BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Golf Quartz Watch

 

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Ever since I got into the whole TAG Heuer thing I've always been fascinated by the more off-beat models, and one such example would be the TAG Heuer 'Golf' which appeared in the mid 2000s and exploited TAG Heuer's collaboration with the legendary golfer Tiger Woods. The watch was designed with the express purpose of being suitable for wearing while playing golf, which meant that comfort and lightness was imperative. To this end TAG Heuer moved the watch's crown to the left hand side (so as not to press into the back of the hand while taking a shot) and a created a unique design which completely eradicated the need for a clasp. 

They also made the watch out of titanium, which means that this 37mm watch weighs in at just 56g! Which, okay, isn't as light as a plastic 1980s Formula 1 (35g), but is still pretty light by any calculation. Having worn it on and off for a few days now I can also attest to the high level of comfort although I must admit it's not the easiest thing to get off and on.

The watch has two buttons at the top of the case which you press to release the 'clasp' which is created by the case itself which folds into three parts. The rubber strap is fixed at one end while the other end passes through a clamping roller (I had to find a video to work out how this worked - basically you have to roll it backwards to release the strap and then pull it forwards to clamp it again), this is all held in place by the pressure of the case mechanism once it is closed. 

The rubber is quite stretchy and it needs to be as I find it quite a squeeze to get my hand through, which is odd really considering how far the case appears to open. Still, once it's on and secured it feels comfortable and the ball impressions on the inside of the strap keep it still on the wrist. It's a strange experience to wear a watch with a solid band, it looks kinda odd I must admit, but on the upside you don't have to worry about scratching the buckle.

Obviously TAG Heuer wanted to highlight their affiliation with Tiger Woods and so we find his signature on the back of the watch. However, this model is not the 'Tiger Woods' limited edition, that one came later and seems to be the ones the 'fakers' have focused on producing. You may also notice that the dial has a very cool golf ball texture to it, something I really like and something which makes this watch really stand out from the rest of my collection.

But of course that's not the only reason this watch sticks out like a sore thumb, because this is my only square watch. I've toyed with the idea of getting a Monaco, and I would like to at some point, but right now all the ones I really like are just too much money, so this will have to do for now. I have never owned a square watch before and there's no getting away from the fact that it looks a bit odd on the wrist, but still, I like that it's 'different' to my other watches if nothing else.

I never really thought about this watch having lume on the dial, but it's actually quite generous considering it's not a dive watch. It's only 50M water resistant though, which doesn't bother me in the slightest, but might irritate those in the underwater golfing community. The crown doesn't screw down either, something I found out when I spent half a minute trying to unscrew it the other day to change the date. I guess the 50M rating should have suggested that...

I had only previously seen a Golf on one occasion, a pink one that turned up at TAG Heuer's Bicester Village store a few years ago. I wasn't sure about it then, I guess it didn't help that it was pink, but I did remember them telling me that they were always in demand and people were always asking about them. This seemed to be reflected in the prices online for pre-owned models, with the cheapest (roughest) models still fetching at least £500+.

Mine was one of the best I'd seen and also came with a TAG Heuer warranty card (with time still remaining) which showed that the watch had been serviced last year (I also received the crown and old gasket), along with its original black square box, booklets and warranty card. Given all that I was quite happy to pay £700 for this one.