WAV511J.BA0900
Ask any watch enthusiast to name a model from TAG Heuer and you can be sure the name 'Carrera' will be near the top of the list, but 'Grand Carrera'? Not so much. You see, the Grand Carrera (decried a few years ago as a 'stupid idea' by the otherwise splendid Jean Claude Biver - before he announced the model was coming back... only for the idea to be cancelled when Zenith got the super-duper silicon movement that was planned for it!) was a short lived chronometer-certified uber-Carrera that never really took off and which was quietly retired after about five years in the line up.
Undoubtedly one of the reasons for this was the fact that many people did not (and indeed still do not) like the look of the watch, and in particular the unusual (avant garde, perhaps) shapes utilised as sub-dial windows. Indeed, while I've always liked the chronograph version I will admit that the dual subdials somehow conspire to create the illusion that the watch has an oval dial, which is a little off-putting to say the least!
Why then are we talking about a 'Buying Experience' today? Well, that's a very good question, and longer term readers may remember that this is not my first time at the Grand Carrera Rodeo. Oh yes, me and the Grand Carrera have 'history'. Expensive history!
Way back in May 2018 I purchased a pre-owned WAV5111 Calibre 8 GMT in perfect condition from Watchfinder. My first mistake was that I really wanted the chronograph version, but having tried on a GMT with a diamond bezel at TAG Heuer's Bicester Village store I 'compromised' and bought the cheaper option. At first I liked it, but I really didn't wear it much as it felt too dressy for me, then over time I came to realise that what I really didn't like about it was that because it was 43mm with a slim bezel, the dial just seemed HUGE.
I eventually traded it back in to Watchfinder, picking up two quartz watches, one of which I sold on eBay at a loss after about a year... this was just a bad deal all round, that started with me trading in my Calibre 16 F1 CAU2012 against the Grand Carrera. Honestly, it's strange... the number of watches I've bought over the last few years, I've hardly sold any really (until recently) but this string of deals just kept producing dud after dud! At least I got the 2000 Exclusive Chronograph out of it, I dread to think how much it actually cost me though!*
(*Approximately £1850.... for a watch that actually cost £650. Bleurgh!)
So as you can imagine, I was extremely wary of purchasing a Grand Carrera for a second time... and yet back in October 2020 I wrote a post called 'Why I'm Reconsidering Grand Carrera Ownership' where I suggested that next time I would be more inclined to buy one of the smaller 40,5mm models, preferably a blue dial WAV511J.... but the chances of finding one of those were slim seeing as there were only 300 made and originally sold in Japan.
Slim perhaps, but not impossible! For here we are eighteen months later and I am the extremely proud owner of one such example, and while it isn't perhaps as pristine as I'd really like it to be, nonetheless I am reluctant to take it off my wrist now that I finally have one... and that's very unusual for me since I rarely wear watches two days in a row, even when I first get them.
But I'm getting ahead of myself... the route to purchasing this was somewhat torturous, and many a time I almost gave up on the idea.
I can't actually remember when I first found this WAV511J on Chrono 24, but it was probably at least two or three months back. Up until now I'd never even bought from Chrono 24 and didn't have an account with them, and consequently I didn't really browse the site that much really, which seems silly in hindsight, but there we are.
Part of the problem of course was that I wasn't 100% sure if I really wanted to take the plunge into owning a Grand Carrera again. I was more than a little wary to be honest, and ideally I wanted to go and try the watch on with no commitment to buy. But it was located in a town called Brighton, which is a very long way from where I live... like maybe four hours each way and taking in the most congested motorway in the country! Then again, the fact that the watch was in the UK at all was something of a miracle I guess, and so in the end I decided to swallow the potential loss of a rather hefty £43 carriage should I decide to return it
But again, I'm getting ahead of myself.... slightly frustrated with waiting for a response from the seller (I initiated contact over the Jubilee Weekend so the shop was probably closed) I found several similar examples with the black dial on EST1897 and in fact I came so close to buying one of those... but something held me back, even though they were in a limited time sale (and £400 cheaper to boot!). Tempting as those deals were, I couldn't pass over the blue until I got a definitive answer one way or another.
You see, I had found the seller's own website and the watch wasn't pictured there so I had a feeling that it had sold already and had been left on Chrono 24 by mistake. I'm so glad I didn't cave in to the black dial though, I honestly don't think it would have made the same impression on me and while it was cheaper and probably in better condition, I am sure I would always have had a nagging regret lurking in the background spoiling the experience. If I learned anything from my first GC experience it was surely not to compromise!
Eventually the seller came back to me and it transpired that the person who dealt with the Chrono 24 listing was actually on leave, hence the delays. I clarified with the seller that I could return the watch if I wanted to (Chrono 24 is rather unclear about this, but since the seller was a shop they fall under the 'distance selling' laws in the UK) but yes I would lose the £43 carriage and I would also have to pay the return postage. Okay then... I was getting excited, nervous but excited.
The pictures on the Chrono 24 site looked great but the watch was (fairly) described as 'Good' rather than 'Very Good ' or 'Excellent'... of course the optimist in me still hoped that when it arrived it would look like it had never been worn, but no... 'Good' was a very fair description. It didn't look utterly knackered, but it certainly had been worn and without the care that I would have given it for sure.
The crystal had a few spots of wear to the anti-reflective coating, but no scratches. The plain bezel inevitably had a few scuffs to it, which I remember was one of the issues I had with my previous GC, but when you have a plain bezel like that keeping it pristine is never going to be easy. There were various little marks all over the case and the bracelet definitely needed some attention (something which I am looking forward to doing myself). Bracelets I can cope with, cases would be foolish to attempt, so I can see that at some point in the future this will be despatched somewhere to be restored. But for now, I don't want to rush into doing that, I think I'd rather enjoy wearing it in it's slightly beaten up state. It's actually kinda nice not having to worry about wearing it - something of a novelty for a neurotic like me to be honest!
And, after the initial disappointment that the watch wasn't in A++++++ condition (even though I knew it wasn't going to be - soooo ridiculous) I quickly realised that this was my perfect Grand Carrera and I had absolutely made the right choice. The smaller size totally works in its favour and even now I still struggle to believe it's actually only 40.5mm because it wears bigger than that due to the large dial / slim bezel combination (more like 42mm if you ask me, which explains why the 43mm felt massive).
As I hoped this is a much better configuration, the dial on the 43mm was just too damned big and it felt empty, despite the inclusion of a 'grand date' function at the '12' position. Also, with the date at the three position the need to put the 'TAG Heuer' and 'Grand Carrera' logos side by side is avoided and the end result is a much more symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing dial.
And that blue is just perfect. It is such an elegant tone, just shiny enough to avoid being dull, but not too much that it looks OTT for what is essentially a somewhat 'dressy' watch. The tiny splash of red on the marker for the running seconds at the six is just enough too, a mastersroke really. I would say 'well done TAG Heuer' but if they were smart enough to create this, why weren't they smart enough to put it in the standard range? Seems absolutely crazy to me, but perhaps blue watches weren't as desirable in 2009. Ah well, I guess it just makes owning one that much more special.
In case you're wondering, this is the watch I alluded to in my post about selling some of my pieces and buying something more extravagant. I'm not going to pretend that was always my plan, because it wasn't. But I always had in the back of my mind that I could do that if I wanted to and as a strategy it does have it's advantages; like it's a lot easier to get a £1600 watch past the wife if you can say 'I bought this, but I sold these others so it didn't really cost me anything'... cunning, that.
It's funny, now that I have mentally checked out of the idea of collecting all the classic Formula 1s I'm sorely tempted to reduce the collection drastically and get a couple of 'baller' pieces, maybe a Calibre 17 SLR or maybe even a Monaco of some kind. For the moment though I am super happy with my latest purchase, though it has put something of a damper on my previously vibrant Instagram account. Truth is I don't really want to wear anything else at the moment, this is just so perfect. It's comfortable, eye catching and looks and feels very high end. And you know what, maybe I am classy enough to carry it off after all.
In fact, I'm so taken with this that it has made me question everything about my watch collection, and one thing that has crossed my mind is that maybe I should start to operate a policy of maintaining the overall value of my collection, rather than pouring ever more money into this particular black hole. I am by no means rich, and it does slightly horrify me how much money I have tied up in watches.
Speaking of which, I looked back in the TAG Heuer price lists and while I couldn't find this exact model, what with it being a limited edition, the standard models were of course shown and the black model was £2250 in 2009. That equates to about £3100 in today's money, so I don't feel too hard done by paying £1580 for this. Yes, I could have had the black dial for £1250, or perhaps even one in similar condition for £1150 (in the EST1897 sale), but generally speaking these go for mid-£1000s, and to be honest if this had been mint I would probably have paid up to the original list price, that blue dial is worth every penny.
My only real criticism is the complete lack of micro adjustment on the bracelet. The clasp is very well designed and very stylish, and they do provide a half link, but to be honest it is a bit of a pain not having at least some sort of easy adjustment.
Why I'm Reconsidering Grand Carrera Ownership (October 2020)
OWNED: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 8 GMT (January 2019)
BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 8 GMT (May 2018)
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