Friday, 27 December 2024

FEATURE: The C.O.C.O. Council Watch of the Year 2024


Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a good Christmas and now you're keen and eager to find out which of TAG Heuer's 2024 releases manage to snag the coveted 'C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year' award?

You know, when it comes to the 'Watch of the Year' I generally don't have much skin in the game. As regular readers will know I'm never really one to follow popular opinion, so my top pick is almost always an also ran... and sure enough once again my favourite watch of 2024 (the stunning, diamond bezel Carrera Sports - CBN2A12) was never going to make the final podium, but it did do better than I expected garnering a respectable =5th place.

So with that one firmly out of the picture, what else do we expect to be in the top three? 

Perhaps before we go any further, we should remind ourselves of our previous winners... starting in 2020 with the 160th Anniversary Silver Carrera...

Tuesday, 24 December 2024

FEATURE: The TAG Heuer Releases of 2024

 

Welcome, dear friends, to the fifth annual 'Council of Considered Opinion Watch of the Year'... or to keep it snappy, the COCO WOTY!

Now this year is actually quite exciting because unlike previous years (and especially last year when the 60th Anniversary Carrera Panda absolutely annihilated the opposition) we head into the final reckoning with a good spread of votes. Indeed, no less than 14 watches have picked up a 'First Place' vote and a total of 30 different watches have picked up a first, second or third. This is completely unheard of in the history of the competition and I guess proves either that TAG Heuer are making a wide range of watches that appeal to different people, or perhaps just that they didn't make that one killer watch this year that almost everyone wanted to own.

Personally I feel like this year has probably been the least exciting collection since I started my blog way back in 2016... and for a long time I thought it was just me. After all everywhere you look it seems people have finally stopped using TAG Heuer as the industry's whipping boy and with the new glassbox Carreras in particular YouTubers seem to be falling over themselves to declare 'TAG Heuer is back'. Similarly, TAG Heuer is featuring well in 'watch brand ranking videos' and even previous TAG Heuer bashers like Nico Leonard seem to have changed their minds about the brand. 

Saturday, 21 December 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph Two-Tone Watches



So here we are at last, the final 'First Impressions' post for 2024... and it's a two-fer! Believe it or not these two are numbers 80 and 81 in the 'C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year 2024' list, which if I remember correctly is six more than we had last year! Crazy. 

Anyway, it's been pretty clear this year that TAG Heuer are firmly embracing the 'Solargraph' movement with several new models appearing in 2024; including of course the recent 'Time & Tide' limited edition, the green dial and a whole bunch of 34mm pieces issued way back at the beginning of the year. I think it's a safe bet to say we'll continue to see more solar-powered watches joining the ranks in 2025. 

Indeed I can see a point in the not to distant future where the only old-school quartz pieces with replaceable batteries will be those rather long-in-the-tooth Formula 1s that have been around for about 8 years now. 

Wednesday, 18 December 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Las Vegas' Limited Edition Tourbillon

 

Some watches are just hard to find information on, you know... and this is one of them. I have a couple of photos and even a part number but Google won't admit knowing anything about it! It's frustrating. I even double checked that this wasn't a leak and I'm not breaking any embargos, but I was assured it's definitely been released and is available to buy. I even visited TAG Heuer's US website, but to no avail. 

But still, we have these two pictures and from this we can glean that the watch is a 45mm tourbillon with carbon bezel and lugs, a red tourbillon and baton markers and a red strap that reminds me of the old Manchester United strap (it could be the same one but I don't have a part number so I can't be sure).

Tuesday, 17 December 2024

VIDEO: Or Lack Thereof...


You may have noticed that the videos have tailed off in recent weeks. I'm still scouring YouTube regularly for new videos but there just doesn't seem to be much being uploaded at the moment. I'm also a little tired of wading through all the pointless 'Shorts' videos that are not worth reposting and of course all the videos advertising obviously fake 'TAG Heuers'. 

Occasionally I leave a comment deriding their ridiculous claims and to their credit they often reply. Though lately that reply seems to be 'I never said it was genuine...', as if the fact that it has a TAG Heuer logo on the dial is irrelevant! The other day I left a comment that said 'Swiss Quality... NOT!' and the guy shot back with 'Swiss Quality Available!'... but one look at the bracelet was enough to know it was anything but.

I have a feeling this is perhaps a combination of a cooling in the watch market and the oncoming Christmas celebrations, but rest assured if I do find more TAG Heuer related videos that are worthwhile reposting then I will post them.

Sunday, 15 December 2024

FEATURE: The Top 10 Aquaracers



Okay, so as you're probably aware by now 2024 is the 20th Anniversary of our beloved Aquaracer, and throughout the year I've welcomed eleven fans of the model to share their favourite models with us. We started with BP Smith way back on the 5th of January, last month it was my turn and now I'm back one more time to share with you the combined results and to crown the 'Ultimate Aquaracer'. 

But before I do, I'd like to take a moment to thank all the people who took part: BP Smith, Imagwai, Mrs Aquagraph, ThngzILikeToo, Shane Paradis, Jemagloh, Abrod 520, DTF, Rich T, Albert AMG and of course the patron saint of Aquaracers 'Jim Dollares'. Thanks to you all for your efforts, especially those of you who wrote your own commentary. 

If I had to single out one 'Top 10' as the most interesting, I think I'd have to go with Shane Paradis. Shane shared his selection with us back in March and uniquely chose six quartz pieces, not to mention his number one pick was completely out of left field... I mean I don't think anyone else even looked at the Calibre S regatta timers as a pick, never mind a winner. I also liked that he chose watches from varied eras of the Aquaracer and Shane was also the only person to include a watch with an alarm in his list! 

Thursday, 12 December 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco 'Las Vegas' Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph



Launched to coincide with the holding of this year's Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix, this one allegedly took inspiration from the bright neon colours of that famously decadent city... but yet there is no mention of Las Vegas on the watch or the watch box, nor is it a limited edition or even a special edition, and it is freely available everywhere. 

Similarly there is no mention of 'Las Vegas' on its page on the TAG Heuer website; all of which leads me to believe that far from being a 'Las Vegas' Monaco, it was actually just a convenient 'short-term' marketing strategy.

But whatever, you can't blame em for trying to shift some units, and honestly I don't really think any one will remember that this was called the 'Las Vegas' Monaco in the future (especially since we know there was an actual 'Las Vegas' branded Carrera launched at the same event... more on that soon).

Monday, 9 December 2024

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Red Bull' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph



Berry's Jewellers / Nottingham, 12th November 2024

I recently spent a day in Nottingham and was very much looking forward to visiting the TAG Heuer boutique there. Last time I visited the town I had a nice chat with a guy called Brad and I got to try on a 160th Anniversary 'Montreal' Carrera that was still (rather unexpectedly) knocking about. I couldn't quite remember where the store was (Clumber Street it transpired) but when I eventually stumbled on its location it turned out that it had been closed down two months ago. 

I found this quite surprising at the time, but then again we know the watch market has softened considerably lately and so I guess when the lease comes up on these boutiques perhaps WOS/Goldsmiths have to think twice before recommitting to another long lease. I've always thought perhaps they got a bit carried away with all these single brand stores, was there really enough additional business to justify opening all these boutiques? 

Maybe a few here and there, but they seem to have been opening them willy-nilly over the last few years. I can see the logic of opening them in places like Meadowhall in Sheffield, a place with huge footfall, but I struggle to see the viability of opening one in Solihull (for example). I mean, yes there's probably lots of rich doctor types living nearby, but I'm sure they could have been served equally well by an AD.

Friday, 6 December 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph 'Time & Tide' Limited Edition

 

There is a distinct possibility that what you are looking at here will, in a few short weeks, become the COCO Watch of the Year for 2024. Of course, it's not a foregone conclusion, because the TAG Heuer x Hodinkee Seafarer is bound to attract a decent number of votes, but based on the 'First Impression' scores, this is the watch to beat. Could it be true that after five years we finally get a proper, modern, TAG Heuer branded watch on the top step of the podium... and an Aquaracer (in this 20th anniversary year) at that?

Time will tell, but I will be keeping my fingers crossed for it because my personal 'Watch of the Year' (the diamond bezel Carrera CBN2A12) has zero chance of winning. Which, of course means I have a crisis of conscience to deal with - do I vote with my heart or with my head? Hmm... 

Tuesday, 3 December 2024

FEATURE: A Not So Crazy Couple of Years of Watch Buying...



Last year was the first year for several years where I didn't write a post recapping that year's purchases, mainly because I really didn't buy that much! This year, I have bought more than last year, but still not enough to call this post 'Another Crazy Year of Watch Buying' like the ones I wrote between 2019 and 2022... because those years genuinely were CRAZY and led to me at one point holding 61 TAG Heuers in my collection. 

That, of course, was ridiculous. But thankfully I saw the error of my ways and over the last two years I have managed to cut my collection in half. But I haven't just sold watches, of course I have bought a few more, generally selling cheaper pieces to fund higher priced models. For example my 15 piece classic Formula 1 collection raised more than enough to buy my green dial Calibre 5 Aquaracer and that wasn't all I sold....

I also dispensed with my grey 500M Aquaracer, my blue quartz Executive (which was a lovely watch, but at 35mm, and with no lugs at all, was way too small for my 7.1/2" wrist), my grey dial 4000, my blue dial 6000, my blue WAB series Aquaracer, my red dial S/EL, my copper dial S/EL, my white dial S/EL automatic, my blue dial 36mm Kirium, my Link Searacer, my gold 3000 Chronograph, my Coke bezel 2000 Sports, my black dial 2000 Exclusive Chronograph, my two-tone 3000, my blue dial 2000 Exclusive... and probably a few more that I've forgotten.

The funny thing is, while I didn't 'want' to sell any of them (I'd much rather have just keep all of them) I don't actually regret selling any of them either. I mean sure I occasionally see a photo of one of my old watches and think 'Oh yeah, that was nice', but I certainly don't want to buy it back or anything. The only watch I think I would ever buy again was the Calibre 8 GMT Grand Carrera that I bought and sold a few years back, but even then I'd probably go for a different dial colour.

Saturday, 30 November 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Senna' Calibre TH20-09 Tourbillon Chronograph Limited Edition

 

Many many months ago, way back at the start of the year, Wei Koh (Revolution Watches) posted a video interview with (then) TAG Heuer CEO Julien Tornare. In this interview Wei touched on many things, but one of the key moments that left a lasting impression was when he asked about the 'Senna' watch. I haven't rewatched the interview, but for some reason the way I (and others, it must be said) perceived the response from Julien suggested something 'extra-special' was brewing.

This led to quite some debate amongst watch enthusiasts on the THF Forum because what could this 'something special' possibly be? The obvious answer was a 're-edition' of the classic 'Senna' S/EL, but a two tone ana-digi quartz watch on a brown leather strap, using a case that's been out of production for about a quarter of a century seemed like a long shot... at best.

You may remember I even wrote a POST about it...

But then the whole Kith thing happened and suddenly resurrecting an icon from the past didn't seem like such a stretch of credibility after all. Realistically though, I don't think anyone REALLY thought TAG Heuer were going to remake the watch we all associate with Ayrton, perhaps a more realistic thought was a reboot of the ailing Link model range with a new Senna watch to lead the way.

Wednesday, 27 November 2024

ON THE WRIST: Heuer Monaco 'Racing Green' Calibre 11 Limited Edition Chronograph

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

At the tail end of last year I was lucky enough to get hands-on with the previous 'Racing Blue' Monaco and I really quite liked it. Sure it had the wrong logo on it and the crown is on the silly side of the case, which I don't like, will never like and can't understand why other people think that's how it 'should' be... but regardless, it was a nice watch. 🤣

So when TAG Heuer launched a new version, similarly limited to 1000 pieces, I thought 'Okay - this looks pretty good and I like the green'. However when I looked a little closer... it started to lose its appeal a little bit, not least because the green subdials were actually a little bit tealy, and worse still the strap didn't match all that well.

Sunday, 24 November 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Oracle Red Bull Racing' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph

 

Way back in 2021 our good friend Jim Dollares wrote a post for this blog celebrating five years of Red Bull and TAG Heuer's collaboration. I can't believe it's that long ago already... and of course in the meantime there's been several more watches, so maybe that post needs an update Jim? 

Now, with Max Verstappen on the cusp of his fourth consecutive World Driver's Championship, it's time for the latest addition to this little collection (I wonder if anyone actually owns them all, that would be a cool set) and once again it's a 43mm Formula 1 quartz chronograph. 

Thursday, 21 November 2024

BUYING EXERIENCE: TAG Heuer FT6051 White Rubber Strap

CAR2A1Z.FT6051

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

Some of you will probably remember that the original 45mm Carrera Heuer 01 Skeleton (CAR2A1Z) was at first available in just one format: red dial highlights and a black rubber strap. This was later expanded to include a white rubber strap and indeed a red rubber strap. There was also a 'Blue Touch' edition which featured blue dial highlights and a blue rubber strap, that was pretty nice too... but by the time that arrived I'd already bought mine and I don't have any regrets about that.

It's perhaps a little surprising that TAG Heuer didn't play around more with this, as we saw some future possibilities at the launch event (yellow, orange and lime green models were on show but none of them made it into production - booo!). But still, if you own a CAR2A1Z you can of course order a white or red (or blue I guess) strap for it, and that's exactly what I decided to do after 8 years of ownership!

Sunday, 17 November 2024

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers


So finally it's my turn! I've been waiting all year to share with you my personal top ten and with so much time to deliberate inevitably the final positions have been shifted around time and time again. No joke, I think at least four or five different watches have been in pole position at different times throughout the year and I'm actually dreading having to finalize my choices because I know damn well they're going to change by tomorrow morning. Gah! 

Now obviously, having owned more than a few Aquaracers over the last few years, my list is going to feature my own watches quite heavily... well I guess that's only natural since I sought out the ones I really liked, so that's what you're going to get (plus one or two that slipped through my fingers). So I'm afraid my list isn't perhaps as unpredictable as I'd really like it to be. I did actually contemplate discounting my watches entirely, but that wouldn't really work either... so what I'll probably just do is add some 'honourable mentions' at the end instead.

It's been noticeable that many of the previous guests have chosen a lot of watches from the very recent past, and while I too have a couple of recent pieces included in my list I think I have selected fairly evenly across the Aquaracer's history, certainly from each decade of the model's production span. That's not to say I am right and they are wrong of course - many people believe the current Aquaracers are the best the brand has ever produced, but I am more of a 'historian' I suppose and I like quirky watches so that's probably why.

Friday, 15 November 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Japan 24' Calibre TH20-00 Limited Edition

 

It's always interesting to see watches that are released in specific markets like this one, even if sometimes it's hard to grasp the relevance of the accompanying marketing. Case in point is this new 'Japanese' limited edition 42mm Carrera chronograph. Seeing the '24' up there on the dial you might immediately assume that this model is connected to motor racing somehow, even more so given the obvious similarities with last year's 'Team Ikuzawa' release.

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

FEATURE: TAG Heuer Monaco 50th Anniversary Limited Editions


Hard to believe, but it's been five years since the final '50th Anniversary' Monaco was released back in late October 2019. So I thought, maybe now would be a good time to take a moment to take a look back at this five piece collection and remind ourselves how it came about and also invite the Council of Considered Opinion to share their thoughts and (since 2019 was pre-C.O.C.O.) score the watches for inclusion in the final totals list. 

So clearly, even before we got to 2019 we knew that it was the 50th anniversary of the Monaco (glossing over the fact that it was out of production for quite a large portion of that of course) and it was expected that there would be some sort of special watch, much as there had been for the 40th anniversary. But it was quite a surprise when TAG Heuer announced that there would actually be 5 different watches released throughout 2019, each celebrating a different decade (again glossing over the fact that there never was an 80s Monaco of any description, nor late 70s or early to mid 90s come to that!).

Saturday, 9 November 2024

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Monza 'Carbon' Special Edition Chronograph

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

It's kinda funny, this one has been around for so long that when I clocked it in the display case in the TAG Heuer boutique in Sheffield's Meadowhall centre, I honestly didn't even think about whether I had ever seen it or tried it on or not. I was just like... 'Oh there's the carbon Monza'... and it wasn't until the (always fabulous) Maxine asked me if I'd seen it before that the penny finally dropped. I mean it's been at least two years since the Monza CR5090 first appeared on (Red Bull Racing boss) Christian Horner's wrist, so it just feels very familiar, even though before today I'd never actually come across one in person. 

Thinking about it it's been quite a number of years since I had any kind of Monza on the wrist and I'd kinda forgotten quite how big a 42mm 'square' watch really is. I think even from this photo you can tell that it's quite a lump of watch and it sits quite high too. But with its carbon case and nylon strap, of course it's anything but heavy. 

Wednesday, 6 November 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 36mm Calibre 7 with Diamond Hour Markers

 

One of the more unexpected success stories of recent times seems to have been the pink 36mm Carrera (otherwise known as 'The Barbie'). This model has found favour with men and women alike despite it's diminutive size and indeed our Swedish correspondent Jim Dollares has recently taken delivery of one himself (Buying Experience for that incoming...). 

Ever since the launch Jim was waiting to see if TAG Heuer brought the watch out in a larger size, say 39mm, but eventually he started to worry that the 36mm might be discontinued and he took the plunge. Literally one day after he picked up his new watch TAG Heuer released the same watch with diamond hour markers - which, while annoying for Jim, probably means they aren't about to release it in 39mm.

Sunday, 3 November 2024

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Gold Skipper' Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

While I've never been particularly enamoured of all those fusty old 'Heuer' watches that vintage enthusiasts get super excited about, even I have to admit that 2023's Carrera Skipper was an eye-catching release and easily the best of the modern 39mm 'Glassbox' range. So I was interested to see the watch housed in an 18k rose gold case - especially since on paper the gold should work wonderfully with the strong blue dial. Would it look super classy though? Or douchebaggy? After all, blue and gold is nice combination, but a tricky one to get just right, especially when there are other colours on the dial to consider.

Thursday, 31 October 2024

FEATURE: EBAY: No Fakes. No Fraud. No Doubt? (Part Two)


Way back in March I wrote a post about eBay and their drive to convince us all that it was safe to buy through their platform without worrying about fake watches, at least for watches that cost more than £1500 (the price point where eBay actually offer hands-on checks), though even then there is some debate on the effectiveness of that. 

Since then I've reported two or three watches that have caught my eye and all three were branded totally fine by eBay. Now these weren't super-fakes where you need to closely inspect the lume pip in the bezel and see the bracelet pins... these were watches that anyone with a reasonable knowledge of the brand would spot as wrong-uns or at least raise suspicions. But no, eBay got a 'service agent' to look at them and decided that each one was not fraudulent.

Well clearly eBay's 'service agents' are ill equipped to do this job, because they are still clueless about even pretty obvious fakes. Like this one for example.

Monday, 28 October 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Porsche Panamericana' Glassbox Tourbillon L/E Chronograph

 

I've now lost count of all the Porsche branded TAG Heuer watches we've seen over the last few years, I want to say it was 10 or 11 prior to this, but I'm not 100% sure. Seems like the time is ripe for a 'Feature' post detailing them all, don't you think? Well, I'll get on it, but for now we have a new (and perhaps slightly controversial) new steel cased tourbillon co-branded with both Porsche and Panamericana; after the famous rally held in the early 1950s.

The watch itself is hardly 'retro' in its styling, but it does take 'inspiration' from the Porsche 550 which competed in said rally; mainly the yellow of the racing numerals used on the car for the hands, the wheels which are the basis of the unique-to-this-watch open dial design and the paint finish which has inspired the speckled look found on both the subdials and the main dial - a unique touch for sure. 

Friday, 25 October 2024

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 7s - Baby Pink and Ice Blue

 


TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

It's always a pleasure for me to visit the TAG Heuer boutique in the Meadowhall shopping centre, the staff are lovely people and they always have time for you. If you are in that part of the world I heartily recommend stopping by. I tried on quite a few watches on my most recent visit there and there are still more 'On the Wrist' posts to come, including the carbon Monza (finally) and the latest 'Racing Green' Monaco (meh).

But today we shall focus on two.... I was going to say ladies watches, but really only one of these is truly a ladies watch, and that, quite obviously is the baby pink strapped WBN2315. As you can see I didn't actually try it on, in fact I'm not at all sure the strap was big enough to go around my 7.1/2" wrist, but my wife did and she quite liked it.

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by DTF


And so we come to our eleventh 'Top 10 Aquaracers', this time featuring the choices of THF Forum and C.O.C.O. member 'DTF'. This time our guest has provided his own commentary which means this is a nice easy post for me, thanks for that 'DTF'. 😊

I hope you enjoy his selections as much as I have and finally next month it will be my turn! I guess I need to make some tough decisions of my own between now and then, hey?

Saturday, 19 October 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - 2024' Limited Editions

 

We've already seen limited edition Carreras for both Kuwait and Qatar this year and now it's time for an update to last years 'Kingdom of Saudi Arabia' Carrera. Last year's model featured a silver dial with a green outline and the KSA emblem in green on the dial. Only 100 were produced and the watch came in a special green presentation box with both a bracelet and a green alligator strap.

This year TAG Heuer have produced two models, a 41mm day/date Carrera in steel and a 29mm version with a rose gold bezel and crown and a two tone bracelet.  The dials are inscribed with the words 'Saudi' (male) and 'Saudia' (female) on their respective dials.

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

DUEL: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Skeleton Chronograph v Carrera Calibre 16 Titanium Chronograph

CAR2A1Z.FT6044                       CV2A80.FC6256

Hello readers, hard to believe I know for one so soft of skin and lithe of body🤣, but today is in fact my 55th birthday! Yay. Cake!!! And so I thought perhaps I would take a break from all these incessant new release posts and instead do what I really like doing. So today I will be writing about two of my most luxurious watches; my original 2016 Heuer 01 Skeleton and the titanium cased Calibre 16 day date Carrera I got from the Bicester Village outlet for my 50th birthday.

Now this post has in fact been in the works since late 2021, I even had some text written and pictures taken... but as three years have passed (!) I decided it would be much better to just start from scratch. I even briefly pondered the idea of switching out the Calibre 16 Carrera for my recently purchased Grand Carrera Calibre 36 for a true 'Clash of the Titans' post... but on reflection I decided that perhaps comparing my long time 'favourite' watch with the watch I am currently 'infatuated' with was a bit unfair. I mean maybe in time the GC Caliper will emerge as my 'favourite' watch, but it's far too soon to be throwing claims like that around.

Sunday, 13 October 2024

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph 'Green Dial' Quartz Watch

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / 28th September 2024, Meadowhall, Sheffield

When the green Solargraph was announced I must admit I was a teeny bit concerned that maybe I had rushed into buying the Calibre 5 version. I've always said that given the choice of two identical watches one quartz, one automatic, I would probably choose the quartz... and a solar powered quartz appeals even more. 

But generally speaking there never really is a choice of identical looking watches is there? So the question that required answering here was primarily how do the two dials compare, and secondly was the light blue second hand a deal breaker?

Thursday, 10 October 2024

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Aquracer 'Sprite' Calibre TH31-03 GMT Watch

 

28th September 2024 / TAG Heuer Boutique, Meadowhall, Sheffield

It's funny, I've been waiting a while to see this one, because as seems to be the norm now when TAG Heuer release a bunch of watches together, there's always one that lags behind. Last time I got to visit the excellent Meadowhall boutique I saw all of the new three hand Aquaracers and also the 'Batman' GMT, but I was really pinning my hopes on this all new colour scheme being the one that really got me interested. 

Monday, 7 October 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Ice Blue' Calibre TH20-09 Limited Edition Tourbillon


By my reckoning this is TAG Heuer's eighth different tourbillon this year, and while technically this one is another 'limited edition'... at 250pcs it rather begs the question 'just how many £20,000 tourbillons can TAG Heuer actually hope to shift?' I mean, TAG Heuer's bread and butter business is commonly accepted to be in the £1500-6000 region, so it's surprising that the brand feel comfortable making so many pieces in this price bracket.

Friday, 4 October 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Heuer Monaco 'Racing Green' Calibre 11 Limited Edition


When I first clapped eyes on this new 1000 piece limited edition 'Racing Green' Monaco Calibre 11 I was quite impressed, thinking it an improvement over last year's blue version. However, the more I've looked at it the more I feel like I need to see it in person to make a proper judgement.

Because to me it looks like the strap and the subdials aren't quite the same hue of green, and if that's true I would find that rather annoying... 

Tuesday, 1 October 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Green Dial' Solargraph

 

I guess we should have seen this coming, shouldn't we? Given the ever expanding Solargraph range and TAG Heuer's current obsession with the colour green, it was surely only a matter of time until the two were put together and voila... I give you the green dial Solargraph! Must have been a long day at work thinking that one up, eh?

Still, that doesn't really matter if the finished product works and on the face of it this one looks quite successful. I'm not entirely sure about the combination of green and pale blue, I honestly think the black and blue dials provide a better colour base for the usual 'Solargraph' highlight colour. Perhaps, as we've seen with some of the ladies 34mm Aquaracers, a polished steel hand would have been a better fit?

Saturday, 28 September 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Red Bull World Champions Edition' Quartz Chronograph

 
CAZ101AY.FC6591

You may remember back in March I wrote about a visit to the Red Bull Formula 1 factory in Milton Keynes that my wife treated me to for Valentine's Day. In it I mentioned that I had attempted and failed miserably to get hands on with one of these 'team only' watches, being told that no one actually wears them in the factory and that everyone had them safely locked away at home.

With little information and only a couple of not so great pictures available I decided to wait a while before writing about the watch and I'm glad I did because now not only do I have the part number for said watch but also some decent photographs to go with it.

Wednesday, 25 September 2024

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Jemagloh


Once again it's time to mull over the last twenty years of Aquaracers and pull ten magnificent examples out for inspection. This time our guest judge is C.O.C.O. and THF Forum member Jemagloh (otherwise known as Matt). Unfortunately Matt literally works 27 hours a day so commentary was never on the cards, so once again it falls on my to provide the same. 

Saturday, 21 September 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Extreme Sports Chronographs & Tourbillon Chronographs


Six new 'skeleton*' dial Carreras for you today, which follow on from the 'Porsche 963' limited edition of a couple of months ago. These new Carrera Extreme Sports (as they are called) don't carry the exact same dial as that one, but there's definitely a similar design philosophy at play and these also carry the same 'integrated' straps. 

I say 'integrated' because while these look the part, the centre piece between the 'air scoop' V is actually part of the strap and not part of the case. This unfortunately leads to my first head scratching moment, because why go to all the effort to create this well constructed illusion, if only half of the watches actually carry it though? 

*These aren't really very skeletonized at all, you can barely see anything of the movement (especially the tourbillons which don't have a date wheel) but they certainly don't have what you would call a solid dial either. Perhaps 'sculpted' or 'architectural' dial would be a better description?

Wednesday, 18 September 2024

OWNED: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Green Dial


It's been a few months over a year since I picked up my WBP2115 from the TAG Heuer boutique in Sheffield and in typical fashion it's been a journey of mixed emotions. When I found out there was going to be a new green dial Aquaracer I was right on it, desperate to avoid a repeat of the WAY2015 debacle. Actually there was no need to rush as even now it's perfectly possible to walk into an AD and pick up a WBP2115, but I didn't know that at the time.

Truth be told, when I went to buy it I was less than sure about it. It certainly wasn't love at first sight... but I'd made such a fuss about getting it, badgering Maxine at TH Sheffield regularly until it arrived that I felt rather obligated to buy it. Not that I actively disliked it, but it certainly wasn't a Chronotimer or Grand Carrera Caliper situation where I gazed lovingly at it all the way home... maybe it was just that I'd wanted the WAY2015 for so long and this didn't look quite the same - because, well it isn't!

Sunday, 15 September 2024

FEATURE: The Best of the Best of the Last Four Years...

 
2020 - 2023*

As the summer slowly starts to turn to autumn and we start sporadically thinking about the big end of year vote, I thought it might be interesting to cast our eyes over the last four years of results and remind ourselves of the best of the best of the main four TAG Heuer product lines. 

For these purposes I am using the compiled list of final scores which can be found HERE and for the purposes of splitting ties on points I will use the WOTY votes themselves. I did briefly consider using the WOTY votes as the main indicator but quickly came to realise that this would not give a very accurate result overall, especially in years where one watch crushes the competition (plus there's only been two Formula 1s that have received a vote, so that won't work).

Thursday, 12 September 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Pink' Calibre 7 Watch

 

I think it goes without saying that this Carrera was never going to receive the same warm welcome as the very recent 'Ice Blue' version of the same watch from the decidedly male-dominated Council of Considered Opinion. I mean not only does it have a pink second hand, outer dial ring and strap, but it also has every girl's worst nightmare - a Mother of Pearl dial and a diamond inner bezel! 

The horror.

Monday, 9 September 2024

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Rich T


As you surely know by now, each month in this 20th Anniversary year of the Aquaracer we're inviting a special guest to pick their 'Top 10 Aquaracers'. This month it's the turn of my friend, colleague and fellow COCO member 'Rich T'. Rich has long admired the Aquaracer and very nearly bought one a few years ago (he eventually bought a Tudor Pelagos LHD instead, but we don't hold that against him - 🤣) and he's accompanied me to Bicester Village and London's watch stores a few times too. Not to mention of course, he's exposed to my watch collection on a daily basis, which probably explains a few of his choices here... 

Friday, 6 September 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Ice Blue' Calibre 7 Watch


The 36mm Carrera seems to be the chosen range for TAG Heuer to experiment with bright colours and finishes and while this kinda makes sense given it appeals to women and also men with smaller wrists I can't help feeling that us men with larger wrists are being somewhat left out in the cold.

Sure, we've had the pale blue / lilac / call it what you will Aquaracer chronograph... a model with a life slightly longer than a butterfly it seems, but aside from that there's not much in the way of unusual colours floating around in the larger sizes.

Tuesday, 3 September 2024

FEATURE: My Top Five 3000 Series

 

I've always had a soft spot for the 3000 Series, but it wasn't until I saw the watch above in the TAG Heuer Museum in 2018 that I really fell in love with it. Subsequently I collected three models, all of which have made my 'Top 5' as it happens, albeit I only currently own one of them. 

Truth be told there aren't that many 3000s, so these five cover a lot of what's available... 

Saturday, 31 August 2024

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Seven - Other Watches (1996-)

 

As promised here is the final part of the 'HISTORY OF THE CARRERA' (albeit Part 8 will begin on the 1st of January 2025, since the history is never really finished...). This one wraps up the remaining three handers which again could not be pinned down to specific years.

Wednesday, 28 August 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer x Hodinkee Carrera 'Seafarer' Calibre TH20-13 Limited Edition


I've never been much of a gambler, probably cos I'm too tight to risk losing my money... but if I was going to place a bet on which watch was likely to be the 2024 COCO 'Watch of the Year' then this would be the obvious choice. 

FACT - The COCO loves Heuer watches first and foremost. 

FACT - The COCO loves Carreras above Monacos. 

FACT - There's no 'Heuer' branded Carrera this year (as far as I know).

FACT - There isn't really another credible contender at this point in time. 

All of which leads me to the inevitable conclusion that this will indeed secure enough votes to take the crown.... which is kind of a shame honestly, because I was rather looking forward to an unpredictable battle between several other competitors. Oh well, I guess that's why we vote for second and third these days...

Sunday, 25 August 2024

FEATURE: Come & Join Us at the THF Forums!


When I first got seriously into watches back in 2016, I fairly quickly stumbled across the fantastic 'Calibre 11' website and forum run by the incomparable David Chalmers. David was very welcoming and friendly and never pretentious or snooty about the 'lower end' of the brand and also produced the best TAG Heuer / Heuer articles the internet has ever seen. David also arranged for me to visit the TAG Heuer manufacture in La Chaux-De-Fonds back in 2018 and so I am eternally in his debt for that!

Sadly a couple of years ago Calibre 11 was forced to shut it's doors, with TAG Heuer themselves taking over the content (some of which has since appeared in truncated form on their website) but it is a major loss to enthusiasts that the bulk of David's detailed articles are no longer available to view - even on the 'Wayback Machine' which promises thousands of pages but actually just gives you an error message. 😠


For a time we thought the Calibre 11 forum would also close, but thankfully that particular tragedy was averted and the 'THF Forum' was born, hosted on Omega Forums and now recently upgraded (thank you Trev & Dsio for all your hard work) there's never been a better time to visit and join in the fun.
 
The stats show that at any time there could be 300 people viewing the site, but there's nowhere near that many regular posting members. So don't be a lurker; I get that it's a little intimidating joining an existing group with knowledgeable people, but remember opinions are just opinions and yours is just as valid as everyone else's. Especially if you are a fan of modern TAG Heuer, because frankly the forum is heavily biased to those with both feet firmly in the past and we could very much use a bit of balance.

You can also get help with checking future purchases for authenticity* and tons of useful information and advice, so what are you waiting for?


If you have any trouble signing up, let me know in the comments below and I will pass the info on to the admins. 


*The forum cannot categorically authenticate a watch, only TAG Heuer can do that and they will need the watch to do it (don't take it in to a boutique expecting an answer as they are not trained nor have the equipment required), but we can potentially spot a fake if you post pictures of the watch you are looking at buying.

Thursday, 22 August 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Watches of Switzerland' Limited Edition Tourbillon Chronograph

 

Hot on the heels of the recent 'Swiss Alps' limited edition tourbillon we have this 'Watches of Switzerland' edition, which is rather harder to come by, limited as it is to just 10 pieces. With these two being released so close together it's hard not to compare them, and while the 'Swiss Alps' version brought to mind the TAG Heuer 'Pilot' this one definitely has a CH80 vibe to it. 

Monday, 19 August 2024

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre TH20-09 'Swiss Alps' Limited Edition Tourbillon Chronograph


As the proud owner of a TAG Heuer Pilot and a (frankly) jealous observer of the stunning Carrera 160th Anniversary Dato (which I will own one day, mark my words), both of which share a blue/white colour scheme with red highlights... this was always going to score higher with me than the blue or teal version of the same watch. Indeed such is the impact of the tri-colour combo that it deftly turns quite an ugly watch into quite a looker. Of course it still has that accursed tourbillon messing up the dial, but at least it's a step in the right direction...

Friday, 16 August 2024

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Six - Other Chronographs (1996-)



Such was my excitement at completing the main body of the 'HISTORY OF THE CARRERA' that I kind of forget there were still two more posts to come collecting together all the watches which I couldn't pin down to a year. So first up we have the 'misc' chronographs and coming soon will be the 'misc' three handers.

For links to the rest of the 'HISTORY OF THE CARRERA' and to the main 'HISTORY OF' menu, please see at the bottom of the page.

Tuesday, 13 August 2024

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36 Caliper Chronograph

 
CAV5115.FT6019

A few weeks ago I asked my good friend Jim Dollares how I should celebrate hitting one million views on my blog? I was thinking a special post, or a new header that would replace the 'Aquaracer@20' one for a week or so, but instead Jim said 'you should buy a new watch'. Great idea! Of course I didn't just go out and buy a watch just for the sake of it, I was already sort of, kinda, in the process of looking into a second go at the CAV5115... I mean sure, the timing was nice, but I wasn't going to spend this kind of money on a whim. 

And when I say a second go... please don't misunderstand, I've never owned a CAV5115 before but some of you may remember that I visited Watchfinder's 'Avery Row' branch last September to view one that was on a bracelet. Of course that was before the watch market softened and so even with a damaged dial and the red paint missing off the second crown it was being sold at £3750 (and when I asked to negotiate they said that was cheap because of the condition), things are different now...

Monday, 12 August 2024

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera 36mm Two Tone Calibre 7 Watch

 

Until relatively recently TAG Heuer have never made a watch that looks like this in a size which could possibly be considered 'unisex' but this is 2024 and 'Men's' watches are undoubtedly shrinking while 'Women's' watches get bigger by the week (I still don't understand why it's desirable for women to wear watches which are oversized while for men it is the height of poor judgement - but that's fashion for you. Thankfully I care not much for fashion, so I will continue to wear my 45mm H01 thanks all the same).

So when the opportunity to try this on arose I thought 'why not'. Truth be told in the not so distant past anything that was even close to being wearable for a man would have come with a deployant bracelet insufficient to breach my enormous man-hands, and so it was tremendously surprising to find that the watch slipped over my hand with ease and fitted more than comfortably around my 7.1/2" wrist. So presumably we must conclude that this is indeed a 'Unisex' watch, because I don't know about you but I don't know many women with 8" wrists.