OWNED: TAG Heuer 4000 Series Quartz Watches

 

WF1112.BA0511                                            WF1111.BA0511

I'm pretty sure no one will remember but I did write an 'Owned' post about the 4000 Series back in 2019, but since then I have sold my original grey dial WF1111 and acquired a white dial WF1112. This wasn't intended to be a swap situation, but once I started culling my oversized collection it was never going to be long before the WF1111 came under the sword. Generally speaking the 4000 isn't the most exciting model TAG Heuer ever made and combine that with the glued down bezel, missing green and red paint on the case logo and deteriorating hands... well there just wasn't a compelling case for keeping it.

As so often happens, my quest to find a WF1112 began while I was researching for the History of the 4000 post. I really liked the look of the white dial model on the blue and green sharkskin straps, and though I did briefly try the green strap on the grey dial model it really never looked right. So I set about finding a WF1112 and quickly realised that this wasn't going to be anything like as easy as I thought. 

It turned out the white dial quartz version was actually a late addition to the 4000 quartz range, only appearing about halfway through the 4000's seven year life cycle. Availability was low and prices were surprisingly high, but I was able to secure one for about £500, albeit it came with a very stretched out bracelet. I debated sending it back, but in the end I decided to keep it as it was otherwise in lovely condition and most importantly still had all the paint in its unique bezel/case logo shield.

WF1112 on the original 'stretched' bracelet.

I decided to put the bracelet on eBay and sold it, reasoning that I could use the blue and green sharkskin straps and eventually swap the bracelet from the older grey model onto the new one if and when I so desired. Except that when I eventually tried to do that, it didn't fit. I couldn't understand why that was and to this day I still don't understand it. Both bracelets had the same bracelet number so why on earth should they not match up? To be clear, it did 'fit', but there was a gap around the end link so the end link was free to move - this suggested that the holes in the two watches were not drilled in quite the same place, but why would that be?

Never mind, I was reasonably happy to wear the white dial on the green and blue straps and this also gave me a reason to keep the grey dial around as the bracelet on the 4000 Series is actually quite cool with concave mid-links and a sort of beadblasted finish to it. But over time I would look at the photos I took of the white dial on the bracelet and resent that I couldn't put the bracelet from one on the other. Had I been too hasty selling the bracelet? Well, maybe, but it was pretty stretched and I wouldn't have really been happy with that long term either... 

But it kept niggling me and when the opportunity came to get hold of a brand new bracelet for my WF1112 I decided to take it. I was convinced it wasn't going to fit of course, believing that the holes in the WF1112's lugs were not in the same place (albeit the original bracelet fitted perfectly) - but if the two watches were subtly different how would TAG know which bracelet to send seeing that they had the same part number. Very worrying. 

Actually, in the first instance I tried to order two end links for my WF1112, believing that I could use the rest of the bracelet from the grey one, but it turns out the end links are actually part of the bracelet - which is even weirder considering when I received the white one it came with a spare end link (which I also sold on eBay)! And, further to that, this picture below, of the original stretched bracelet, clearly shows a pin holding the bracelet onto the end link.... which is not present on the new one. Hmmm!

Thankfully, when the bracelet came it did fit; maybe there are two bracelets with the same part number which have different end links and it fitted because I ordered for the WF1112? Doesn't sound terribly likely, does it? If not then I still don't understand what was wrong with the one on the WF1111, or if indeed there was anything 'wrong' with it, because if anything that one fit its case the best of either of them! Maybe the person who glued the bezel down also modded the end links or something? Consider me utterly confused by this one! 

Anyway, once I had the new bracelet and it fitted on the white dial model I knew it was finally time to let the grey one go. Given its condition I didn't expect more than about £300 (I paid £325 about 4-5 years ago) but in the end I struggled to even get that and eventually let it go for £250. Pretty bad, but the hands had definitely deteriorated since I bought it and I think that probably put a lot of buyers off. Oh well, I haven't lost money on many watches and overall I've probably broken even so I can't be too upset about it. Besides, I've now got what I really wanted, the rarer white dial version on a brand spanking new bracelet plus the green and blue sharkskin straps in reserve. Result!