WBP231K.BA0618
When the 36mm Aquaracer was launched (in silver, black and navy blue) a couple of years ago it was (quietly) hailed as a victory for the small wristed who found the 43mm Aquaracer just too damned big to wear. But subsequently (and initially if you were cognisant of the fact that the wave dial pattern has only ever been available on ladies watches) it became apparent that while 36mm may indeed be a nominally 'unisex' size, in truth TAG Heuer definitely view this a ladies watch. Of course there's nothing to stop anyone wearing pink, teal or torquoise dials with diamond hour markers, but let's be real, for the vast majority of the population this is a ladies watch. Besides which, it is in the ladies section of the TAG Heuer website (...but then so are the Solargraphs, go figure).
So while we are being brainwashed to believe that men's watches are getting smaller, it seems clear that the same cannot be said of women's sizes (over the last couple of decades 25mm has become 27mm has become 30mm). On release my wife tried the silver version of the 36mm Aquaracer on: it was comically huge on her and she quickly dismissed it as beautiful but far too big, far too thick and completely unwearable. Admittedly my wife his the tiniest wrists you can imagine, but clearly not every woman is going to feel comfortable wearing this (or any other 36mm watch) however much she may want to.
It's a shame really because my wife loves the colour of the dial (as she did the pink, and the teal in particular) and so TAG Heuer have lost another potential sale here because she simply can't even contemplate wearing this watch. Ultimately I think she is going to buy one of the 30mm fumé dial Aquaracers in either blue or grey (or possibly one of the two new colours coming in the next few months) but it is annoying that TAG Heuer don't offer the ceramic bezel models in 40mm and 30mm (and the steel bezel models in 43mm and 36mm for that matter). Perhaps it's something that will come eventually as the new Aquaracer matures?
Focussing on this particular model for a moment, my initial reaction is good, but I'm slightly concerned that the dial is a little darker (and greener) than it could have been. Maybe TAG Heuer are intentionally trying not to make a 'Tiffany' dial look a like, but when you see a turquoise dial you kind of have an expectation of how it's going to look and from the renders this looks like it might be missing that mark slightly. Of course we won't know for sure until we actually get the opportunity to see one in real life, and that might be a while since I have already been told that the Sheffield boutique has sold the one they were allocated and there is an eight week wait to get the next one!
And so with that in mind, let's turn our attention to the Council of Considered Opinion, who usually wave a dismissive '4/10' at everything labelled a 'ladies' watch, but here, for once, seem to have had a change of heart. Indeed, if we ignore the 'Solargraph' (which certainly isn't a dedicated 'ladies' watch), this one tops the rankings of all ladies watches scored since the beginning of the C.O.C.O., beating out the pink dial by just 0.1 of a point (although of course the final score won't be announced until the end of the year).
8/10: "The Turquoise / Aquamarine vibe suits well for an Aquaracer watch."
6.5/10: "I am taking into account that the color will look nicer in real life. Looks pretty nice to me, this could have been unisex if they left off the diamonds."
8/10: "Looks great, the wave pattern on the dial adds interest without being cheesy, the diamonds aren't over done and it's the perfect size for a ladies watch."
8/10: "It's not bad. If money is not a problem for me, I would order this for my wife."
7/10: "Quite nice for the ladies."
0/10: "Wife's score, not mine. She hates the colour and wavy texture of the dial."
8/10: "For me this is a very elegant ladies dive watch. I absolutely love the dial texture and the colour along with the subtle diamond markers, this is beautiful. 300m water resistance too."
7/10: "It's a beautiful watch. Very slim for a Cal. 5."
7/10: "If I was a girl, which I’m not, I’d be tempted. I can imagine it looking quite stunning under the water."
6/10: "I can see the appeal and a nice ladies watch."
4.5/10: "Quite like some aspects but of course it has diamonds which I'm not keen on, and it does seem quite a bit of dough. It's slightly conflicted I think - looks like a tough dive watch with the black bezel, but then the diamonds make it more jewellery/classic ladies watch. I'm not sure it fully works or if it knows what it's trying to be."
8.5/10: "I would say that this is my favourite section of the “Ladies” section. Every one of this range is excellent. This one sits close behind the pink one, which I scored a 9, so I have to give this a very solid 8.5."
3/10: "Without diamonds 7,5/10. With diamonds 3/10. Diamonds belong in jewellery not in watches. IMHO."
7/10: "My hope is that the Aquaracer ladies will always be available in about seven different colours to appeal to women who like sports and diving."
7/10: "That’ll be lovely in the metal. The black bezel doesn’t really complement the dial but I could live with that."
8/10: "It’s a lovely looking piece. I give this one an 8/10."
7/10: "One herself likes, well at least from the picture. Price only important to me as I’d be paying for it!"
4/10: "Great looking dial, still with the diamonds though..."
7/10: "One of the nicer ladies pieces."
7/10: "6/10. Diamonds again… but an interesting colour... After realizing that the colour of the dial actually matches the Petronas livery of my favourite F1 team, my score goes up to 7/10!"
8/10: "I think it's a little overpriced but the dial is beautiful!"
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