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It's February already and finally we have some new watches to talk about... yay! But don't get too excited because honestly the TAG Heuer part of LVMH Watch Week didn't so much as explode in our faces as hand us a flyer outside Tescos. Yes it was truly exciting... not! But don't despair, I'm certain that TAG Heuer are keeping all the awesome stuff they have ready for us for Watches & Wonders. At least I hope they are because, well, honestly after all that waiting around I was a little deflated.
Okay, so I expect you were thinking I was gonna lead with the green dial Carrera Glassbox Dato 45 didn't ya? Well, that was my first thought, but I feel like I need a little more time to digest it and since I wanted to start the year on a positive note I decided instead to focus on the five, yes FIVE 34mm Aquaracer Solargraphs that were launched at the show.
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You may remember that former TAG Heuer CEO Frederic Arnault talked about rolling out the Solargraph technology throughout the range as time went by and so now we are starting to see this happen. Solar power seems to be the solution to TAG Heuer's 'quartz problem'; namely that 'Luxury' brands selling battery powered watches is frowned upon... but the unfortunate truth is that 'entry level' quartz pieces are the brand's bread and butter and dumping them wholesale for luxe status is probably not an option in the short term.
The solution then is to spin it as technological wizardry, which is debatable since solar powered watches are nothing new... but actually I don't mind. Honestly I'd rather pay an extra £3-400 for a solar powered watch that doesn't need a new battery for 15 years than a standard one that does; you're going to save most of that back in servicing costs anyway - plus you don't have to send the watch away. Of course if you want to maintain the water resistance you may need to have it pressure tested, but for people like me who never get their watches wet this really is not a concern.
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What has surprised me a little bit is that they are pushing it into the ladies range so quickly, but traditionally it has always been ladies that preferred the quartz movement (my own wife is a testament to this, rueing the day she ever bought an automatic...), so I guess it's a smart move.
To be honest I didn't actually notice that the Mother of Pearl dial models were Solargraphs to start with, I just thought they had redesigned the bezels so they could get rid of those awful flat polished ones that the 30mm Aquaracers have... but thankfully someone pointed it out to me that it says Solargraph on the dial, and then that left me wondering how the light gets through the MOP dial to the sensor. I guess it must be pretty thin and transparent huh!
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But honestly I think it's the other two models that are the stars of this particular show. The MOP models will sell well I'm sure, there's a reason why TAG Heuer keep recycling those styles after all, but for me the green (or 'Polar Blue' as TAG Heuer are calling it) and blue dial models look much better; especially the green (or 'Polar Blue' as TAG Heuer are calling it) which has what appears to be a textured dial and is also the first Solargraph without the distinctive light blue second hand - well it had to happen sooner or later, and it would have looked a bit mental, wouldn't it?
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I know my wife is keen to get this one on her wrist for a try on, but unfortunately she will have to wait a while as the green (or 'Polar Blue' as TAG Heuer are calling it) model is not due until March. The blue one is already in the boutiques though as are at least some of the Mother of Pearl models. One small thing to note though, on the website the watches are depicted with a sweeping second hand, but actually just like the Men's Solargraphs these 'tick'.
The blue and green (or 'Polar Blue' as TAG Heuer are calling it) dial Solargraphs are £1,900 each. The MOP dial is £2050, while the diamond versions are £2,600 and £4,400 respectively. I'm guessing the colourful dial versions will be available on rubber or textile straps before long too.
Okay then, for the first time this year let's find out what the Council of Considered Opinion have to say about these. Oh, and just before I go I better explain that originally the MOP dials and the blue/green were going to be in two separate posts, so just bear that in mind when reading the comments.
"I’m personally not a fan of diamonds on my watches, I know how popular they are with the ladies. I love a good steel bezel though! I’ll vote 7 on all three MOP dials."
"The semi-translucent frost effect on the Polar Blue (aka Green) is something I've not seen before. I think it's cool and want to see it in person."
"I bet these will sell well, and I’m a huge fan of a steel bezel TAG. I’ll vote 7 on the blue dial and 6 on the green."
"Cool variations to the bezel. Great to see the Solargraph’s in the smaller size. Don’t like the blue used, assuming the same as the larger one from last year. Green has more interest to the finish, even though I have had enough of the fascination with green today. The bezel is really growing on me."
"New? Really? Feel like we've seen them all before."
"I am usually not one agreeing with the Heuer collectors but I must say that yes, have we not seen all of these before?"
"8/10 for all three MOP dials. But definitely If I am to choose one as a favourite it will be the one without any diamond."
"Green 6.5/10: I love the green textured dial, looks almost like very fine crystals Also the solargraph movement is a big plus for me. Blue 6.5/10: For some reason I do prefer this over the green but not by much. The shade of blue used for the dial looks pleasing to me and I like the contrasting second hand."
"I'm trying to be a bit more open minded on these. For me they are all a 7/10 and something I could see my wife wearing. I think they would look even better on a complimentary coloured rubber strap - say blue or green."
"7/10 for the blue, and 6/10 for the green (because I don't understand the asphalt texture in this colour, and in a diving watch)."
"Is the green one the first ever Solargraph without a baby blue seconds hand? This reference might go into the history books. Blue looks amazing, a strong 8 from me. Not as keen on the green, scoring that one 6."
"The dials look nice on these. A bit surprised that they have gone back to a WAY style bezel (not that such is a bad thing as it was unique). I'll give a 5 to the polar blue and a 5.5 to the sunray blue."
"They’re quite nice. The extra diamondy one would be nice if I was wearing a dress but is too much day to day. I like the one with the diamond markers."
"I think the technology to realize solar graph with MOP dial is amazing. 7's all round."
"Blue 7/10 - I really like the updated bezels, great modernisation of the traditional Aquaracer bezel grips. The flat blue looks a little dull in renders but probably pops a lot more on the wrist. Teal 8/10 - textured teal dial adds more interest to this great Aquaracer update."
"Blue 7/10. Teal 8/10. Solid choice for any wifey out there I think."
"Strong sevens for the blue and green. Both on rubber would push them to 7.5 maybe 8 - lets see what Tag does with these as time goes by."
"WBP1312 5/10: It looks good but needs a bit of contrast somewhere. Too much silver and white. WBP1314 6/10: Impressive having a mother of pearl dial on a solargraph. Nice with the diamond markers but again needs a bit of contrast somewhere. WBP1313 6.5/10: In my opinion this is the best of the 3 mother of pearl dials. The diamond bezel just adds that touch of luxury and elegance."
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