Sunday, 9 February 2020
Saturday, 8 February 2020
SPOTLIGHT ON: LVMH Sister Brand Zenith Returns to Bicester Village
I'm not 100% sure on the dates, but I believe it was about 4 years ago that Zenith pulled their watches out of the TAG Heuer boutique at Bicester Village, possibly at the behest of Mr Biver... but now, in January 2020 they're back (and in exactly the same cabinet as last time coincidentally). Let's take a closer look at what's in the store..
ZENITH PILOT MONTRE D'AERONEF
96.2431.693/21.C738
LIST PRICE £6400
OUTLET PRICE £3800
ZENITH CHRONOMASTER EL PRIMERO
24.2041.400/01.R576
LIST PRICE £7200
OUTLET PRICE £4300
ZENITH ULTRA-THIN LADY MOONPHASE
16.2310.692/92.C750
LIST PRICE £5900
OUTLET PRICE £3500
ZENITH ELITE ULTRA THIN
18.2010.681/01.C498
LIST PRICE £9700
OUTLET PRICE £5800
ZENITH CHRONOMASTER EL PRIMERO SPORT
03.2280.400/01.C713
LIST PRICE £6300
OUTLET PRICE £3800
ZENITH CHRONOMASTER EL PRIMERO SPORT 'LAND ROVER'
03.2282.400/91.R578
LIST PRICE £6700
OUTLET PRICE £4000
ZENITH CAPTAIN ANNUAL CALENDAR
03.2072.4054/01.C711
LIST PRICE: £7800
OUTLET PRICE: £4700
ZENITH EL PRIMERO SPORT CHRONOGRAPH
03.2280.400/91.R576
LIST PRICE: £6300
OUTLET PRICE: £3800
ZENITH EL PRIMERO AUTOMATIC
03.2170.4613/02.M2170
LIST PRICE: £5500
OUTLET PRICE: £3310
ZENITH ELITE LADY STAR MOONPHASE
16.1925.692/01.C725
LIST PRICE: £7100
OUTLET PRICE: £4300
ZENITH ELITE ULTRA THIN
03.2010.681/21.C493
LIST PRICE: £3600
OUTLET PRICE: £2200
ZENITH EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER
03.2080.400/01.C494
LIST PRICE: £5500
OUTLET PRICE: £3300
ZENITH HERITAGE VINTAGE 1965
03.1965.670/91.C591
LIST PRICE: £4200
OUTLET PRICE: £2500
ZENITH EL PRIMERO WINSOR ANNUAL CALENDAR
03.2070.4054/02.C711
LIST PRICE: £7800
OUTLET PRICE: £4700
ZENITH CHRONOMASTER HERITAGE ROSE GOLD
18.2150.4069/91.C812
LIST PRICE: £12200
OUTLET PRICE: £7300
ZENITH EL PRIMERO TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH
03.2050.4035/21.C630
LIST PRICE: £31800
OUTLET PRICE: £19100
Some pretty interesting pieces in store, I'm sure you'll agree! I look forward to my next visit and to trying some of these on. Some 'On the Wrist' posts are sure to follow...
Store contact details; TAG Heuer Bicester Village (01869) 249008
Friday, 7 February 2020
Thursday, 6 February 2020
BUYING EXPERIENCE: A Guest Post from Jim Dollares
CAR208Z.FT6046
You may remember my post entitled 'Trying to Send a Watch to Sweden', but what was it like to be the recipient of the parcel? Our man in Sweden Jim Dollares is here to tell you all about it:
Sending a big chunk of money to a stranger?
Have you ever experienced feeling that you know someone you have never met? Spending a lot of time online in the watch community actually has given me a handful of online friends. People I have never met but kind of feel that I know and trust. Odd isn’t it? Most of my watch related time online is of course spent on calibre11.com, the greatest forum in the world, and it is also there I have gotten to know Robert (the guy behind this excellent blog, of which I am a daily reader). When writing this I am wearing my new Carrera Heuer 01 in titanium, an impulse buy I am completely in love with, that would not have happened unless Robert would have been so kind to purchase it on my behalf and ship it from the UK to Sweden where I live.
“Are you crazy?” my friends and family kept asking me, looking at me as if I was about to flush
£2,300 down the toilet never to see it again. Not for a single moment I felt that I could not trust that the watch would arrive as promised, after all, it was one of my oldest online watch buddies we were talking about!
The trouble of making a decision
Sometimes I wonder if I have a problem. So much of my time in a day is spent thinking about watches, movements, brands, straps, designs and so on. I save money every month for the next purchase and this has lead to something similar to obsession with me always looking for what the next purchase should be. I am sure readers of this blog can relate, but during fall this actually started to ruin the hobby a bit for me. The trouble of making up my mind put me in a situation where almost all I could think of was “if I go for that one, when will I be able to get the other one, will I regret not picking that one…” and I could not make a purchase. I went to a couple of AD’s multiple times, money wired to the debit card ready to be spent but when in the store I just could not make the purchase.
Then suddenly something happened! Robert posted about the new stock in Bicester Village and oh boy, the prices on Carrera Heuer01’s were insanely good! The Heuer01 had been on my radar for a long time and I have tried them on multiple times. I always thought that one day I would pick up the black dial, stainless steel version with black ceramic bezel, as it turns out I ended up with something completely different (and so much better!). Like so many other days, I was sitting in the office reading Robert’s blog, this time scrolling through the alternatives and offerings from Bicester. Again, the problem of making up my mind. I Googled some photos and looked at some Youtube videos, telling myself to get it together and just make up my mind. The prices were so good that I could basically buy the watch and sell it with a profit, compared to the prices in Sweden these were more than 50% off! The same day I quickly decided to go for the brown skeleton version on brown alligator leather (CAR201U).
So I reached out to Robert, asking him kindly if he could do me the favor of buying the watch for me and send it to Sweden. Luckily he was happy to help! He reached out to Bicester and they reserved the watch for me. A day or two passed and I realized that I would probably not be happy with a skeleton version. I reached out to Robert again, asking if he could check if the grey titanium version on rubber was still available and as you know by now it sure was.
Seeing the watch in reality
I got the message from DHL and now I knew when the watch would arrive. To make sure that I would not miss this important package I spent the day working from home at my kitchen table, with a good view of the driveway in front on my house. When I finally opened it I was blown away by how insanely good looking the watch is! Polished rhodium plated details of a grey sunburst dial, unlike anything I had ever seen before. Winding the Heuer01 movement was even better than I remembered, pure pleasure with a super smooth feel to it and a precise feeling to the chronograph pushers. The rubber strap feels amazing and the titanium folding clasp suits the luxurious watch perfectly.
This is the third Tag Heuer in my collection and thus far it feels like it has a good chance of becoming my favorite watch. A nice touch making it perfect would probably be to suit it with the Tag Heuer brown “alligator on rubber” strap (same one used on the brown skeleton Heuer 01), but that is a story for another day, I guess. Big thanks again to Robert for helping me with this purchase and keep up the great work with the blog!
Greetings from Sweden //Jim
Wednesday, 5 February 2020
Tuesday, 4 February 2020
ON THE FACE DUEL: TAG Heuer 'Senna' V Oakley 'Jawbone' Sunglasses
And now for something completely different... no one expected a sunglasses duel today I'd wager, not least because it's the middle of winter! But me, I wear sunglasses pretty much every day, largely because my eyes are quite sensitive to light (my father was the same) and if it's windy that makes my eyes water too. On the upside, I'm 50 year's old and I don't need glasses, so maybe there is some benefit to protecting my eyes from UV light? Maybe not, but hey... I look damned cool! :)
Wooo, scary....
I've had the Oakley Jawbones a very long while now, when I got them they had black lenses in them and that lasted maybe six or seven years before I decided to switch them. First I changed them out for some blue/green lenses, and then for the red ones you see in the these pictures. They also came with a set of those clear orange/yellow lenses that cyclists wear... and, um... Bono. Obviously they are still in the hard shell case that they came in and have never been worn - maybe I should try and sell them on eBay? Hmm, actually I think I may have looked into that before and there were more available than buyers for them, so I decided not to bother.
It's pretty easy to change the lenses, when you turn the shades around you see a screw head where those silver circles are on the front (in a perfect world they would be black) and the frames open there, hinging at the nose piece. I got both spare sets of lenses off Amazon for about £20 each (much cheaper than official Oakley lenses which are more like £80). The lenses are slightly thinner but they still have the cut-outs on the top edge which look very cool even if they do nothing (Oakley claim they are 'vents' which aid in demisting, but I think that's marketing personally)
The TAG Heuer shades I've had for probably five years or so I would say, much less than the Oakley's anyway and they've spent most of their life in their pouch, in their box with the TAG Heuer cloth and warranty card. This is partly because they are part of my 'collection' and I want to keep them in 'collection' condition, and also because... well, my Oakley's are everyday shades and it's nice to have something to wear on special occasions!
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of taking these shades to Geneva with me back in 2018 (wow, that sounds like a long time ago already...) and somehow during that trip (even though I was very careful with them) I managed to scratch the left lens. Needless to say I was not a happy bunny when I noticed and the most annoying thing is that you can't change the lenses so... damn and blast! You can't tell when you're wearing them but it's pretty noticeable from the front, so I might have to start looking for a new pair, although whether these 'Ayrton Senna' ones are still available I don't know. Probably not.
So leaving that aside, which of these pairs of shades comes out on top?
Well, as much as I want it to be the TAG Heuer Sennas, I'm afraid I have to give it to the Oakleys. For one thing they are more comfortable, the arms on the TAG Heuers tend to pinch the side of your head/ears a bit after a while, meanwhile the Oakley's have rubber covers on the arms which are very comfortable, although they are jut starting to go a tiny bit gummy now (they must be at least 10 years old mind).
For me the Oakleys also look a lot cooler; maybe the TAG Heuers look a bit more refined, the Oakleys are definitely more 'boy racer' chic after all, but for me that's a plus. Admittedly the red lenses are contributing to this aesthetic, but even with the original black lenses these Jawbones were always pretty crazy looking.
There's not much to choose between the actual lenses, they are both very clear, although the TAG Heuers might be just a little bit better there. I do really like the yellow trim, but I wish they had put the TAG Heuer logo on both arms and not just one of them. Still, they are the perfect accessory for a summer wedding (I wore them to a summer wedding last year as it happens), where the Oakleys might look a bit much... and even though I have to give this face off to the Oakleys they are still pretty cool.
Cost wise I think they came in about the same, the TAG Heuers from eBay and the Oakleys from an Oakley outlet store, around the £110 mark. I'm sure both of these are discontinued now (I think TAG Heuer have discontinued their eyewear altogether) and I already have my eye on a replacement from Oakley called 'Batwolf' which are quite different but possibly even cooler than the 'Jawbones'. I hope I can find another pair of these TAG Heuer shades somewhere too, or something similar... so mad that they got scratched after being so careful with them, but that's life I guess!
Monday, 3 February 2020
Sunday, 2 February 2020
SPOTLIGHT ON: The Winter Sale at Michael Jones (Northampton)
If you like the idea of a post-Christmas bargain, but you've grown weary of yet another email from Beaverbrooks, Ernest Jones or Goldsmiths imploring you to take yet another look at the same twelve 'entry level' Aquaracers and Formula 1s they've been peddling since Boxing Day (or in some cases before Christmas), perhaps it's time to look beyond the big boys on the high street and investigate some of the independents who rather than bulk-buying 'window' watches for exactly these purposes, might actually be trying to shift some more interesting pieces at healthy discounts. Case in point, one of my two local AD's in Northampton, 'Michael Jones'.
Their window on Gold Street has a decent and somewhat surprising bounty of TAG Heuer watches just at the moment, which might be of interest to those of you living in the UK. I did actually take some photos on my iPod but I can't work out how to get them onto my computer, and they aren't really worth wasting too much time on when stock photos will do just as well.
CAZ2017.BA0647
Top of the list, and most surprising of all for me is this Calibre 16 Formula 1 which has only been in store for a couple of months at the most. LIST PRICE: £2650 / OFFER PRICE: £1985
CAZ101V.BA0842
Another relatively recent release (and one I believe I predicted would end up in a sale sooner or later) is this 2019 Indy 500 Formula 1 quartz. LIST PRICE: £1395 / OFFER PRICE: £1050
WAR101B.BA0728
With the news that Cara DeLavingne is on her way out as a TAG Heuer ambassador, I expect to see plenty of these in the sales and outlets over the next little while. Not sure if this list price is correct either, it seems high, but it's been removed from the TAG Heuer website and I can't find it new anywhere else. LIST PRICE: £3895 / OFFER PRICE: £2925
CAR2A91.FT6121
Can't be 100% sure on this as I've only a photograph to go from, but it certainly looks like a CAR2A91 to me. LIST PRICE: £5395 / OFFER PRICE: £3895
CAR201Z.FT6046
Again, I'm pretty sure this is the model they have, but I could be wrong.
LIST PRICE: £4100 / OFFER PRICE: £2995
CBC2112.BA0603
Rather surprised to see these Links in the sale, but on the other hand I'm not sure if they've really been that big a hit with the public. Beautiful watches, but as far as I can recall the only time I've seen anyone wearing one was when Colton Underwood was 'The Bachelor' (USA) and he wore a diamond bezel model every week. Fortunately for TAG Heuer he spent quite a lot of time with his head in his hands which meant the Link got a lot of on-screen time!
LIST PRICE: £3695 / OFFER PRICE: £2775
WBC2112.BA0603
They also have the non-chronograph version, which is obviously quite a bit more affordable.
LIST PRICE: £2450 / OFFER PRICE: £1835
WAY211A.BA0928
They also have a couple of Aquaracers which I think are WAY211As, the price certainly matches the TAG Heuer website. LIST PRICE: £2095 / OFFER PRICE: £1575
WBJ1421.BB0648
Another very current ladies Formula 1, this one is two tone with hour marker diamonds and a mother of pearl dial. LIST PRICE: £1695 / OFFER PRICE: £1275
WAY1319.BH0717
This is one that I've featured in my Bicester Village reports, it's worth noting that while this looks like a good price, the Bicester price was £1470 (and as low as £1075 during their Christmas sale!) LIST PRICE: £2150 / OFFER PRICE: £1615
WAY131H.BA0914
Same story with this one actually, Bicester may well still have these at about £1330.
LIST PRICE: £1950 / OFFER PRICE: £1465
Michael Jones do also carry a fair stock of pre-owned watches, for example:
CV2A1M.FT6033
This tasty Carrera Calibre 16 Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition on a tyre tread rubber strap.
PRE-OWNED PRICE: £2950
CAV518B.FC6237
And this classic black PVD Grand Carrera.
PRE-OWNED PRICE: £2495
Of course Michael Jones isn't restricted to TAG Heuer, they also carry Omega, Longines, Rolex and Breitling, but the watch that catches my eye in the window every time I see it is this pre-owned Cartier Santos 100 in black PVD.
This is a watch I tried on in Watches of Switzerland on one of my trips to London and while I like it a lot and I know it's a considerable saving over the new price, I still struggle with the idea of parting with £4850 to make it mine. Besides, it will stick out like a sore thumb in my collection, so I'll probably just admire it from afar.
Well there we are, not sure how long the 'Winter Sale' goes on for, but here are the contact details for the store:
Michael Jones, 1 Gold Street, Northampton, NN1 1SA PHONE: (01604) 632548
Incidentally, you can mention my blog if you like but they probably won't have a clue what you are talking about. I have been in there a couple of times, I bought a rubber strap from them once and they polished my Microtimer for me (lovely job they made of that), but I haven't 'identified' myself to them as yet. :)
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