You know, some posts are a lot easier to write than others. This one I've already written twice and I'm still not happy with it... so here I am three hours before the publishing deadline trying yet again to finish it. Given how short of time I am, instead of tying myself in knots trying to be clever or sarcastic or whatever, I think instead I'm just going to be brutally honest.
And okay, maybe a little sarcastic... (to be honest it's going to be hard not to be).
TLDR: I really don't like this watch.
Don't get me wrong, it's not the worst watch I've ever seen, it's not even the worst TAG Heuer of 2025; that 'privilege' undoubtedly belongs to the godawful 'Osaka Expo' Carrera. But in a way it feels worse. Because while that watch is intrinsically flawed in its 'design', it at least feels kind of 'honest' in its 'execution'... whereas this one genuinely feels like a case of the Emperor's new clothes.
I wasn't a great fan of the first 'Fragment', but you wouldn't really expect me to be would you? 39mm glassbox Carreras on bund straps aren't for me and that's fine (I don't expect every watch TAG Heuer make to appeal to me, me and only me), but I didn't hate it either. I think I gave it a 6 or something - which is pretty much what I probably gave to the majority of the first generation glassbox Carreras.
By contrast I quite liked the second 'Fragment', it was impactful and different and genuinely interesting... and it amused me that Heueristas loved it because it looked like an old Autavia but at the same time hated it because it said 'Formula 1' on the back. 🤣
Yes I know, I'm a horrible human being.
This one, well... it just seems like a lazy rehash of the first one but worse. And okay the silver 'not actually a bezel but we don't know what else to call it' is a point of difference, but in real life photos it looks pretty awful and has all the finesse of a white-walled tyre.
As for the dial... yes, minimalism! Take everything off the dial, everything that makes it a Swiss watch, leaving something akin to a Michael Kors fashion watch, with chronograph subdials that are unreadable. What a genius this guy is. What a visionary! Sure, but if this was a microbrand claiming to disrupt the watch industry with their 'minimalist' masterpiece, we'd all be laughing at it.
And given the lack of finishing on the dial, no snailing on the subdials, no hour batons... how does this come out about £1000 more than a regular glassbox Carrera? Oh, is it because the centre link on the bracelet is black PVD? Or is it because Fujiwara's fans are quite happy to pay £180 for a T-shirt, so probably more than willing to pay 'whatever' for one of the divine one's 'masterpieces'?
Yeah, sorry, but I really do not like this watch. At all.
And frankly I'm not going to waste another second of my time talking about it, so now over to you, the righteous members of the C.O.C.O. Fill your boots!
3/10: "I don't really like it. Would have to see more real photos I think to properly judge it, but from what I've seen, the white chapter ring makes it looks like there's a massive milky ring, and it makes the dial look smaller. And I'm not a fan of the matt black subdials on matt black dial. More miss than hit."
2/10: "Not a fan of the new glassbox models (beginning with the bezel under glass which looks even more weird on this one). Likewise, the centre link, in black, looks odd to me (just a pinstripe of black). I wonder whether the subdial hands will "disappear" at certain angles. Finally, price is once again bonkers."
3/10: "I’ve previously loved the fragment design, maybe this works well in the metal but it just looks dull in the photos."
7/10: "I’m sure this will do well in Japan market! I do like his design cues for the Carrera."
5/10: "I'd never heard of Fragment as a brand. As an ageing guy who has spent his life in jeans and leather jackets, I'm very unlikely to cross paths with "urban streetwear". I've read some very pretentious, arty, hyperbole about this watch, really seeking to justify that it doesn't look anything like as good as the watch it pays homage to. In no way can I see any improvement. Reissues I can appreciate, reinventions of a classic usually fail. What is the point unless it is better than original? Design classics are classics for a good reason.
Reviewing it as a watch minus the hype, it's just "OK". It doesn't invoke any strong feelings in me at all. I don't like the height of the subdial hands sitting way above the dials. I don't like the lack of numbers on the subdials either. It needs the hash marks at 5,10,15 etc to be much bolder than they are for that work.The height of the sub hands will mean there is visual error when trying to read the subdials from anything other than directly above. The tiny hour marks don't work for me either, just looks unfinished. A middling score for a middling watch, so a 5.0 from me."
3/10: "Conflicting design."
4.5/10: "I saw this one in C de F a few weeks ago. (I thought it was a prototype 🥴) Not a bad design per se, except for the much-mentioned milky tachy bezel."
3/10: "It's one of the worst new glassbox releases, if not the worst. The white ring just sticks out like a sore thumb. The simple & clean all black face works on the Fragment F1, but here it's too bland and gets overpowered by the white ring."
4/10: "4/10 for the Milky Ring King. I would much prefer it with a black tachy bezel."
4.5/10: "I really liked his Formula 1 but not this. The bezel is off putting and I'm not keen on the bracelet option."
7/10: "I like it it’s just a bit plain."
6/10: "Like a broken record, but I am not a modern glassbox fan at all. This is one of the better ones though, so I scored it a 5, but giving it an extra 1 as they went top the effort of actually making it a proper limited edition by individually numbering it on the case back. It’s not a true limited edition if it say ONE OF on the back!"
4/10: "Hmm, a bit bland really. Yet again the back of the case is more interesting than the dial."
7/10: "I like the white, but the text should have been a deep black for contrast."
3/10: "I like the tachy ring but overall this looks a lot more like a microbrand 'homage' to a Carrera than something TAG would actually make."
8/10: "I really like these minimalist designs. The Fragment F1 models are available on eBay at very good prices, shipped from Japan, and I keep being tempted by them. But I’m generally skeptical when it comes to buying things on eBay. I also really like this new version. It’s even more radically minimalist than the first Carrera x Fragment. I still struggle with the logo, though, because it evokes associations with the SS symbol used by the Nazis."
4/10: "It looks like they added a bracelet to a miniature whitewall tire on a black rim."
6/10: "The last Fragment Carrera was a home run, this could have been too if not for the big white sidewall."
7/10: "Surprisingly i don't like this one that much...i think the numbering on the bezel should be black colour."
5/10: "If this had been all black, it would have been a success. In it's current form it looks odd."
5/10: "I have a slight complaint about this watch's design. I feel the bezel ring's markings should have been rendered in black. I imagine the intention was to emphasise its monochrome aesthetic, but somehow the silver ring appears to float, which I don't find particularly pleasing. Furthermore, the large number of limited editions is another point of dissatisfaction."
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