'homage' to the classic 1000 Series divers or (like me) think that's way too much weight to put behind the use of a basic colour, it's hard not to like the WP201F. Truth be told, if I didn't already own the WAZ101A this would be a hard watch for me to overlook, even with those niggling hour markers. But what do the eternally malevolent COCO Council make of this new release? Let's find out...
"7/10 - Who doesn't like orange one a dive watch, but it's hardly ground breaking!"
"9/10 - My favourite of the releases at W&W, some serious summer vibes from this one."
"4.5/10 - Like it but nothing new or ground breaking."
"4/10 - Just another colour, albeit a nice one."
"6.5/10 - Fans of orange dials will be happy."
"3/10 - Everything I hate about the new AR, with a more interesting dial colour."
"7/10 - Funky and a nice nod to vintage. Other than that nothing super special though."
"7.5/10 - Stunning dial, would have been even better in 40mm w steel bezel but this evokes the famous orange 1000 of course."
"7/10 - Nice execution of a 'normal' dive watch. Not much else to say really other than it would have scored higher if it has the same movement as the Pro Diver."
"6/10. Nothing new and prefer the previous few all orange dials."
"6/10 - Same aesthetic as the Orange F1, but in Aquaracer form."
"7/10 - Nice but for me personally, I have the orange F1 and they would be too similar to interest me in buying it."
"7.5/10 - Just nice. I really like the bezel shape of the new Aquaracers."
"8.5 - My favourite Aquaracer to date."
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