BUYING EXPERIENCE: Aquaracer Calibre S Yellow Dial CAF7013.BA0815

CAF7013.BA0815

Long term readers may remember that I almost bought this watch (on a rubber strap) last year from Bicester Village, but in the end I decided to buy by CAU2012 Formula One instead, and then of course it disappeared never to be seen again.

Once I decided that I wanted one of these I enquired with Tom at Bicester Village, but unfortunately he was unable to source one for me. So it was back to eBay which didn't offer up much... there were two available, one from Japan with some damage to the upper left lug and scratches to the bezel and one other which was about £1250, but again with significant scratches to the bezel.

While I wanted one, I wasn't about to buy one that had a damaged bezel because I know it would irritate me and I would end up having to shell out for a new bezel sooner or later. Then, it occurred to me to try Chrono24, which is a site I don't really look at. Instantly, there it was, being sold be... Watchfinder. 

Wait, Watchfinder?

Sure enough I go to the Watchfinder site and there it is, they must have literally put it up in the last couple of days because I'm always looking on that site. And as luck would have it, this week they have a 'Make us an Offer' thing going on.

To be honest, I would have happily paid the £1275 it was listed for, but I thought I might as well save a few quid if possible. So I offered them £1150, which I thought was reasonable without taking the Mickey, and my offer was accepted.

So yesterday, as it happened, my wife and I were off to London to view the Ferrari 'Under the Skin' exhibition at the Design Museum and also to see 'Massive Ego' playing at the 02 Islington Academy, which gave me the perfect opportunity to fetch my watch from the tiny store on Avery Row.

Also, my wife had been looking at an Omega Seamaster on the Watchfinder site, and so we arranged to view that at the same time. Unfortunately, it looked green in the pictures, but in reality it was a very insipid blue and honestly it was hard to see the dial because the colours were so weak, it really was one of the dullest looking watches I've ever seen - and I'm not just saying that because it was an Omega - honest!

Like an absolute rank amateur, in my haste to purchase, I failed to notice if there was a box and a manual, and once the sale was processed the listing was gone so I couldn't tell. So, since I was going to a gig I decided to wear the watch and if there wasn't a box then at least I wouldn't have to carry it around with me.

We arrived at the store and were met by a nice guy (I didn't get his name) who then promptly disappeared off for some time to find the watches. We feared the worst and expected him to say they'd been sent to Canary Wharf, but in the end he came back with them and all was good. My wife pretty much took one look at the Omega and decided against it, while I inspected my new purchase closely.

There is one little ding on the bezel just on the edge of the black ring, right underneath the lume pip. At first I was bit annoyed, but after wearing it for a couple of hours I reasoned it really wasn't that noticeable. I really have to get over my hang ups on 'perfect' watches!

Watchfinder did have a pristine box and a manual (the manual is more important here, believe me) and they also gave me a very smart Watchfinder branded dust bag to keep them in! Unfortunately they couldn't shed much light on how to operate the watch, our man asked the other guy in there for some guidance but he said that the Calibre S was the one watch he'd never been able to get his head round. Indeed, this is the only watch I've ever owned with instructions printed on the backplate (not that they mean much).

As it happens, I did know how to operate the chrongraph and I played with the watch a bit on the train home. To initiate the chrono, what you do is press the crown in, this sets all three hands to the 12 position and the other hands to zero. You operate the chrono as you would on most normal watches, top pusher for start and stop, bottom pusher for reset. I presume it's a 12 hour chrono since it uses all three hands, and when you stop it the two small hands at the bottom jump to indicate 10th and 100ths.

You can leave the chrono running and revert to standard time as well, which is pretty cool, and when the watch is in time mode the small hands indicate the date. Clever stuff! Unfortunately the hands were showing the 22nd all day yesterday so the watch clearly needs to be reset, which is why I'm so glad I've got the manual. This is a perpetual calendar I believe so the watch needs to be told what year it is, I'm sure this will be fun!

I quite like the watch on the bracelet, it was pretty comfortable wearing it all day yesterday, but I do have the rubber strap on order because I think it looks great with the yellow dial and, of course, it will also fit on the chronotimer I bought last week. Wow, it seems a lot longer than a week since I was driving up to Sheffield...

All in all, I'd have to say I'm pretty impressed with Watchfinder's service so far, and I have their warranty for a year so hopefully, if I can get this watch set up properly, all shall be well!

VIDEO: Watch Collecting - TAG Heuer the Barack Obama Watch

FEATURE: What is it with Omega Fan Boys - Part 2

This guy...

1) Yes TAG's prices are a bit high, but, there are plenty of instances of the same movements being used in watches that are vastly different in price. Comparing a TAG with a Christopher Ward is a bit of a joke, 99% of people have no clue who Christopher Ward is.

2) Yes everybody loved the haute horlogerie pieces, and I think they should have continued. But the trickle down is probably not that effective (outside the watch community - which you acknowledge is largely irrelevant in the wider scheme of things) and those pieces, which almost no one could afford to buy, certainly don't have the same impact as a £12,000 tourbillon in your local jeweller.

3) Don't be criticising TAG for their ambassadors, when your pet brand pays an absolute fortune to be associated with a 'fictional' character.

4) Yes TAG have quartz pieces in their collection, they provide a range of products to appeal to a variety of ages and pockets. Fair enough if you don't like quartz watches, nobody is making you buy them, but do you really expect TAG to discontinue the Formula One line just to appease the watch snobs?

As I said before, this is typical Omega fanboy behaviour, going out of his way to criticise TAG for no reason, other than to pander to watch snobs who share your opinions and promote your channel.

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Amazingly, the guy has responded to my comments on his channel...

Well I'd argue that in an ideal world that you shouldn't pay for brand at all but I realise that's unrealistic. I know that TAG was never basing their entire business on the haute horlogerie collection however it was still disappointing to see if get less focus. Having James Bond as an ambassador is dumb, but at least when a fictional character is promoting a brand you know it's pure marketing.

VIDEO: 1997 TAG Heuer Formula One by Birth Year Watches

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer 1000 Series Diver 980.913N

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Way back when I started my gallery blog, I spent many an hour trawling through websites and catalogues trying to find as many TAGs as possible, and one which caught my eye at the time was this beautiful red bezel, red dial 1000 Series diver. 

Not that I've been seriously looking, but I've not come across one of these since, until a week or so ago when one came up on eBay. All these photographs are from the listing for that watch which eventually sold for a tidy £800. 

I contacted the owner (Terry) because there was no mention of size, and I was really hoping it would be at least 40mm... Terry kindly sent me a couple of pictures of the watch next to a rule, but these only confirmed my fears that the watch was a little on the small side for my 7.75" wrist. It looks to be about 36mm to me, much too small for me unfortunately. 38mm really is my absolute limit. I must admit I was a little bit gutted.

Overall the watch looks in great condition, but there are a couple of places where there is some wear, the most noticeable of these being just above the bezel on the top left lug. I think I could have got over that if the watch had been 40mm, but sadly it seems like this is one of those watches I will have to admire from afar.

Terry owned the watch from new, he bought it in August 1991 from Mappin & Webb in Selfridges, London. The watch was sold with the original boxes, booklets and the receipt. It also came with the full original bracelet (including spare links) and Terry says the watch has never been touched save for battery changes (done by TAG stockists, and while he worked in London, at Harrods).

The watch also came with a 95 page TAG Heuer catalogue from the period which showed the watch, which is always a nice thing to have. Terry said he had considered selling the catalogue separately, and I kind of wished he had because I would definitely have been interested in that, but in the end he decided to include it in the watch sale, which is fair enough I guess.

I never asked Terry how much he originally paid for the watch, I notice he photographed the receipt but framed it so the price wasn't visible. Thinking about it, it's entirely possible that he might have owned the watch for 26 years and then sold the watch for more than he paid for it, if so what a result!

But at the same time I think £800 is a result for the buyer too, as they are getting a rare and beautiful early TAG Heuer 200m diver for less than the price of a modern Formula One quartz. 

PHOTO CALL: The Collection as of 12th March 2018

FRONT ROW: Formula One Kirium

ROW TWO: Aquagraph / Aquaracer Chronotimer

ROW THREE: Formula One Calibre 16 / Microtimer / Carrera Heuer01

BACK ROW: 6000 Series / Formula One Quartz

I keep meaning to do a full blown 'State of the Collection' post, not just of my watches but of everything TAG Heuer related that I've accumulated... and I will, but it's going to take a little time to put together. So in the meantime, here's a (not very good) photo of all eight watches taken today. 

Also, over at Calibre 11, forum member 'dtf' suggested a post comparing the new Aquaracer Chronotimer with the Formula One Kirium, I think this is an excellent idea since they contain the same ani/digi module, but I think I need to spend a little more time with the Chronotimer before comparing it to my very first TAG Heuer... I wore it today though, and I'm still loving it so far.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Autavia 85th Anniversary Review by Watch Box Reviews

SPOTLIGHT ON: Aquaracer Automatic Chronograph CAF2113

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It's amazing how you can stumble onto things on eBay that you've never seen (or perhaps) noticed before. I was searching for the elusive CAF7103 just now and happened upon someone selling this watch in unworn condition for under £1000. This seems something of a bargain given that it's an automatic (though I don't know which calibre it uses - I'm guessing Calibre 16 given the dial layout).

It's funny that I haven't noticed it in a way because usually my attention is grabbed by anything with a colourful second hand and this one has not one but three orange hands. The case is 41mm (so a little smaller than my recently purchased Chronotimer), but that's still a decent size and it does have a lovely dial.

I really like that it doesn't have a cyclops as well, that's definitely a bonus as far as I'm concerned, and indeed if I wasn't pretty much stuck on getting that CAF7013 Aquaracer then I might have been tempted by this.

A quirky little feature I've noticed is the N.E.S.W. markings on the bezel, I don't know how much use that would really be, but it looks quite cool and to be honest at first glance it just looks like a tachymetre. 

I must say that now I've finally got an Aquaracer, I'm quite enamoured of the case and I particularly like these ones with the black bezel inserts. I've seen lots of pictures of these before and they definitely live up to their promise, to be honest I think I prefer them to the newer Aquaracer models, they seem to convey a more luxurious feel somehow.

I'll post the link to the eBay sale below, as always I can't vouch for the seller and I have no connection with them. But it looks a great deal for somebody (just not me at the present time!).

CAF2113 ON EBAY

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Classic Carrera Review by Watchbox Watch Reviews

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Aquaracer Chronotimer Quartz Watch

CAF1010.BA0821

Long time readers of the blog will know that for some time now I've been mulling over the prospect of saving up for and purchasing the Monaco 24 CAL5113 from one of the TAG outlets here in the UK. The price has fluctuated from £6,000 down to £4,300 and is now back up at £5,100. Up until a few weeks ago... well actually, up until maybe two weeks ago that was my long term plan, I had about £2700, and a way to go, but that was the plan.

But then something changed, I visited the Bicester store and tried the Monaco on again and while I do like it, I just don't think it gets me going enough to shell out that kind of money for it. I know it's a bargain at that price, but being a bargain isn't enough when you are talking in these terms. I spent the money on the Heuer01 skeleton because the moment I saw it, I knew I had to have it - that's just not the case with the Monaco. I like it a lot, but... it's not going to give me sleepless nights.

So I started weighing up my options and bought myself a nice 6000 series for a pretty small amount of money and then somehow I started thinking about Aquaracers again, and in particular the yellow dial Calibre S. Searching eBay for these (nothing much at the moment) I came across the CAF1010, another model that I'd never actually seen and the more I looked at it the more I liked it. A while back I started pondering the possibility of getting one of those Breitling Aerospace watches, and this has a similar aesthetic, with the digital readouts etc.

I also kind of wanted to get some more bracelet watches into my collection because I do have a slight excess of rubber straps, and while I'm not averse to the idea of getting a FT8011 for this, since I'm likely to pick up the CAF7013 yellow dial with that strap, the opportunity is there to mix and match. Or if I end up finding that on a bracelet, then maybe I'll order an FT8011 to share between them.

I found one seller on eBay selling for £995, which seemed a fair price given that I'm sure this watch would have originally retailed for well over £2000 and given the condition (and accepting that you pay a premium for buying from a jeweller). So I checked out the seller's own website (Parkers in Sheffield) and found the same watch £50 cheaper (we all know how this works, eBay fees etc..) and shot them an email.

Because I didn't know the seller I didn't want to buy through the post if I could help it, so I waited the week hoping no-one else would buy it and on Friday I sent them another email confirming my intention to visit on Saturday morning. So this morning I got up nice and early and made the journey up the M1. It was pretty smooth save for the sat-nav trying to send me down a bus lane and I eventually (more by luck than judgement it has to be said) found myself on the road adjacent to the road where the shop is.

The shop is closed on Saturday morning and you have to ring to get in, which is fine, but because the place is very small you do have this slightly uncomfortable experience of having people trying to get in the shop and being able to see you standing at the counter. I mean, it's not a big deal, but it might take the shine off if you were buying wedding rings or something.

I don't know about you but I always get this slight nervousness when going to look at buying another watch. The sensible part of me is tutting in my ear, 'You don't need another one, it's a waste of money' while I'm trying to keep a clear head and not buy something because 'it's there' if I don't really love it.

And this was the sticking point I think, and the reason I wanted to go and see it before buying. The photos looked great, but I wondered if it might look different when I actually got it in my hands. I think it did look a little different, but in a good way. The photos gave me a 'that looks nice' feeling, whereas the actual watch was more like 'Wow, that's gorgeous!'. I also never noticed the orange tip on the second hand until I actually saw the watch so that was a nice little surprise.

Steve at Parkers was personable and easy going and though he couldn't explain the functions on the watch he did assure me he had gone through the manual and checked it out. The watch had also been serviced by TAG at the end of last year and still had the service card alongside the original warranty card, inner and outer boxes and hanging tag, not to mention the all important manual (about half an inch thick!).

The inner box is a bit tatty, and I might pick up another one from eBay to replace it, but the watch is in great condition (save a few very minor marks here and there) and the sapphire crystal is absolutely perfect with that same purple-blue sheen that my F1 Kirium has (from the AR coating).

The bracelet fit my 7.5" wrist perfectly (yes I measured it recently and it seems to be half an inch bigger than I always thought it was - which probably explains my thing about watches being too small), and it does have some micro adjustment holes on the clasp (unlike dear old Aquagraph of course). So I flexed my plastic and tootled off back down the M1 home, very happy my latest acquisition and looking forward to getting my mitts on a CAF7013 as soon as possible.

I think it's safe to say that I've got over the automatic bug, a while back I was thinking that I didn't want any more quartz pieces and that I wanted to focus on automatics. That's fine, but they are so much more expensive, and really for me it's not about the movement so much as the watch itself. Generally speaking there aren't too many watches you can buy where you can get an identical model with or without an automatic movement - for obvious reasons... but, for example, while I think it's acceptable to pay out for something like the Heuer01, I don't necessarily feel like shelling out £2300 for an Aquaracer. I think, broadly speaking, I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather have two or three quartz watches for the price of one automatic and potentially in the case of the Monaco that could be more like five or six... but we'll see, opinions can (and probably will) change!

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? 

CAR2A1AB.FT6163

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

WH1115-K1

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