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. 

MAGAZINE FEATURE: TAG Heuer's Monaco 69 and Microtimer Concept Watches by Theodore Diehl

 

When the first quartz-controlled wristwatches appeared on the market many years ago they were exceptionally expensive, often costing much more than a regular mechanical Swiss watch. After a short time the prices dropped as the technology matured. After the initial shock passed, the industry was quite pleased with the quartz development since the vast number of quartz-based calibres that were being offered made it child's play for designers to create a boundless series of shapes and forms to fit every taste. Quartz wristwatches, or at least those without specialised functions, became low-priced fashion items, and many people bought several of them in various shapes and colours to match their favourite clothes or even their mood. The rest is history.

After the revival of the mechanical watch industry, the separation of the quartz and mechanical worlds was fairly strictly adhered to. Major houses did offer quartz watches for the few customers who requested them, but almost under a cloak of secrecy. Quartz wristwatches were often not even mentioned in catalogues for fear of diluting mechanical watch brands' PR image. Not any longer, however it is a more or less public knowledge that companies such as Rolex (working together with the Swatch group) and even firms such as Patek Philippe are spending large sums on the future development of of electronic wristwatches or hybrid mechanical/electronic calibres (these products might not even be released during our lifetimes, but, for established brands, looking 50 years ahead with R&D is not uncommon).

INSTRUCTIONS: TAG Heuer Microtimer

Following on from the 'History of the Microtimer' post yesterday, as promised, for anyone who might need them, here are the instructions. And, in case you missed it, here's a link to the 'History of the Microtimer':   

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2023/01/history-tag-heuer-microtimer-2002-2008.html

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Microtimer (2002-2008)

 

The story of the Microtimer really begins in 2002, with the release of its almost identical predecessor the Micrograph F1. I must admit I had never heard of the Micrograph being referred to as the 'Micrograph F1' until I looked in the 2004 TAG Heuer catalogue, but it kinda makes sense. At the time the Formula One range had been discontinued and the company were utilising their branding relationship with Bernie Ecclestone's 'Formula One' in different ways, here and also with the partly digital 'F1 Kirium' (both watches having 'Official Timekeeper of the FIA F1 World Championship' engravings on the backplate).

The main difference between the Micrograph and the Microtimer is that the Micrograph was only accurate to two decimal places or 1/100th of second, whereas the Microtimer is a 1/1000th of a second chronograph, and also the Micrograph was a numbered limited edition of 999 pieces whereas the Microtimer was a regular part of the line up.

There is little point in consulting the catalogues here as I usually do, as only one version of the Microtimer appears throughout the lifespan, the negative dial CS111C. However, there were a few variations (very few), with a positive display version also available and then both with diamond edges.

Finally, it seems there was one other version, though whether it was an actual 'production' model or a watch modified at a customer's request is unclear. This is the CS111E-0 which features additional diamonds on the watch case. Funky!

FEATURE: Keeping Track of Wrist Time 2022

 

Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to 2023. We start the year with everybody's favourite post... 'Keeping Track of Wrist Time' (I jest of course, it doesn't get any more self-indulgent than this!), in which I reveal which watches I wore the most (and least) during the year of our Lord Jean Claude Biver 2022. 

I know, it's a LOT, just keep calm and we'll get through this together! Haha.

Now if you've already read my 'Another Crazy Year of Watch Buying' post that went up a few days ago, you'll know that there's been a fair bit of coming and going this year. Actually a lot more going than coming... which is a good thing, because looking back it's clear that I had (and still have, truthfully) far too many watches to actually wear them all. In fact I'd be somewhat surprised if I'd worn my Microtimer more than 25 times since I bought it back in 2017. And given it cost me £85 for a new battery last year, that isn't a good ratio!

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Microtimer Quartz Chronograph

 

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Microtimer Quartz Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Micrograph by Watchfinder & Co

 

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Microtimer Quartz Chronograph

 

FEATURE: The Weight Issue

I've been meaning to do a post about 'weights' for a long time, but never quite got around to it... and then someone asked me what the weight of one particular watch was so I thought, right - let's get it done. Now obviously I don't expect everyone to be fascinated by what each of my watches weighs, but it could be useful if you are looking to buy something 'similar' to one of my watches and actually some of the results came as a bit of a surprise one way or the other.

According to YouTube watch guru Jody (at 'Just One More Watch', a channel I view regularly even though most of the watches are 'micro-brand fluff') the sweet spot for wristwatches is 150g. So I've decided to divide the watches into three categories, the lightweights (0-100gm), the light-middleweights (101-130gm), the middleweights (131-160gm) and the heavyweights (161gm+).

THE LIGHTWEIGHTS

Five of the twenty five watches I have available at the moment (3 of my watches are stuck in TAG Heuer limbo for the forseeable future) fall into the lightweight category.

01. Classic Formula 1 quartz with a resin case on a resin strap (35g)

02. 2000 Series Multigraph quartz on a rubber strap (72g)

03. 3000 Series quartz Steel on a bracelet (92g)

04. 3000 Series quartz Two-Tone on a bracelet (92g)

05. Aquaracer PVD Titanium Calibre 5 on a textile strap (95g)

THE LIGHT-MIDDLEWEIGHTS

06. 4000 Series quartz on a bracelet (105g)

07. Microtimer quartz on a rubber strap (106g)

08. S/EL quartz watch on a bracelet (108g)

09. Carrera Titanium Calibre 16 chronograph on a textile strap (110g)

10. Aquaracer Calibre S quartz chronograph on a rubber strap (113g)

11. 6000 Series quartz on a bracelet (115g)

12. 1500 GMT quartz on a bracelet (116g)

13. Classic Aquaracer quartz on a bracelet (123g)

14. S/EL Two-Tone quartz chronograph on a bracelet (125g)

THE MIDDLEWEIGHTS

15. 2000 Exclusive quartz on a bracelet (131g)

16. Aquagraph Calibre 60 chronograph on a rubber strap (133g)*

17. Pilot quartz chronograph on a bracelet (136g)

18. 6000 Series quartz chronograph on a bracelet (140g)

19. 2000 Exclusive quartz chronograph on a bracelet (143g)

20. Carrera Heuer 01 chronograph on a rubber strap (150g)

21. Kirium quartz chronograph on a bracelet (154g)

22. F1 Kirium quartz chronograph on a bracelet (156g)

THE HEAVYWEIGHTS

23. Link Searacer quartz chronograph on a bracelet (167g)

24. Aquaracer Chronotimer quartz chronograph on a bracelet (176g)

25. Aquaracer 500M quartz on a bracelet (189g)


*My Aquagraph is currently living on a rubber strap and accordingly weighs in at a relatively light 133g, but on the bracelet it would easily have been the heaviest watch here weighing in at a startling 225g, 50% up on the 150g 'sweet spot'.

I hope this post is useful to some of you and particularly to the person who asked about the Link Searacer - thanks for your interest.

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Microtimer

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Microtimer

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Microtimer

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Microtimer Quartz Watch

VIDEO: 3 Eye Catching Watches Under £1000 (feat the Microtimer) by Watch Finder

FEATURE: TAG Heuer on a Budget.

Watch collecting can be an expensive hobby, no doubt about it... and I cringe at the thought of my wife asking me what my watch collection actually cost, but I always look at it like this: I can always sell my watches if I need to, it's not like I've wasted thousands on holidays I can barely remember or cars that devalue like a stone. Besides, I don't smoke, I don't gamble and I barely drink... what the hell am I supposed to spend my money on?

However, one day while perusing my watch cabinet it occurred to me that actually some of the watches I enjoy the most in my collection are actually the cheaper ones (which is of course galling and rewarding in equal measure!) and it also occurred to me that if I had say £1000 to spend on watches, I could actually make myself quite a nice little three piece collection...

So here's three ideas of affordable 'collections' you could build out of my watches, using the prices I actually paid as a guide. Sure you might be able to buy better, or you might not... it depends on the market and what's available at the time, I don't get any 'special' prices so these are totally achievable if you put in the work to find the bargains.

OPTION 1 - TOTAL COST £995
Here I've teamed the blue dial 6000 Series (£349) with the original Formula 1 on a resin strap (£200) and a 2000 Exclusive two tone (£446). This combination gives you a sports watch, and two watches you could wear everyday, or as dressier pieces.

OPTION 2 - TOTAL COST £1000
This option gives you an everyday watch in the 4000 Series (£325), a sports watch in the blue Kirium chrono (£400) and a unusual two tone piece in the form of the 3000 Series (£275).

OPTION 3 - TOTAL COST £982
Here we have the perfect everyday watch in the 2000 Exclusive with a blue dial (£255), a travel watch in the GMT (£376) and sports watch in the Formula 1 chrono (£340). The blue dial 2000 Exclusive is one of my cheapest watches but also one of my favourites!


Okay so I'm not suggesting that anyone would necessarily choose these particular groups of three watches together, but the point is if you are on a limited budget for less than the cost of a new Formula 1 quartz, you could build a three piece collection you could be proud of and enjoy for many years to come. And I never even mentioned the 2000 Multigraph, which at £266 could have been substituted for almost any watch bar the original Formula 1!

But yes, okay...clearly there has to be compromise. All of these watches are pre-owned and that might not be something you're comfortable with and the other potential issue is that a lot of these watches are slightly on the smaller side. For a long time I really didn't like that myself, but honestly if you wear a watch long enough I find you get used to it. Now I flit from 45mm to 38mm and it doesn't bother me at all. The only watch that I feel looks a bit small, is the Formula 1 chrono, strangely. It's 38mm, but it sits tall and the thickness makes it look smaller than it is. Oddly, the 35mm original F1 wears much better...

So what happens if we up the budget to say... £1750? Obviously we could get four or five of the watches we've already discussed or we could move up a bit and get some slightly more expensive pieces.

OPTION 4 - TOTAL COST £1750
Now you can get the Microtimer (£650), the 2000 Exclusive Chronograph (£600) and the Link Searacer Regatta Chronograph (£500), albeit I have to make a small caveat when it comes to the Searacer as I think I was more than a little fortunate to pick it up for that price in the condition it's in (I bought it in a sale where it had been reduced twice from a starting price of £995, which seems a bit more realistic - but again, I found it so there's no reason you couldn't). We could switch that out for the 6000 Series Chronograph if you prefer, mine cost me £605 and still keeps the total price well under £2000.


So there you have it, four possible collections you could own (or mix and match) for a pretty reasonable budget. Watch collecting can definitely prove expensive, but it doesn't have to be and if you are on a budget it's much better to buy what you can afford and enjoy it rather than getting yourself into debt. Certain watch gurus will tell you it has to 'hurt', but I would caution strongly against that, unless you can afford it. This is supposed to be a fun hobby after all, and the pieces I've listed are some of the ones that I have the most fun wearing. Apart from anything else, it's a lot less stressful wearing a £250 watch than a £2500 one.

STATE OF THE COLLECTION: December 2018

I think my 'collection' actually started even before I bought my first TAG watch. I remember when I first got serious about getting myself a decent watch, I went into Goldsmiths and had a look and walked out with a 2004 catalogue. It was in that catalogue that I first clapped eyes on the Formula 1 Kirium and I knew that was the one I wanted. Of course, the catalogue wasn't priced and so it was a bit of a shock when I discovered how much the watch that I really, really wanted was!

But I saved some more until I get myself into a position to get the one I really wanted, which was a good lesson (and one that I sorely regret compromising when I bought my Grand Carrera GMT) for a new collector. Although, at the time I didn't know I was going to be a collector, I just thought I was buying one watch. And indeed for nearly ten years the Formula 1 Kirium was my only decent watch.

So obviously that catalogue has sentimental value to me, and I find it really disappointing when I compare the old catalogues to the ones from the last few years. Yes I know it's all on the internet, but the online website changes as things become discontinued, if there was a section on the website showing all the models that are no longer in production it wouldn't be so bad, but as it is these old catalogues are goldmines for collectors and enthusiasts. Imagine in twenty years if someone picks up a 2017 TAG Heuer catalogue, they'll be under the impression that there was only about 5 Carreras in the range (rather than the actual figure of 2,497).

But anyway, the purpose of this post isn't to moan about the new catalogues, it's about sharing with you guys all the things I've picked up over the years. So let's begin with the watches, since that's what this is all really about!

01. FORMULA 1 QUARTZ (383.513/1)

02. 3000 SERIES TWO TONE QUARTZ (934.206)

03. 4000 SERIES QUARTZ (WF1111-0)

04. S/EL QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH TWO TONE (CG1120)

05 6000 SERIES QUARTZ (WH1115-K)

06. 6000 SERIES QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH (CH1110.BA0675)

07. 2000 EXCLUSIVE TWO TONE QUARTZ (WN1153.BD0341)

08. MICROTIMER (CS111C.FT6003)

09. KIRIUM QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH (CL1112)

10. FORMULA 1 KIRIUM  (CL111A.BA0700)

11. AQUAGRAPH (CN211A.BA0353)

12. GRAND CARRERA GMT CALIBRE 8 (WAV5111.BA0901)

13. AQUARACER CHRONOTIMER (CAF1010.BA0821)

14. AQUARACER CALIBRE S (CAF7013.BA0815/FT8011)

15. AQUARACER QUARTZ 500M (WAJ1111.BA0870)

16. CARRERA HEUER 01 (CAR2A1Z.FT6044)

Next up let's take a look at the catalogues. Unfortunately as yet I don't have all the catalogues, but I have managed to amass quite a few, mostly from eBay alongside a few more modern ones from just asking in authorised dealers.

17. The Catalog 2012-2013

18. The Catalog 2014-2015

19. The Catalog 2011-2012

20. The Catalog 2009-2010

21. The Catalog 2013-2014

22. Grand Carrera Hardback Catalogue (2008)

23. Selection Catalogue 1992/1993

24. Selection Price List 1992

25. The Catalog 1999-2000

26. The Catalog 2002-2003

27. The Catalog 2015-2016

28. 2005-2006 Catalogue.

29. 2006 Price List.

30. The Catalog 2004

31. Price List 2004

 

32. 2006-2007 Catalogue

33. 6000 Series Catalogue

34. The Catalog 2016-2017

35. The Catalog 2017-2018

These are not actually 'catalogues' as such, but other publications that I've managed to pick up.

36. 'Action' Paperback (2018)

37. 'Action' Paperback (2017)

38. Grand Carrera Hardback Book and Slipcase

39. Lady Link Pamphlet

40. Motorsport Booklet 2016

41. Motorsport Booklet 2015

42. The Art of Manufacturing Booklet 2014

43. Promotional Pamphlet 2001

44. Promotional Pamphlet 1992

45. TAG Heuer Factory Visitors Booklet 

46. Motorsport Booklet 2018

Recently I've managed to get hold of two TAG Heuer books, Mastering Time and 150 Years. The film cover for the Mastering Time one is a bit of a mess but the book itself is fine (and I got it for next to nothing), the 150 Years one was bought still in it's shrinkwrap and is obviously in 'new' condition.

47. 150 Years Anniversary Book

48. Mastering Time Book

49. Mastering Time Supplement

So now lets take a look at some other things that I've picked up. These are mostly gifts I think, but a few of them (like the watch stand) have been purchased from eBay.

50. Drinks Container with Carabiner

51. Baseball Hat

52. Ballpoint Pen

53. Notebook

54. Watch Travel Carrier

55. Service Watch Case

56. Watch Stand

57. Heuer Scarf

58. Umbrella

59. Holdall.

These are this years and last years Christmas cards...

60. Christmas Card 2017

61. Christmas Card 2018

My TAG Heuer shades, which I took to Switzerland this year and unfortunately scratched one of the lenses. :(

62. Ayrton Senna Sunglesses

And my TAG Heuer wallet which my wife purchased from Bicester Village and gave me last Christmas.

63. Wallet

While this isn't 'official' in any way, this is quite a treasured possession as it is the photobook I made using the pictures I took when I visited the TAG Heuer factory and museum this year.

64. Museum Visit Photobook

Finally, I have a wooden block which definitely isn't 'official' and a lapel badge which probably isn't either... but still, pretty cool!

65 & 66. Wooden Block and Lapel Badge

Well, there we are. Sorry I didn't put things into a bit of a better order, next year I will organize myself a bit more efficiently. Amazingly I managed to get all of this (bar the umbrella and the watches) into one VERY large plastic box. But that said, it's pretty full and I know there's a catalog waiting for me in the post when I get back to work in January, and who knows what other things I'll pick up over the next twelve months. It may be that I need to invest in another box at some point, either that or a bigger house with a room I can turn into a TAG Heuer shrine. :)