It's fair to say that Bamford's unique take on our favourite watch brand has produced some hit and miss results thus far. On the upside the carbon Monaco was pretty darned cool, the coffee-dial Carrera was cute and quirky and they've also made a stunning Monza with yellow highlights... but against all that there are some pretty nauseating Bamfordized Monacos about and of course the watch I absolutely love to hate - the Bamford Carrera Basketball (or whatever the hell they call it).
Oh my God, I hate that watch so much I can't even begin to explain. In fact if I need to explain why it's horrible then please take yourself off somewhere and have your taste level checked. Even if they had moved the text so that it wasn't on top of the black lines it would have been something, but no... they couldn't even be arsed to do that. And why does the date window look so shonky? Aside from the fact that it's just floating in the middle of the dial I... mean, it actually looks kinda melted!
But let's forget about that, because that was a 'Bamford' and this new watch is a TAG Heuer / Bamford with a proper TAG Heuer part number, just like the carbon Monaco, and that, let's not forget, was pretty darned cool.
So what do we have here then, well... principally we have a Calibre 5 Aquaracer (although TAG Heuer are doing their best to confuse us by having a 'ticking' animation on their website!) made entirely of grade 2 titanium, including the bracelet, so this should be nice and light on the wrist despite the 43mm diameter.
The theme is 'radar*' and I must say I really do like the dial, it's not completely original, we've seen Bell and Ross watches in a similar vein, but it's certainly a first for TAG Heuer and I think on the whole they've done a nice job.
Titanium has a unusual look to it and in this live photo (kindly supplied by C11 Forum member Abrod520) it almost resembles the sand blasted finish on my old 4000 Series, but it does give the watch a definite 'look' that sets it apart from the rank and file Aquaracers you'll find in your local Goldsmiths. The only downside though is that titanium scratches up and this particular grade of titanium more than most apparently, although I'm told a pencil eraser will make it as good as new again. I wouldn't know about that since my titanium Carrera is still scratch free, but my clumsy Tudor Pelagos LHD owning friend Rich tells me it definitely works. Good to know!
This one also reminds me of my steel 3000, which is probably why I'm feeling rather drawn to it. Indeed, I've long been asking for an up-to-date, 'man-sized' 3000 and this isn't a million miles away from that. The only problem there is that if I bought this would I still need my beloved 3000s?
Mmmm, that's a downside I hadn't considered until now... but maybe it's different enough? After all, the 3000 doesn't have orange rimmed hands, a stripey second hand, a cyclops or a funky 'radar' themed dial...
I also like the orange dashes around the edge of the dial and that triangular orange marker on the bezel looks particularly 'retro' - it's not lumed though, which is a shame.
So, as you might imagine, this costs a little more than the regular Calibre 5 Aquaracers... what with it being titanium and a Bamford limited edition. It's not the rarest of limited editions though, as there will be 1500 of these... but I'm not unhappy about that to be honest, as it increases the chances of actually getting to see one before they all get snaffled up. Also, that's probably enough to dissuade the flippers and that has to be a good thing!
When I first found it on the TAG Heuer USA website the price was in dollars and it suggested a retail price of just under £3000, but now it has made it onto the UK website it's showing as £3250, so a little bit more than I thought, but still not completely outrageous.
Word on the street is that this is the last of the current 'Aquaracers' as a new line will be launched in 2021. I'm guessing, since they've 'announced' that to the world, it's probably coming sooner rather than later, so I'm excited to see what they have in store for us next year.
I do like this one, and I'd love to get a chance to 'see one', but while I think it looks great, it worries me that it's titanium and that it scratches easily. I've managed to keep my Carrera unscathed, but only because I rarely wear it. I don't really want to buy another watch that I'm scared to wear, especially one which is more of a sporty model.... although, you never know, I might well be seduced if I actually get to see one in the flesh.
*Radar? Or maybe 'Sonar'. Given that it's a dive watch, Sonar would make more sense I guess!
