FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Extreme Sports Calibre TH20-00 'Shanghai' Limited Edition Tourbillon

 

This year I've been fairly vocal about the fact that a lot of TAG Heuer's new releases are leaving me cold, but with the recent carbon Monaco and now this new ten piece limited edition for Shanghai I'd have to say things are looking up! Now, obviously both of these watches are out of my reach and it's also very unusual for me to find a tourbillon appealing, never mind an Extreme Sports Carrera... but it's nice to know that TAG Heuer can still excite me in unusual ways when they put their mind to it.

Now I get that this one is probably not going to be to everyone's taste, indeed when I was told that there was a new limited edition Extreme Sports Carrera that was red and blue (rather than red or blue) I imagined something fairly horrific. But that's because I (wrongly) assumed that the red and blue would be between the dial spokes like on the standard models. Thankfully the dial of this one has been kept black and grey and all the better for that, with the colours kept to a 'tasteful' band around the edge, the chrono second hand*, the crown and the tourbillon cage. 

*I hope the second hand red matches the red around the dial otherwise it will be minus at least one point for me!

While the blue strap works wonderfully well with the blue/red chapter ring I assume one could also use the black/coated strap from the CBU2080.FT6272 to make this a bit less 'in your face' (should you wish to). Remember of course that the strap on these is not actually integrated (as it appears) and the parts between the strap ends that seem to be parts of the case are actually joined to the strap, so you would need a strap with coated ends to complete the look properly.

On the reverse we find a display case back decorated with the Shanghai skyline, much like we saw with the 'Dubai Skyline 'limited edition a couple of years ago, a nice touch. Apparently this came out way back in March and since there were only ten made I'd be surprised if there were any of these still available. But if you do find one expect to pay somewhere around the £32,000 mark. It's a lot, but it's sort of in line with all the TAG Heuer tourbillons now.

Okay let's see what the Council have to say about this one, I'm guessing the reviews might be a little mixed.... 

8/10: "I gotta tell ya... it feels a little like Roger Dubuis on a budget, which in this instance isn't necessarily a bad thing."

6/10: "Like the look of this, the metallicy blue is lovely with the red. Not sure it's a £31,000 watch though..."

6.5/10: "I prefer this to the new Twin Time one as the dial is much less 'busy'."

6/10: "I like the design but fed up of these crazy limited editions."

6.5/10: "Nice colouring."

4.5/10: "Nice colours but a 'complicated ' watch for me.."

5/10: "Slightly more legible than the other skeletons from TH but still just too much going on for me, and I like Breitling dials… so that’s saying a lot, lol. I’m going to rate this one at 5/10. Edit: it’s not even a skeleton dial. Yikes! What the hell is going on with this dial."

2/10: "Not for me, too busy and multiple colours distracting."

3/10: "The price is about the same as last year's Senna Carrera Extreme Tourbillon, which was too extreme for my taste and wallet. This one adds black DLC but it's not a Senna and I have no particular affinity for Shanghai. I rated the Senna a 3.5, I'll give this Shanghai a 3/10."

6/10: "Too rare, too big and too cheap with that rubber strap (again)."

8.5/10: "Was gonna be an 8, but gets a bonus 0.5 for being a “Shaghai” special edition."

8/10: "10 pcs? Quite rare."

5/10: "Nicer colour scheme than the green twin time, and a bit easier to read. I'm sure it's a lovely watch, but a bit too big and showy for me."

7/10: "One more point than to the green twin-time version: easier to read, and with the colours of my favourite football team… it is for me the 'Barça Limited Edition' 😉"

7/10: "A solid high end Carrera LE. Nice color combination, too."

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List 2013/2014

OWNED: TAG Heuer 4000 Series Quartz Watch

 

I last wrote about my white dial, quartz powered 4000 Series way back in 2023 so I guess it's high time for an update. Back then I had two almost identical 4000s in my collection, this WF1112 and the WF1111 which I had owned for several years before and which wasn't really in the greatest condition one way and another. Last time around I had just bought my green dial Calibre 5 Aquaracer and when I collected that I also picked up a brand new bracelet to replace the rather stretched one that the WF1112 came with (and which I had previously sold on eBay, wrongly thinking I could utilise the bracelet from the WF1111).

In between times I had bought a couple of original 'sharkskin' straps from TAG Heuer (one green and one blue) which looked quite nice with the white dial, but which ultimately left me craving a nice bracelet. In the end I got the bracelet and sold the two straps because I knew I wouldn't go back to them and honestly I haven't wanted to take this one off the bracelet for a second. The problem with the straps is that when you remove the bracelet and the end links you get this protrusion at the top of the case and it looks really crappy. But I must admit I did quite like sporting that very 1990s 'Ellesse' look for a while there... 🤣

The watch itself has worked perfectly since I got it, but recently when I pulled the crown out I noticed there was a problem with the thread. If I had to change the date or the time, when I tried to screw it down the crown would get stuck half way in and I would have to unscrew it and try again. Sometimes it would go on the second attempt, but the last time I did it I had to do it eight or nine times before it went all the way down smoothly.

It was a bit weird, almost like a twin thread where one of the threads was damaged but one was fine and it confused me that once you got it to go it was as smooth as anything. I made a point of never forcing the crown, and while it wasn't a major issue, since how often do you actually undo the crown on a quartz - 7 or 8 times a year, at one point I was considering selling it and obviously I either needed to sell it as faulty or get it fixed first.

So a week or so ago I sent the watch to my local watchmaker who replaced the tube and now it's perfect again. I'm actually over the thought of selling, but I may reconsider at some point in the future. It feels like pre-owned TAG Heuer prices are not in a good place right now and since I'm into this watch for about £600 all told, I think I'd rather keep it than take a loss on it. Besides, I've already divested myself of the grey dial 4000 and so this is the only one I have, and it's a pretty nice one too. 

The dial is mint and the hand set was replaced before I got it so they're in great condition too. The bracelet is only a couple of years old and the case is also pretty much unmarked. Most important of all the TAG Heuer logo still has all its red and green paint, something that is not so easy to repair once it's lost. Sure I know it's a bit dated looking, perhaps even more than watches like the S/EL and definitely more so than the Kirium, but it has its own special charm. 

I kinda like that the 4000 Series was just a 'watch', there was no chronograph, no special or limited editions to speak of (just a non-catalogue dark blue dial which is hard to find) but you could choose between quartz or automatic movements and a multitude of straps were available and because most of the dials were white, grey, gold or champagne you could pretty much mix and match as you pleased.

If you'd like to know more about the 4000 Series, please click the banner below which will take you to the 'History of the 4000 Series' page.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph Comparison by Brent Miller Time

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera and Monaco TH-Carbonspring Limited Editions

Hello dear reader! As you can see from the blog header above we are about to celebrate nine years of the TAG Heuer Enthusiast. Quite an achievement you might think, but as the late, great Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister once said when asked how he managed to keep Motorhead going for forty years, the key to keeping going is simple - don't stop. Wise words indeed. And as it happens, I may well be paying homage to the great man as you read this as I intend to visit Stoke on Trent this week to see the statue they've erected there for him. Not that most of you are Motorhead fans I'm sure, but my very first gig ever was Motorhead in 1983, so Lemmy will always have a special place in my heart. 

Anyway, you didn't come here to read about my teenage exploits did you? So let's turn our attention to the matter in hand, namely carbon hairsprings. Now, I'm sure some of you will remember about seven years ago TAG Heuer launched the Carrera Nanograph, a funky looking thing that was covered in hexagons and topped with lime green accents... I loved it, but unfortunately at £26000 it was definitely out of my reach (currently there's one on Watchfinder though for about half that, if you're interested).

Oddly, because it makes zero sense, about a month later TAG Heuer released the Autavia Isograph which used the same technology in a watch costing about 15% of the price. I mean, why on Earth you would do that I do not know... at least give it a year or something! Well anyway, it turned out to be a terrible idea because the simple fact was that the carbon hairsprings just didn't work with the Calibre 5 movement and TAG Heuer ended up recalling the lot, then reissuing them with standard Calibre 5 movements. Rather embarrassing that, and if I'm honest, slightly worrying from a QA perspective!

It wasn't that the tech itself was fatally flawed, it seems the carbon hairspring in the Nanograph worked just fine, it just wasn't suitable for use with a slightly more 'agricultural' movement like a Calibre 5 and they struggled to make the parts work in large quantities. But anyway, TAG Heuer continued refining the tech and now they're back with these two new fancy carbon models to entice us!

Unfortunately they're still rather expensive, in fact in the case of the tourbillon even more expensive, but they do look rather spiffing, especially the Monaco which is surely in the running for C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year. I must admit these pictures left me a little lukewarm on it, but once I got to see it in a video I changed my mind pretty damned quick. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the slightly peculiar shape of the subdials (which really stood out in the video that I saw), but other than that it's a 'ding-dong' from me.

The Carrera Tourbillon is less exciting honestly, and this is reflected in the Council's scoring too - quite a significant difference in the totals as you'll see in a moment. But still it is quite nice and who doesn't love watches made with bits of forged carbon? A nice touch on both is the spiral design on the dial, meant to represent the carbon hairspring. At first you might imagine these are simply concentric circles but if you look closely you will see that in fact they are not.

Only fifty of each of these have been made and if what I've heard is correct if you haven't already got your Monaco secured then you're probably far too late. The Carrera, being twice the price, is probably a lot easier to acquire, which makes me wonder why they didn't perhaps make 100 Monacos and probably 25 Carreras?

But who am I to tell TAG Heuer how to run their business? I'm sure they know what they are doing and speaking of people who know what they're doing it's time to turn these over to the esteemed 'Council of Considered Opinion'. They love a Monaco, don't they.... but will they love this one?

Monaco 9.5/10, Carrera 8.5/10: "These carbon beauties are genuinely two of the best they've done this year, with the Monaco being my dead cert for WOTY!"

Monaco  7.5/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "Carrera Tourbillon; I love the stealth look from the carbon but very legible. Monaco; This really grew on me. I thought I preferred the Carrera but the Monaco just looks so much better. Love the carbon dials on both though."

Monaco 3/10, Carrera 3.0/10: "On drugs with their pricing, looks not for me."

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "I love an unreadable carbon dial."

Monaco 9.0/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "I'm not sure if I can actually purchase it, but I've reserved the Monaco. It's a limited edition of 50 pieces and extremely difficult to obtain. The Monaco's case back has been redesigned, now entirely covered in sapphire crystal – it looks absolutely splendid. As for the Carrera Tourbillon, I find the price rather steep. In any case, I must commend TAG Heuer for reviving the carbon hairspring."

Monaco 6.0/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "Not sure about the spiral detail on the dials tbh - maybe it looks better in real life?"

Monaco 5/10, Carrera 5.5/10: "I don't like those concentric circles on the dial at all... not to mention the prices. They're certainly not my favourite Monaco or Tourbillon..."

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 4.5/10: "Monaco - I like it. It reminds me of the 2021 OnlyWatch Carbon Monaco. While I would never consider buying one, the price isn't that horrendous considering the Carbon Monza is priced at $14,650 and doesn't have the carbon-hairspring tech in it. I also think the cheeky way they incorporated the concentric circles of the spring into the dial is kind of fun, along with housing it in carbon. Carrera Tourbillon - I've never been a fan of the Carrera Extreme Sport or Carrera Tourbillons, so this one misses the mark for me."

Monaco 5.0/10, Carrera 5.0/10: "Absolutely not my cup of tea but I can see how some people could be attracted to them. The price point is ludicrous, though… I’ll give them both a solid “meh” with a 5/10 each."

Monaco 4.0/10, Carrera 5.0/10: "‘Techniques & d'Avant Garde’ all over the place!"

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "Like the high-tech hairsprings, but overall they both seem rather dull and monochromatic. And, you'll never convince me a rubber strap is "avant garde" or "haute horlogerie", especially for a watch at that price point."

Monaco 9.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "Those are two badass watches. The Monaco looks awesome."

Monaco 5.0/10, Carrera 1.0/10: "They look like black and white photos. Prefer a splash of colour myself, but the Monaco is pretty cool. Don't like the Carrera at all."

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 3.0/10: "Monaco looks clean, but a bit too stealth for my preference. Looks like the dial has some extra depth, and if so, cool touch. As for the Carrera I don't like the look of this one; it is too busy. Not a fan of tourbillons, either, so that doesn't help my score."

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 5/10: "I really like the look of the Monaco, not so much for the Carrera."

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 4.0/10: "The Monaco, even though it's still a decent bit too expensive for what it is, it's interesting to see the flyback movement positioned more realistically in the market... but the Carrera will languish in display cases..."

Monaco 9.0/10, Carrera 5.0/10: "2025 is a great fυcking year for the Monaco! 🤩But I hope they sell zero of this one though because the price is an absolute joke LOL"

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "I was tempted to pre-order the Monaco a few weeks ago, but the price was eye watering in the US."

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "Love it. the Monaco is exceptionally very well done."

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera and Monaco TH-Carbonspring by Time & Tide Watches

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer Calibre 7 Limited Editions

Sure enough, and just as I predicted, the Carrera 'Astronomer' sent to the GPHG for appraisal wasn't a stand alone model and so now we have two more 'Astronomers' to add to the 2025 'Council of Considered Opinion: Watch of the Year' entry list. Unlike the initial piece though these two are limited editions (both made in runs of 500), but with one of them carrying quite a hefty price premium over the other... well, they don't call 'em precious metals for nothing you know!

First up we have the more affordable of the two, which is 'Inspired by TAG Heuer’s role in John Glenn’s historic Friendship 7 mission in 1962...' and which '...celebrates the brand’s pioneering spirit in space exploration'. This one most notably features Superluminova on the 'moons' and a grey leather strap. I must admit initially I wasn't too keen on this one but the more I've seen it (and the more real life photos I've come across) the more it's started to grow on me. 

The lumed moons may be gimmicky, I mean come on... but who doesn't love some crazy lume on their watch? Do you know how often I shine a torch on my carbon Solargraph? Honestly, it's embarrassing.... hahaha. Grey leather I'm not so sure about, in fact I can't help wishing they'd given this the full blackout treatment and then those moons would really shine. But okay, this is more of a stylish proposition I guess... and who knows, maybe they have that in mind for the future? 

Secondly we have this two tone version, which is quite nice, but again with the pricing.... it's just not viable is it, this tiny bit of gold with a £1700 premium? Okay it's not as obscene as the £3500 bracelet we saw on the Day/Date Carreras recently but it's still pretty hard to justify. A shame really as it looks quite nice, but at the same time it also looks like they 'forgot' to put the gold on the other two mid links and that really isn't a great look.

Actually the gold details on the dial look nice too, and they really seem to bring out the finer points and give the dial a bit more depth somehow, which is always good. I just can't help feeling that they should have either given it a gold crown and left the bracelet as plain steel, or bitten the bullet and done the three mid links and priced it at £8500. I mean there's only 500 to shift after all... 😂

Okay, well once again it's time to turn these over to the Council, lets find out if these are a hit or a miss with them...

Gold 5/10, Grey 7/10: "I find it unacceptable that only the centre of the two-tone bracelet is gold. I prefer the Grey one. Having seen the actual item, I thought this one was elegant and something I'd like to buy."

Gold 8/10, Grey 5.5/10: "I like the silver grey and green combination but the astronomer circle bit is too prominent and the cheap-looking strap brings it down to a 5.5. I much prefer the design on the silver / rose gold model and my score for that is 8."

Gold 3.5/10, Grey 5/10: "Lumed Astronomer; 5/10. The lume adds a nice aesthetic touch to this watch and makes a lot of sense. Two tone Astronomer; 3.5/10 It's ok but for the price difference it's just not worth it for the small amount of gold."

Gold 3/10, Grey 3/10: "TAG returns again to avant garde, innovative use of a cheap Sellita movement for twice the price of the many microbrands using the same thing. Seriously, just google SW288 and see."

Gold 6.5/10, Grey 6.5/10: "The Sellita comment made me regret my pre-order. So I switched and used the funds towards something else."

Gold 7.5/10, Grey 7.5/10: "Two tone doesn’t seem to do more for the watch to me, I do like the lume on the grey one."

Gold 5/10, Grey 3/10: "The two tone has something. Can think of nicer looking watches for the money though."

Gold 3/10, Grey 2/10: "That's generous for these shitters."

Gold 6/10, Grey 6/10: "They're both equally nice to me for different reasons. I'll give them all a 6/10, same score I gave the silver Astronomer. The Astronomer is a nice watch, but I prefer the clean & classic look of the standard Carrera. While the moon phase sub-dial might be a cool novelty, for me it just detracts and distracts from the overall look of the watch."

Gold 7/10, Grey 7/10: "The two-tone I like. Maybe better with a brown leather strap. The grey one looks interesting for me as well. Lume is cool! Need to see this in person."

Gold 7/10, Grey 9/10: "I’ve seen it in person and it’s gorgeous, it's just a disappointment that it's a limited edition. I'm not so keen on the gold version." 

Gold 7/10, Grey 7/10: "The colour variants are nice, but still have the same complaint about the crowded lunar subdial. Also a bit disappointed, but not surprised, that a such small amount of gold causes such a large increase in price."

Gold 5/10, Grey 7/10: "I gave 6.5/10 to the first one, so it’s a 7/10 for the grey (which is my favourite Astronomer version), and 5/10 for the two tone."

Gold 6/10, Grey 8/10: "The lume on the moons is nice. Two tone, mmmh..."

Gold 6/10, Grey 6.5/10: "Mmmm, 6/10 for the two tone and 6.5\10 for the white face due to maybe good lume for night use, not joining a queue to buy though. My desk diary tells the moon phase without spending that money."

Gold 6/10, Grey 8.5: "I’m not sure about that tone of rose gold, but I absolutely love the grey with that tone of green lume."

VIDEO: The Watch that Saved Heuer by Vintage Watch Service

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Monaco Limited Edition, Carrera Extreme Sports Chronograph & Aquaracer 'Beaverbrooks Exclusive' Solargraph

 

Beaverbrooks / Meadowhall, Sheffield 6th September 2025

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 6th September 2025

Well my last 'On the Wrist' post was a bit negative wasn't it? So let's redress the balance slightly with this one, which also focuses on watches I tried out on the same day in Sheffield.

First of all, my wife and I visited Beaverbrooks where she was eager to see the new 'Beaverbrooks Exclusive' Aquaracer in... turquoise (or Tiffany blue, if you prefer) and since I've already made my reservations about the new 34mm Aquaracers clear (mainly the ugly-ass bezel!) I decided to keep my mouth well and truly shut and let her make up her own mind. 

Well she certainly liked the colour (although it wasn't quite as striking as she'd hoped), we know she likes diamond hour markers, the bezel didn't seem to be an issue for her and she loves the idea of a 15 year battery (and speaking as the person who ends up changing all her batteries for her, so do I!) but in the end she concluded that £2700 was a lot of money that could buy her something more exciting from Watchfinder. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 by Random Rob

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Senna' LE Tourbillon & F1 Solargraphs

 

6th September 2025 / TAG Heuer Boutique, Meadowhall, Sheffield

6th Septermber 2025 / Beaverbrooks, Meadowhall, Sheffield

Last November TAG Heuer released the long awaited 'special' Senna watch... the one that Julien Tornare spoke about in that interview with Wei Koh of Revolution Watches... the one that made us think that maybe TAG Heuer were actually about to do something crazy like a new S/EL. Oh how silly did we feel when that proved to be completely wide of the mark?

But our embarrassment turned to shock when we saw the price of this new (not limited) Senna tourbillon, priced as it was with a £12,000 premium over the rest of the range. Of course this was before 'The Great Tourbillon Repositioning' where TAG Heuer decided to increase the prices of all their tourbillon watches by about £10,000 overnight... (oh yes they did).

The logic seemingly being that they weren't selling at £20k so maybe they will sell at £30k. And that's not me being sarcastic, that's literally how the luxury industry operates - make a product more expensive and it appears more exclusive and thus more desirable. I know, crazy, right? But that's literally how it works sometimes... and anyway, any bragging rights TAG Heuer once enjoyed for selling the 'cheapest' Swiss made tourbillon have long since lost their impact, so why not?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carbon Monaco and Carrera Tourbillon by Revolution Watches

 

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

 

I've often wondered when, or indeed 'if' TAG Heuer would ever get around to making a watch with a 'moonphase' complication... after all, moonphases tend to be reserved for the kind of watches that have blued hands, white guilloche dials and Roman numerals - which is clearly not TAG Heuer's bag. But with the release of the Seafarer last year we were told it was a variation on the moonphase complication, so you might have expected a new moonphase to come in the shape of a modified calibre TH20-00, but it seems that isn't what this is. According to the GPHG website the movement is a Calibre 7 (so Selitta) which seems a bit odd, to submit a watch to GPHG without an in-house movement (unless this is one of those 'designed with Selitta, but not actually in-house so no 5 year warranty watches, maybe?). 

As far as I know this watch doesn't actually come out for a few weeks yet and normally I wouldn't post about a watch before it's released, but this one has been submitted to GPHG for appraisal so effectively it's 'out there' and fair game. You might remember this happened last year too with the Carrera Skeleton Extreme, and like that one I have a feeling this might not be a single watch release so it will be interesting to see what comes along.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph by Brent Miller Time

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: New Variations on the Titanium Solargraph and the 2021 39mm Carrera

We seem to be reaching the point of the year where TAG Heuer aren't actually releasing new watches so much as putting straps on existing models and trying to generate excitement about them by calling them 'Online Exclusives'... which is something I've never really understood. 'Boutique Editions' I understand (watches you can only obtain by travelling to a particular boutique, possibly in an exotic location like Monaco), but suggesting that something is 'exclusive' because you can 'only' buy it on the internet makes so little sense that I feel like I would need the world's most powerful microscope to measure it!

Anyway, I feel somewhat duty bound to at least show you a picture of these most elusive timepieces, but I really don't think there's any need to trouble the C.O.C.O. with either of them. After all, they'll still get to score them at the end of the year.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Twin Time by Brent Miller Time

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Glacier Express' Limited Edition Automatic Watch

 

It never ceases to amaze me how even though I think I must have uncovered 99.9% of all the watches that TAG Heuer have made over the last 40 years, I still manage to find references that I've never come across before. This Aquaracer was actually the by-product of hunting for information on a different watch (another limited edition that I hadn't seen before, a 2015 'Swiss' Aquaracer) that I was trying to find a part number for. Google images threw this one at me, presumably because it is also a silver dial limited edition Aquaracer... and, well, I kinda like it!

The watch is currently on eBay, being sold from Australia for approximately £1985. If that seems a lot (it did to me too) even for a properly numbered 250 piece limited edition, one thing to point out from the off is that this watch isn't a quartz as I assumed it would be, but a Calibre 5. Even so, I doubt the seller will achieve that figure very easily. In fact the watch was previously up for £900 more, which was really reaching! 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T Chronograph by The 1916 Watch Company Reviews

 

FEATURE: Beating the Price Rises

 

Come rain or shine there's one thing of which you can be sure, the Swiss will raise the prices of watches, and probably faster than inflation or wages. But you want the latest watches on your wrist... so what can you do? Well, if you can wait a few months, the truth is you can save yourself a lot of money. No you won't get the full 'boutique' experience, but honestly is a glass of champagne and a free hat worth a thousand pounds to you? If so then maybe you don't need to read the rest of this post... for everyone else, please read on!

So look, of course it's easy to find 'deals' online and we all know what an absolute cess-pit the internet is... so for the purposes of this post I'm going to restrict myself to looking at what Watchfinder can offer. Now I have no special 'relationship' with Watchfinder to declare, the only thing I've had from them was a complimentary service and polish one time, which I'm still a little confused about... but anyway, the reason I'm looking at Watchfinder particularly is simply that they aren't renowned as being the cheapest of the cheap, but I've always had good service from them and they offer a two year warranty on everything they sell, so it's as good as buying new as you're going to get. 

And to be honest, if you're buying a current 'in-house' movement TAG Heuer you will still get their five year warranty anyway, so happy days!

Regardless, the point of this post is really not to plug Watchfinder specifically, but just to point out that there are deals to be had and you don't have to fall back on models from five years ago to get a nice watch at a decent price (though personally I probably still would, if only because the watches of 2020 beat the watches of 2025, but that's just my opinion, naturally).

Yes indeed, the idea of 'watches as investments' is dead in the water (thankfully), unless you're looking at Rolex and possibly some of the more sought after pieces from other higher end manufacturers. Hopefull no one is buying a Carrera (or a Monaco) in 2025 with the idea that they'll be able to sell it for more than they paid in the future. It just ain't happening. And that. my friends, is a good thing.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph by Spending Time Watching Time

 

THANK YOU: Two Million Views!

About a year ago I celebrated the blog hitting 1,000,000 page views by buying my Grand Carrera Calibre 36 Caliper... actually I can't believe that was a year ago, but it was! In fact I posted my Buying Experience post for that watch exactly one year ago today. 

Incredible....and what better way than to celebrate hitting 2,000,000 views just twelve months later than by buying the watch I've been hankering after for the last four or five years? It actually wasn't planned that way but it's worked out pretty sweet hasn't it?

So thanks to everyone who visits the blog, I'm sure you're not all bots, though judging by some of the comments some of you might be. 🤣

Let's hope TAG Heuer have something genuinely exciting for us in the last quarter of the year, because I feel like this year has been a little flat for me. Major purchase aside of course...

Aquagraph 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Carrera Dato '160th Anniversary' Heuer 02 Limited Edition

 

Before I start this post, I just want to mention something... you may have noticed that I removed my Instagram address from the blog header, and that's because I've removed Instagram from my phone. Honestly I detest Instagram, it is truly a brain-rotting waste of everyone's time and I want no more part of it. I only ever went on it to promote this blog and since the blog is doing quite nicely now I feel like I no longer need to give it my attention. 

I do still have it on my computer, and I may post once in a blue moon, but trying to contact me through Instagram is a pointless exercise I'm afraid and I really don't want to 'collaborate' on any posts. Sorry.

'So with that out of the way, let's turn our attention to the matter in hand, namely the coolest TAG Heuer watch of the last five years and the one and only watch I truly desire to add to my collection....'

That's how this post WAS going to start, because originally this was supposed to be a 'Spotlight On' post. But there's been a development. A major development. Because it's no longer the 'only watch on my wish list', it's on my wrist! And I can hardly believe it...

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List 2010/2011

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre TH20-00 'Osaka Expo 2025' Limited Edition Chronograph

Let's be frank, I've been fairly withering about TAG Heuer's 2025 releases, haven't I? I mean there are a few I like a bit, but generally speaking I've been left decidedly underwhelmed. And now we have this... mess of a Carrera to look at and I simply don't know where to begin.

Okay, look. Let's back up a bit. First of all, this is clearly not aimed at me, as until today I had never heard of Myaku-Myaku (which is the character logo for the Osaka Expo 2025). If you Google it you will see it's clearly popular, you can get all sorts of merchandise for it, including some bonkers looking trainers... so maybe all 125 pieces will be snapped up and flipped at a profit? I really don't know..

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 42mm Chronograph Review by A Blog to Watch

 

OWNED: TAG Heuer Microtimer

 

The TAG Heuer Microtimer. It's an oddity isn't it? And one that's not to everyone's taste I'm sure... but oddly it was one of the first watches I bought after setting up this blog back in October 2016. Indeed it was all the way back in February 2017 that I bought my Microtimer off eBay for the princely sum of £681.97. Unfortunately once it arrived I realised it was a little bit too beaten up for my liking and so I immediately took it to a local AD who sent it off to be repolished for me (which added another £100 to the overall cost). To be fair to them, it came back looking almost like new, save for a couple of small scratches and I was very pleased with my decision to have it refinished. 

Since then I've worn it 'sparingly' I would say, although in my 2018 'Owned' post I said I wore it more than any of my other watches, which I find it hard to believe - or remember! That said, over the last two or three years I've made more of an effort to wear it regularly, because for some years it did rather languish in the cabinet; a typical scenario following a polishing job for me, the same thing happened with my Grand Carrera Calibre 6 albeit to a lesser extent. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Polychrome Tourbillon by SwissWatchExpo

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre TH20-00 'Harrods' Limited Edition Chronograph

Okay, let's get this out of the way right off the bat.... why is this a 'Spotlight On' post and not a 'First Impressions' post? The answer is simply that 'First Impressions' posts are for watches that have just been released, and somehow it seems this watch was released last year without anyone in my circle knowing about it. Nobody told me, nobody posted it on the THF forum, literally did not have a clue and as such it was not included in last years 'Watch of the Year' voting procedure. In fact the only reason I found about this one at all is because I spotted it on Watchfinder and thought 'what the hell is that!' 

And that's a bit of a shame if you ask me because I feel like this one could have garnered a vote or two. First off it's that crowd pleasing 42mm size (well, crowd pleasing is maybe a touch generous, but it's not 44mm so... a few more people will like it) and crucially it isn't yet another bloody glassbox, and that immediately kicks it up a notch in my opinion. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper by The Mad Watch Collector

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre TH20-00 'French' Limited Edition Chronograph

 

A couple of years ago TAG Heuer released one of the nicest watches in their recent history, the blue dial 'French' limited edition 42mm Carrera (part number CBN201B). There were 200 of these made (one of which is currently available via Watchfinder I notice) and if I remember correctly it was in my top three watches of 2023. Ultimately it placed fifth in the COCO Watch of the Year poll, but oddly was the only watch besides that year's winner to score an 8/10 (voting was massively affected in 2023 by the all conquering Panda Glassbox it must be remembered). Big shoes to follow then, and while this is another pretty nice 42mm Carrera, I don't think it's quite as good as it's predecessor. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 36mm Which Colour? by Brent Miller Time

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer's 2025 Releases (Jan/Jun)

Once again we've reached the mid-point of the year and presumably passed the halfway point of TAG Heuer's 2025 release schedule. So it's time to refresh your memory and give you an insight as to what could be in the running for the COCO Watch of the Year award come December.

It's amazing, everywhere you look you hear 'TAG is back', indeed it's become a slogan for TAG Heuer themselves since they took over from Rolex as the official timekeeper of Formula 1. As an aside, if you are an F1 fan, don't you absolutely hate it when people say 'The F1'? Isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever heard? Or am I just an angry old man who hates change and gets upset about the stupidest things?

Well, maybe!

Which is kind of funny because, how can I put this.... everyone loves TAG Heuer's new direction, the endless glassbox Carreras, the new 38mm F1s and.... and.... I just don't! Initially I really wanted to like the new F1s, in fact I was even mentally setting aside the money to buy the red 'Italian' GP one, but having tried on a few of them now, I just find them slightly odd. 

Maybe it's because I've owned a ton of the original models and I'm still hung up on how they 'used to be', but while making them larger seemed like a great idea, it just doesn't seem to have translated somehow. The lume pots are too chunky, the hands are too small and thin, the case around the lugs is just weird and, well, I could go on... the rubber straps are extremely cool, I'll give them that, but I'm not buying a watch just for a cool strap (...again).

So yes, my excitement level this year is pretty low, in fact I'd say right now I'm struggling to think of a watch release this year that I'd actually want to own, save perhaps for the Monaco Gulf. I must admit I do quite like the black/lime Calibre 16 Formula 1, but in person it's not quite as exciting as I'd hoped. I'd rather get an old 500M Aquaracer in the same colour scheme for less than half the money.

Ah yes, money. It always comes back to money doesn't it? But how can it not. Prices are still rising at ridiculous levels and contributors to the THF Forums are one by one switching brands or simply stating that they've bought their last 'new' TAG Heuer. I have to agree. I can't honestly see myself buying anything else at 'full price', unless my circumstances change drastically, not when you see the 'real' market value of the current watches when they appear pre-owned on Watchfinder, etc within a few months. Now that's depressing!  

But, you know, when I got into this hobby I couldn't afford to buy new watches, and then for a while I could (just about) and now thanks to my stagnant wages and TAG Heuer's price rises I can't again. Whatever. Maybe in five years I will be buying a pre-owned 2025 watch at a fraction of the price it cost new? Or maybe thanks to the lunatics in Silicon Valley I'll be looking for food in the bottom of a dumpster while trying to avoid getting shot by security drones... 

Anyway, let's have a look back at what TAG Heuer have presented so far this year:

VIDEO: The TAG Heuer F1 Solargraph is Not Over Priced by Chisholm Hunter

 

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List - June 2025

 

It's now been 5 years since I compiled my first price list (during the early days of the pandemic, oh how time flies) and just for giggles I wondered what would appear in both that one and this latest price list and what the difference would be. Well, truth be told there's almost nothing, but the obvious candidate would be the stalwart CAW211P Monaco (colloquially known as the 'Steve McQueen'). So, shockingly (or maybe not that shockingly really) the price in July 2020 was £5050... and after the latest price increase it's now a bowel-loosening £7500!

Wow, that is some hefty, inflation busting rise eh? But the thing is with that though is that the pre-owned price has not kept pace with that at all. In fact if you want a CAW211P today and you're not stuck on buying brand new then Chrono 24 has over 100 examples on offer right now, with prices starting at £3500... that's a hell of a saving (or a massive depreciation cliff depending on your point of view).

That aside, for the most part it's the usual bi-yearly £50-150 increases, which don't sound too bad but which of course add up to a significant sum over two or three years. There are also a few other instances where we see £200+ increases, notably the Hodinkee Seafarer, the solid gold Carrera glassbox and the Porsche 963 Carrera, but thankfully there's none of those outrageous 40% increases we saw back at the start of the year.

Hilariously though, despite raising the prices of some of the tourbillon models by up to £10,000 earlier in the year, TAG Heuer have still added another £50 on to the prices this time, presumably because they didn't go quite far enough last time 🤣. 

But it's not all bad news, if you've been hankering after a Superdiver but didn't want to pay £6100 for it you'll be pleased to know that it's now priced at £5550. And also coming down is the darker green Aquaracer 300 which for some reason had a price premium at launch. This is something we are seeing now and again actually, where one colour is more expensive than the rest of the range and then eventually they all come into line.

Quite a few new additions this time, obviously there's the new 38mm Formula 1 range and various 34 and 36mm Aquaracers, but also a few Monacos and Carreras and even previously available models now available on bracelets (in particular the two tone Aquaracers and the Glassbox Carreras).

Unsurprisingly, there are no new Links. Surely that range needs something doing with it soon?

I also notice the older CAR style tourbillons have gone now and the solid gold Aquaracers have been discontinued too (after the £2000 discounts earlier in the year), and with the release of the new Carrera Day/Dates obviously another casualty are the old WBN models, which makes sense. 

As usual, blue text is for price changes, red text is for new additions.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf and 'Stopwatch' Limited Editions by Time & Tide

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Goodwood Festival of Speed' Calibre TH20-00 Limited Edition Chronograph

 

Way back in the dark ages I remember seeing various 'Goodwood Festival of Speed' limited edition Carreras in the TAG Heuer outlet at Bicester Village. It always struck me as slightly odd that watches that were limited to such small quantities (125 / 250 pieces) should remain unsold, and perhaps that's why we haven't seen any in recent years...? 

But with TAG Heuer doubling down on their commitment to motorsport I guess it shouldn't be a massive surprise to see this new limited edition of 100 pieces. Initially released to members of the Goodwood club, the model is now available on the TAG Heuer website for £6450, which given it has rather a unique look to it, doesn't seem too bad.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph by Mitch Lui

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Heuer Monaco 'Stopwatch' Calibre 11 Limited Edition

Of course the 'Gulf' Monaco wasn't the only Monaco TAG Heuer launched at the (somewhat anachronistic) Monaco Grand Prix, in fact it was only one of three. There was also a new colour variation on the eye-wateringly expensive 41mm rattrapante that literally no one paid any attention to, and then there was this black DLC coated titanium cased Calibre 11 'Heuer' Monaco that seems to have garnered almost as much attention as the Gulf. Which kinda makes you wonder why they released them both at the same time honestly, given that they are probably aimed at a similar buyer. Oh well, I'm sure TAG Heuer know what they are doing... perhaps the cache of launching it at the Monaco GP outweighs the conflict and perhaps some well heeled harbour-dwellers will take both?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 2000 Series 'Moon Dust' Restoration by The Nekkid Watchmaker

 

OWNED: TAG Heuer 1500 GMT Quartz Watch

 

As I've mentioned recently, I'm still in the process of trying to reduce my TAG Heuer collection to something approaching a 'sensible' size (20 would be perfect, really) and that obviously means selling more watches. That's fine, but obviously the further I go with that the harder it's going to get to convince myself to let go of watches that I've collected, especially watches that have been with me for some time and which (to me at least) represent the 'best' of a particular model line. 

And that's exactly how I feel about this GMT variant of the 1500 Series, at 40mm it is the perfect size for me and much better than the vast majority of 1500 Series models which are 37mm in diameter. As such, me selling this is basically ruling the 1500 Series out of my future collection because I'm not going to buy an inferior piece or buy another one of these again, so unless I win the lottery and money no longer matters, this is it. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300M Professional by Bruce Williams

 

ON THE WRIST: Colourful 36mm Aquaracers & Miami/Spanish Formula 1 Solargraphs

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / Milton Keynes, 31st May 2025

My second visit to the Milton Keynes boutique this year and this time I was lucky enough to find not only a couple of the new 36mm colourful dial automatic Aquaracers but also two limited edition Formula 1 Solargraphs. Sadly there was no sign of the blue dégredé dial on the white rubber strap, and it seems like perhaps it's not actually released yet - though I notice TAG Heuer have added it to their website with the option of a steel bracelet now.

But we (my wife and I) did get to see both the purple and the pale green versions and honestly we thought they looked rather nice. I was expecting the purple dial to look a bit wishy washy in real life, but it's actually quite a strong, vibrant tone and while it's certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea I thought it was quite effective. My wife really liked it, but unfortunately (like the 'Tiffany' blue model before it) at 36mm it's just too big and chunky for her wrist. And of course a 36mm diver is far too small for me, not that I particularly want a purple dial Aquaracer anyway...  

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Day/Date Watches by Brent Miller Time

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco 'Gulf' Limited Edition Calibre 11 Chronograph

There's always quite a lot of excitement when TAG Heuer announce a new 'Gulf' branded Monaco and even I (someone completely untouched by the romance of Le Mans, Steve McQueen, etc) am not immune to the lure of the striped, square dial. However I did find the most recent regular 'Gulf' model a little disappointing (for me it was perhaps the least interesting of all the 'Gulf' models we've seen to date) so it's nice to see a really good one this time around, even if it is a limited edition.

For the 2025 edition we've gone right back to the start with another white dial Monaco embellished with red and blue stripes (as seen on Steve McQueen's race suit in the film Le Mans). It's funny but every time we get a new Gulf Monaco it always descends into a debate about how they never use the right shade of pale blue (with most agreeing that the 2018 limited edition of 50 pieces was the most accurate from that point of view), but thankfully here we don't have to worry about that, phew!

PRICE LIST: TAG Heuer Price List 2010

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph Watches by Adrian Barker

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 36mm 'Coloured Dials' Calibre 5 Watches

 

Three new 36mm Calibre 5 Aquaracers for you today, and while I wouldn't dream of labelling them 'ladies' watches, they definitely tend to fall into that general category due to sizing, diamond hour markers and general colour choices. I must admit when I first saw them the one that caught my eye was the purple dial, but the more I look at it the more I'm unsure how successful it actually is. I applaud TAG Heuer for embracing a new colour in this range and maybe it looks fantastic in person, but as of right now I'm definitely on the fence.