VIDEO: Theo and Harris Comment on Some New Carreras...

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Aston Martin Formula 1 and Carrera Special Editions

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You might rightfully be forgiven for wondering just what the hell is going on with TAG Heuer just at the moment, with Baselworld just around the corner what on earth are they doing constantly dropping new models? Have they got so many new models they need to get some out pre-Basel, cos that's how it's looking just now (and let's hope so!).

So a couple of weeks back we had the new black dial Formula 1. It was a nice enough piece, but not mind-blowing, being just a variation on the Red Bull edition and, on reflection, not quite as nice in my opinion (which is odd because I usually favour black over blue - maybe the 6000 series wasn't such a fluke after all).

So this morning I was totally shocked to find a post on Calibre 11 heralding the launch of two new watches, one of which I like so much it's causing me to rethink my watch buying plans! Yep, you heard that correctly.... looks like the yellow dial Calibre S Aquaracer will have to wait (although truth be told, there doesn't seem to be any about just at the moment) - pending sight of the Formula 1, because while it looks fantastic in these pics, well... you know, it might not look quite the same in the flesh.

I really hope it does though, because I love the yellow/lime highlights on this dial and I really love the matching stitching on that strap. Can't quite work out what that strap is made of as yet, maybe some sort of textured rubber I'm guessing? I'm not usually a great fan of logo's on watch dials, and I don't have any great affinity with Aston Martin, but I can live with this one, I hope they have this in the TAG boutique on Oxford Street next weekend - I may be forced to purchase it there and then!

The other Aston Martin Special Edition is a Heuer 01 Carrera 45mm with a very unusual dial, which I can't quite make up my mind about to be honest. I think it's a little disappointing that they've bottled it and gone for red highlights when the lime/yellow could have looked so much more interesting. There is, after all, no shortage of black and red Heuer 01s already... but maybe they thought the yellow was a little too... how shall I put it, garish for the average Carrera buyer? 

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The case is a little unusual, being machined to appear almost as if 'sandwich' in construction. I must admit on this element I'm not really sold, I much prefer the coated black case on my own original Heuer 01 skeleton.

But still, if that Formula 1 looks as good in real life as it does in these publicity shots, then I think they've knocked it right out of the park. No sign of these on the TAG Heuer website as yet, so no prices... but I assume the Formula 1 should be around the same price as the base F1s (as the Red Bull was), although I notice the hands on it are black gold so maybe it could be slightly more? The Carrera will presumably be around the £4300-£4500 mark in line with models like the Drive Timer.

Read more about these two watches on Calibre 11

https://www.calibre11.com/introducing-the-aston-martin-special-edition-tag-heuers/

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 6000 Series WH1115-K1

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I've been tempted by these for some time now, but held back by a couple of things. The first was that I'd never seen one anywhere and thus hadn't been able to try one on, and at 38mm I knew it was right on the limit for me. The other was cost, most of these seem to start at £500 and go way up for some of the really nice special models, with some really cool dial colours and even white gold cases.

So when I spotted this one on eBay at a 'Buy it Now' price of £349, I just couldn't pass it up... as it happened it had a 14 day return option, so I thought there really wasn't anything to lose, so I took the plunge and I'm really, really glad I did. My other worry (as usual) was the bracelet, or rather the clasp. But so far, and I haven't worn it for very long admittedly, it seems okay. It's sort of off to one side a bit, but I think that makes sense because of the shape of the deployment.

I thought the watch was going to be black dialed, but when it arrived it was blue! Take another look at the picture, it's blue not black. So this is my first non black dial TAG, incredible isn't it, seven watches and not a single coloured dial until now (even the two I sold were black dial as well). Also, as someone helpfully pointed out, this is yet another watch which doesn't have the classic red and green logo, so again seven watches and not a single classic logo (and the two I'm gunning for haven't got it either!).

The seller on eBay was Tilley's Jewellers in Swansea (actually a pawnbrokers it seems) and I don't know whether the warranty card has been mixed up somewhere or whether it was just filled out wrong when it was originally sold, but the number on there is WH1113 not WH1115, which suggests a silver dial. Really I guess I should have questioned this, but since it's out of warranty and I don't have any concerns about authenticity I'm not too worried really.

It's my first cyclops too, and I'm okay with it so far, it really doesn't bother me... well who'd have thought it? I am having to get used to the thickness though, or rather the lack of thickness, it's my thinnest TAG for sure, which takes some adjustment because the way the bracelet sits on the wrist is quite different to what I'm used to. It's also quite flexible, which again I'm not accustomed to.

The watch was advertised to fit a 7.5" wrist, and I thought I had a 7" wrist (I really need to measure again) so I was surprised that the watch only just fitted, and in fact was a little tight. It had one hole of adjustment left on the clasp so I let that out and it helped a bit. A few weeks off the pies and I'm sure it will be fine.

It's really in pretty good condition, especially for a 19 year old watch, and I strongly suspect I'm the first person to ever move the bezel, it's solid as a rock (in a good way). The glass is immaculate and the (very unusual) bracelet seems to be in very good shape too, no stretching or damage that I can see. 

I've long wanted to get some older TAGs into the collection, but all too often size and practicalities around the clasps make me nervous. I'd really like an S/EL too, and a 4000 Series, and they are both possibilities for the future. I'd also really like an original plastic F1, but they really are too small so it seems a bit silly. Maybe a slightly later one on a bracelet which a chrono would be a better bet... but nice ones seem to command higher prices than you'd expect.

I'll review this in more detail when I've had a bit more time with it, but I can say this - when I opened the box again today, I already like it more than yesterday when it arrived, and I liked it yesterday. If it proves comfortable, then I don't see this one going anywhere...

Expect more 'Buying Experiences' in the near future, I'm hoping to pick up my next TAG at the weekend!

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Quartz 2011 Swiss Limited Edition

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Many years ago, on one of our first visits to Bicester Village, my wife and I saw a watch in the window of the TAG boutique, and while our memory of it seems a little 'unreliable' we've never forgotten 'the watch with the cities on the dial'. Pretty much ever since my wife has really regretted passing up the chance to buy that watch, and we honestly didn't think we'd ever see it again. Searching on the internet brought up absolutely nothing and so we felt like it was a lost cause, something to write down to experience...

Last weekend my wife and I visited Bicester Village again on our way back from a night staying over in Oxford (it was bloody cold, but if you go - I thoroughly recommend the 'Cartoon Cocktail Bar' in the McDonald Randolphe hotel (opposite the Ashmolean Museum), and in particular the 'Virgin Islands' mocktail, that is something special!), the primary objective from my point of view was trying on a Grand Carrera and the Monaco 24, to see if I could get some clarity about what I wanted to do with my watch fund.

Well, as I wrote the other day, while I do really like the Monaco 24, it is still a quite considerable pile of cash away and I'm just not sure that it's really me. And as for the Grand Carrera, I must admit it left me a little cold - especially at nearly £4,000. My wife actually decided to go look elsewhere as she knew I was going to be a while and while I was debating the Monaco 24 with the (very pleasant and patient) salesman, I didn't see her return and look around the store. Suddenly she appeared beside me and when I'd handed the Monaco back she steered me to the cabinets at the back of the shop where the ladies watches live.

Bizarrely, we both remember the watch we saw slightly differently, and neither of us really remember it looking like the watch that now sat in the cabinet, but it's most likely the same one. I urged her to try it on and she started to get that look on her face, that one where she didn't want to give it back. 

Well, as it happened, being a good husband and all... I had been saving for quite some little while for our silver wedding anniversary in October, and had just about the exact amount of money that this neat little Aquaracer was going for. Our plan for some time has been to go to Geneva to celebrate, but we discussed it and I said I was quite happy to buy the watch for her... and so that's what we did, we'll probably still go to Geneva - and what better way to celebrate a holiday to Switzerland than a watch with the names of Swiss cities (including Geneva) on the dial, perfect - right!

Right... here I have to say, I've visited the TAG store in Bicester about ten times in the last three years and generally speaking I haven't been terribly impressed with the staff. From the guy who told me the date wheel was the hours for the chronograph on a Monaco 24, to the guy who told me he wasn't sure if the strap on the ACM Monaco Limited Edition was the correct one 'or just one we had lying around'... to the lady who spectacularly failed to demonstrate how the Calibre-S chrono worked (actually that's more forgivable because it does look rather tricky), to some pretty unfriendly and generally surly staff who look like they wouldn't give you the time of day. All of which was in marked contrast to the staff in the Cheshire Oaks branch who have generally been excellent every time I've visited.

So I am really pleasantly surprised to be able to report that the staff we saw in Bicester last weekend were great. The guy (I didn't get his name) who showed me the Monaco 24 was very friendly and more than happy to let me try on two of the most expensive watches in the shop - yes, that's his job after all, and you wouldn't think it was that hard, but on past experience it seems it is. In the past I've felt like I'm asking a huge favour when I ask to try on Monaco 24s and I really don't appreciate it. Maybe I don't look like I can afford to drop £5,000 on a watch, and yeah, I can't without a lot of consideration, but 'they' don't know that, and somebody ought to train them to realise that people with a lot of cash don't always show it. From my own experience I had a customer who always came into my place of work wearing a shirt that was literally in holes - but it turned out he was a millionaire and owned a classic F1 car, you just can't tell these days.

Also, the lady who served us with the Aquaracer (Sophie) was absolutely charming and couldn't have been a better ambassador for the brand. Honestly, if I was in charge of TAG I'd be asking her to do some training in the Oxford Street store, they could certainly do with an injection of 'charm' down there (starting with that doorman!).

Anyway, back to the watch. It's actually from 2011 and was made to mark the 150th Anniversary of TAG Heuer (1861-2011). It's a limited edition of 500 pieces of which this was number 411 (they also had 412 if you're interested) and the back of the watch has a nice engraving on it to illustrate this. The watch is polished all over with absolutely no brushing at all, which is nice as my wife's other Aquaracer (a blue dial model circa 2005) has a mixture of brushed and polished finishes, so it differentiates it a little more and looks a bit more blingy, especially with the ten diamonds marking the hours 1, 2 and 4 to 11.

The watch was priced at £1785, marked down from over £2000 (I forget the original list price) which is quite a sum for a very small quartz watch (I think it's 27mm), but with such a unique dial and ten diamonds on the face I think it's worth it. At the end of the day we couldn't pass up the opportunity a second time, not after we'd both been banging on about missing out on it for years...

So that brings my wife's collection to five pieces, four of which are TAGs. I keep meaning to write a post about her collection, so I'll try to get that done soon.

FEATURE: The TAG Heuer Enthusiast Wishlist...

Last week I started writing a blog post, it began as a means of debating with myself whether I wanted to keep saving for the Monaco 24, or if I wanted to spend the money I'd already saved on some cheaper options... I never got around to finishing this post and now it seems kind of redundant so I'm rewriting it from scratch.

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The Monaco 24 is a superb looking watch, and I really, really like it. I've really, really liked it for a very long time, but I'm just not 100% sure it's for me. With the current price at the outlet standing at £5100, that means I still need another £2700 before I can buy this watch and I'm not sure that I really want it bad enough to warrant the waiting, and then there's the other problem. Other watches...

This week something popped up on eBay, it's not hugely expensive (in fact it looks like a bit of a bargain) and it hasn't ripped a huge hole in my budget, but it did kind of give me pause for thought. Especially when I thought someone else had bought it because I couldn't find the listing, that was definitely a turning point where I knew I wanted this watch. I'm not going to reveal what that watch is just yet (I'm interested to see if anyone can guess) but the more I thought about it the more things came into focus and so here is my 'definitive' wishlist (as of right now anyway...)

1. TAG HEUER Formula One Calibre S 

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This isn't something I've ever actually seen in the metal, but from the pictures this is one that would suit me down to the ground. It's a bit big (44mm), but I can live that with since I believe this is based on the same case as my CAU2012 (which suggests my BT0717 rubber strap would fit too) and that's fine.

It also ticks a box with the Calibre S movement, which I haven't got as yet, and I would like to add to the the collection in some form. Watchfinder currently have one of these on offer for just shy of £1000 which is, I must admit, rather tempting.

2. TAG HEUER Formula One Chronotimer 

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I've long admired the WK111A 2000 Series Multigraph, but having owned a 2000 Series and ultimately sold it because it felt a little too small, owning another one never seemed like an option, however cool I thought it looked... but then I came across this F1 Chronotimer which I believe it a much more acceptable 40mm in diameter. True it doesn't quite have the WK111As good looks, but it's still handsome in a beefy Mac Truck kind of way.

Again this isn't something I've come across, and worryingly a scout through eBay seems to reveal more than you would expect with damaged dials. Again I don't know if this is a delicate watch or if it's a watch that particularly attracts clumsy thugs? I assume the movement is somewhat similar to the one inside my Formula One Kirum, I just love that plain black dial with the silver hands... but then again, I already have the F1 Kirium so is it a bit of a pointless buy? I'm not sure...

3. TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre S

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Long term readers may remember that I've talked about this watch before, indeed I very nearly bought one for a ridiculously good price (£945 in Bicester Village last year) but at the last second the CAU2012 appeared and I plumped for that instead.

This one ticks a lot of boxes as well, for a start I still haven't got an Aquaracer in the collection (an Aquagraph yes, but that's really a 2000 Series), the yellow dial again is something new as is the Calibre S movement. The watch comes on either a bracelet or the rubber strap pictured above and I think the rubber strap sets off the yellow better, but I wouldn't be averse to buying it on the bracelet and buying the rubber strap as an alternative. The other thing I like about this watch is the split bezel with the black inner ring, which again sets off the yellow dial very nicely.

4. TAG Heuer Aquaracer Chronotimer

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This one also comes either on a black rubber strap or a bracelet, and this time I think I'd prefer the bracelet. These seem to be fairly readily available for about £950-£1050, indeed I've already located a couple of options, and this could well be the first of this list to arrive into the collection.

Realistically, my current budget will buy me two of these watches and I'm thinking the most likely is the Aquaracer Chronotimer and the Aquaracer Calibre S (if I can find one), the F1 Chronotimer is a bit of a wild card and while the F1 Calibre S is neat, I think I'd prefer the yellow Calibre S Aquaracer. But longer term I'd like to pick that one up too, Watchfinder currently have one but its a little beat up around the edges.

You may have noticed that the Grand Carreras are notable by their absence from my list, and well... I tried on a red Grand Carrera (the one with the rubber strap) last week at Bicester Village and it just didn't do it for me. It was £3800 I think, something like that anyway, and it just looked kinda dull somehow...

Also notably absent from this list is the WAY208C Aquaracer, which I've been banging on about forever... and, well, having looked into this model yet again, there are just too many question marks (not least the cyclops - although, that said, my latest acquisition does have a cyclops), so for the time being I'm putting that one on the back burner. Maybe one will pop up somewhere and give me reason to rethink, but for now I'm concentrating on getting the two Aquaracers into my collection I think.

Tomorrow I should be posting about my recent visit to Bicester and another purchase, a very important purchase actually, as it is to celebrate my 25th Wedding Anniversary in October. Kind of early I know, but when you read the post it will become clear why I had to buy it without delay.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Another Horrendous Fake TAG Heuer on eBay!

I know it's easy to be wise when you know what you are looking at, and my first TAG (bought off eBay) many years ago turned out to be a fake with a brass bracelet (although to be fair it had a lovely white dial with some great machining and applied markers)... but these days, with the internet offering all the information you could ever want (should you care to look for it) there really is no excuse for hideous and awful things like this to find a buyer.

Apparently the date wheel is broken, but this will be 'easily fixed when it gets a service'. Yeah, or maybe not. Since no one in their right mind is going to service this... that's assuming the date wheel is even connected to anything of course.

It really is hilarious what some people come up with, and particularly how they've taken the Calibre S theme and run with it. I love how they've used the Calibre S subdials and moved them to the middle of the dial, in the process creating a day of the weeks indicator (maybe?) or is it a power reserve indicator? Who could say, but I'm pretty sure the exposed part of the 'movement' is all show and no go...

Remarkably, fakers are notorious for creating some fairly random models that do not (and have never) existed, which makes it easy for those in the know to spot them, but for the casual purchaser I guess it's not always so easy. There are surely some red flags with this one though, not least the poor placement of the TAG logo on the dial, which seems to be touching the '12' marker, also the poor etching on the clasp (and whatever the hell that is supposed to be on the side of it).

I notice this piece of junk is still up on eBay several days after I (and at least one other person) reported it, and currently selling for £185 in a shoddy looking cardboard case with a risibly poor TAG logo on it, I guess eBay are quite happy to take their selling fees and run.

VIDEO: 1986 TAG Heuer Formula 1 by Birth Year Watches

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer S/EL S94.406C

If there's one watch that truly divides opinion in the TAG universe it is surely the S/EL (or 'Sports Elegance'), and if there's one particular style of S/EL that really sets some people off, then it is surely the two-tone and in particular the full gold versions.

I was browsing eBay the other day and I came across this S94.406C which looks to be in fantastic condition for it's age, and I even went so far as to enquire about the size of the bracelet. No joke I was seriously considering putting in a bid!

Now don't get in a pickle, I didn't win it, I never even put a bid in, although if I'd realised that it wasn't going to go up any more I might have been tempted. Why? Because I've always wanted an S/EL (though I don't particularly want a Link oddly) and ideally I'd like one that's as big as possible, because nearly every time I find one I like for sale they are some ridiculous 34mm nonsense.

Actually, the size isn't my only concern, I'm also bothered about the clasp attacking my wrist like so many other watches... and since the bracelet is kinda the whole point, switching to a pin buckle strap isn't an option. So, sooner or later I'm going to have to buy from Watchfinder or somewhere I can return if I don't like it.

Now I'm not going to try and convince anyone that this is a good watch, it's clearly an abomination against mankind, but in a warped, perverse way, I like it. It's so outrageously obnoxious in it's goldness, that it crosses the line of bad taste and keeps going right back to the point where it reaches critical mass and becomes 'so bad it's good'!

But when I was looking at this watch is it was going for £340, with five or six hours to go, and I thought that's going to end up in the £500 range and as much as I twistedly like it, that's too much. Also, as it happens the end time of the auction was difficult for me as I was stuck in my car negotiating snow drifts for two and half hours, so by the time I got home and thought to look the auction was well over.

Well, not one further bid was made and so someone got this watch (to fit a 7.5" wrist) for £340, which seems like a bargain really. I mean, it's not everyone's cup of tea sure, but it's 42mm including the crown and damn, the more I think about this the more gutted I am.

Sure this isn't one of TAG's best watches, but the S/EL was a huge part of TAG's history... lest we forget, a certain Ayrton Senna wore an S/EL (albeit on a leather strap), and this, gold plated version, exemplifies the glorious, over the top consumerism of the 1980s like no other piece.

I know most of my readers are probably reading this and positively recoiling in absolute horror, but it ticks so many boxes. I don't have an S/EL, I don't have any type of gold watch, I have very few bracelet watches, and it's the larger size... okay I've run out of boxes, and maybe if I'd actually bought it the clasp might have caused instant frustration, and yeah, maybe once the novelty had worn off I might have thought - what the hell was I thinking, but still, there's something about this one that speaks to me.

Unfortunately, our friend Archie Luxury doesn't agree... (please don't watch if easily offended!).

VIDEO: Watch Collecting - TAG Heuer by Archie Luxury

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia Chronograph Review by Watchbox Reviews

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Heuer Autavia Jo Siffert Collector's Edition by Calibre 11

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First off, I'm sure that almost everyone who visits my blog is also at the very least 'aware' of Calibre 11, which is the TAG Heuer blog run by David from Time and Tide watches. But if not, then you should definitely visit Calibre 11 because not only does David post some fantastic articles and pictures but there is also the forum where you can talk yourself silly about TAG and Heuer with Hubert, Dtf, Jim Dolares, OttoWilliam, Mr JKL Foams, Elbeik and all the other fab, fun guys... and even Mr Orange. :)

So as you may remember, when the Autavia was re-issued last year it didn't really do it for me. I found the bezel appeared too thick, the numbers on the bezel too blocky and oversized, the strap and bracelet options too retro for me personally, and while the Jack Heuer edition was a great improvement, especially with a much better bezel design, it still didn't really do it for me. But then, it's a deliberately retro watch, so it's probably never going to and that's fine. I don't have a problem with TAG making retro watches for retro guys and (despite certain ridiculous comments on the forum) I don't expect every TAG to be aimed at me. However, way back last year I did mention that I did quite like the Jo Siffert dial version on the TAG Heuer Autavia from the mid 2000s (which sank without trace) and lo and behold.... here we are.

Okay, it's not quite the same as that one, but the combination of the panda dial with some subtle blue detailing really lifts this piece up way above the other versions (in my honest opinion) and is perhaps better for being less in your face with the blue. 

The watch is supplied with both the beads of rice bracelet and a black leather strap, which seems to have gone down very well on the forum. I must admit I prefer the black leather to the tan strap that most Autavias come on, but it still doesn't quite do it for me. Don't get me wrong, I think the plain black leather strap is perfectly in keeping with the retro theme but as I've already said, I'm just not a retro guy. 

Personal niggles aside, this dial is absolutely stunning and I think David did a magnificent job with this limited edition of 100 pieces. So good it seems that all 100 sold out within less than 24 hours, which is fantastic. I just hope they all went to good homes and don't start appearing on eBay at ridiculous prices, because I'm sure if the Alec Monopoly F1's can triple in value then these will easily attract a huge premium, especially as TAG Heuer have blocked their customising partner 'Bamford' from replicating this colour scheme.

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Well, Hubert over at the Calibre 11 forum has pointed out that rather than TAG blocking the sale of 'Bamford' specials of this configuration, apparently Bamford reached a gentleman's agreement with David over the use of these specific colours for the Autavia. Also, apparently David has had to cancel the sale of one watch due to the customer already having tried to pre-flip it at a 50% premium. Can't say I'm surprised, but it's a bit of a shame that he has had to do that already.

You can read more about this limited edition and see lots more pics here:

https://www.calibre11.com/2018-heuer-autavia-jo-siffert-collectors-edition-cbe2114/

VIDEO: 1984 Heuer 1000 Full Lume Small Divers Watch by Birth Year Watches

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Aquaracer Quartz 300M Khaki

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TAG seem intent on blowing their veritable load pre-Basel this year, first we had the twelve new Heuer02 Carreras and now we have a new quartz powered 300M Aquaracer which is available in 'some' countries and also as a pre-sale online.

Presumably this is a 'Special' edition, rather than a 'Limited' edition like the Khaki Calibre 5 released last year (alongside the camouflage Calibre 5) and while the render above isn't terribly engaging, the photograph below makes it look a lot more interesting.

I'm not sure, but this 43mm Aquaracer could be the first quartz model to feature a cyclops. I'm sure the red, blue and black models released last year didn't have the dreaded goggle eyed date window, but there's probably something really obvious that I'm overlooking.

I do think the dial on this one is a great improvement on the Calibre 5 Khaki, for one thing at certain angles the TAG logo completely disappeared on that one leaving what looked like a huge piece of empty dial. Also the bezel on this one looks rather classy with what appears to be gold markings, but I'm not sure whether they might look a little more 'green/gold' in the flesh.

As usual though, we have the horrible and massive silver retaining bars on the NATO strap, which is a shame, because otherwise the strap looks quite nice and fits in with the overall scheme very nicely.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Launch the Carrera Heuer02 Range

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TAG are putting the Heuer 02 movement into the Carrera, which is bound to cause some excitement, especially for those who appreciate the improved symmetry of a 3-6-9 sub dial configuration. Launching in twelve models to start with, and with a small price hike (£200 on the gold model) it's only available in the 43mm range to start with, but presumably this will be extended to the 45mm eventually...?

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In a way it would be quite nice if they left the 45mm watches alone, and would give them a bit more variety and differential aside from a simple 2mm diameter change. But I would be surprised. I can see these being very popular, not least because the main issue with the 6-9-12 layout is that the brand logo has to move to the 3 position, and undoubtedly it looks 'better' at the 12 position.

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The drawback though is that the date has been moved from the 3:30 position to the 4:30 position, which is okay - and to be fair a lot of people don't like the 3:30 position, but what I really don't like is that these new models have gone the Drive Timer route and dispensed with the date window...

But still, this is an improved movement, which has already created much admiration in the Autavia and I guess it can't hurt to try and import some of that 'Heuer' magic into the TAG Heuer Carreras... (don't get me started on that nonsense again).

These watches will start appearing in stores in June 2018.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2016 Formula 1 Novelties by Horology Middle East

FEATURE: Another Trip to London and the new TAG Heuer Boutique on Oxford Street

In the past I have written about several trips to London with my wife which involved significant watch browsing, but today was different. Today I took my friend Rich (who last year bought himself a Pelagos LHD) instead, and this trip was much more watch focused as a result. Rich hadn't been to London for about 9 years, way before he got interested in watches, so this was a great opportunity to share with him all the cool things I've seen over the past few years.

But we started off with a brief visit to The National Gallery. I knew we were going to be in London a bit too early, so we headed down to Trafalgar Square so that I could show Rich a couple of pictures in there. I showed him 'The Ambassadors' by Holbein and 'An Experiment with a Bird in a Vacuum Pump' by Joseph Wright.

THE AMBASSADORS

Holbein's piece is incredible and getting in early before the crowds gave us the chance to really appreciate the incredible detailing in this painting, it really seems like you could feel the velvet texture of the figure on the right's coat and the tassles the figure on the left is holding are also particularly fine.

AN EXPERIMENT ON A BIRD WITH A VACUUM PUMP

Wright's painting on the other hand is notable mainly for it's incredible use of candlelight, the way it illuminates the figures around the table and also the depiction of the gloomy corners in the background. It really is pretty amazing even if the subject of the painting is slightly unpleasant.

We looked at a few other paintings on our way out, but we were now heading for Leicester Square (stopping briefly in the Lego shop for Rich to dribble over the 'Millennium Falcon' - an eye watering £649!) and on to Regent Street. Our first port of call was 'Watches of Switzerland' and here we clapped eyes on the brand new Formula One Quartz with the black dial (like the Red Bull version only black).

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The new Formula One looks great, although I have to say I think I prefer it in the blue dial (Red Bull) configuration. They also had the NATO strap version which I don't like, mainly because the strap retainers are massive and ugly. There was some comedy as the lady in the shop (who was very nice) told me the bezel was rotating and I tried, then struggled and finally gave up and finally gave it back to her to try... after which she conceded that it probably didn't move! While the bracelet is fine I wasn't terribly blown away by the folding clasp.

Also in Watches of Switzerland I finally got to try on my friend's Tudor Pelagos LHD. That might sound slightly stupid, but the fact is Rich's wrists are so small and he's taken so many links out of his bracelet that I can't actually get it over my hand to try it on!

Being largely titanium the watch was surprisingly light for a chunky 42mm diver and felt great on the wrist. It's funny, last year when I went down to London LHD's were notable by their absence and the man in Watches of Switzerland was super-impressed that my friend had one as he told me 'I can order you one but I've no idea when you will get it'.

This time they had one in the window and at least one inside, but the nice lady still tried to reassure us that it was 'very rare' and hard to get, even though we seemed to see it everywhere, which was rather disappointing for Rich...

We had a good look at the Breitlings, Bell and Rosses, Zeniths, Hublots, Baume and Merciers and the other Tudors, but ignored the dull Longines display and Rados.

We were in Watches of Switzerland for quite a while (there are three floors of watches) and before we left we headed to the back of the second floor and had a quick look at the Cartier boutique. I'm not usually into Cartier, but the other day I saw a nice Cartier Santos 100 in black DLC on Watchfinder's site and lo and behold here it was.

This is a very different kind of watch for me, but I really like it. I particularly like the red second hand which gives it a definite limited edition Monaco vibe (especially with the square case). The strap was really nice as well, it seemed like something akin to the TAG material straps only rather better quality (as you'd expect at this price to be fair). The clasp I wasn't so taken with, like the new Link it's the kind the folds in from both sides and seemed awkward to put on, also I'm not sure the pushers wouldn't dig into my wrist, I think I'd have to try it on again. One problem is I don't think you can size the strap until you buy it, so you can't be entirely sure, that's a bit of a shame.

The caseback is solid and I'm not entirely sure what movement is inside, though from a little research it appears to be ETA (though that info is dated and it could potentially have been changed). The watch is just under £7,000 and I'd say it looks worth every penny, it's certainly stylish and the one I saw on Watchfinder has already sold for just under £6,000. I can't say I'm that surprised, this is a very nice looking watch indeed, maybe this is the watch I should be saving for?

After a quick pit stop at the Slug and Lettuce on Hanover Street, we made our way along Oxford Street towards the new TAG boutique, but on the way we came across a 'Swatch' shop and popped inside to have a look at the System 51 models, and in particular the System Schwiiz.

Rich really liked it and was debating whether to buy it when his wife rang him, which was quite funny since it was almost like she could sense he was about to 'spend money' or something. In the end he decided to think it over and we moved on down Oxford Street.

Just before we got to the TAG boutique we came across a Goldsmiths where I found the black and red version of the Drive Timer. I tried it on and was very impressed with it, although I still can't quite shake the niggling feeling that it's basically the same as my Heuer01 (this could continue for some time I think...).

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Again the staff in here were very nice and positively encouraged me to take one of the new 2017-2018 TAG Heuer catalogues with me (cheers!) and then after a few more steps down Oxford Street we finally arrived at the TAG Heuer flagship store.

As you can imagine, I was pretty excited to visit the new store (and so was Rich, a long time Aquaracer enthusiast), but sadly I have to say I was rather underwhelmed. Firstly there was a doorman there who just kinda glowered at us, I mean... there's doormen at lots of places in London, but most of them are welcoming (while at the same time letting you know that they aren't going to stand for any funny business), this guy didn't say a word, he just kinda stared grumpily at us. I mean we were schlepping around London all day, so we were dressed pretty comfortably, but that really shouldn't matter. I had a woman in Selfridges offer to let me try on a £22,000 Audemars Piguet not half an hour after I left TAG, so... y'know.

Secondly, this is supposedly the biggest collection of TAG Heuer watches in the UK or Europe (I'm not sure), but it was pretty ho-hum to be honest. There was almost nothing in there that I hadn't seen anywhere else, one notable exception being the 2016 Heuer Mikrograph which was a nice surprise.

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The only other items that I hadn't seen elsewhere recently was a Monaco LS (surprisingly cool) and a diamond bezel Heuer01 on a steel bracelet (pretty ugly to be honest, but a seemingly reasonable £7,000). Leaving aside the surly doorman, it wasn't that the staff were particularly unpleasant to us, or unprofessional, but the store just seemed to have a 'coldness' to it that didn't make you want to stay there... a bit like a pub with a bad atmosphere I guess, just something doesn't feel quite right. It also has this slightly 'temporary' feel, they haven't fitted it out properly so you can still see the brick walls above the cabinets so it kinda feels like a pop-up store. I'm guessing it's a deliberate choice to make it feel 'edgy' or something, but to be honest I much prefer the feel of the Meadowhall store.

After making sure they didn't have a secret stash of WAY208C Aquaracers.... nope, still sold out - although apparently they still get enquiries (bet they wish they'd made more of those and less of the blue nylon strap phantom Aquaracers huh... more on that shortly) we decided to cut our losses and left. But not before the doorman had gurned menacingly at us for a second time. I mean seriously dude, what is your problem?

So we crossed the street and walked straight into Selfridges' 'Wonder Room'. What a difference from there to here, the door took us straight to the TAG Heuer counter where a very friendly salesman engaged me in conversation abut my orange and black CAU2012 Calibre 16 Formula One and was only too happy to let me try on the aforementioned blue phantom Aquaracer.

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There were two main reasons for trying this one on, for one thing I wanted to get a feel for how the WAY208C might feel should I ever decide to buy one without being able to try it on first, and second... I really want to like this watch, but it doesn't really work. If you look at some pictures on the internet they show the blue on the dial really popping, but in reality it doesn't, it's just really muddy and phantom-like. I get that with the grey phantom, but here it doesn't really come together and this picture (above) really shows what the watch is actually like.

I really want it to look more like this, but it just doesn't - which is a shame. And the lume seemed very weak as well, which was disappointing, and odd, since the WAY208C seems to have great lume.

Selfridges also had the camouflage Aquaracer which is another model I really, really like, but I can't abide that strap. Rich suggested getting a black nylon strap with blue stitching which is fitted to a steel cased Aquaracer from the same range, but I'm not sure if it would fit since I believe the Camo model is 43mm and the Aquaracer we were looking at was 41mm. If they made that Aquaracer in a 43mm version then that could be an option though...

We spent quite a long time in Selfridges', which has an amazing selection of just about every watch brand you can think of: Hublots, Bretilings, Corums, Girard Perregaux, Tudors, Carl F Bucherers, Roger Dubuis, Piaget, Chopard, Cartier, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Frederique Constant, Tissot... though I must admit I don't think they had Omega or Patek watches in there.

They did have Bulgari though and we got to see a few examples of the amazing Finissimo (we also saw the 'tourbillon' version pictured below, but not until we visited Bond St later).

As a rule, I don't like to waste people's time, and so generally I don't try on watches that I can't potentially afford to buy. My thinking is that I will try on a £8,000 watch, because if I absolutely fall in love with it, then potentially I could save for it, and so to me that means I'm not wasting the salesman's time. On the other hand I won't try on a £14,000 watch, because realistically that's not something I'm going to be able to afford in the near future 

However, we were looking at the Audemar Piguet Royal Oaks and a very friendly lady came up to us and started asking us if we wanted to try one on and since I've never tried a Royal Oak on before I suddenly got very bold and decided I was going to give it a go.

In a way, I think it's sometimes dangerous to try on watches that are beyond your means, because if you totally fall in love with it, it could mean that you become a little dissatisfied with what you have and what you can realistically afford. The Royal Oak I tried on was a shade under £22,000 and I was very impressed with it, but thankfully it didn't 'ruin me for cheaper watches' or anything. Which isn't to say that I didn't love it, because I did, I just think that I have a kind of inner reality check which stops me getting too carried away. I think the same thing happened when I got the opportunity to try on the Monaco 24 Concept watch years ago, I knew I couldn't afford it, so I didn't allow myself to get too about it.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Vampire'

However, I was very impressed, and should the day come when I have some seriously chunky amounts of cash available to spend on watches, I think I would certainly consider an AP Royal Oak Off Shore. I know Rich was totally blown away by it as well, an incredible watch.

I looked to see if they still had the Royal Oak Ceramic Concept watch (£160,000), not that I was going to try it on... just wanted to show Rich, but sadly it had gone. Our friendly sales lady confided that they weren't able to order it either, apparently most of the bigger watch companies just send them watches to sell and they should think themselves lucky... interesting to know!

From here we made our way back down Oxford Street before veering off at some point in the hope of finding Avery Row. We followed a road which looked promising and as luck would have it at the end, right in front of us was a very narrow little passage leading to Avery Row.

This was a part of London I had never been to before and the reason for this detour was to find the Watchfinder branch situated there.

By this time it was raining quite a bit and we were glad to find it and get inside, but damn if this place wasn't a HUGE disappointment. Canary Wharf was a bit of a let down compared to the Royal Exchange, but this one was pathetic. I don't think they could have had more than fifty watches in the whole place and we barely stayed five minutes. I didn't even notice the five TAGs they had until I went back outside and saw them in the other window... I can't remember exactly what they had, but there was a PVD coated Monaco and a not very nice gold bezel, steel bracelet Aquaracer from about ten years ago.

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Rather dejected, we returned to the miserable rain and trooped along until we found the back of the Breitling boutique on Bond Street. I visited this boutique last year with my wife and tried on the excellent lightweight Avenger Hurricane 45mm, this time I got to try on the Breitling Chronomat 44 Jet Team, which is a limited edition of 500 pieces and looks and feels fantastic on the wrist.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, this is also slightly out of my immediate price range... I think it was around the £7,200 mark, or something like that. A lot of money, but a very cool watch. Once again the sales lady in there was absolutely charming and wasn't remotely phased by our (wet) jeans and T-shirts. 

We had a good look around the boutique before setting off again, it was starting to get dark now and we were getting hungry, so we didn't really visit anywhere else on Bond Street. We did look in a few windows, including the Opera Gallery where we saw a very neat picture of a horse made out of the ends of paintbrushes and also a large scale face made up of what looked like bike chains (incidentally, this is where I saw the Alec Monopoly sculpture last year).

And so we came to Richoux on Picadilly which is a lovely Edwardian restaurant and patisserie where we enjoyed the Richoux Cheese Burger. I really wanted a carrot cake (highly recommended) but I couldn't manage it and after a suitable rest we crossed the road and wandered up Burlington Arcade.

I'd never been up Burlington Arcade before and it was surprising how long it was... it seemed to go on and on. It was also quite dark and lit mainly by tree lights outside the shopfronts, so in a way it kind of feels like it's open air since the roof is so high.

We spotted a Hublot boutique in there with some nice pieces, including a sapphire case Big Bang. Also, further along there was a vintage Heuer Monaco with a blue dial on offer for £29,000... personally I'd take the Royal Oak Off Shore and £7,000 in the pocket without a moment's hesitation! But still... it was interesting to see a pukka old Monaco (with it's original red box no less).

We also spotted a vintage Bulgari snake watch which was interesting as we had seen the most up-to-date incarnation in Bond Street just a short time before.

Leaving Burlington Arcade we crossed back over the road and took a short walk down to Fortnum and Mason. Rich had never been here before so it was just a quick walk in to get a feel for the place and then back out and down to Green Park to catch the tube to Kensington.

Our ultimate destination of course was the Harrods watch room, but first we made a slight detour through the (very polluted) streets up to the Seiko boutique, which was somewhere neither of us had been before.

This was one shop where Rich probably knew more about the watches than I did, since I'm not terribly into the Seiko range. There were some nice watches in there to be fair, but it seems a bit strange that you would pay £4000 for a Seiko and that's not even getting into the Grand Seiko stuff. It's a slightly odd boutique in that the prices start at around £300 for some of the basic models, although some of them are quite nice too, there was one particular model with a dark grey bezel and a Submarineresque aesthetic which I quite liked and another with a very smart blue to black fading dial with a very cool and intricate wave pattern on it.

Again the staff in here were very nice and respectful and one lady in particular was super friendly without being in the slightest bit pushy. We probably stayed for about a quarter of an hour and then headed back down the Brompton Road, along the front of Harrods to the far side and entered the door. We slipped through the fine jewellery room, fully focused on our goal and trying not to be dazzled and sidetracked by the incredible Harry Winston and Piaget creations.

We arrived at the usual bottle-neck next to the Rolex store and I was somewhat confused. Where last year there had been a room full of boutiques there was now a big hole in the floor and a sweeping staircase down to the new watch room. But, at the top of the stairs there remained the Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Cartier and Richard Mille booths. Richard Mille's new booth was particularly tiny and I wonder if this is a temporary measure as I don't believe the watch room renovation has been completed as yet.

I think there were six Richard Mille pieces on display in all, albeit most of those were ladies watches covered in diamonds and there seemed to be no 'classic' Richard Mille 'RM35' type watches available to look at. Amazingly, even here, gawking at watches that cost more than our houses (probably) the salesman was 100% professional and greeted us on entry.

We headed downstairs and into the (quite busy) Hublot boutique, more crazy watches were to be found including the Depeche Mode watch and the skeletonised Ferrari model.

The Depeche Mode watch looked a lot better in the flesh than it does in pictures and it comes in a colossal box with the Depeche Mode logo on the top. I could be funny and say it's the best thing Depeche Mode have done since Alan Wilder left, but I won't. And actually it's not true, there was one good song on 'Playing the Angel' after all. :)

The Ferrari watch is really something, but sadly at £107,000 it's something else that won't be gracing my collection any time soon, but it does serve to make the AP look rather reasonable in comparison.

We checked out the Panerai boutique, and the elegant A Lange and Sohne pieces, where again a splendid chap told us he would be more than happy to help us with any questions, even though it must have been clear to him that neither of us looked likely to be in a position to splurge £168,000 on a timepiece...

As we'd already been to a Breitling boutique we gave that a miss, but had a quick look at the TAG Heuer collection (just in case there was a WAY208C knocking about) and the Tudors, including the Black Bay Harrods numbered edition, which I had never heard of but which Rich seemed to know about. The piece they had there was number 38, apparently Tudor doesn't do 'limited editions', so it's an open ended run. I thought it looked rather nice I must admit and at £2700 it looks like good value for money.

There was one more place I was looking forward to taking Rich, and that was Roger Dubuis. In a day that was sometimes a little disappointing (not least being too full for carrot cake in Richoux), thankfully Roger Dubuis lived up to expectations and even provided us with the new Aventador S to dribble over.

Limited to just 88 pieces in yellow (and eight in orange IIRC) this is something quite remarkable and certainly caught my attention. Again, at $185,000 it's not something I will ever get to own... but critically, the sales lady was polite and asked if we knew the brand and if we owned any of their pieces. Also on show was one of the 'Knights of the Round Table' watches and a quadruple tourbillon Excaliber piece which was as incredible as it was oversized!

I know I'm banging on about the service a lot today and yes I am trying to make a point, that obviously being that of all the crazy watch stores we went in, the only one were we felt a little uncomfortable was TAG Heuer. If I can walk into a boutique where watches cost nearly as much as my house and be made to feel welcomed, then surely it shouldn't be asking too much to feel welcome in the flagship store of the 'affordable luxury' brand that I champion and defend over all others (and crucially, that I own and continue to buy).

Okay, maybe it was partly that we were expecting too much, and I will definitely go back. But on the day I would happily have bought TAGs from Harrods, Goldsmiths or Selfridges, but it would have taken something quite special to have made me part with money in the TAG boutique itself, and as we've already ascertained all the WAY208Cs are gone.

Overall, and despite some minor disappointments it was a fantastic day, but suddenly around 7pm we started to feel very tired and decided it was time to start the long journey home. According to Rich's phone we'd walked about 9 miles and about 19,000 steps, no wonder our legs are still aching!