FEATURE: The Watch I Will Never Sell (Part 1)

A few weeks ago I saw a post on the 'WatchUWant' forum on this very topic. I didn't actually read the post but it sparked an idea in my head and by the end of the day I had fired off a message to several members of the THF Forum. Here we have the first nine replies to those messages, with more to follow...

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy 500 Limited Edition

For a long. long time I've been meaning to write a post about all the 'Indy 500' watches that TAG Heuer have released over the years, but I've still never quite gotten around to it... and here we are again with the latest addition to that particular collection. 

So, the obvious question is where does this one sit in the pantheon of TAG Heuer Indy 500 watches? I'd say it's one of the better ones, but there have been some real mingers over the years so let's not get too excited just yet. The overriding problem any Indy 500 watch has to overcome is the distinctive (but distinctly awkward) shape of the Indy 500 logo itself. Over the years it's been squashed into various subdials with limited success, so it's nice to see it here with plenty of space to breath and printed at a size where it's easy to see the details. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph by Brent Miller Time

FEATURE: TAG Heuer Carrera Miami Grand Prix 2026 Limited Edition Tourbillon

Trying to find out information about new models, especially limited edition / regionally released models can be a real pain. But now with access to AI it should be a doddle right? Well I couldn't find out much about the limited edition Carrera that was released for the Miami Grand Prix, so I asked Meta AI and it told me it couldn't find any reference to it from official channels. It didn't tell me it didn't exist, it just told me it couldn't find it, which is a fair answer. Google AI on the other hand had a complete meltdown, which was just too good not to share...

TLDR: Google AI tells me the watch doesn't exist, then it does, then it doesn't and it made it up, then tells me my photograph is an AI fake, then backtracks on that. Then it tells me I shouldn't pay to use AI because it's useless and that SpaceX is overvalued (I guess it got that right). Then it backtracks and tells me the IPO hasn't happened yet, and that it's hallucinating it's own hallucinations and finally that yes the Carrera CBU5088 does exist in a limited edition of 30 pieces that was only sold to VIPs in the paddock at the race. F.F.S.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Pastels' Limited Edtiion Solargraphs by Brent Miller Time

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph

In the real world, by which I mean not in the 'luxury' world, if someone came up with a way to revolutionise and simplify a complex, expensive machine one might presume that it would turn out 'cheaper'. Otherwise... what's the point? I mean, yeah, okay you might save a few quid on servicing, but why would I pay more than twice as much in the first place? Well, if that's your thought process then the luxury watch world probably isn't for you...

Don't get me wrong, I've marvelled at the ingenuity of the V4 Monaco of old, with it's tiny rubber belts and linear 'rotor', I can see that it must have taken hours and hours of painstaking work to perfect (well, kinda - I gather it was still not exactly 100% even when they stopped making it) and for something like that I'd probably gladly drop £50k on one (if I had £50k to spend) but for some reason this new Evergraph movement just doesn't give me the same sense of awe and wonder.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'Indy 500' Limited Edition Solargraph by Brent Miller Time

 

My Top 10 Formula 1s by Jim Dollare$

We are blessed with an abundance of guests here at the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blogspot of course, but only one contributor gets his own LABEL! I speak of course about our absolute favourite (some might even say 'special') Swedish person, Mr Jim Dollare$. 

JIM: What up bromigos? What a lovely thing that Rob is acknowledging and celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Formula 1. This is yet another example of why the TAG Heuer Enthusiast Blog is the one and only site where honest opinions and true watch journalism happens. 

As all TAG Heuer fans know, the Formula 1 started out as a tiny, colourful children's watch in a plastic like material making it look like it was sold for $35 at the local petrol station. Luckily it has matured and developed a lot since then and transformed into a proper watch but still super affordable with attractive designs, often becoming the first TAG Heuer for new collectors. 

My first TAG was my Red Bull chrono, a mega sexy watch with excellent design but on a thick, sharp super-cheap bracelet and lousy clasp reminding you that this is a 'cheap' TAG. Anyway, lets get into the ultimate number one most perfect top ten Formula 1 list I have personally ever seen.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre TH20-11 by Casual Dude Reviews

 

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 2000 Series Quartz

You know, I kinda thought my days of buying cheap, quartz powered eBay bargains were over, especially since I'd gone to the trouble of cleansing my collection in order to raise to funds to buy bigger and better things. But, sometimes you just want to buy something new, and after the massive disappointment of the 'grey' dial Link Calibre S I turned to eBay for a quick fix of silver dial perfection.

Y'see, a few weeks back I caught sight of (what I'm 99% sure was) a WK1112 in the window of my local H&T and it looked jolly nice. I don't really remember the finer details, but I think it was one of the later ones with the polished '12' rather than the lumed '12', but mostly I remember the silver dial sparkling in the sunlight. In fact my first port of call was the H&T website, but the watch in question had been sold, and so I turned to eBay.

Now as we all know, Ebay buying is fraught with problems, especially if you want something newer and especially if it costs less than £1500. That price point is the threshold where eBay's authenticity service kicks in. Now whether you trust it or not is another matter, but the fact that it exists at all is enough to deter some fakers and it's funny how many £3000+ watches you can buy on eBay for under £1500.... but I wasn't anticipating spending anything like that and since older fake 2000s are pretty terrible I wasn't too worried.