SPOTLIGHT ON: New Arrivals at TAG Heuer Bicester Village

Another shipment of watches has arrived at Bicester Village and I'm happy to be able to give the lowdown on the bargains available. If you see something you like, best be quick, these watches move quickly. As always, if you're making a long journey maybe give the store a call to check stock first: 01869 249008. Plus, don't forget about the special 'Father's Day' offer on this weekend, with big discounts off a selection of Carrera watches, including the Calibre 36 Flybacks...!

 

CAH1210.BA0854 - Formula 1 Quartz

List Price £1450     Bicester Price £1015

CAH7010.BA0854 - Formula 1 Calibre S

List Price £1850     Bicester Price £1205

CAJ2180.FT6023 - Aquaracer Calibre 16

List Price £4350     Bicester Price £2610

CAT2050.FC6322 - Link Calibre 16

List Price £5550     Bicester Price £3885

CAY218A.FC6361 - Aquaracer Calibre 16

List Price £3350     Bicester Price £2345

CN211A.FT8001 - Aquagraph Calibre 60

List Price £3350     Bicester Price £2010

CV201AH.BA0725 - Carrera Calibre 16

List Price £3850     Bicester Price £2695

CV201AJ.FC6357 - Carrera Calibre 16

List Price £3350     Bicester Price £2345

WAH1215.BA0861 - Formula 1 Quartz with Diamonds

List Price £2950     Bicester Price £1920

WAJ2110.BA0870 - Aquaracer Calibre 5

List Price £2300     Bicester Price £1610

WAJ2150.FT6015 - Aquaracer Calibre 5 Gold Bezel

List Price £3700     Bicester Price £2590

WAK211A.BA0830 - Aquaracer Calibre 7 GMT

List Price £2600     Bicester Price £1690

WAY2110.BA0928 - Aquaracer Calibre 5

List Price £1750     Bicester Price £1225

WAY218A.FC6362 - Aquaracer Calibre 5

List Price £2400     Bicester Price £1680

WJ1111.BA0570 - Link Quartz

List Price £2100     Bicester Price £1365

WV1417.BA0793 - Lady Carrera Quartz with Diamonds

List Price £1850     Bicester Price £1295

BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 2000 Exclusive Quartz

WN1112.BA0332

Forgive me if you're getting a feeling of deja-vu seeing this blue dial 2000 Executive once again, I didn't actually realize but I've done two 'Spotlight On' posts about it in the last few months... so perhaps it was inevitable that I would buy one. I think in the last one (which was only a couple of weeks ago) I said that I'd really like one but that if I bought another watch so soon my wife would explode... well, surprisingly, she didn't. Which is odd, considering this isn't even the only watch I've bought this week! But in my defence, the prices I managed to secure these watches at meant buying was the only sensible course of action. :)

This is of course my third 2000 Exclusive, which is quite amazing considering I only bought my first one towards the end of last year. That watch was also my first foray into two-tone ownership and I definitely have a soft spot for that one. I added my second in January when I traded my Grand Carrera GMT in for a black dial quartz chrono (along with a blue dial Aquaracer chrono quartz). That's a watch I haven't worn as much as I should, which is a shame because its a real looker in near mint condition. We didn't get off to a great start as that one had to go back for repair as soon as I got it; somewhat undermining Watchfinder's claims that all their stock is tested etc, etc... but, to be fair they got it fixed and back to me quickly. But, you know how it is, once something's been 'fixed' it plays on your mind for a while.

The watch as it arrived...

I've known for quite a while that I wanted to add another 2000 Exclusive, and I was pretty much set on either a blue or a tapisserie dial (but I think that was only made in a silver dial, and I already had a silver dial on the two tone model so that wasn't ideal). I wasn't in any great rush to buy one either really, since 2000 Exclusives are pretty readily available on eBay for pretty stable prices (anywhere from £350 up to about £500 for three handers). But then I came across this one and I couldn't really justify not buying it. I managed to secure this watch for just £255, which is ridiculously cheap from what I've seen.

The watch came pretty quickly and exactly as described. I am still a little confused about the bracelet as I counted the links and thought it was shorter than the ones I already had (but I had two or three links spare from my chronograph so I wasn't concerned about that) and yet it fitted straight out of the box! The other main issue was that the polished raised part of the bezel appeared quite scratched, and indeed when it arrived it was pretty beat up. But I spend about an hour and half at it with a cotton bud and some jeweller's rouge and improved it greatly. It's not perfect, but it's a dramatic improvement and good enough for me to wear as a daily work watch.

An hour and a half of fettling later...

I did have a go at trying to get the bezel off to do the polishing, but I couldn't get the damn thing to budge and I wasn't really that keen on the idea anyway to be honest, so in the end I put electrical tape over the crystal to protect it while I did the work. The glass arrived, and still is, in perfect condition, which is more important than the bezel really, I could always send it away and get it polished properly if it bugs me too much. As yet I haven't had a go at cleaning up the bracelet, it has a few scratches but nothing bad.

So far, I must say I'm more than happy with my purchase. The scratches are a little bit irritating, but that's always the way when you first get a new 'used' watch, and at the price I paid I really cannot complain with the condition overall. The blue dial is absolutely stunning and the lume, as on all my 2000 Exclusives, is very strong considering it must be at least fifteen years old. No box and papers with this one, but I'm not overly concerned about that to be honest. The clasp is also excellent and if I remember correctly it had a new battery not too long ago (no receipt though, so that could be hot air).

I guess I could have waited, but the price seemed too good not to jump on, and I knew I was going to get one of these sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner, after all I'm not getting any younger am I? :)

VIDEO: TAG Heuer McLaren MP4-12C Carrera Review by WatchBox Studios

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Indy 500 2019 Editions

CV201AS.FC6429

£3850

Goldsmiths / Sheffield, 25th May 2019

I remember trying on the standard version of the new 41mm Carrera Calibre 16 in the TAG Heuer boutique in (very) sunny Geneva last year, and aside from the logo on the dial and the engraving on the back plate, obviously little has changed. I was however struck by how small this watch is, at least in diameter, which combined with it's considerable thickness makes it appear somewhat chunky on the wrist.

I suspect that 'chunkiness' is going to be a deciding factor for a lot of the Carrera Indy 500's potential customers, because it's not something everyone's going to be okay with. Personally, I'd much prefer a 43mm Carrera if it has to be this thick, because it really does sit high and if it's going to big that way it might as well be big all round and possibly balance the height out a little bit.

I will say this though, if I was minded to buy a 41mm Carrera Calibre 16 then this one would probably be at the top of my list, not because I have any interest in the Indy 500, but because I can't stand the fake 'aged' lume used on the standard model and critically not used on this version. It looks so much better without it!

CAZ101V.BA0842

£1350

Moving on to the quartz Formula 1, and... well for me it's a bit of a backward step. I think I'd prefer the standard 'Black Bull' as on this occasion the red highlights don't work that well for me. Notably the 'INDY 500' text on the bezel is a bit off-putting as the red seems darker than it could be and looks hard to read and verging on tacky if I'm completely honest. Not sure the 60 works in place of the 12 either, I guess it's a point of difference, but it just strikes me as a little bit odd. Not as odd as the mixed numerals on a Rolex Air King granted, but still...

I think you can discern from my tone that I wasn't exactly blown away by this one and in truth the Indy 500 Formula 1s have always been a very mixed bag from my point of view. Sometimes they incorporate neat little details (one had the famous bricks incorporated into the dial) and sometimes they have some fairly ugly (not to put too fine a point on it) ones as well, sometimes both on the same watch... and as someone pointed out on the Calibre 11 forum, the irony of having an Indy 500 logo on a Formula 1 branded watch is a little bizarre in itself.

I've already mentioned the stellar service I received from Ashley in the lower mall Goldsmiths in my review of the WAZ1121 two tone Formula 1 quartz, but it bears repeating. Compare and contrast with the guy I had to deal with in Selfridges (London) when I tried on the Breitling Exospace B55 and it was like night and day. Ashley couldn't have been more helpful and was more than happy for me to take pictures of the watches. In the end I didn't bother taking pictures of the watches themselves as I knew I could find pictures online, but I did take a picture of the box the Formula 1 version comes in as it was rather nice. As it turned out though I found a better one online, mine came out rather dark and didn't do it justice at all.

I'm not really sure how popular the Indy 500 is outside of America, although I do know that when these watches hit the outlet (as they inevitably will...) they get snapped up fast. It seems maybe people are more interested in the looks of the watches rather than the event itself, which is fair enough I guess. Maybe they just need to cut the production numbers a little bit?

SPOTLIGHT ON: Father's Day Deals at TAG Heuer Bicester Village

It's Father's Day on Sunday, and to celebrate TAG Heuer at Bicester are offering 50% discounts on selected Carrera models. Some seriously good deals on offer here, especially on the 'flyback' Calibre 36 models.

CAR2B10.BA0799

List Price £5350

Usual Bicester Price £3745

Offer Price £2675

CAR2B10.FC6235

List Price £5350

Usual Bicester Price £3745

Offer Price £2675

CAR2B11.BA0799

List Price £5350

Usual Bicester Price £3745

Offer Price £2675

CAR2B11.FC6235

List Price £5350

Usual Bicester Price £3745

Offer Price £2675

CAS2110.BA0730

List Price £4100

Usual Bicester Price £2870

Offer Price £2050

CAS2111.BA0730

List Price £4100

Usual Bicester Price £2870

Offer Price £2050

CAT2110.BA0952

List Price £4650

Usual Bicester Price £3255

Offer Price £2325

CAT2111.BA0952

List Price £4650

Usual Bicester Price £3255

Offer Price £2325

WAS2112.BD0734

List Price £3800

Usual Bicester Price £2660

Offer Price £1900

WAS2112.FC6181

List Price £2800

Usual Bicester Price £1960

Offer Price £1400

This offer is valid from the 10th until the 16th of June.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 GMT by Watches on You

ON THE WRIST: Breitling Exospace B55 Chronometer

VB5510H2/BE45-235E

Selfridges / London, 9th March 2019

I've long admired Breitling's ani/digi watches, and indeed it was probably the root of my decision to buy my TAG Heuer Chronotimer, which offered a similar combination dial at a fraction of the cost. Still, it was nice to finally get my hands on one of Breitling's 'Superquartz' pieces and I certainly went big here with the Exospace B55. Measuring a whopping 46mm, the Exospace B55 has a lot of wrist presence, rather too much really, even for my substantial 7.3/4" wrist. This measures just 1mm larger than my Carrera Heuer 01 Skeleton but it feels a whole step bigger. I guess the blue strap probably doesn't help matters, although I quite liked it, I must admit I'd prefer a black one. 

Unfortunately I was served by an absolute tool of a salesman, and I think that's maybe why I've left it so long to review this piece. Clearly it's not Breitling's fault that the guy working in Selfridges presents their company in a bad light, and I have to say that my experiences in the Breitling boutique on Bond Street have been very positive. Unfortunately that means that my memories of the day are somewhat vague, and in truth I didn't actually have the watch on for all that long.

I do remember being somewhat disappointed that the watch isn't as 'black' as I'd hoped. It actually has a gun-metal grey kind of look, which I'm not sure really goes with the blue rubber strap, but still, each to their own. Actually, thinking about it more, a black strap would make the case look even lighter so that's probably not the answer either. Maybe white would work best? If Roger Dubuis and Richard Mille can do white rubber straps, then why not? Hmm, probably not now, since Breitling are consciously moving towards being a more 'conservative/backwards' looking company.

This, on the other hand, is a very forward looking and technical watch, with a perpetual digital calendar, a flyback 1/100th of a second chronograph (not really sure how you can have a flyback digital chronograph though...), seven daily alarms, a countdown timer, countdown/count-up clock, bluetooth connectivity and more. The watch also features a ratcheting, bi-directional bezel marked with simple minutes.

In addition to it's fairly epic size, it's also relatively (if not outlandishly) thick at 15.25mm, which means that you certainly won't forget you're wearing it even though as it's made of titanium it's not especially heavy. All in all it's a hell of a thing, but I can't honestly say I was reluctant to give it back to the salesman. Truthfully, while the Chronotimer isn't as 'impressive' overall, it has more than enough digital capability for me and still has a great deal of wrist presence due to it's chunky case and mirror finished, skeletonised hands. 

Then there's the price, the Breitling Exospace B55 is not a cheap watch at £6710 (I believe it was £6300 back in March so there must have been quite a price hike in the meantime!) and bearing in mind you could easily pick up a mint pre-owned Chronotimer for less than a grand on eBay, well... it's a hard one to justify for me.

Obviously the Exospace B55 isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, and I'm sure it appeals to a certain specific kind of customer, I just hope Breitling don't go so far down the retro-road that they start shutting down these avenues to concentrate wholly on mechanical movements and endless variations on the Navitimer; because while I could find better things to spend £7k on, I'm kinda glad that this exists.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5 Review by WatchBox Studios

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph

CAV5186.FC6304

TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 11th March 2019

Not the first time I've tried on this particular Grand Carrera I'm sure, but it still can't fail to catch my eye... you really can't go wrong with that colour scheme, can you? This particular Grand Carrera features TAG Heuer's complicated but effective 'caliper' system which allows you to read off recorded time to one tenth of a second, eventually. I say eventually, because it's not a quick process and so it's not going to be usable for quickly repeated timings, but for one off measurements, it's fine.

I've posted a video before which tells you how to use the caliper system and I will re-post it here for your perusal. As you will see, it's not exactly user friendly, but then I doubt many people will ever actually use it anyway, so does it actually matter? That's for you to decide.

Whether you like it or not, the caliper system definitely adds to the Grand Carrera's unique look, especially with the Cotes de Geneve striping on the plate in the middle of the dial. I must admit I don't know what that part is actually for, or why it is on top of the dial. I suspect it's more for decoration than for any practical purpose, or at least any practical purpose that couldn't have been achieved in a more conventional manner. Still, it looks pretty cool  and that's a good enough reason for it to be there I guess!

I think this is one of, if not my absolute favourite of the 'black' Grand Carreras, I really love the yellow highlights and the yellow stitched alligator strap sets it off perfectly. As you'd expect these come with a deployment clasp, albeit it is not coated, which I find a shame and as I've said before a bit of a pet hate of mine. The yellow backing on the strap is a nice touch as well and as with all Grand Carreras you get the usual split display window allowing you to see (some of) the Calibre 36RS movement. 

So we've established that I like this one, but of course there is a sticking point, and sadly that is the price. The list price for this one is a whopping £8900, and even with a generous 35% being offered in the outlets these still come out at £5790, which is a lot of money. But then, you are getting an El Primerio movement and a very unique looking watch from a big name Swiss manufacturer. Personally I think this is the sort of watch that's bought with the heart rather than the head, because logically it doesn't really make sense when you think what else that money could buy you, but if you see it and just love it (and you can afford it), then does it matter? 

As with all these coated Grand Carreras finding minty pre-owned pieces seems to be like finding a needle in a haystack, so given the discount on offer the outlet is probably your best option... and of course you also get your two year warranty, which is worth having on a movement like this for sure.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer CEO Stephane Bianchi Talks About the Monaco 50th Anniversary

SPOTLIGHT ON: Grand Carrera Calibre 17 RS 150 Chronograph UK Limited Edition

CAV518H.FC6273

Ah, the Grand Carrera... something just keeps pulling me back to it, and this one is pretty cool it must be said. Released in the UK only, this one was limited to just 150 pieces and as such it's no surprise that I've never actually see one. Oddly enough, a quick Google tells me that Watchfinder actually have one in stock, and unusually it doesn't look like it's been worn as a beater by a pig farmer. Seriously, every time I've seen one of these on eBay (which isn't often to be fair) it looks like its had a very hard life, so it's intriguing that they have what looks like a decent piece available.

That said, I'm a trifle confused by it, as the watch shown clearly has a grey second hand and text on the bezel when it should be bright blue. What's up with that? The strap should also have blue stitching, so I don't know what's going on there, but they're asking £3650 for it so I'd want to know! It's a shame because I really like the blue highlights, it makes a nice change from the standard red or yellow, and aside from a little damage around the bottom lugs it looks surprisingly well preserved.

But then again, the Grand Carrera is a 'difficult' watch. I used to really love the PVD case ones, especially the caliper models, but now when I see them I don't really feel the same about them. I actually prefer the steel versions, in particular the chronograph versions with brown, blue and black dials, albeit it the blue dial version is a Japan only 500 piece limited edition, so not much chance of finding one of those.

It's a bit of a shame the watch doesn't have a PVD clasp as silver clasps on black watches is something of a pet hate of mine, not that I have the means to buy one of these at the moment, and anyway, I'd have to think long and hard about investing in another Grand Carrera after my unfortunate experience with the Calibre 8 GMT (barely wore it, sold it within a year and lost a load of cash).

Oddly enough, here's another one that looks grey, maybe it's just the photographs then? It looks pretty neat on that perforated rubber strap though. This one sold for £2650, which is a bit more like it, although again there's some damage to the coating on the case, which would surely bug me.

The Grand Carreras are aptly named, at 43mm they are big on the wrist, bigger than a 43mm Aquaracer I would say, and some of the ones I've seen have rather shaky dials, which again is something to check before buying. I really would like another Grand Carrera, but I think it's going to take some time for me to pick the exact one because they really aren't all that affordable, considering they're not exactly the top of the TAG Heuer tree and definitely don't have anything like the cache of the Monaco or the standard Carrera.

Well, I'll keep looking, maybe one day I'll find the perfect one. Probably when I least expect it!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monaco 50th Anniversary, 1969-1979 Edition by Hours and Minutes Australia

COMMENT: Why I Haven't Published the Photos of the New 'Unreleased' Monacos

A reader left a comment yesterday asking why, if I have seen photos of the four unreleased Monacos, don't I publish the pictures?

It's a fair question I suppose, after all, we're all used to being able to see everything immediately now so people don't like being kept in the dark, which is a shame really as the novelty of 'mystery' and 'expectation' is becoming a lost art. Gone are the days you could create interest by not letting people see something, now immediacy is everything and it's all about bragging rights and who got the pictures published first. Being a bit older myself, I remember when you had to wait for lots of things... and the problem with everything being immediate is that it seems to be forgotten just as quickly.

So why are the photos out there in the first place if the watches haven't been announced yet? Well, it makes sense if you think about. So someone visits a dealer and expresses an interest in the green Monaco released last week, maybe they like it, maybe they don't, either way doesn't it make sense to pull the guy aside and say 'Hey look, I shouldn't show you this but here's the other four that are coming out, what do you think of those? Do you want me to put you on the list?' or maybe the dealer has a list of regular customers who he knows might be interested, he contacts them and lets them know that next time they come in he has something to show them (of course he can't email them the pictures, so the customer comes to the store - probably within a few days).

Actually one thing that absolutely amazed me was that somebody on the Calibre 11 forum received their CAW211V on the day it was announced, or possibly the day after, I can't recall - but it was definitely within 24 hours. So clearly this person got to see the pictures at their AD well in advance! And with only 169 pieces of each model, it makes sense to give regular customers a heads up in advance, rather than risking disappointment and an irritated repeat customer.

Also, journalists need to be ready, so trusted websites and magazines will be given advance notice - on the understanding that they keep to the embargo date: which is why people like Ariel Adams make Baselworld videos and tell you that he's seen things that he can't talk about 'yet'. And obviously, people like that will stick to the rules because if they don't then they risk losing their advance notice privileges.

So yes I can see why the photos are out there, and yes I went out of my way to find them because I wanted to see them myself (and yes I get the irony given what I said earlier). But while I guess there's no reason I can't re-post the pictures*, I think it would be unfair of me to post them here because it undermines the whole idea of staged releases. Besides, TAG Heuer were kind enough to allow me a visit to their museum and factory and I have a pretty good relationship with them so far, and I don't want to create any unnecessary negativity with them.

*Although it's possible TAG Heuer might ask me to remove them.

So if you really want to see them, they're not that hard to find. But personally I would recommend waiting, for one thing I bet the real thing looks better than the pictures I've seen, and isn't it more fun for everyone to discover these things together? Also I kinda feel rather deflated now, not because of the watches themselves (one of the remaining four is very nice indeed - even my wife was quite excited by it!) but because every time TAG Heuer announce the next 50th Anniversary Monaco it won't have the same impact for me, which is a shame.

So do what you want, but know this: you can't unsee them once you've seen them!

FEATURE: How Should TAG Heuer Have Celebrated 50 Years of the Monaco?

CAW211V.FC6466

I'm guessing that by now most of my readers will have seen the five '50 Year Anniversary' Monaco watches that are coming out this year. Obviously the CAW211V is the only one that's been 'officially' released so far, but.... the internet. The idea that you can send information to dealers to drum up sales while at the same time keeping everything under wraps is, in short, hilarious. If you look hard enough you can even find dealers offering to take your money for watches that are months away from even being announced (though whether these dealers are actually going to be able to deliver said watches is a moot point).

And while we haven't got the best quality shots of the new watches (I won't be posting the embargoed pictures on here by the way) they do give us a pretty clear indication of what is and what is not on the horizon. So there's no round pushers and there's no 'Black Lord', at least not yet...

I've been saying this for a while now but it bears repeating - I never in a million years believed TAG was going to re-issue the 1969 Monaco as it was. The original looks much like it's been bench sawn out of a steel ingot and while that's fine for a vintage piece I can't see how TAG Heuer (or any company really) could make a watch so 'roughly' and charge several thousand pounds for it today. History is one thing, but the justification for the modern price of these watches is at least partly the level of finishing the piece receives, and while it's 'classic', for me at least, the round pushers on the square case grates (strangely though, not on the Monaco 24!).

Over on the Calibre 11 forum the talk of the last few months has been largely centred around three ideas: an original re-issue (never going to happen), a 'Dark Lord' (still a possibility, albeit probably not with round pushers) and the incorporation of the Heuer 02 movement into the Monaco. My main issue with the last one is that surely the Heuer 02 will then be more expensive than the Calibre 11 'Steve McQueen' style watch that seemingly 'everybody' wants. I don't know how many Calibre 11s TAG sell versus the Calibre 12 (with the crown on the right side) but the fact that they make both (albeit one of which is branded TAG Heuer, not Heuer) suggests that not everybody likes the Calibre 11. Including me actually, that gap between the pushers on the right hand side of the case looks weird to my eyes.

Could the Heuer 02 'become' the new Calibre 12? I guess, but it would make a mockery really of the pricing structure if it was possible to buy an in-house movement cheaper than an ETA based one. And there's no way they are going to make the Calibre 12 dearer than the flagship Calibre 11. It would actually make a lot more sense to me to put the Heuer 02 movement in the old Monaco 24 case and launch that as a new 'Monaco' model for people who want a Monaco but who don't want an overtly 'retro' watch. People like me, in fact!

I would really love for there to be a new 'modern' Monaco again, I really liked the Monaco 24s and came so, so close to buying one once when the prices in the outlets bottomed out at just a smidge over £5000. But alas, I didn't and now the cheapest you can pick them up pre-owned (from anywhere decent anyway) is probably £6500, after all these watches were upwards of £8,500 new.

What then of the 'Dark Lord'? Well, given that we've already dismissed the idea of the round pushers returning, any supposed 'Dark Lord' edition would likely be scoffed at by those in the know. So perhaps it's better they don't make it, as it will satisfy few of the original fans (albeit it's entirely possible it could create its own, new fans), besides Mr Bamford has already made something very similar to a 'modern Dark Lord', albeit with some chequered flags on the dial.

The other super-obvious thing for TAG Heuer to have done for a 50th Anniversary celebration was to make a solid yellow gold Monaco. This has been down before so it's not such a crazy idea, however... price would have been an issue. Solid gold Carreras sell for about £15,000 so how many could they have actually hoped to sell, maybe 100? Sure, Omega just launched the solid gold Speedmaster for £54,000 or something like that, but there's probably a lot more (richer) Omega collectors out there, plus their watch was itself a re-issue of something that was actually made back in the day and given to the astronauts and the President of the United States (amongst others). But if TAG had (or possibly have) made a solid gold Monaco, I would guess it would/will either have a white or black dial, nobody's going to take silly risks on the dial when you're trying to shift solid gold watches for big money. 

So, maybe what they've done is not such a bad thing, five watches in very low numbers at reasonable prices that look pretty unusual (some more than others admittedly), I'm just glad they didn't take the easy route and churn out another blue dial Monaco with a 50th anniversary engraving on the back. I'm not knocking the 40th anniversary piece at all, it's a lovely watch - but come on, we needed something more. But then again, I'm not entirely convinced these five watches are the full extent of the 50th anniversary collection, and I won't be at all surprised if by the Autumn there isn't indeed a blue dial 50th Anniversary Calibre 11 as well.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 6000 Series Quartz by Birth Year Watches

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Nanograph

CAR5A8K.FT6172

TAG Heuer Boutique / Sheffield, 25th May 2019

Turning around and away from the new Autavia display I noticed behind me the Nanograph, all on it's lonesome in a little glass class. Well, I wasn't expecting that! Obviously the Nanograph is way beyond my means, but I was excited to see it nonetheless, a pity then that it didn't exactly blow me away.

Think back to when TAG released the Formula 1 Aston Martin, the pictures made me sit up and take notice, but when I finally got to see it, well... it just didn't pack the punch that the photographs promised. Unfortunately the Nanograph suffers much the same fate. The green isn't really all that 'in your face' and there isn't nearly enough of it for my liking. Hard to believe (not least for me), but the Nanograph fell way short and was blitzed by my first impression of the bronze/green Autavia!

Not only that, but for about £5k less I could have the limited edition blue-lume tourbillon that was sitting not three feet away, and looks a lot more exciting if I'm honest. Even the strap on the Nanograph was a bit disappointing, it looked like it had been worn for about three years. I mean I know the watch is probably having a bit of a hard life, what with being trolled around the boutiques trying to pick up sales, but... I dunno, it just didn't excite me at all. 

The worst thing is I can't even get excited about the hairspring in it, because for an eighth of the price I could have the exact same hairspring in a new Autavia. Is it me, or is it kind of shooting yourself in the foot to bring out something genuinely revolutionary and then stick it in a range of 'mid-price' watches five minutes later? Haven't they rather pulled the rug out from the Nanograph somewhat?

On the wrist, the Nanograph wears exactly like any other 45mm Carrera really. I do like the lime green stripe around the case, much like the red stripe on the original Heuer 01s, but I just wish there was more of it on the dial. Speaking of the dial, I don't know if it was the lighting in the shop but it's all very dark. All that lovely detailing you can see in the photos isn't really that visible. On the plus side, this does make the Nanograph quite legible in comparison to a lot of 'skeletonised'* watches, but if I was buying this I don't really think that would be my primary concern.

*It's not really skeletonized, I know, but it's not a normal flat dial either

Disappointing then, certainly in comparison to the impressive Autavia collection, but before I go I must just mention 'Jackie' who served me in the TAG boutique today. What a lovely, friendly, enthusiastic lady, and a credit to TAG Heuer and Watches of Switzerland (who own the store). Like Ashley in the Goldsmiths on the lower floor, I haven't got a bad word to say about her, exactly the sort of person I'd want to see when looking at watches, I just wish I could have bought something after the amount of time she spent with me.