WL1116.FC6113
These days it seems like I only get around to writing 'Owned' posts about watches as they are heading out of the door to their new owners, and sadly this one is no different. Yes, the WL1116.FC6113 is the latest watch to get its marching orders from my collection, lasting only just over two years since I bought it in September 2020.
When it arrived it looked fantastic, but the blue leather strap had clearly seen better days and I ordered one from TAG Heuer direct (via Bicester Village). I can't remember the exact price but I think it was roundabout £90, maybe £115... something like that anyway.
It was a bit 'bluer' than the original strap, which looked distinctly darker; although that could conceivably just have been the accumulated grubbiness of twenty years on the wrist of the previous owner I suppose! So yeah, it looked great and the polished bezel and case perfectly espoused the 'liquid metal' theology of the Kirium in a way that none of the other Kiriums I have owned does.
Unfortunately though, that overly shiny aesthetic, combined with it's slightly diminutive stature (36mm), gave this watch a slightly feminine overtone. Especially in photographs, where the dial had a tendency to look a little bit purple (to the THF Forum's endless entertainment)...
Ultimately it really came down to the fact that I had four Kiriums; the blue chrono, the plum chrono, this one and the F1 Kirium. Tough choices needed to be made and one needed to go. The F1 Kirium was my very first TAG so that was never even on the table (plus for some inexplicable reason those things hold value like a sieve, it's probably worth 30% of its original list price), the plum one would probably break even, but I don't want to sell it (I've barely worn it and it took an age to find one!) and the blue one is a bit of a mess, to be honest.
First of all the chronograph doesn't work properly, it needs a service - but I don't want to spend £300 on having it done. Second of all the bracelet was repaired before I got it, which I didn't notice... and it really needs a new bezel. I could easily spend £600 fixing up a £400 watch... so I'm kinda stuck with that one. I basically use it as a beater now, when it stops working altogether I will probably go for a total refurb, maybe. Who knows?
Which kinda left the WL1116 out in the cold, which is a shame really because while I'm trying to reduce my collection I'm also trying to cover as much ground with as few watches as possible, so selling a three-hander when I have two almost identical chronographs is a bit annoying. But there we are, it's done now and if I'm 100% honest I don't regret selling.
The WL1116 is one of the few watches I've actually lost a few quid on though... not a lot, maybe £50-60, so not too bad considering I had two years of use of it. I guess perhaps that all-polished case, blue leather strap and 'purple' dial in 36mm wasn't a big hit with the eBay crowd. Although, I have to say the buyer was over the moon with it, so that's nice.
Looking back on my blog it seems I haven't had too much to say about this watch, I guess there's not really too much to talk about. It's an incredibly difficult watch to photograph well, which probably explains the comment above from the buyer and it is very 'pretty'. Funnily enough my wife has the exact same watch in the ladies size (albeit on a bracelet), I think it looks better on her to be honest. 🙄
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