FEATURE: I Guess We Have 'Kithsteria' to Blame For This?

 

One of the COCO members drew my attention to this absolute garbage on eBay a couple of days ago. I can't quite believe it, but someone actually bought this for £955. It was listed as NOS, which is an absolute joke. There's damage to the bezel, there appears to be a chip in the glass above the date and another scuff on the left hand side over the minute hand. 

There's also a nice juicy scratch on the backplate and that strap... what the hell is that strap??? Some cheap garbage aftermarket strap with a scratched up buckle.

Jesus. They could have had my mint all black Formula 1 for half that money. 

This is just hilariously ridiculous and I feel sorry for the poor schmuck who has bought this. I can only assume they were blinded by the original packaging (which is pretty cool admittedly). Man, if you are reading this I can only suggest you try and return it immediately. It has clearly been misdescribed because this is anything but NOS!

It makes you laugh really, I don't know how these people have the balls to list crap like this for this sort of price. And yet I struggle to get a fair price for a VGC Formula 1 that I spent £130 on getting the glass changed!

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Abrod520

Today we are continuing our series dedicated to celebrating the wonderful TAG Heuer Aquaracer, and this time we have another COCO Council member (Abrod520/Adam) who has stepped up to the plate to declare his Top 10 Aquaracers. I was surprised to see that Adam didn't include the 'Tribute to 844' which I remembered him buying, but when I checked with him to see if he'd forgotten about it he said that he had sold it as the initial attraction wore off. Well, you know, it happens...

Here then is Adam's Top 10, sans the 'Tribute to 844'...

#10. WAY201F.BA0927 Calibre 7 GMT Automatic

Adam: "Just a good-looking watch. The colours are perfect and it looks nice with the octagonal bezel."

Surprisingly perhaps, Adam is the first of our contributors to choose the 'Pepsi' Aquaracer. But personally I can't help thinking this one hasn't aged particularly well. I remember when this came out everyone seemed to really love it, but I was never fully onboard the Pepsi train... I was Batman all the way (though I still didn't buy one).

#9. WBP208D.BF0631 W.O.S. L/E Calibre 5 Automatic

Adam: "Love the sandblasted titanium case and I think this design just works well."

A bit of a sleeper hit this one, I can imagine this being a minor collectible in the future - unfortunately at list it's a bit pricey, but pre-owned this could be a really nice Aquaracer to own. Feels great on the wrist and looks great too, could have lived without the faux-lume but you can't have everything.

#8. CAK211B.BA0833 Team USA Regatta Calibre 72 Chrono

Adam: "Again, great colours and a cool throwback to some of Heuer’s notable regatta chronos from the '70s."

Another good showing for the CAK211B, you may remember last time out Albert AMG picked this exact same watch and several other CAK models have made an appearance with no doubt more to come. With the red and blue highlights I can see why Albert and Adam settled on this particular reference and I can see why some would prefer these over the bulkier WAJ models.

#7. CAY218A.FC6361 Calibre 16 Chronograph 

Adam: "Another one that just looks cool. I think an Aquaracer chrono with the Heuer-02 / TH30 with touches reminiscent of the Autavia divers (11063P, 11630 Diver 100) would be really cool."

The times I've nearly bought one of these... just about every time I visited the TAG Heuer outlet at Bicester village - haha, and they still turn up there. Looking at this makes me wonder if they've got one now, cos I was keeping my powder dry for the new 'Classic F1' and that really didn't work out so well! 

#6. WAY208C.FC6383 - Calibre 5 Automatic

Adam: "Great colourway. Would probably have gone for this if it weren’t for the date magnifier."

The WAY208C seems to be one that just about everybody likes, and speaking as someone who went to a lot of trouble to hunt one down I can honestly say I've never regretted it. The textile strap is a bit strange, but on the ribbed rubber strap it works much better; still can't understand why TAG Heuer never offered it in that combination. Unfortunately there are a lot of fake WAY208Cs out there, so be careful!

#5. WBP1180.BF0000 'Solargraph' Titanium Quartz Watch

Adam: "Solargraph titanium - that sandblasted case! I’m not a quartz person so I won’t be buying one but I think it’s great."

Sometimes I wonder if I bought the 'wrong' Solargraph... I mean I like the original but this is also very cool. It was more the case that I got an amazing deal on mine and didn't really expect to see the same for this one. Oddly, I have... and I can't help wondering why these watches are popping up at such huge discounts on the pre-owned market.

#4. WBP201D.FT6197 'Night Diver' Calibre 5 Automatic

Adam. "Really cool use of the colourway. The 43mm case is great in DLC and the contrast with the dial is very cool."

Just about everyone so far has picked a 'Night Diver' of one description or another, but I'm slightly surprised that this Calibre 5 version isn't the obvious choice (with both this and the previous quartz version both being picked twice). I really wanted to like this, but those black octagons on the dial really rubbed me up the wrong way, so I too would probably choose the quartz version instead.

#3. 40mm Calibre 5 Automatics (Entire Range)

Adam: "IMO the best Aquaracer model line. Great proportions, great pricing, cool dials."

Adam is the first person to choose an entire range of watches as a pick... a bit of a strange choice perhaps, especially when the red one is so bloody odd looking, but still - Adam clearly makes his own rules! Haha. I must admit, I was a bit lukewarm on my green dial 40mm Aquaracer when I bought it, but it's really won me over and so I can see why Adam rates them so highly.

#2. WAY208F.BA0638  Bamford L/E Calibre 5 Auto

Adam: "Moved this to #2. Again with the sandblasted titanium that I love; again with the date magnifier that I hate. But every time one comes up for sale I find myself thinking very seriously about going for it."

The very last of the WAY series Aquaracers and one of the absolute coolest too. This has already appeared on Albert and Dominic's lists and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it crop up again throughout the year. Of course since the release of the latest generation of Aquaracers we've got used to seeing titanium here there and everywhere, but when this came out it was a big deal. Unfortunately this is another one the fakers seem to be focussing on so make sure you buy from somewhere you trust.

#1. WBP201F.BA0632 Calibre 5 Automatic

Adam: "Orange diver - just all in all the best they’ve done. The trademark orange colour on the dial is the best match for the ‘teak’ slatted effect. The only Aquaracer on this list I’ve actually bought, it’s now sold because I only really wanted to wear it during summer vacations."

Another watch that has appeared before, and probably will again... thanks Adam, another fine list of wonderful Aquaracers there and don't forget you can catch up on all this year's 'Aquaracer@20' posts by clicking on the banner below.

VIDEO: KITH Heuer Formula 1 is a Joke by Just One More Watch

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: KITH Heuer Formula 1 Quartz Re-Edition Watches

 

It's long been rumoured that TAG Heuer were going to release some kind of 'classic' Formula 1 piece this year and fair play to them they did an amazing job of keeping it under wraps until just a few days before release when it emerged that the new watch was going to be a collaboration with Ronnie Fieg's 'Kith' brand. Like most people on this side of the pond (I suspect), I'd never heard of them. But then as a 54 year old man living in the UK, who thinks £50 for a shirt is more than enough, I'm hardly their target customer!

In the wider watch community though the penny dropped and Hodinkee's recent 'Talking Watches' interview with Ronne Fieg was exposed as the thirty minute advertisment it surely was... and when you add in that LVMH has a stake in Hodinkee and Frederic Arnault and Ronnie are reportedly buddies, well... you can see exactly how all this came about; something that wasn't lost on the commentors on Hodinkee's Instagram post about the new watches incidentally.

Because of course this wasn't a 'watch' at all, but a series of ten watches inspired by (to varying degrees) the original Formula 1 watches which were produced between 1986 and 1996.

VIDEO: KITH Heuer Formula 1 Re-Issues by Escapement24

 

FEATURE: TAG Heuer at Watches & Wonder 2024 (with Jim Dollares)

 

Greetings dear readers and welcome to our annual round up of Watches & Wonders. As ever I have our delightful Swedish contributor Jim Dollares with me and well, I think it might be an understatement to say he's fired up and ready to talk...

ROB: Hi Jimbo, how's it going on this beautiful Monday morning?

JIM: Hi Rob, thanks for reaching out. Let me start out by saying that I have now calmed down a bit after my utter rage I felt seeing the very weak line up presented by TAG Heuer this year. Did I say weak? Yes you heard me!

ROB: Well, yes I must admit I wasn't exactly blown away by this year's W&W offerings, or indeed much of anything that's come out this year... in fact at this point in time I'm struggling to think what I can use my WOTY vote on. I mean, there's still a long way to go and I'm sure there's dozens of new watches due for release before we get to that point. But even so, it's been a fairly lacklustre start to Mr Tornare's reign (although you can hardly blame him as he's only been in the job for five minutes).

Okay, so where do you wanna start? How about the new Panda glassbox?

JIM: The panda glassbox in theory could have been something really nice. I mean, we saw with the 60th anniversary of the Carrera how exceptionally wonderful a perfectly executed glassbox panda can be. What TAG Heuer released this year though, is like the mentally challenged cousin of the CBK221H.

ROB: Yes, yet again everyone seems to love this latest glassbox and yet again I feel like there's something wrong with me because I honestly think it's pretty odd looking. I really don't understand where all this positivity comes from; you know, all these You Tube watch gurus making videos with titles like 'TAG is back' and 'TAG is smashing it out of the park with these new glassboxes'. And I mean I say everybody, but compare the COCO score for this new version with the 60th Anniversary - 6/10 V 8.7/10, that shows me that at least the COCO has it's collective head screwed on right!

VIDEO: The Most Iconic TAG Heuer Watch of All Time by Kevin O'Leary

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Calibre 16 Chronographs

 

After the hullabuloo (and disappointment, frankly) of Watches & Wonders 2024, it was refreshing to see TAG Heuer sneak out a couple of nice looking Calibre 16 Formula 1 chronographs just after the show ended. I don't really know why they weren't shown at W&W, but for me these are the best things TAG Heuer have released so far this year!

Luckily, I actually managed to try both the blue and green models on in the Regent Street branch of Watches of Switzerland so this post will serve as both a 'First Impressions' and an 'On the Wrist'. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer x Kith Ruins F1 Re-Issue by Britt Pierce

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre TH81-00 'Rattrapante' Split Seconds Chronograph

 

Okay, hands up who else spat out their coffee when they read that the latest Monaco from TAG Heuer had a price tag of from* £121,000? I mean, we knew something was coming based off last year's 'Only Watch' Monaco Rattrapante so it wasn't exactly a 'surprise' (especially as TAG Heuer had been dropping hints left, right and centre), but I don't think anyone was really prepared for the jaw-dropping price tag the brand attached to this new model... even when you take into account the £3000 premium TAG are already charging for their current skeletonised Monacos over the solid dial variants.

*Depending on the level of customisation required, in case you were wondering....

I mean, had I been asked to guess the price I might have plucked £25,000-30,000 out of the air (especially since before this I wasn't terribly au fait with what the going rate for a rattrapante was), but I would never in my wildest estimates have gone over £100,000! And I wasn't alone, both 'A Blog to Watch' and (ex Watchfinder 'hands' guy) Andrew Morgan absolutely ridiculed the brand in their 'Watches & Wonders' YouTube round ups (though with their combined knowledge and industry savvy they should perhaps have been a little more 'informed'). 

But initially I too did not get it, especially when rattrapante chronographs are readily available from other brands such as Breitling at under £10,000 and from 'better' brands like IWC for not that much more. So there has to be more to it, doesn't there. It can't simply be that TAG Heuer are applying a Monaco premium the likes of which we've never seen before just because? 

Well yes, of course there is... 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer at Watches & Wonders by Monochrome Watches

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 36mm Calibre 7 Automatic Ladies Watches

 

It's always hard to write about new ladies pieces because they regularly elicit the exact same responses from the C.O.C.O.: ('Isn't this already in the catalogue', 'No more diamonds', 'Urgh, Mother of Pearl', etc, etc), but actually TAG Heuer are quick to point out that these 36mm Carreras should not be considered solely 'ladies' pieces because they can just as easily be worn by a man or a woman. Well, technically that's true. But until I see a guy wearing one of these I think I'll stick to my old fashioned ways and call these 'womens' watches thanks very much. The blue, green and pink 36mm Carreras yes, okay maybe you can make an argument for those, but these.. really?

VIDEO: Interview with Julien Tornare (GMT Watch Club Limited Edition) by World Tempus

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Twin Time 'GMT Watch Club' Limited Edition

 

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We're still only part way through the 'Watches & Wonders' releases, but for reasons far too tedious too explain (let's call it 'technical reasons') today we will be looking at something else. But don't worry, I'm still going to cover the 36mm 'unisex' Carreras, the Calibre 16 F1 Chronos and of course the Monaco Rattrapantes. I'm sure you're looking forward to that one... 

Okay, so this one is quite a special watch that's limited to just 24 pieces. Yes, you read that right, just 24 of these are available, which the 'Fine-Watch-Club' website claims is the smallest batch of 'limited editions' TAG Heuer has ever made. This isn't actually true, because off the top of my head I can think of at least two models made in much smaller runs (Jimmy Butler Carrera tourbillon - 5pcs and the LE Carbon Bullhead - 10pcs). But whatever... 

VIDEO: Inside the TAG Heuer Manufacture by Wristcheck

 

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Five (2022-2024)

 

At the tail end of 2023 TAG Heuer announced that Julien Tornare would move from Zenith (also in the LVMH group) to take over as CEO. Previous CEO Frédéric Arnault meanwhile would become 'Head of Watches' for the LVMH group with his remit covering brands such as TAG Heuer, Zenith, Hublot, Louis Vuitton and Bulgari.

2022 WATCHES

2022 was a strange year, as we were still living with the aftershocks of the pandemic. The watch industry was bubbling though, fuelled by people working from home for the first time (and thus saving commuting fees) and unable to go on holiday. This fuelled a luxury watch bubble which wouldn't burst until the beginning of 2024 when prices for super desirable pieces like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Rolex Daytona fell sharply.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Split Seconds by Watches TV

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper Solid Rose Gold Calibre TH20-06 Chronograph

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For most people the 'Skipper' dial version of TAG Heuer's 39mm glassbox Carrera has been the runaway winner, and even I must admit it does have a certain charm about it. So what better way for TAG Heuer to capitalise on this success than to issue a new version in a solid 5N rose-gold case? 

What? Yes, more solid gold watches from TAG Heuer. Has no one told them about the cost of living crisis or that the watch bubble has burst? I guess the people this is aimed at don't have such every day worries as mortgages to contend with and can probably find the requisite £18,750 simply by fishing a hand down the back of their Fritz Hansen sofa. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Panda by Monochrome Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz 'Indy 500' Special Edition

CAZ101AW.BA0842

At some point I should probably write a post about the many Indy 500 watches TAG Heuer have produced, but for now let's concentrate on this brand new model released last week at Watches & Wonders 2024. TAG Heuer have been pretty consistently releasing Indy 500 watches for the last few years, some of them really nice and some of them not so much. From the renders this one looks to be one of the better ones, perhaps bested only by the CAZ101AD released in 2020 with its black case, asphalt dial and red brick stripe.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer at Watches & Wonders 2024 by Revolution Watch

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Panda' Glassbox Calibre TH20-00 Chonrograph

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Okay then, here we go with the first of the new watches released at Watches & Wonders... and I thought I might as well start with the one most people will have the most interest in, since a) it's a Carrera Panda, and b) it doesn't cost £120,000. Oh don't you worry, we'll get to those new Monacos eventually... but probably not anytime soon as there's a lot to digest there and I feel like I haven't really understood all the intricate details, like why it costs more than my house did in 2003!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2024 Watches & Wonders Releases by Time & Tide

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 'Kuwait' Limited Edition

WBN2016.BA0640

As I'm writing this, on Sunday the 7th of April, we're just days away from the opening of Watches & Wonders 2024... and knowing that most likely I am going to be asking a lot of the Council of Considered Opinion over the next few days I thought rather than asking them to give their 'First Impressions' score for this one, I would just keep this simple.

VIDEO: Is the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Any Good? by Teddy Baldasserre

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Dato 'Green' Calibre TH20-07

TAG Heuer Boutique / Milton Keynes, 18th March 2024

I think I've been pretty clear on my feelings about the 2021 Hodinkee Dato and the 2023 39mm glassbox Carreras in general come to that... and I was also less than enthusiastic when I wrote my 'First Impressions' post for this new teal dial version back in February. So honestly I was all ready to hate this even before I got it on the wrist. But... and this just shows that I am nothing less than professional at all times, I was somewhat shocked to find that I actually liked this one a little more than I thought I would.

Now don't get the wrong idea, I didn't feel like the scales had dropped from my eyes or anything, but in the flesh it certainly looked better than expected. The thing is my expectations were low. Very low. I actually gave it 3/10 when I gave my 'First Impressions' score, so there was a lot of room for improvement and even now I don't think I would give it more than a generous 5, but still it's not the disaster I thought it was and that's something.

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Cartier Pasha Quartz Watch

 

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While my wife Rose does have a pretty healthy selection of TAG Heuer watches that she's collected over the years, she hasn't been quite as loyal to the brand as I have. Over the years she's picked up a skeleton-dial Oris Atelier and an Omega Constellation quartz (both of which are right up there amongst her favourites) and now she's expanded this betrayal to include her very first Cartier. 

For a while she had been looking at a number of blue mother of pearl dial 'Links' on Watchfinder but couldn't quite decide if they would ever look as good in real life as they did in the pictures (my guess is not). Prior to that she had been looking at some nice looking Dior watches on the same site, but gave up on them when she realised how small they were...  and then she started looking at Cartier. I must admit I was quite surprised at this because she's never been one for Art Deco and she hates Roman numerals on watch dials (which most Cartiers of course have). 

OWNED: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Chronotimer' Quartz Chronograph

 

CAF1010.BA0821

Hard to believe but I've now had my CAF1010 'Chronotimer' for six years. I wouldn't say it only seems like yesterday that I drove to Sheffield to pick it up, but I still remember the experience quite vividly and I particularly remember driving home down the M1 and being distracted by the sunlight reflecting off the polished hour markers, hands and the digital display frame. 

The watch was purchased pre-owned from 'Parkers' and came with a slightly tatty but complete set of boxes. along with the booklet, warranty card and a service card from TAG Heuer and a bracelet that was just long enough for my 7.1/2" wrist. I originally found the watch listed on Ebay for £995 but later found the watch on Parkers own website for £945 (due to them not having to pay eBay fees).

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Tourbillon by Black Tag Watches

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Albert AMG

Hello Aquaracer fans, today we have another 'Top 10 Aquaracers' post for you, but unfortunately this month's guest Albert-AMG hasn't provided any text with his selections so to prevent this post being just a bunch of pictures I will step in and provide my own thoughts on his choices. 

ON THE FACE: TAG Heuer 'Flex' and 'Pro-Shield' Sunglasses

TAG Heuer Boutique / Stratford, London 21st March 2024

It must be said that the reaction to TAG Heuer revisiting their sunglasses range has not been entirely positive in the watch community... it seems that TAG making shades again somehow means that they will not be taken seriously as a watch company - don't ask me how that works because I don't understand it. No Rolex don't make shades, but they don't need to. I don't see the connection. Are Mont Blanc not taken seriously as a pen maker because they make watches... and fragrances? 

To be honest  I'm more surprised that companies like TAG Heuer haven't started making fragrances yet, since they have plenty of contacts in the LVMH group they could tap and fragrances are even more profitable than watches. Besides, I already own a pair of TAG Heuer shades and I like them a lot, so I was keen to see what the company would come out with.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1000 Series 'Lume Dial' Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

FEATURE: Red Bull Racing Factory Visit

 

Now look, I know what you're thinking.... lucky old Rob got to go to the Red Bull factory as a guest of TAG Heuer or Red Bull or some other generous benefactor... isn't life just cushty as a super-famous and important watch influencer? Well, no... haha,  you couldn't be more wrong. Because in actual fact I got to go to the Red Bull factory today because my amazing wife bought me/us (the outrageously expensive) tickets for Valentine's Day. 

Yes indeed, my wife is awesome!

And so on the morning of the 18th of March we headed off to Milton Keynes for a few hours of bumbling around the MK centre. Annoyingly the Goldsmiths was shut for refurbishment, but at least the TAG Heuer boutique was open and they had both the watches we were interested in seeing in stock - namely the green dial Dato and the new 'Polar Blue' Solargraph. I will write about these separately (because I desperately need content and Watches & Wonders is still so, so far away), but the TL:DR is that the Solargraph was disappointing while the Dato wasn't actually as bad as I expected it to be. Go figure...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Chronometer by Birth Year Watches

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Four (2019-2021)

 

Due to serious health issues, the legendary Jean Claude Biver stepped down as CEO of TAG Heuer making way for Stephane Bianchi, although he in turn would make way for Frederic Arnault less than two years later. Frederic would stay in the position for four years, eventually being promoted to CEO of LVMH Watches. 

2019-2020 CATALOGUE & DEALER CATALOGUE

2019 saw the introduction of the Heuer 02 movement in a big way, including a limited edition 'Nanograph' which featured a silicon hairspring.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Pink/Green 36mm by Perth Watch Girl

 

FEATURE: Maybe Don't Try This at Home...

Long term readers will know that over the last few years I have bought and sold a huge number of 'classic' Formula 1s, indeed at one point I had fifteen of them and was homing in on 'completion'. But then I realised that I didn't actually want twenty 30 year old watches sitting on my shelf lining up to expire on me and so I decided to sell a few. And then a few more. And then once I started selling them I just couldn't stop until I had only one left - the very first one I got. 

I guess I could have saved myself a lot of hassle and just kept that one in the first place, but as usual I got carried away, over-stimulated by all the bright colours... until I realised that the only one that didn't look silly on my 7.1/2" wrist was the all black one with red highlights. Isn't that just typical?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Dato' Calibre TH20-02 by Chisolm Hunter

 

FEATURE: EBAY: No Fakes. No Fraud. No Doubt?

With adverts like the one above eBay is doing its best to convince us that their site is a super-safe place to buy watches. Of course, when it comes down to it only watches above the value of £1500 are actually sent for verification/certification - but to the casual observer who's not paying too much attention to the finer details eBay is depicted as a safe marketplace, which is... convenient. While I applaud eBay taking some kind of action, we've already seen people receiving watches with warranty cards that don't match their watches so I guess the question is do we trust the super-duper eBay authentication service? And if we're supposed to trust them to spot the super fakes of 2024 then presumably it should have no trouble spotting a really bad fake on their site, right? 

Apparently not. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Peach Dial' Calibre 7 Automatic by Brent Miller Time

FEATURE: C.O.C.O. Meet Up London 2023

Way back in 2022 our Swedish friend Jim Dollares announced that he planned to visit London and wanted to arrange a THF forum meet-up. Despite a tiny ripple of enthusiasm in the forum this ultimately came to nothing and ultimately we decided on Jim and I meeting in London with Charlie (Imagwai) joining us in the evening for dinner. But once the date was set it transpired that this wouldn't be possible due to child care commitments and the intervention of British Rail... instead Charlie said we were welcome to visit him in his opulent Kent abode in the evening, so that's what we did.

Yes I already mentioned British Rail, and British Rail were quite a big part of this story one way or another. Put simply, there was a rail strike, which meant if we were gonna make this work then we needed to take the trains as much out of the equation as possible. So, I decided the smart thing to do would be to drive to Charlie's, get the train to London and back, and then drive home (Jim was staying overnight with Charlie before heading back to the airport). This eventually turned into ‘drive to Orpington’ since the limited train service available served that station better than Charlie's local station, albeit the last train back was still a ridiculously early 6:05pm!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Year of the Dragon' Limited Edition Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Titanium (1984-1988)

The 'Titanium' was a very short lived and very '1980s' watch (both literally and figuratively). It first appeared in the 1984 Heuer catalogue and had its last appearance in the 1987/88 TAG Heuer catalogue. As such it is another one of those odd watches that can be had with either a 'Heuer' or 'TAG Heuer' branded dial and there's a good chance that even if you get a TAG Heuer dial the backplate and clasp might well still be stamped with the old 'Heuer' logo... that's just how it was in the 1980s kids!

I find some of the 'Titanium' designs appealing, but others markedly less so. I actually remember looking longingly at a 220.206 on eBay for quite some time, to the point where I went to the trouble of enquiring if TAG Heuer had any spare links should I need to extend the bracelet. Unfortunately the response I got was that they wouldn't sell links for watches of that age and it would have to be returned to them to be 'worked on'. As you might imagine, hearing that I thought better of it and turned my attention to something else. A shame really as the 220.206 is a cool looking watch and would have been a nice addition to my collection... but no way was I putting myself in that position. 

Okay, well clearly this isn't going to be another super-long 'History of' post because there are only eight models in total (and only eleven variants of those). Needless to say I'm still working on the rest of the Carrera posts and they will be along in good time. 

VIDEO:TAG Heuer Carrera 'Skipper' Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'OneLife Rally' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph

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Occasionally TAG Heuer will make 'special order' models for special clients, generally organizations or charities; these tend to be standard models that have been modded with a logo either on the dial or the backplate. This one popped up on the TAG Heuer forum (I think it was spotted on Instagram) and it's basically a stock CAZ101AM that has been customized with a 'OneLife Rally' engraving on the side of the case and on the backplate.  

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Reverse Panda Glassbox TH20-00 by Gullie

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Shane Paradis

 

As you know, this year we are celebrating 20 years of the magnificent Aquaracer and today I'm pleased to welcome the newest addition to our 'Council of Considered Opinion' - Shane Paradis. Shane is an American with a refreshingly positive attitude to quartz and older TAG Heuer models in general, which leads to some interesting and dare I say it 'unexpected' choices in his personal list of  'Top 10 Aquaracers'. He's also the first person not to include any of my Aquaracers in his Top 10, but I won't hold that against him. Honestly!

VIDEO: The Outstanding Revival of the TAG Heuer Carrera BY ID Guy

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 'Qatar' Limited Edition

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After the disappointment that was 'LVMH Watch Week' (Polar Blue 34mm Solargraph aside - potentially, though it remains to be seen) the feeling I had when I clapped eyes on this limited edition release for Qatar, was 'THIS IS MORE LIKE IT'. And while repeated exposure has tempered my (over) enthusiasm a little, this is still perhaps the most exciting TAG Heuer of 2024 so far and most importantly it's not bloody teal!

THANK YOU: 750,000 PAGE VIEWS!

Wow. It really doesn't seem like five minutes since the blog hit the half million views milestone, and yet here we are at 750,000 already! I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, for some reason the blog has been picking up views rapidly in recent times... I'm not 100% sure why that is, I can only assume it must be the renewed interest in TAG Heuer generally that's sparking people to search the brand and in the process they are coming across links to the blog.

This last month in particular has been very busy with an average of about 1800 page views per day and February 2024 is already the biggest month in the blog's history with nigh on 50,000 views this month alone. It seems like a given that the counter will top the one million views mark this year, so I can only say a big thank you to everyone who visits and reads my nonsense, and of course a massive thank you also to everyone that has contributed to making this the best TAG Heuer dedicated blog on the internet over the last eight years.

Still the only one as far as I know. 🤣

Tomorrow we'll be looking at the new limited edition Qatar Carrera Day/Date and then on Monday our newest COCO recruit will be sharing his Top 10 Aquaracers with us. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T 'Ginza Boutique' Limited Edition Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

 

Wow. Cool watch, but I thought Tim would have realised that there were no end links and you shouldn't be able to see the ends of the strap like that... but apparently not!

FEATURE: Is There Ever Going to be a Genuinely New TAG Heuer Watch Ever Again?

 

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As much as I enjoy writing this blog, as the years wear on it does frustrate me that everything is so damned predictable. I mean what do we have to look forward to really? More Carreras, more Monacos and more Aquaracers. Which is fine.... and of course we have the Autavia and the Link floating around, basically doing nothing much and the Formula 1 propping up the whole shebang - although judging by last year's output you have to wonder for how much longer?

It seems like TAG Heuer have become so obsessed with their own history and heritage that they can't even contemplate starting with a blank sheet of paper, which is odd when you consider that this is a company who proclaim themselves avant garde at every opportunity. But then they've painted themselves into this corner where they can't even use a dial colour without referencing racing cars, drivers' helmets or Steve McQueen's underpants.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph by Brent Miller Time

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox 'Teal Dial' Tourbillon Chronograph

 
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I've not so much saved this one till last... as put off writing about it until I absolutely had to. This is the final watch released at 'LVMH Watch Week' and it is literally a new colour on an existing watch, so really there isn't much to say about it. Unfortunately the Glassbox tourbillon is not a favourite of mine: I briefly saw (the blue) one in the Covent Garden boutique at the tail end of last year and it confirmed to me that I was never going to like it much and I can't see this new teal green colour scheme changing my mind.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Collection by Random Rob

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Three (2017-2019)

 

With Jean Claude Biver now in charge TAG Heuer continued to re-invent itself and to reposition itself as an 'affordable luxury' brand. This era coincides with my growing interest in watches and the start of this blog (in October 2016), so as you can imagine this era is quite a big deal for me as it marks the time when I was first visiting watch stores locally (and in London) to get first hand experience of as much as I possibly could. 

I know a lot of people disliked the 'Biver' era of TAG Heuer and especially the skeletons, fearing that Jean Claude was trying to turn TAG Heuer into a poor man's Hublot; but I am emphatically not one of them. Apart from anything else, I miss the days when a skeleton dial Carrera cost £4000 - I recall at the time Jean Claude promoting the Heuer 01 and telling us all that the new watch was an £8000 watch selling at £4000, and given the price of the more elevated Grand Carreras it kind of replaced he wasn't far off the mark. 

VIDEO: LVMH Watch Week Interview with new CEO Julien Tornare by Revolution Watch

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde

 

At last year's Watches and Wonders TAG Heuer released two new Carrera Plasma models: one was an even more blingy version of the previously released 44mm Carrera that overstepped the line where good taste ends and just kept on running... at the same time they released a much less gauche Carrera in 36mm, which featured a pink lab-grown diamond crown and a pink lab-grown TAG Heuer shield on the (lab grown diamond) dial.

It was pretty cool actually, and this year they've given it a make over by switching out the pink elements for yellow and putting it on a white alligator strap. Unlike Beaverbrooks while I can't honestly say I'm 'obsessed' with the 1.3 carat diamond crown, it is undeniably cool. The white strap I'm not so sure about and like most of the Council of Considered Opinion I think overall this looks 'nice' but perhaps slightly less 'nice' than the previous version. Or perhaps it just doesn't have the same impact second time around?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 3000 Series Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

FEATURE: Will 2024 Bring The First Ever Carbon Cased Formula 1?

 

You know, a few weeks back I toyed with the idea of writing a 'predictions' post for 2024. I've never actually done one before, largely because I was already 'in the know' (so to speak) thanks to information sent to me from a far away land. It would be a bit pointless making things up that I knew didn't exist and I never wanted to leak anything, because that's never been what this blog is about. But this year it seems the pigeon died on the way over and so apart from a few tidbits here and there gleaned from the interwebz I am largely in the dark. Yes, I have heard some rumours but what I want to talk to you about today is not something I have any genuine information on, so I could be massively off target. On the other hand if I'm right then rest assured I wasn't trying to pass off 'knowledge' as insight. 

So while I was showering earlier this evening my mind drifted to thinking about the idea of a new 'cheap' Formula 1 for 2024. I mean, everyone is expecting something what with all the articles in the press about how great the original resin cased quartz F1 was (although don't tell the Heuer fanbois that or they'll have your guts for garters) and it seems like everyone is expecting TAG Heuer to do a Moonswatch on us with something cheap, cheerful and in a range of colours in the sub £500 price bracket. 

VIDEO: Which TAG Heuer Monaco by Brent Miller Time

 

INFORMATION: Welcome Page Updated and New Links

 

Since the blog seems to be undergoing a massive surge in views over the past couple of weeks I thought it was finally time to update the 'Welcome' page of the blog. I'm not sure how many people read these things, especially since you have to find it by clicking on a tab (in a drop down menu on a phone), but anyway... it's done and I've included a bunch of links at the bottom of the page giving quick access to major posts like my year end roundups, the COCO Watch of the Year and also my trip to Switzerland.

So, if you are new here or you want to get those links, I'll leave a link below:

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Dato 'Green' Calibre TH20-07 Chronograph

 

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I've said many times before how the hardest posts to write are the ones where you feel nothing for a watch, about how much easier it is to write when you feel really strongly (one way or the other), and yet I'm struggling to start this one. Honestly, I'm really struggling...

You know, one thing I've always loved about TAG Heuer is that you never quite know what they're gonna do next. But obviously, with that kind of unpredictability comes uncertainty; sometimes they hit it out of the park and sometimes they fumble the ball. Unfortunately the new Dato in teal green is one such example of 'fumbling the ball'... and for once I'm not standing on my own screaming against the crowd, because the Heritage lovin' COCO, who I thought was gonna lap this up, don't like it much either.

Consider me shocked!

After all, these are the same people who voted the previous Hodinkee Dato the '2021 COCO Watch of the Year'... and yet here we sit with the new Dato scoring way down in the dumps with watches like the 'Year of the Rabbit' Carrera and the brown dial Aquaracer. Yeah, I definitely wasn't expecting that!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco 'Skeleton' Heuer 02 by Brent Miller Time

FEATURE: I Really Want to Buy This Watch... But I'm Not Going To. Honest.

 

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You have no idea how much it pains me to say this, because I've wanted to own this watch ever since I saw it in TAG Heuer's Bicester Village store five or six years ago. Indeed, I drooled over it again and again, trying to justify the £2600ish price tag to myself (which now looks like a bargain of course!) but I never quite managed to go the whole hog and buy it. But I never forgot the WAJ2182 and its stunningly beautiful gold bezel; if you've ever seen one you'll know what I mean - this is quite something and many's the time I've searched the internet for one - in fact the last time was only about a week ago (Chrono 24, German seller - £2454).

And then yesterday this one popped up on Watchfinder, which should have been perfect for me; two years warranty (crucial for that 'bulletproof' Calibre 5) and easily returnable if I decided I didn't like it once it arrived. And yet, despite staring at it every few hours I know deep down that I'm not going to buy it. I also know that as soon as someone else does I will be rueing my decision. But there we are.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Skeleton Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Solargraph' Ladies Watches

 
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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.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Chronotempvs' Limited Edition Heuer 02 Chronograph by Doug FNJ

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by ThingzILikeToo

 

As you probably know, all this year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the mighty Aquaracer and a few weeks ago we kicked off our celebrations with a post from BP Smith who told you all about his favourite models. I said then that this series would continue throughout the year and true to my word here we are back with a second helping, this time in the company of another THF Forum and COCO Council member: ThingzILikeToo (Dominic). 

Don't worry if you missed BP Smith's post, all the 'Aquaracer@20' posts can be found by following the 'Aquaracer@20' label (link at the bottom of the page).

Okay, let's find out what Dominic has chosen for us...