FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Blue Dial' Quartz Chronograph

 

CBP1113.BA0627

When TAG Heuer released their 40mm quartz chronograph Aquaracers at the start of this year they made the curious decision to release it in black, silver... and a slightly effeminate metallic pale blue. I'm not quite sure why they did that, but it was a no brainer that eventually they would release it in a darker blue and sure enough here it is (as usual, sneaking onto the website without a word). 

And while I haven't yet seen one in the flesh (there were none to be found in the Covent Garden boutique when I popped in the other day unfortunately) I think this one is clearly the nicest of the four released so far. The Aquaracer may not be the pukka 'dive' watch it once was with its lume pip removed and the water resistance reduced from 300M to 200M on the 40mm models for some bizarre reason, but the distinctive slatted dial still wears a darker blue very well.

I'm still not sure about that '12' position date... honestly I'm not a huge fan of that. But then again I don't hate it either and I like that TAG Heuer aren't just sticking to the same tried and trusted formula over and over again. I would rather love and hate some watches in the catalogue than feel bored by everything - and since there is room up at the top why squeeze it in at the 4:30 position?

On the face of it I could see me picking one of these up once they hit the pre-owned market and they've shed some of their £2300 price tag (I know you can't compare but that's where the nicer Calibre 5 automatics used to sit a few years ago - and my wages haven't moved an inch since then!), but more likely I would pick up an older model that looks similar but with a battery that I could actually change myself. 

Honestly. long term, I think putting the new backplate on the quartz models could hurt their resale value. Once people realise they can't change the battery without taking the bezel off I think many will be reluctant to buy, and I'm not sure local battery stores will be dead keen on doing that either... which means pretty much everything going back to TAG Heuer. Great for their bottom line, sure... but annoying for those of us with multiple watches, especially when these get old and need a battery every 18 months. 

Okay, well, once again its time to corral the forces of the Council of Considered Opinion and see whether it's a collective thumbs-up from them or what.

5/10: "Probably the best colour scheme of the AR chronos. But I still don't see the point of a chrono dive watch and the two-windowed date is a bit ugly."

5.5/10: "I don’t get the fascination with the date at 12. A double date makes this look even worse, so agree that it’s ugly. I like the dial colour and the steel bezel, but never been convinced by a Chrono Dive piece either."

5/10: "Never been a fan of the date at the top."

6.5/10: "The 12h area is pretty busy… that said - a solid effort, with a form factor the market is asking for nowadays."

8/10: "There ain't nothing better than a nicely executed Aquaracer. When I think of TAG Heuer I think of Aquaracer, the diver standing out with its perfect design in an endless ocean of divers that all look the same. This one is a strong 8 from me, one point detracted for the lack of quick adjust clasp. How anyone could purchase a watch without quick adjust clasp these days makes zero sense to me."

5/10: "Overall, I do not like the way these look. Not for me."

5/10: "A good looking watch. It exudes 'Tag Heuer'. Unfortunately, I just can't get used to where the date is positioned.."

6/10: "Looks like a watch from 15 years ago at first glance."

5/10: "Not sure what they were going for here. I prefer the older Aquaracer style auto that this resembles.

8/10: "Mmmm, need another chrono like a hole in the head, but, I like this one one, nice size, colour looks strong in pics and price is good against the others, it’s on a bracelet too."

6/10: "I like the darker shade of blue on this Aquaracer compared to the light baby blue on the CBP1112. But the two are so similar that it begs the question of why not another colour? Feels like a lazy effort to me, and being quartz, it's just kinda meh."

6/10: "I gave 6/10 to the silver and black versions of this watch, and 7/10 to the light blue version because it was the most innovative one… so same 6/10 to this dark blue version because it's not innovative at all."