FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 42mm Calibre TH31-00 COSC Dive Watches

 

Years ago I wondered if TAG Heuer would ever take the 'wavy' dial found on the ladies Aquaracer and put it in the 43mm models. I didn't think they ever would and one of the reasons for that was that I thought it looked quite 'feminine'. So I was quite surprised when the new 42mm Aquaracers came out a couple of weeks ago to see them sporting exactly that dial... well, surprised is perhaps putting it politely, because for me this is a MASSIVE wrong turn.

Allow me to explain. Regular readers may remember at the end of last year my wife bought a blue 'wavy dial' two-tone Aquaracer from Watchfinder; when it arrived she rang me at work to tell me and was very excited, saying it looked 'beautiful'. So when I got home I was put in the rather unfortunate position of opening the box and thinking 'Naaaah'. Not only did I not like it much, I really didn't think it was a watch that my wife would like, so I was confused by her excitement. But what could I say...? She seemingly loved it, my job was to inspect the watch for faults not to question her judgment (a no-win situation is what I call that!).

Trust me, it looks worse in person!

Of course, it transpired that after a few months she came to the same conclusion and sadly this became something of an expensive mistake. With fakes clogging up eBay at silly prices our best option was to sell back to Watchfinder (who offered more than they were selling for on eBay) but it was still quite a hit. But that's by the by... the point is when I actually 'inspected' the watch, my eye was immediately drawn to the aesthetically challenged part of the dial near the 3 o'clock date window. 

Surely that must be a mistake? I was immediately concerned that either this was a fake that had fooled Watchfinder or potentially a faulty dial that had somehow got through TAG Heuer's quality control checks. I flipped open my laptop and Googled the part number and, lo and behold they were all like that. How bizarre! How I had I never noticed such a glaring carbuncle before? 

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I was genuinely bemused, and from that moment on I completely flipped from rather liking the wave dial to strongly disliking it. I never mentioned my thoughts to my wife and she still thinks the wave dial looks nice, but now of course I'm confronted with this dial all over again on the new 42mm Aquaracers and I really, really don't like it. 

I'm also not crazy about the second hands on these watches if I'm completely honest; somehow they look a little too bright and shiny, which makes them look a little cheap and plasticky. But then this was something I also felt about the 2017 Senna Formula 1 watches initially (which had very shiny red hands), and I ended up buying one of those, so....  opinions can change.

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I'm a little conflicted about the change in size from 43mm to 42mm also. Initially I wasn't so bothered, but now I hear from people who've tried them on that they wear even smaller than that number suggests, mainly due to the 47mm lug to lug measurement. Now I'm sure some of you are jumping for joy over this and I understand that, after all the watch community has been whining for smaller watches ever since I got into this hobby. But, this means that the Aquaracer now comes in a 40mm and a 42mm that presumably wears like a 41mm... hmm. 

Call me a cynical old bastard, but I can't help but think this move towards 'smaller' watches is actually a ploy to convince us to sell all our 43-45mm watches and buy the new, fashionable sizes. Well that isn't going to be happening here I can assure you.

As you can see, the new Aquaracer has launched in three colours, black, blue and a dark green (actually more towards teal like the 44mm Carrera Sports). Again I haven't seen these myself yet, but from what I hear the waves on the black dial are less noticeable than on the blue, so that's probably a positive, but I'm confused as to why they've used the light blue hand there as it initially made me think it was a Solargraph.

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On a positive note these new Aquaracers now feature a new 'chronometer' certified movement (Calibre TH31-00 COSC) which was co-developed with AMT, a part the Selitta group who previously supplied the long standing Calibre 5. This can only be a good thing, but really I can't offer too much praise to the brand for making this change because it absolutely feels more like TAG Heuer finally catching up with the competition after years of charging way too much for too little.  

Having experienced the 'joy' of Calibre 5 ownership myself (my WAY208C had to go back under warranty and even now is the vaguest/worst feeling crown of any watch I've ever owned) I can't say I'll be sorry to see the back of it and no doubt the improved power reserve (80hrs, up from 38hra) is a definite plus; if that matters to you, personally I tend to wear all my watches one day at a time so it really makes no odds to me.

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While the black and blue versions are to be expected, I'm not too sure how I feel about the green one. The render makes it look a brighter green than I believe it actually is and in the photos I've seen it looks kinda murky - perhaps not unlike the colour of the latest green Omega Seamaster in fact. I'm not sure I like it to be honest; if I want a green watch then I want it to look green rather than somewhere between green and teal, but no doubt it will have its fans and I can already see that certain factions of the C.O.C.O. have a soft spot for it...

Unfortunately they will have to go without a 'greal' rubber strap for the time being though as at launch only the blue and black models are being offered with those. I imagine there will be a green rubber strap at some point, perhaps later in the year when there's a lull in releases and they need a reason to promote it again. 

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Finally, before I leave you in peace, so repulsed was I by the dial that I very nearly forgot to mention the peculiar new hour hand. Again I'm not impressed; it makes me think of cheap Seikos if I'm honest, but the fact that I forgot about it until now perhaps indicates that I'm getting used to it already. Maybe?

Okay, well clearly I'm not going to be rushing to the shops with my (empty) wallet in hand, but it seems perhaps the majority of the C.O.C.O. feel a little differently and in fact there seems to be quite a wave of positivity coming from their general direction, in fact I think we might even have our first 7 of 2024!

Average Score 8.6/10: "The only negative with these updated versions would be the movement and the 120 click bezel. The former 60 click Aquaracer 300 bezel was bezel satisfaction perfected and I guess that this "manufacture" movement everyone is praising, simply means more difficult to service and owners will be more dependent on TAG and might need to pay expensive premium prices for a service. All in the name of Hodinkee, inside a house and 'manufacture'. Noobs get so hung up on specs and fancy words they read in Hodinkee lifestyle magazine or in forums. It is not in-house? Bah, then I shall never consider it! What, power reserve is only 40h, I would never accept anything below 65h! If I love a watch, the detail that the bloody power reserve is a bit longer or shorter would never be a deciding factor."

Average Score 6.5/10: "Am I the only one that thought the black dials were Solargraphs because of the light blue hand? Still looks good though."

Average Score 7.6/10: "Something about the black one looks a bit 'micro-brand', but the new updates make the watch more wearable to me. Both look great in videos however do want to see them in the flesh."

Average Score 7.2/10: "These colour choices are nice but I would have preferred a standard steel seconds hand on the black."

Average Score: 4/10: "Wavy dial ruins the watch. When I saw these a month prior to release, I didn't like them at all. While the wavy dial in 36mm isn't too bad, the larger 42mm size makes the waves somewhat gaudy looking. It just reminds me of the top of a Rolex box, which is something I find very unappealing on the Rolex boxes too."

Average Score 7.8/10: "The green one is probably my favourite among the bunch. Saw it on youtube. Wow, I like it. Makes me thinking whether I should back in the Aquaracer game? Lets be real here. If it is much more "hype" or "established" brands out there that make this dials, people would be head over heels."

Average Score 5.4/10: "Quite like the wave dial but I don't necessarily think it elevates the watch above the existing Aquaracers. The accent second hand is OK but may not be to everyone's taste. The hour hand is a bit fat. Overall I think the green is the most tasteful and complete package. I do like the blue as well. Has to be bracelet for me as well - the rubber doesn't look great with that bumpy texture in the centre of the strap."

Average Score 6.9/10: "I like the ribbed dial. Subtly attracts attention. It comes across less in black. I was disappointed by the blue of the seconds hand. It just isn't it. The blue is great! Completely an 'Aqua' effect. Especially with the rubber strap. The green one is nice, but not my choice."

Average Score 6.3/10: "I don’t dislike them, but I find that the wavy dial only makes sense in blue colour… as black or green water is not very inviting."

Average Score 7.0/10: "The actual watch had a better colour than I saw in the picture. I think the quality has improved so much. Green watch is best one."

Average Score 7.0/10: "Very well done here. Price is also ok I think for a Chronometer watch. The black with baby-blue looks Bamfordish. The cyclops is a downer."

Average Score 7.0/10: "My favourite I think is the blue but I really liked the green as well."

Average Score 6.9/10: "The improved movement and vastly improved power reserve are welcome additions. I always liked the wavy dial on the smaller versions, and I think these look nice (although a part of me will miss the straight slats which is part of the Aquaracer DNA)."

Average Score 6.6/10: "I've got used to the fat hour hand now and quite like it. The blue second hand on the black one is a nice touch. It also looks great on a bracelet. Dial is nice but less obvious in the black variant. Really good to have a chronometer movement in these. Blue dial looks amazing and the orange second hand really compliments it. Much prefer this on the bracelet, although it still looks great on the blue strap. Green looks quite elegant, probably something to do with the dial reminding me of a Rolex box. Regardless a lovely watch and dial."

Average Score 5.8/10: "I’m digging the new design a bit, but I’m not sure how I feel about the wave dial. The hour hand looks like it was stung by a bee though…"

Average Score 7.4/10: "Like these non GMT models, and can see the point of differentiating the dials to be different finish to the GMT, but I prefer the GMT finish. Still cool though."

Average Score 8.0/10: "I have rated the GMTs a hair higher because the bi-colour bezel IMHO adds a certain je-ne-sais-quoi… but these here are all very nice in their own right. Can’t wait to see them IRL."