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!

VIDEO: Monaco Calibre 12 Three Month Review by Jesse Reviews

OWNED: TAG Heuer Microtimer

From the moment I first clapped eyes on a Microtimer, I wanted one. My wife, it has to be said, was not convinced - at all, but since I've had it, she's rather changed her mind. I still don't think she likes it anywhere near as much as she likes my Heuer01, but she definitely likes it a lot more than she did.

If anything, my appreciation for the watch has only grown since I picked this up last February on eBay for about £650. It was a bit more scratched than the pictures really gave away, but as I can now tell you, this is a difficult watch to photograph. I mean, I'm no photographer, far from it, but this one is tough!

So, within a week of it arriving, it was dispatched to my local TAG dealer to have it polished. It cost about £100 if I remember correctly, but it came back in incredible condition, and with no discernible deterioration of the stamped logos on the face and clasp.

Sadly, it must be said, even with the very minimal wear that I have given this, the case just picks up marks like no other watch I've ever had. It doesn't actually have any scratches as such, but if you look in some of these pictures you can see above the dial there's a kind of mark which looks like a smear or fingerprint, but it's actually some sort of light abrasion. I must admit, if there's one thing I don't like about this piece then it's definitely this aspect. In a way, I know it wouldn't look as cool, but it might have been a better choice to have given it a brushed finish.

Oddly, I was reading an old QP last night (from 2004) which was talking about the launch of the prototype Microtimer (and the Monaco Sixty Nine) at Baselworld and they were saying that the watch was supposed to be manufactured from something called 'LiquidMetal' which is apparently nigh-on impossible to scratch... I can only assume there was some reason why they didn't make it out of this, because if there's one thing this watch isn't, it's scratchproof!

At first the extremely wide strap is a bit weird, but once you get used to it it's actually very comfortable and serves to soften the 'squareness' of the watch. Also, because the watch face is curved that also makes the watch a lot more ergonomic - ideal for those of you who find the flat, square Monacos a bit of-putting (anyone?).

The deployment clasp is good, with the twin button system rather than friction fit, but it does take a while to settle if you adjust the rubber strap. It seems to need the strap to flatten down before it will bite properly, but once you've got it right it works fine. Occasionally you might need to get a finger under the clasp to give it a firmer press to secure it, but for the most part it works as intended and again is very comfortable.

The Microtimer sits very nicely on the wrist, but I do tend to wear it more in the Winter than the Summer. For one thing the wide rubber strap is a little sweaty in the hot weather, and also I find it works really well with a log sleeve shirt. It slides easily under the cuff and just looks the business, whereas with a short sleeve it doesn't seem to work quite as well. Part of that though is me being worried about picking up scratches I think, and obviously a long sleeve gives a better level of protection which makes wearing it a little more relaxing.

Speaking of scratches, you may notice a nasty scratch on my arm which came courtesy of one of my cats, called 'Mr Biver'.

Mr Jean Claude Biver & Mr Biver

'Mr Biver' started life as Poppy... and then the vet told us he was a boy (despite his vet card saying he was a girl!) so we changed it to Chester, which didn't stick and finally Mr Biver (the wife wouldn't go for Hublot of Vacheron...). Anyway, Mr Biver is a lovely cat, but he really doesn't like being picked up and tends to wriggle and accidentally scratch, definitely not a good idea to pick him up when wearing a nice watch, and definitely not when wearing a Microtimer!

In the interests of fairness, I should add that my other cat is called Ming, and she's about as hard to photograph as the Microtimer! But I digress...

Amazingly, I think, apart from my everyday Formula One that I wear to work, I probably wear this watch more than all my others. As I said, it does tend to be my default Winter watch, and I think for that reason I tend to prioritise it during the colder months, to the detriment of some of the others. For example, I haven't worn my black and orange CAU2012 Calibre 16 Formula One for a good few months, conversely that to me is a Summer watch to be worn with a short sleeve, so in a way they complement each other.

The Microtimer has a plethora of functions (none of which I really use) including, most impressively, a 1/1000th of a second chronograph, but also, a lap timer with memory function, two time zones, an alarm (which works) and a very good backlight (which also works). Also, as you can see in the pictures, the display is a negative which looks very cool and much better than the ladies version which has a more traditional 'positive' display.

There's a lot of things I like about this watch, and another one is the TAG Heuer logo stamped into the case below the dial. It's perfectly sized, not too big to be distasteful, in fact it's quite subtle, but I would definitely miss it if it wasn't there and I was mightily relieved when it came back from the polisher that it hadn't been adversely affected.

I have to say, although I wanted one from the moment I saw one, I did wonder if the allure would wear off, after all, this is a digital watch at the end of the day (albeit a very high end one), but I can honestly say I would probably consider this one of my top three watches. I mean, that tends to change throughout the year, but in any case I don't think I will ever sell this (unlike David from Calibre 11 who has bought and sold three or four of the things), my only worry is that it will go wrong and will TAG be able to fix it if it does?

Prices vary dramatically, low end seems to be about £600, but you can pay up to £1400 or so if you go to a proprietary Watch re-seller. But bear in mind this is one watch that does not look good when it's scratched, so either make sure you get one in good condition or factor in the cost of a refurb.

VIDEO: One of the Rarest TAG Heuer Watches Ever Produced by UK Specialist Watches

FEATURE: The 'Best' Worst Fake I've Seen Yet...

As we all know, shopping on eBay for luxury goods is something to be approached with caution. Often the knowledgeable buyer can spot a fake a mile away simply because the item has clearly never been made, but with TAG's propensity for making special versions of otherwise standard watches (slightly modified dials for sale in specific markets, with fish, playing cards or city skylines spring immediately to mind) and not really telling anyone about it, sometimes one needs to do a little research to clarify the authenticity of the piece.

And then there are the real gems, watches so unbelievably bad that they are hilarious. Here then is one of those watches. At first it just looks wrong, but the more you look at it the more wrong it becomes...

The copper dial is unusual, but on it's own, not enough to be dismissed out of hand, but the green applied markers, look all kind of wrong. Then there's the bezel, it looks like it's made of pewter or possibly plasticine. Then there's the whole 'striaghtness', or rather lack of it. Sure the bezel isn't centered, but the whole dial is wonky.

Then there's the bracelet and clasp... how long is that thing?

And look at the thickness of those links, truly exceptional workmanship...

I must admit, normally I'm the first to hit the 'Report' button (not that it always does any good), especially when I see something I fear might be good enough to trick the unwary out of serious money. But this is so bad, I simply couldn't be bothered... not only is it obviously fake, but it's hideous, and frankly anyone who finds this attractive in any way at all deserves to lose their money. Mind you I can't see it climbing too much from it's £5.99 asking price anyway, which in itself should be a red flag!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2016 Carrera Collection by Horology Middle East

FEATURE: Why This Pic Could Lead to my Next Purchase...

A friend of mine forwarded an article to me the other day, which led to me reading through a lot of TAG related articles on WatchPro Site and ultimately corresponding with a great guy there called Todd. Todd sent me this photo of his 100th and 101st Daytona 500 Carrera Heuer 01s, and what a lovely pair of watches they are!

While I'm not likely to purchase a Daytona 500 model, this is a good comparison between the original Heuer 01 and the newer 'Drive Timer' version. The key differences of course are the Arabic numerals, the ceramic bezel and the leather strap and it's interesting to note how these details change the overall look of the piece.

And there's the rub, because as you collect more watches you become aware that you don't really want to buy pieces that are too similar in appearance to the ones you already have, but here with the changes they've made I think these two, though undeniably similar, are distinct enough to make it worth owning both.

This does put me in a bit of a quandary in a way, because equally I could get a Red Bull Drive Timer, which is steel and blue and so looks more 'different', but... I really like black and red, so that's a tough choice to make. Thankfully I don't have the cash available as yet to put me in the position to choose, and of course there's plenty of time for something else to crop up (and that new Formula 1 is certainly tempting), especially as Baselworld is starting very soon.

The other option, as I mentioned the other day, could be the Heuer01 with the gold lugs and hour markers, but that's a fair bit more expensive again...

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Ladies Quartz Formula One Range for 2018

WBJ1312.FC8231  WBJ1311.BA0666  WBJ1317.FC8230  WBJ1416.BA0664  WBJ1411.FC8232

These are the new ladies Formula One quartz watches for 2018. Available in a combination of 32 and 35mm sizes, these represent a distinct modernising of the women's range with what appear to be Panerai style sandwich dials on some of the pieces.

I think the pick of the bunch here is definitely the steel and blue model, and for my money the steel and blue with the bracelet and diamond bezel. I think the least successful would be the black one, it seems a bit anonymous apart from the gold hands and diamond indices, the case just seems to disappear into the background, but maybe it will look better on the wrist and in natural light. Perhaps it's just that it looks like a less exciting version of the black Lady Link that came out recently?

Prices start at £850 for the leather strap models which seems like a good value price point to me.

VIDEO: Jean Claude Biver Talks Business Before Big Announcement by Watches TV

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula One Chronograph Quartz in Red/Black

CAZ101E.BA0842

Just browsing the TAG Heuer website and came across this lovely new quartz Formula One piece, while basically a simple colour variation on the blue and white 'Red Bull', I think this is a welcome addition to the range and is available on both a steel bracelet and the now ubiquitous NATO strap.

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Sizing on these watches is 43mm and the bracelet retails for £1200 exactly, while the NATO version is a little cheaper at £1050. Both watches are rated to 200m, and obviously feature aluminium bezels (nobody should really be expecting ceramic at these prices).

I am still rather taken by the Red Bull model and if one came along at the right price (on a bracelet) I might be inclined to add it to my collection, failing that... this might be a nice alternative.

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FEATURE: What is it About Omega Fanboys?

Yesterday, I was minding my own business, watching and commenting on a You Tube video about the Monza 40th Anniversary, when out of nowhere comes some buffoon who proceeds to address me and says: "That's a nice looking watch, but it will never come near the engineering of an Omega."

For clarity's sake, I'm not 100% sure, but I believe he was referring to the Carrera Heuer01 rather than the Monza. Which makes some difference because the movement in the Monza is an ETA and the Heuer01 is obviously TAG's in house movement.

I must admit I did see red and gave a rather curt response, but hey... what was the point of that exactly. Why bring Omega into the discussion at all? The guy then commented that he wasn't an Omega fanboy and didn't own an Omega (you may remember my recent post where I pointed out that people who say TAG Heuer are an awful watch brand tend never to have owned one... but all know someone who does and it's terrible) but thtat he was just 'stating a fact'.

I just don't get why this is necessary, and why does it only seem to be Omega 'fans' who feel the need to do this. I've never had anyone say to me 'Yeah TAGs are okay, but you should get a Rolex instead', I've never had anyone say 'Ditch those TAGs and get yourself a Breitling' either.

Is it perhaps that Omega fanboys are slightly uncomfortable because they are basically wearing a watch that really, really wants the respect that Rolex gets, but doesn't quite cut it...?

No wait, hear me out... everyone knows Rolex, even people who don't know watches at all know who Rolex is and basically what they stand for. Rolex is like Coke, Ferrari and Nike. Omega isn't. Breitling isn't. TAG Heuer isn't. Even Patek Philippe isn't. Not in the world at large, among the watch geeks it's given massive respect, but out there - hardly anyone has a clue what a Patek Philippe is.

I think what it is, is that Omega fanboys are so angry that their brand doesn't get the respect that Rolex does, and that they know trying to vent their frustrations against Rolex is pointless (because frankly Rolex fanboys are so not bothered, the only thing that gets a Rolex fan excited is a new line of red text on a Submariner) they look for someone else to take it out on, and guess who that is?

But why not Breitling? Oh they probably hate Breitling too, but Breitling is out on it's own in it's own little aerospacial world. Besides, all Breitlings movements are COSC certified, so trying to pick a fight with Breitling fanboys over engineering is pointless. Once you get beyond movements, there's no point arguing with a Breitling fanboy, I mean a lot of their watch designs are pretty bold, some way beyond ugly in fact. Nope, arguing with Breitling fans is a waste of time.

What about Tudor? Well, good as Tudor are they aren't really worth fighting with because they are 'just' a cheap Rolex after all, but TAG. TAG Heuer have the audacity to operate in the sub-£1000 price bracket right up to the £70,000s. How very dare they?

Okay, look, before I go any further I want to say this, I really don't have a problem with Omega at all. I really don't like the classic Speedmasters, because I'm not into the vintage look. However there are a few Omegas I do genuinely like and would love to own.

First of all, I like this Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Deeep Black Co-Axial Master Chronometer GMT (seriously, that's what it's called).

I mean that's a nice looking piece, right? Yes, but it's £8000+.

I was also quite taken with the ceramic Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster, but again it's £8000+

And lastly I really, really liked the Snoopy Limited Edition Speedmaster, but again, huge money and sold out before you could ever see one, and now £12,000+ if you can find someone selling.

So my issue isn't with Omega themselves, I do find their watches generally a little boring, but then I find Rolex's range very boring indeed... but Rolex are all about heritage and optimisation and I admire their commitment to what they do. Omega on the other hand seem a bit unsure about their focus. Do we need another Speedmaster LE? Hell no, but it's not hurting anyone so make as many as you like. But please shut up about the moonlandings... we know already. And the only Apollo missions anyone cares about are 11 and 13, everything else is irrelevant (though Federico sure loves his super rare Apollo 14 Speedmaster).

So, I got a little sidetracked there... so who's left for the Omega fanboys to take out their frustrations on? Longines fans (nobody cares), Oris fans (too insignificant), Mont Blanc fans (too specialist), Grand Seiko fans (way too devoted)... so that leaves those noisy buggers with the red and green shield logo. Many of whom are already at odds with their own brand because of the whole 'Heuer' / 'TAG Heuer' thing and their desire for more vintage and vintage inspired pieces and the whole confusing 'Avant Garde' watchmaking thing.

What's more they are an easy target, look at all those nasty quartz powered Formula Ones cluttering up the jewellers window, never mind that they are entry level pieces aimed at people who want a luxury product but can't (or are unwilling to) afford thousands of pounds for a piece of 'redundant' technology (and also people who can afford higher end pieces, but who find them fun).

Do you know what my Omega fanboy's parting shot was?

"I don't buy anything in your price range, that's for the proletariat."

So what is it, why are Omega fanboys so hot under the collar about TAG Heuer, and why are they so insecure about their own choice of brand?

It seems to me that TAG is a bit like Ford, they make cheap cars and they make expensive cars. Omega is a bit like Audi, it's doing really really well, but it actually wants to be Mercedes, but there's only one Mercedes and that's Rolex. Breitling is a bit like Volvo, it does what it does in it's own funny way and no amount of sniggering is going to change any of their fans minds.

I think perhaps, Omega man is most likely an Audi driver, and he probably can't believe when someone rocks up beside him in a top of the range Ford, and can't help himself from criticising the owner's choice of marque. Never mind that the Ford is packing a lot of features that the Audi driver doesn't have for the same money, and indeed can't get without spending a hell of a lot more money.

Okay, I'll stop now before I alienate anyone else. Again I don't have a problem with Omega watches, I'm sure they're very good watches (although I did hear a horror story about some Omega movements from a man in Goldsmith's not so long ago...) but then they should be because they cost roughly 50% more than for a comparable TAG Heuer watch! I think next time someone drops their Omega B/S on me in a comment that will be my retort.

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Launch Two Las Vegas Limited Edition Carrera Heuer 01s

CAR2A1G.FC6400

It seems sometimes that barely a week can go by without a new Limited Edition TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 appearing, but for the most part (to me anyway) they all seem rather nice, and these Las Vegas Limited Editions are no exception.

This first 45mm model (CAR2A1G.FC6400) features black-gold plated markers and hands and a special 'roulette' flange around the outside of the dial and comes on a black alligator strap with red stitching and a titanium deployment clasp. This model is limited to 77 pieces and costs $6,200

CAR2A1E.FC6400

The second model is largely the same, but in this instance it's limited to just 7 pieces and costs $9,900. The difference comes with the bezel which is set with 64 x 1.50carat and 64 x 1.40carat black diamonds. There is also apparently a Las Vegas motif on the sapphire caseback of both models, although unfortunately I don't have a picture of that to share with you currently.

Perhaps some people get a bit annoyed by the endless stream of 'special editions' but I really don't mind them at all. In fact my main gripe (apart from the obvious one about not having the funds to buy them all) is that they all seem to be very market specific and no doubt these will only be sold in Las Vegas itself - which is fair enough I suppose, but it does mean that even if I did decide to spring for one I'd have to factor in the price of an air fare and a stop-over.

I know there have been UK special editions in the past and I'm sure there will be again in the future, especially now that TAG have their own London boutique open on Oxford Street, so I guess we'll have to see what comes along. Hopefully TAG won't fall into the cliched trap of thinking we want a Heuer01 with a Union Jack on the dial or a London skyline, but looking at these models it seems modern design is thankfully moving more towards the more subtle. After all, if you can make a tasteful looking Las Vegas model, then you must be doing something right.

I think for my money I would go with the ceramic bezel version, not that I have a particular problem with the black diamond version, but I really like the way the tachymetre looks on my own Heuer01 and I think I'd miss it if it wasn't there.

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FEATURE: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer01 CAR205A.FT6087

As my war chest continues to slowly grow, I keep looking round for inspiration. I'm at the point now where I could purchase a wide range of Aquaracers and some of the cheaper Carrera models, and of course there's always the lower end pre-owned Grand Carreras... but, right now if I had the money I think I would buy this gorgeous gold-lugged Carrera Heuer 01.

Yes, you can level the same criticism at this as I have at many other Heuer 01's, that it's too similar to my 'original' Heuer 01, but in some ways it looks like a completely different watch. For a start the gold markers on the dial pop like crazy, not something you can really say about the original version.

Also, it very much appears to have a ceramic bezel, which mine doesn't. Admittedly I'm not mad, crazy about ceramic because in my (limited) experience it seems to to be constantly covered in fingermarks, but somehow with the gold I can't imagine it any other way. It simply looks 'right'.

I'm not sold on the gold bezel version at all, this to me presents a much better contrast between black and gold, and it has just the right amount of gold and in just the right places. Giving the watch a gold bezel seems to me to detract from the face, whereas this one accentuates the face and allows those gold markers to really stand out.

If they made this with the new leather straps then that would make it even more difficult to resist, as it would distinguish it even more from the Heuer01 I already own, but I don't dislike it on the rubber (which I know is a GREAT strap). My only possible issue, is that judging by the picture above it looks like the watch is fitted with a silver buckle... please tell me this isn't so? If so, I would have to sort that out straight away, because that would be horrible, especially when they clearly have black buckles available. Still, I'm sure a dealer would accommodate me if I was willing to buy one of these, given the price tag of over £7000.

I can't remember ever really liking any other gold watch... ever, so this one is clearly something special. But as ever, it's a case of funding such a purchase, and (assuming I don't buy an Aquaracer in the near future) once I've got the funds in place, will I be able to resist the lure of the black and silver Monaco 24 or the Grand Carrera Caliper?

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FEATURE: The Alec Monopoly TAG Heuer Formula One

As the saying goes, 'hindsight is always 20/20' and it appears that in the case of the Alec Monopoly Limited Edition that holds especially true.

When the watch was launched a month or two ago, I was undecided. I kinda liked it, but wasn't prepared to put my money where my mouth was, partly because I didn't want another basic quartz Formula One and partly because I wasn't entirely sure how it was going to fair on the second hand market. Indeed, I must admit I was rather hoping one of the 200 pieces might rock up on Watchfinder at some point for £800 or so...

Well, it appears that hope is somewhat forlorn, because while the watches have been turning up on eBay (and crucially selling) far from taking a hit, they are fetching three times their original price!

Which means, not only did I miss out on potentially making myself a tidy profit, but now I will most likely never own one because I will be competing with the Alec Monopoly fans rather than the TAG Heuer buyers (who probably wouldn't have paid over the odds).

So the question is, should we have seen this coming? Did we just totally underestimate Alec Monopoly's fan-base and draw?

I must admit I was (still am) pretty ignorant about Alec, although I do remember seeing one of his sculptures in a gallery in Bond Street. I think for most of us TAG fans, Alec was just another one of the endless 'brand ambassadors' we neither wanted nor understood, and even worse this guy was just a graffiti artist who liked to cover his face and vandalize diamond encrusted Carrera Tourbillons!

Well, these days, as we know... a measure of one's success is how many followers one has on social media, and in this regard Alec is doing well with 39,100 followers on Instagram. Perhaps then, 200 watches was a pretty easy sell? After all, I dare say Alec's original art is probably out of the reach of most people's pockets so what cooler thing to own than a very limited Swiss watch at a very reasonable price (the Alec Monopoly Ltd was sold at basically the same price as the standard model).

You know, the more I look at it, the more I like it and the more I feel I should have realised this was going to be something of value. I mean look at it, yes I know some people hate it, and everything it represents, but can you point to any other TAG Heuer that is so unique and appeals to the market beyond watch afficionados.

I did kind of feel that it might be an investment, but I wasn't sure and equally I thought it might fall flat on it's face and I didn't want to take the risk. And as we all know, buying watches as investments is generally a terrible idea, so I erred on the side of caution and now I'm left to rue my mistake.

Worst of all, I think even if the price had tanked, I think the watch has grown on me so much that I think I would have bought one anyway... but now that's not going to happen. Which is a shame.

On top of all that, I actually found this artwork that Alec did that I actually quite like...

Still, who knows what the long term price of the watch will be. It could be that these early re-sales are abberations and the price will settle eventually as more come onto the market. Maybe in a few years it will be possible to pick one up at a much more reasonable price, but that will probably depend to a large degree on the career arc of Mr Monopoly, because I believe this watch will not obey usual watch rules and the value will be driven by his fans and not TAG Heuer fans.

https://www.instagram.com/alecmonopolyart/?hl=en

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