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...
And of course this comes in the 42mm glassbox case, which I don't mind nearly as much as the 39mm, although I could still live without that goldfish bowl of a crystal. I do like the blue perforated strap though, a well chosen accompaniment to the dial and one that (alongside the red TAG Heuer logo and second hand) helps give this watch a somewhat sporty vibe that works rather well.
Keeping with TAG Heuer's tradition of making their best looking watches 'limited' and thus unavailable to people who actually might want to buy them, this 'Swiss Alps' inspired edition is restricted to fifty pieces worldwide. So that's good. 🤣
And now of course you're expecting me to rant and rave about the nonsense of the 'Swiss Alps' inspiration aren't you? Well I could, but is there any point? It's utterly silly, but at least they aren't saying it's inspired by the Pilot, which they might just as well.
Okay, time to turn it over to the esteemed Council of Considered Opinion. I'm not saying they're going to like it, but I bet this turns out more positive than the last witch-hunt!
5/10: "Not at all a fan of the new style glassbox for so many reasons. Hate the way that the tourbillon cuts in to the outer ring too. Do like the colour choices though, with this probably being about as good as the new glassboxes have been."
8/10: "I always find the patchy-ring to be an eyesore. Otherwise, blue, white, and red always go well together. "
3/10: "Whilst I like the overall colour scheme, I think the execution is a bit clumsy in certain areas and as a whole it doesn't quite work for me. I guess it's too much of a modern piece to be considered vintage inspired, and too vintage looking to be considered modern."
5/10: "Nice colour scheme, this is probably the best-looking of the tourbillons so far. But it scores low because these mass-produced tourbillons miss the point of a tourbillon entirely, and even worse it clashes with TAG's sporty ethos."
3/10: "Nope. The tourbillon hurts my eyes, and the piece would look much better without it. "
8/10: "Yes. This is exactly how a TH Tourbillon is expected to look like! Would be 9/10.
But I take away one point for the far-fetched, unnecessary tale connecting the watch with Swiss alps."
6/10: "Hmm…the Swiss Alps connection seems indeed far-fetched. But my bigger gripe is that this one seems like a “design by committee” piece. It looks nice enough, but not sure what they wanted to achieve here. However, I’d happily see this colour scheme used for a normal 42mm tricompax modern glassbox chrono."
5.5/10: "I can't help but think it would look better without the tourbillon. I think I'm just seeing the CV5111 with a 12 gauge hole in its stomach."
8.5/10: "A killer panda! Quite possibly my favourite release of 2024 so far. However, this watch would look even better without the tourbillon, not to mention its hefty added price."
8/10: "It is written "Swiss" instead of "Swiss Made"? Where I am from if it is written a country name without the word "made" it can indicate it is only inspired by, and not necessarily made in "that particular country". Anyway, I like the watch."
6.5/10: "The frosted white dial is lovely and contrasts very well with the blue. Not getting any Swiss alps vibes from it though. The TAG logo in red looks smart too. Not sure how legible it is but still...."
5.5/10: "My score is 5, It just looks like a regular white dial to me but perhaps you have to see it in real life to appreciate the majestic combination of frosted white and Alpine blue...... actually, make that 5.5 - an extra half point for the fine blue strap."
8/10: "I like the cleanness of the design. It’s quite striking yet simple."
7/10: "This watch is a new interpretation of the past reissue. I wish this watch would be released as a regular item, not as a limited item."
6.5/10: "They always get SO CLOSE!! This was almost perfect, but they ruined it by putting in a fidget spinner at 6:00. It must be all the rage…"
7.5/10: "I like it slightly more than the 2023 blue dial Tourbillon in this new glassbox case, so extra half point: 7.5/10. I can’t get used to the combination of the Tourbillon and this new glassbox case... I prefer it in the original modular case (45mm) of this movement when it was introduced in 2016."
6.5/10: "Blue and white is different but, £21k! If I spent that on a watch it wouldn't be a TH, not even a 1 of 50 special, tourbillon not an attraction to me."
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