FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Ladies Quartz Watch

WBP1418.BA0622

For the first time ever, I've decided not to ask the C.O.C.O. council to give a 'First Impression' score on a newly released watch, and I think you can probably see why. It's hard enough to get the majority of the Council on board with scoring any ladies watches, never mind one which is clearly only destined for the high street jeweller network... 

Not that there's anything wrong with this watch you understand, just that it really represents the most basic of entry level pieces. Well almost, there is one small nod to luxury in that it features a white mother of pearl dial. And also a polished bezel, which until recently was hard to come by in the current ladies Aquaracer range, but apparently not for much longer.

That's because some of the models like the plain silver and opaline blue dial 30mm Aquaracers have not proved popular enough with the ladies and TAG Heuer think it is because of the brushed bezels. This could well be true. Though brushed bezels are undoubtedly more practical in the long run, they clearly don't catch the eye in the showroom like a highly polished one would, and so with that in mind TAG Heuer have started to replace the bezels on these watches with shiny ones.

They aren't giving them new part numbers though, which is a bit odd and a bit annoying for future historians and fake spotters, so the WBP1416 and WBP1417 will join the WAH1110 Formula 1 and the CG1110 S/EL as oddities which had major changes to their appearance but retained their original part numbers.

But I digress. What should we say about this new one? Well, it's 30mm, it's quartz, it has a mother of pearl dial and I just showed it to my wife and she couldn't believe it costs £1850, but it does. Okay, I'm done. 

The TAG Heuer website doesn't have that much to say about it either, other than it has a 60 minute bezel, a bracelet (I'm not making this up) and is 'eager to go further', whatever the hell that means. 

Well okay, I've fulfilled my obligation to keep you up to speed, next time we'll be looking at something a lot more interesting. I promise.