FEATURE: Gulf Mania - Part Three: 'Crowning the Best Two Gulf Watches'

 

In this third and final part of the 'Gulf Mania' series, Jim Dollares crowns the 'King' and 'Prince' of Gulf Heuer watches. If you missed the previous parts of the series you can either scroll down to yesterday and the day before or click the links below which will take you straight there.

Gulf Mania - Part One 'Le Mans' 50th Anniversary   

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2021/02/feature-gulf-mania-part-one-le-mans.html

Gulf Mania - Part Two 'The Gulf Maniac'   

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2021/02/feature-gulf-mania-part-two-gulf-maniac.html

Before I pass you over to Jim for the concluding episode of the 'Gulf Mania', I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mspeedster, Yuki, Darryn and Ara for their valuable contributions to this series, it is much appreciated and I hope you enjoy seeing your work on the blog.

Rob

Photo by Yuki Nohara (@24Snowy24 on Instagram)

Initially I was thinking that I should pick the top three TAG Heuer Gulf watches. But let’s be honest, two of them are so much better and in a league of their own compared to the rest. Hence, this became a top two instead. They shall be known to the world as the Gulf King and the Gulf Prince.

The Gulf King - the 50 pcs limited edition Gulf Monaco (CAW211T)

There have been a number of Gulf releases from TAG Heuer during the years but none of them come close to being as perfect as the 50 pieces limited edition released in 2018. In comparison to many limited releases of late, this one is a proper limited edition with individual numbering on the caseback. My good friend Darryn Brown (@heuer.holic on Instagram) owns one of these and he was kind to provide me with a bunch of amazing photos to share with you.

“you want to hold it, touch it and spend time with it”

TAG Heuer announced this release as a 50 years celebration of the first victory for a Gulf sponsored car in the famous race of Le Mans. A bit of an odd celebration indeed and I know that watch brands tend to make a fuss about all kinds of silly celebrations and anniversaries. However, that doesn’t change the fact that this is an incredible Monaco, with perfect Gulf coloured stripes on top of a rich dark blue metallic dial it is difficult to take your eyes of this beauty. Some would even say that looking at it wouldn’t be enough, you want to hold it, touch it and spend time with it. Make it your special one. (sweet Jesus - Ed)

Not unique for this Gulf Monaco but still as fascinating, get up close with the dial and you will see the very cool printing of the Gulf stripes. They create a sort of depth and appear almost three dimensional being printed on top of the dark sun burst blue dial. This is probably my favourite feature of this dial.

Another detail I love about this Gulf Monaco are the white sub dials. They create a nice contrast and look superb, compared to the standard Gulf Monaco special edition (CAW211R) which has silver looking sub dials which seem out of place on that dial. 

The watch has a display caseback, just as the standard calibre 11 Monaco (CAW211P) but as you can see here about half of the glass is covered by this “Gulf first victory 50th anniversary” printing. It looks kind of cool and adds another detail which makes this very limited edition even more special.

“this is what the standard production Gulf Monaco 'should' have been”

It is likely to believe that most Gulf enthusiasts look at this watch and think to themselves that this is what the standard production Gulf Monaco should have been. Wishing deeply that TAG Heuer should have made something similar to this for their special edition available worldwide. One thing is for sure though, with only 50 pieces made it will be very challenging to find one on the used market. I am sure that the lucky 50 owners out there will hold on to this one for a very, very long time.

Photo by: Mspeedster

The Gulf Prince - the special edition Gulf Formula 1 (CAZ101N)

Almost as good and perfect, but in a smaller package with quartz engine, this 2018 release deserves to be crowned Gulf Prince. This one is kind of a rare phenomenon; it is the second Gulf Formula 1 model ever produced by TAG Heuer. Its predecessor was the WAH1013 from 2011 and both models are shown side by side in the photo below. 

Photo by Yuki Nohara (@24Snowy24 on Instagram)

It is difficult to understand the reasoning from TAG Heuer when in the same year of 2018 they released the terrible Monaco CAW211R with incorrect Gulf colours and this perfectly branded Formula 1 model. Who decided that the affordable Formula 1 should please the fans with accurate Gulf branding but not the Monaco? The Formula 1 implements the perfect shade of Gulf coloured stripes on top of a matte blue dial and an orange chronograph seconds hand. A sporty, affordable and almost elegant alternative for Gulf fans who do not wish to spend Monaco levels of money on a watch. Or just prefer the accuracy and convenience of owning a quartz movement for that matter.

Photo by: Mspeedster

A unique feature of this Gulf timepiece is that there is no Gulf logo on the dial. I sure am glad that this is the case, imagine if TAG would have ruined the dial by squeezing it into one of the sub dials. It would have been a disaster on similar level as the Indy 500 watches from TAG Heuer. Turning this watch over and you will at least be pleased to see that there is a special Gulf logo engraving on the caseback. Good call to save an already busy dial from being ruined!

Unlike the Gulf King, there are a couple of details I would’ve changed with the Formula 1 model. The very attractive strap is unfortunately terribly uncomfortable to wear and owners are forced to exchange it for something better, like a proper racing leather strap. The other little details I would change would be the black crown and pushers. They look a little out of place and don’t really go well with the other design elements of this watch. However, these are small flaws that don’t change how much I adore this watch.

Photo by: Mspeedster

The next Gulf watch?

In 2021 it will be three years since TAG Heuer released the current line-up of Gulf watches. I can’t help but hope that the 50th anniversary of the movie Le Mans will be reason for TAG Heuer to release something new and spectacular; it must be right? If the “50th anniversary of the first victory in the Le Mans race for a Gulf branded car” was reason enough to release the Gulf King, for sure the 50th anniversary of the legendary movie must be a crazy good reason for a new special edition!

Jim Dollares 

@jimdollares on Instagram

FEATURE: Gulf Mania - Part Two: 'The Gulf Maniac'

 

Continuing our three part series in which Jim Dollares celebrates the history of TAG Heuer and Gulf Oil in his own very special way...

I asked Michael, the watch community’s number one Gulf maniac (known in the watch community as ‘Mspeedster’) to share with us the story about why he loves everything related to Gulf. Michael has an impressive collection of Gulf items, Gulf model cars, TAG Heuer watches and Steve McQueen figurines and he is the ideal source for understanding why Gulf is such a legendary brand loved by enthusiasts all over the world. With that said, I now hand over to Michael and his fascinating story!

Photo by: Mspeedster

According to the watch community’s number 1 Gulf maniac, this is what makes Gulf so special

2021, it's been 50 years since Steve McQueen's classic movie Le Mans was released. The famous John Wyer Automotive Engineering Porsche 917s were forever immortalized, in their unforgettable Gulf Racing duck egg blue and orange livery. And McQueen's watch? The Heuer Monaco, which too became a thing of legend.

It's also been 50 years since this Gulf Racing enthusiast, some might call "maniac", first became fascinated by these cars and racing livery. The seeds were planted at a very early age. But it wasn't the movie, it was actually a book I received as a gift in 1971 which was the genesis. I was a young boy, having developed a passion for cars & auto racing since the age of five. The book was Automotive Quarterly Vol. 9 No. 2, it was all about Porsche. It had a chapter devoted to the Gulf Racing Porsches, with many photos and featured beautiful paintings of the Targa Florio winning Gulf Porsche 908 and the Gulf Porsche 917 at Le Mans. It left a lasting impression! I still have this book in my library.

Photo's by: Mspeedster

A few years later, the movie Le Mans would make its network television debut. My parents thought the movie was boring and wanted to change the channel, but I was simply mesmerized by the battle between Porsche v Ferrari! I showed them the book and said: "See, it's these cars! I want to see how the movie ends". That Christmas, I received my first slot car racing set and wouldn't you know it, it featured the Gulf Racing Porsche 917 (and some Ferrari). I still have that old slot car set too, it sits covered in dust in my parent's basement.

Photo by: Mspeedster

“I had no clue that the Monaco ever existed, let alone worn by Steve McQueen”

Thus, my infatuation with Gulf Porsche & Le Mans began. But like many things during one's childhood, it had become a distant memory by the time I reached adulthood. My interest in watches wouldn't start until I was a young adult, by then, Heuer had become TAG Heuer. But I had no clue that the Monaco ever existed, let alone worn by Steve McQueen, until TAG Heuer re-released the Monaco in the late 90's. 

At that time, my favourite watch was my S/el ana-digi, as worn by my racing hero Ayrton Senna. I wasn't interested in the re-released Monaco (ref. CS2110) at all, it looked nothing like the one in the movie to me. However, when TAG Heuer created their Monaco "Gulf Edition" watches and also the 40th Anniversary Monaco, it was love at first sight! I finally got my Monaco Gulf in 2011, just in time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the movie Le Mans. It was then that my mania for everything Gulf Racing was reignited, and my childhood memories came rushing back!!!

Photo by: Mspeedster

I suppose I'm now the resident Gulf "maniac" on the Calibre11 Forum, another thing of legend perhaps? If you're not a fan of Gulf Racing, you might wonder what's all the fuss? Well, for me, it's the perfect trifecta of Man, Machine and Watch! The man, Steve McQueen - too cool for school. His machine, the legendary dominant Porsche 917. His watch, the Monaco - it's hip to be square!

Photo by: Mspeedster

Moreover, Gulf's unique light blue & orange livery is just so eye catching, whether it be on the Ford GT40, Porsche 917, Mirage GR8 or modern day race cars. Gulf mania knows no end!

Mspeedster

A big thank you to Michael for sharing his story. Come back tomorrow for the third and final part of the TAG Heuer and Gulf mania series where I will be crowning the King and Prince of Gulf watches.

PART ONE

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2021/02/feature-gulf-mania-part-one-le-mans.html

PART THREE

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2021/02/feature-gulf-mania-part-three-crowning.html

FEATURE: Gulf Mania - Part One: 'Le Mans' 50th Anniversary

Today we start a three part series that will be posted today, tomorrow and Friday and celebrates the history of TAG Heuer and Gulf Oil. This has been put together by our new contributor Jim Dollares and features input from several members of the Calibre 11 forum. Take it away JD. 

2021 will be the 50th anniversary of the famous movie Le Mans. Readers of this blog will be very familiar with the history of the Heuer Monaco and Steve McQueen so the first part of the TAG Heuer and Gulf mania will not cover this. What will be done though, is a celebration of the 50th anniversary by focusing on something very special to many watch fans. Timepieces and motorsports have gone hand in hand for a long time and a brand that has played a major role in both these worlds is Gulf. With its famous and eye-catching blue and orange colour scheme it is easy even for non-motorsport enthusiasts to understand the appeal of the Gulf livery. Join me in a series of articles where I talk about the watches, the Gulf brand and enjoy a ton of photos to drool all over.

Photo by Yuki Nohara (@24Snowy24 on Instagram)

THE WATCHES

These days it feels like TAG Heuer Gulf watches have always been around. Among TAG Heuer enthusiasts today Gulf branded watches are a natural thing, but the fact is that the first Gulf watch was introduced by TAG Heuer as late as 2005. Some might even argue that it was in 2007 since the first one in 2005 did not have the actual Gulf logo or the Gulf colours. The dial was bright white with a red Gulf shaped logo saying ‘Monaco’ instead of Gulf and reason for these design choices were of course that TAG, at that time, did not have the licensing rights for the Gulf branding. 

Since then we have seen a total of eight Gulf themed TAG Heuer watches; two Formula 1s and six Monacos. Looking at these watches all at once makes it very clear to me that two of them should be crowned the best Gulf watches (yet). TAG Heuer achieved two definite homeruns with two releases from 2018, first of all the CAW211T Monaco and secondly the CAZ101N Formula 1. Both of these shown at the bottom to the right of the Gulf montage below. 

The eight TAG Heuer Gulf watches released to date.

“a bad design choice that makes no sense for Gulf fans across the world”

When looking at these eight timepieces side by side you could play a game of “which one does not fit in?”. Sure, the white CW2118 stands out but is still a cool looking design on its own. However, in my opinion there is one Gulf edition that stands out in a very negative way. I am obviously referring to the current Gulf Monaco special edition (CAW211R) which, for some incomprehensible reason does not have the correct Gulf colour scheme. 

If you’re a Gulf fan, this major flaw with the Gulf colours being completely wrong will make your eyes bleed of horror when looking at the dial. It will forever be a great mystery how someone in TAG Heuer’s design department could sign off on such a bad design choice that makes no sense for Gulf fans across the world.

The CAW211R with its terrible colour scheme. Photo by ablogtowatch.com

“based on our exquisite taste, we know how the perfect Gulf Monacos should look”

This is how TAG Heuer should celebrate the Le Mans anniversary!

If there is something I love doing, it is daydreaming about watches. Some say that men think about sex 10 times every minute. This is of course not true, real men think about watches all the time. The current TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf special edition (CAW211R) could have been perfect but since TAG Heuer managed to completely screw it up I had to step in and show you what could be done to achieve perfection. On this mission I teamed up with chief editor Rob, Ara (@heuerrooklyn on Instagram) and Michael (known as ‘Mspeedster’ in the watch community). Based on our exquisite taste we know how the perfect Gulf Monacos should look and to that end we designed three brand new TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf special edition concept watches.

#1 TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer02 Gulf special edition concept 

In the watch world today, there is nothing hotter than a silver dial. This proper Gulf Monaco with its timeless sunburst silver dial and Gulf livery delivers a perfect combination of pure motorsport heritage with modern TAG Heuer design.

Design concept by Jim & digital design by Ara.

#2 TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer02 Gulf special edition ‘The Dark Oil Lord’ concept

It doesn’t get more bad-ass than this! Black DLC case with a black patterned dial further strengthening the contrast of the vibrant Gulf colours. Ladies and gentlemen, The Dark Oil Lord has arrived.

Design concept by Rob & digital design by Ara.

#3 TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre11 Le Mans 50th anniversary limited edition concept

True to the heritage of the Monaco from the movie, this limited edition is based on the calibre 11 case with the modern calibre 11 movement and crown on the left side of the case. With a Gulf blue matte 

dial divided by a dominant orange stripe in the middle, this watch fully embraces the colour scheme we know and love. Enthusiasts will be pleased to see Bell & Siffert's famous number 20 on top of the dial and looking closer you will find the names of Gulf and Porsche below the Gulf logo. 

Design concept and digital design by Mspeedster

Let us know in the comments which one you prefer or what your perfect Gulf design would be.

PART TWO

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2021/02/feature-gulf-mania-part-two-gulf-maniac.html

PART THREE

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2021/02/feature-gulf-mania-part-three-crowning.html

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Link Searacer Quartz Regatta Chronograph

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Calibre 5 Review by Random Rob

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 'Porsche' Special Edition

CBN2A1F.FC6492

It used to really irritate me that I'm not in a position to post about new TAG Heuer watches the minute they are released. Sure it would be the easiest thing in the world to hash together a post in a few minutes parroting the press release and quoting dimensions, power reserves and all that stuff that most of my readers already know, but that's never what my blog has been about, in fact it's the absolute opposite of what my blog is all about - I detest that kind of lazy journalism. So while it would of course be nice to have access to watches before they are released and to be able to take my own photographs, that is not where we are. So instead I have decided not to rush, to take my time and think about the new watches before I post rather than bustling to get the first thing that comes into my head out into the inter-ether. 

In this instance it seems this has been a very positive thing. My initial reaction to this new watch (from a leaked render) was pretty ho-hum, but then the launch made me like it more. However, reading the largely negative initial reactions on Calibre 11 made me question my thoughts and looking closely at the watch I started to pick it apart and find fault with it. But eventually, as more 'real world' photographs started to emerge I started to warm up to the piece again and as a result this 'first impressions' review has been written, scrapped and rewritten from scratch, I hope you enjoy it...

Rob

When Aston Martin announced their decision to part ways with Red Bull Racing at the end of 2020 in order to take over the Racing Point F1 team it became clear that TAG Heuer's association with the motor manufacturer was probably going to come to an end. Some hoped for a TAG Heuer sponsored Aston Martin team, but apparently there was already a little friction between Aston Martin and TAG Heuer due to the latter's involvement with Porsche in Formula E, and so really it was no great surprise that Porsche and TAG Heuer decided to step up their partnership and for Porsche to take Aston Martin's place in the TAG Heuer line-up. 

If this had been any other manufacturer aligning itself with TAG Heuer through the rather unremarkable all-electric racing series (where until relatively recently the drivers had to change cars midway through the race due to the constraints of battery life) it would have been a ho-hum announcement, but Porsche is no ordinary manufacturer and of course with the Gulf Oil Porsches of yesteryear there was a lot of history behind this partnership as well. Unfortunately, this seems to have stirred up some extraordinarily high (and in my opinion 'unrealistic') expectations which we will get onto later...

So as I mentioned in the intro to this post I did actually get to see some leaked pictures of the two versions available of this new Carrera and truthfully I was not overly impressed. However the renders were of relatively poor quality and much like the 50th Anniversary Monacos of 2019 when the watches were actually revealed they looked much better than I was expecting. I can't say I was completely blown away by the new Carreras and rather worryingly the first thing that caught my eye was the new bespoke leather strap, but that said I had a lot more positive reaction to the pictures than I was expecting.

I think actually that part of the problem, if we can call it that, is that TAG Heuer went quite hard on the hype for this (understandably), but what they've actually delivered as a first shot is rather... mainstream, shall we say. I can understand from a sales point of view that black and red Carreras sell units, but this watch doesn't really have a genuinely unique angle, unlike say the first Aston Martin Heuer 01 with its very unusual skeletonised dial. On top of that Porsche as a company doesn't really have a particularly strong 'image' or logo. If you think of Ferrari, you think of the yellow and black badge and the red cars. If you think of Lamborghini you think of the black and gold badge and cars in any crazy colour you like... if you think of Porsche, no colour really stands out (save perhaps silver) and the badge is a bit 'anonymous'. Like Mercedes, Porsche gives off a very 'Germanic' vibe, almost cold in comparison to the Italian supercar manufacturers, and yet the Porsche name has huge brand recognition worldwide.

Surprisingly the Porsche badge is notable only by its complete absence from the watch, instead we get the 'Porsche' text on the bezel where it would normally say 'Tachymetre', in red, which makes it less than completely obvious and again leaves the watch looking like a regular black and red Carrera. A nice black and red Carrera even, but not the 'something truly special' that some people were getting hyped up for and certainly not the 'retro limited edition' that the old school conservationists were baying for.

Now I like black and red Carreras as much as the next guy (both of my Carreras are black and red) so I'm not going to knock them for choosing that very popular colour scheme, especially when there isn't some obvious 'Porsche' colour they should have gone with. And who knows how much notice TAG Heuer actually had that this was going to come about - after all, it wasn't all that long ago that Aston Martin decided to buy Racing Point, so maybe this actually was a standard production model that they sequestered as a Porsche special edition...

I do agree that by going this route they have produced something which doesn't have that extra 'X-factor' that people were hoping for. If you take the Porsche text off the bezel this could happily sit in the TAG Heuer range and no one would bat an eyelid, in fact if this had been released without the Porsche hype it may well have been received far more favourably. But on the other hand, Porsche isn't Ferrari or Lamborghini, their road car aesthetic isn't (generally) loud and shouty and 'look at me', it's more.... stylish perhaps, considered... expensive. So perhaps when we think about that it's kind of appropriate that this Carrera is not so 'in your face'...

CBN2A1F.BA0643

So really I think to be fair to this watch perhaps it should be looked at less through the lens of being a 'Porsche' special edition and more as a good looking red and black Carrera (of which, admittedly there are many).

I do like the lumed Arabic numerals, although I don't like the fact that some of them are missing; my CV2A80 Calibre 16 Carrera has similar numerals and they managed to get all twelve on there - granted there isn't the space to do that with the Heuer 02 layout, but still, it rankles a bit. The dial is an interesting 'new' treatment (albeit rather reminiscent of the dial found on the 2020 Indy 500 Formula 1) which apparently looks dark grey or black depending on the lighting and is meant to represent asphalt.

But those features aside, it's the centre-stitched, leather strap that steals the show here and it seems I'm not the only one who thinks that. Indeed, it's not until you see the watch on the BA0643 bracelet that you realise quite how much of the CBN2A1F's appeal lies in that bespoke strap. A caveat to that, as ever, is that I am told these watches look much, much better in the flesh than they do in pictures so I am of course reserving my final judgement until I can get to try one on and see how it looks and feels once it's on the wrist and actually now that I'm getting to see real world pictures of the bracelet version it's starting to make sense there too.

The Calibre 11 forum came down hard on the new 'Porsche' Carrera, but I can't help thinking that a) expectations were way too high (driven by TAG Heuer's incessant marketing hype) and b) it could be in part a failure to understand the purpose of this particular watch. I don't really think this watch is 'aimed at Porsche owners/enthusiasts' any more than I think the countless Ferrari branded watches that have been made over the years are aimed at Ferrari owners/enthusiasts, or even particularly at the 'watch community'. Porsche and Ferrari are brands that transcend that narrow fanbase and are in the public consciousness whether or not they've ever sat through the whole 1h 48m of 'Le Mans'.

To my mind the 'purpose' of this watch is to be exactly what it has been criticised for, it's a Carrera that the average joe would gravitate to, but with the added allure of Porsche branding; something to push the buyer to put his money where his mouth is rather than nodding appreciatively and moving on. After all, the purpose of designing any new watch is to create sales and TAG Heuer is not Patek or Lange. I don't doubt for a moment that later in the cycle we will see 'classically' inspired limited edition pieces that hark back to older models, but this watch is intended for mass appeal - for which they went for the most popular colour scheme and a subtle branding. 

Does that make it 'bad' or 'lazy'? I don't think so, I'm sure they were in part guided by marketing strategies and genuine customer feedback and I'm sure there will be more 'extravagant' Porsche TAG Heuers in future, but for now they've introduced their partnership with a watch that won't alienate anyone who was likely to buy a 44mm Carrera in the first place.

With their uniquely fractured brand identity I imagine TAG Heuer are quite used to 'disappointing' the 'distinguished' watch community with their more modern designs, but as an entry level luxury brand their eyes are primarily focused on the people who actually put their money down for new watches rather than those who criticise while sitting back and curating their antique collections... but still the feedback was unusually strident, even hostile!

The Council of Considered Opinion's Verdict

Following on from the end of year poll in which the COCO members submitted their scores for every TAG Heuer watch released during 2020, I have decided to enlist their help throughout 2021 (and possibly beyond) and get their initial feedback on this year's watches as they are released. Their scores will be reassessed at the end of the year since initial reactions can be excessively positive or negative and we all know that watches can grow on you over time (or not).

CBN2A1F.BA0643 (bracelet): Average score 5.4/10

CBN2A1F.FC6492 (leather strap): Average score 5.7/10

In addition to their scores I asked the council members to give me a paragraph of text summing up their feelings about the new models, here are some of their comments:

"I read with interest the interview between Monochrome and Frederic Arnault on the new TAG Heuer , Porsche partnership. If I had read that interview a week ago before the announcement of the two brand partnership, I would have been hanging on the edge of my seat. As it was, I heard that the hype (I missed most of it) outstripped the actual reveal and after seeing their first step into the partnership, was rather underwhelmed myself. Hey, as has been said many times on the forum, this was aimed at the masses and I would say no effort was put into creating something to hang your hat on and say "there! world, take that". I really cant see any Porsche owner being wowed at this and thinking I've gotta have one. Maybe I'm being to hard but other than the name synergy with Carrera, I don't see the connection and even in the interview on Monochrome, Frederic's explanation of the connection between the two brands and the watch was average , boring and could have been cut and pasted from a thousand speeches from a thousand non descriptive products. If someone gave me the watch to wear would I, Yes of course, but did I raise an eyebrow over the design at launch, nope. But hey, I'm a Heuerholic , I'll still hold out hope for the future of this partnership, but TH just remember who you are. Techniques d'Avant Garde Heuer / Federic Arnault, put those balls on the line and wow us!"

"To me, there's no real difference between the two models apart from strap/bracelet, so I think that comes down to personal preference. I would rate both a 3/10. Why so low? Whilst I like the textured dial, I find the overall design a bit derivative and similar to past Carreras. It's also a bit cluttered with the Arabic minute numerals and the only visible link to Porsche is the reference on the bezel. The whole tie-up seems a little tenuous to me and more of a marketing exercise than a celebration of partnership. Having said all this, the 44mm models don't appeal to me anyway, being way to big. If I was in the market for a large chronograph and I liked the design, then I might consider it given the Heuer 02 movement. But then again, I also think it's a bit overpriced and there are other chronographs in the market I'd probably be choosing instead!"

"I'll give the leather a 6/10 and the bracelet 5/10. These watches are just "average" to me, not great but not horrible either. The leather receives one point higher because at least the strap is a new design, whereas the bracelet is just the same old bracelet."

"I give the Porsche-stitched strap a 9 and the bracelet an 8 out of 10. This watch resonates to me since I’m really into watches with great history and also as a 24H Le Mans motorsport fan. I might consider getting one depending on upcoming releases of this collaboration."

"I like it. The watch takes design cues from TAG Heuer and Porsche and integrates them. New Porsche cars are also very big and not very minimalistic or understated (which I also would like better), but they can't ignore the spirit of the age. It has the asphalt dial, which had VERY positive Feedback in the Community with the Monaco 1989-1999 or on the brickyard dial in the F1 Indy 500. I like the leather strap better (8/10) than the bracelet (7/10)."

"Putting aside that it is too big, and that the design doesn't really stretch the mind, it is a decent enough model, so: Bracelet: 5/10  Strap: 7/10"

"Underwhelming, although I like the fresh design of the leather strap and the textured dial - it reminds me of the textured speedometer dial in a vintage car - overall it feels like a generic Carrera with the word 'Porsche' slapped on it. I don't really understand car/watch tie ins, it feels like the manufacturers just trying to cash in on the fact that car guys like watches and vice versa. I like both, but wouldn't buy a watch because it has the brand of a car I like written on it. 6/10 from me."

"6 points from me too, just feels that both parties wanted a tie up, but the design team had limited budget/time and went the easy route, I know watches have to conform in design in some ways, but guys, you’re not dealing with sheep here, just because it has Porsche and/or Tag Heuer on it doesn’t mean wallets will be opened. How about a bit of new thinking to excite us?"

"One point, two on the leather strap because at least that has a novel design. Lazy, entirely uninspiring bordering on cynical - TAG seems to think its customers are stupid enough to pay a premium for a watch just because they wrote "Porsche" on the bezel and winding rotor. There's nothing else here that's even remotely special - this design was almost certainly already in the cards for the 44mm Carrera line, and instead of doing something special for this partnership TAG clearly just decided to do the minimum Porsche branding without a thought to anything else. Meanwhile, the anticipation among die-hard Heuer fans for this partnership was off the charts - everyone posted their old Autavias and Carreras on their social media, then went completely silent when it became apparent that this would be a 44mm watch. On the other hand, absolutely nobody posted their monstrously-sized skeletonized Heuer-01s and 02s in anticipation, because they don't really care. Year after year we see all these stupid moves with the Carrera and I've begun to wonder, does anyone in a decision-making role at TAG really care about what they do?"

The Carrera Heuer 02 Porsche Special Edition has a 44mm case, an 80 hour power reserve and is available now on the bracelet at £5000 and on the leather strap at £4850. 

Leather strap version:

https://www.tagheuer.com/gb/en/timepieces/collections/tag-heuer-carrera/44-mm-calibre-heuer-02/CBN2A1F.FC6492.html

Bracelet version:

https://www.tagheuer.com/gb/en/timepieces/collections/tag-heuer-carrera/44-mm-calibre-heuer-02/CBN2A1F.BA0643.html

GALLERY: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Quartz Watch

 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Sports Heuer 02 Chronograph Review by Bruce Williams

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Executive Quartz Watch

 

915.613

It's amazing how even now I manage to learn new things about TAG Heuer and the watches they have produced over the last 35 years. Flush with excitement from my recent purchase of a gold plated 3000 Series chronograph from the mid 1980s I decided perhaps I should seriously think about adding some of those other 'crossover' pieces to my collection. I'm talking of course about the pieces that started life as late era 'Heuers' and which carried over into the post buyout years with TAG Heuer on the dial but not necessarily on the clasp, crown or backplate...

And so I headed to eBay, keen but expecting to be disappointed and typed in 'TAG Heuer Executive', really not believing that anything would come up in the UK, and probably not that much from the rest of the world. Imagine my surprise then when this lovely looking Executive 915.613 popped up at the top of the listings with what looked like a very long bracelet and a 'Buy It Now' price of £500. I was more than intrigued and wondered if I should buy it and stash it a while to avoid an unnecessary 'consultation' with the wife over yet another TAG Heuer appearing in my collection. 

The seller reckoned the watch was 36mm in diameter, which I can just about live with; my Kirium WL1116 is 36mm and it's surprisingly okay. It is a little small, but somehow with the leather strap it looks quite good, almost dressy actually... but realistically (plastic Formula 1s aside) 36mm is a hard bottom limit for me really. Sadly I noticed that the part number ended in a '13' which suggested 'mid-size' so I fired off a message asking for clarification.

Sure enough the seller confirmed my fears, the watch was 36mm including the crown, so realistically we are talking 34mm (about the same size as a plastic Formula 1) but even more catastrophically, the bracelet wasn't as long as it appears in the photograph, the seller claiming a maximum wrist size of 7".

Discussing this with our friend Jim Dollares, he brought up a very good question: 'Did they make it in a larger size?'. I assumed they would have and that the part number would be the same but with an '06' on the end instead of the '13'. But looking in the 1987/1988 catalogue I was extremely disappointed to find that actually no, they did not make this exact watch in a larger size, it only came in two sizes: midsize (13) and ladies (08).

In fact the Executive range is largely midsize and ladies throughout, with the exception of three full size pieces (215.406, 216.406 and 214.306), all of which are chronographs. This is a bit of a shame really, because that means I can't get a nice three handed 'full size' Executive, I'd have to get a chronograph, which no doubt will be more expensive to purchase and more likely to be faulty. Sigh...

I tried Googling those chronograph part numbers by the way, two of them brought up absolutely nothing at all, but a Heuer branded 214.306 was sold at auction in 2019 by David Duggleby Auctioneers in 2019 for £300! It looked in pretty nice condition as well, but there's no detailed description, length of bracelet or confirmation that it was in working order so it's of limited value.

I checked Chrono 24 too and all they could offer me was the watch I found on eBay and another mid size piece being sold in the USA (for a slightly unrealistic - I feel, £1008!)

Despite the size issue, the one I found on eBay certainly looks in good condition, especially the bracelet with it's gold plated tips. I can't help but think a more careful seller might have deigned to wipe the fingerprints off the crystal before taking the photographs, but there we are. I do like the watch as it is, if only it was 37/38mm... and if it had a few spare links for the bracelet.

I can see why the Executive range might be a bit of a hard sell in 2021 though, it does not look particularly 'cool' like say a '3000 Series' does. It's also rather uncharacteristic of TAG Heuer generally and many TAG Heuer enthusiasts may find it rather, umm... dated, perhaps?

I must admit I quite like it, much more than the 'Titanium' from the same era, but I don't really like the chronographs as much as the three handers and it seems a bit of an odd choice to put a chronograph into a watch which is clearly meant to be rather 'dressy'. 

Link to the eBay sale page:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tag-Heuer-Executive-915-613-Blue-Dial-Stainless-steel/333375761303

Link to the Auction page on the David Duggleby site:

https://www.davidduggleby.com/auctions/29062019816/0/1157/GentlemansTagHeuerExecutivequartzchronographwristwatch214306.aspx?search=

Link to Chrono 24 page for the 915.713 grey dial variant

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/tagheuer/915713-executive-professional-200m-two-tone-steel-quartz-mens-watch--id17503876.htm

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BUYING EXPERIENCE: TAG Heuer 3000 Series Quartz Chronograph

 

237.406

About three weeks ago I posted about a gold/black 3000 Series quartz chronograph that I found for sale on eBay in America (link at the bottom of the page). I wrote the post the same day as I spoke to the seller and they informed me that the watch had just been sold, but as it transpired by the time the post had been published on this blog I had already purchased it, hence the cryptic 'to be continued...' at the end of that post.

Later the same evening the seller contacted me to say that the watch was available again as the person who wanted to buy it previously had pulled out. I tried to clarify the position on the postage charges and the seller just kept saying 'look in the YouTube video', which I did... to no avail. I went back to him and asked him again but he just kept saying 'look in the video' and I eventually realised he meant look in the text under the video, where his email address was.

Long story short, he wanted me to purchase off eBay, which I really did not want to do. That, combined with the sudden 'availability' of the watch after it had supposedly been sold was sending up all kinds of warning flags and my wife was dead against me buying the watch full stop because she (reasonably) assumed the seller was flaky as hell.

I was wary too, but I really wanted the damn watch and eventually I managed to convince the seller to sell to me through eBay. Then for some reason the sale wouldn't complete, I put it in my basket but I couldn't checkout. I was getting very frustrated with this whole endeavour and assumed the seller was causing problems to try and get me to buy off eBay.

In the end the seller had to take the sale down and relist the watch again in a different category and then I could complete the checkout. I had mixed feelings honestly, part of me was really happy that I had managed to buy the watch (through eBay, with all the protections etc) but part of me wondered if I would ever receive the watch and if I did would it be as good as it seemed? 

Well, I did receive the watch, and while it wasn't quite in 'perfect' working order, it was in amazing condition and came exactly as described with the original cardboard box, plastic barrel case with display stand and three extra links.

I think what happened with the carriage charges was that in the initial listing, when the page changed it added the estimated customs charges on to the actual carriage and that's why it was showing £173 carriage. When he relisted it it came out at a much more reasonable £45, but after my recent experience buying my wife's raspberry Formula 1 from the USA I knew I would still have to pay probably another £100-150 on arrival.

The sale was completed on the 6th of January and I was given a delivery date of 21st Jan - 10th Feb. In actuality the watch arrived on the 26th of Jan, so just under three weeks delivery. International delivery seems a bit of a crap-shoot, I've had a Formula 1 arrive from Japan in 48 hours, but some take two weeks or more. I guess this was pretty slow, but it was sent via eBay's own delivery system so I guess they are doing it as cheaply as possible to maximise the profits. I was happy it was going through eBay though, so there was no arguments if I needed to claim against the seller.

I was expecting a call from the carrier service asking me to pay the charges before delivery, but then one day my wife rang me from home and told me there was a rather large parcel there. When I opened it I found a lot of brown paper and another cardboard box, which I opened to find yet more brown paper and a very, very small white TAG Heuer outer box. 

Inside was the black plastic barrel box I had seen in the pictures, but I was perturbed as to how the watch fitted inside as it didn't seem big enough. All was revealed once I opened the parcel and found that the watch and cushion lays on it's side when packed away but can be positioned upright for display purposes, a very clever design from TAG Heuer!

The watch itself is in amazing condition, I've always been reluctant to buy any 1980s gold-plated watches because the gold always seems to be coming away. Even some watches that look okay from the front, when you see photos of the back there's always chunks falling off here and there. But this one really is as close to immaculate as you're going to get. It is a couple of millimeters larger than my three handed 3000 Series pieces, but because it's thicker it fools you into thinking it's the same size.

A curious feature is that the crown is further back on the case side than the pushers for the chronograph, I guess this indicates some kind of chronograph module placed on top of the basic quartz module? It would make sense as the movement is clearly set quite far back to allow for the cyclops which is built into the watch's dial, a much nicer idea than a bulbous 'bubble' sticking out of the crystal if you ask me.

Of the three links that came with the watch, one was slightly bent, but a little tapping with the soft end end of a jewellers hammer straightened it out. As the 3000 Series was fitted with split pins rather than collars and pins it's actually a lot easier to do these yourself, although you have to be aware that with watches of this age the pins can break when you try to remove them. As such I was a little hesitant to do it, but after a few days I took the plunge and it was relatively easy.

I put all three links back in to the bracelet initially as there were three holes left on the micro adjustment, but having done that I realised that you have to leave three holes spare for the diving extension to fold over. So, having put all three links back in I then had to split the bracelet again to take one back out. But again this was easy enough so no big drama.

You might remember from my post the other day that my other two 3000 Series watches have some 'Heuer' branded parts and this one is no different. In fact of the four logos on the watch, only the one on the dial is 'TAG Heuer' so this is my most Heueresque piece to date. At least the one you can actually see most of the time is, ahem.... correct.

As you can see below and above the backplate and clasp are both stamped Heuer and the (quite small) crown also has a tiny Heuer logo on it. Also below you can see that even on the back of the watch the gold plating is in excellent condition.

Another curious feature of the watch is that both the running seconds and the chronograph second hand tick every half a second, this is the first time I've seen this on any of my watches. I guess it could mean that the movement has been replaced, or maybe that's just how they were back then. Next time I change the battery I will have a closer look and see what writing there is on the movement.

Speaking of the chronograph, while the watch keeps incredibly accurate time (dead on after three days) the chronograph is less than perfect. Initially the second hand was running very inconsistently, missing beats and stopping after about 100 secs, since I have put the links back in and had it on the wrist it is working a lot better. It's still not completely right, I think it's still missing a beat around the two position, but it's definitely improving and hopefully if I keep running it it will improve further. I'm hoping that wearing it is warming the oils and helping the chronograph get up and running, but we'll see.

If not I guess at some point it would require servicing, but if I'm completely honest I would be more concerned if the timekeeping was off as I very rarely use a chronograph and I'm not sure I want to spend probably £300 fixing a watch that is running just fine apart from that. 

I'm not going to pretend that I wasn't a little disappointed when I found the black and gold 3000 Series I posted about on Tuesday, but... having since received this and realised how nice it really is, and taking into account the fact that that watch would have cost me at least twice what this one did, that this is a TAG Heuer rather than a Heuer (which, rightly or wrongly is my 'thing') and that this is quartz whereas that one is a (potentially expensive to repair, old automatic) I think I made the right choice. But, in a perfect world of course I would take both.

Since I was never called upon to pay the import fees, I purchased this piece for just £436 plus the aforementioned £45 carriage... which considering I never thought I'd find a 3000 Series chronograph of any type for a sensible price, particularly one in such fine aesthetic condition, is perhaps one of the greatest bargains in my collection. All in all, I really can't think of a better way I could have started my collecting year.

:)

January 13th 2021 post:

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2021/01/spotlight-on-tag-heuer-3000-series.html

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Two Very Rare 3000 Series on Chrono 24

 

Chrono 24 isn't a site I frequent all that often for some reason, so I can't personally vouch for it's safety or recommend it, but I understand it's quite a professional enterprise and has the facility for Escrow etc... regardless, if you wish to use it please do your due diligence before rushing into it.

Recently I was researching for my upcoming 'HISTORY: TAG Heuer 3000 Series' post and during that process I came across two fantastic and rarely seen pieces that I thought I would share with you here.

136.006

The first is this stunning 136.006 automatic Heuer chronograph in black and gold, something I never thought would be available in such incredible condition. Personally of course, I would prefer it was a TAG Heuer and also quartz rather than automatic, but nit-picking aside I have to concede that this is even cooler than the gold and black 3000 Series I wrote about recently. 

It boggles the mind that the watch is in such amazing condition when literally almost every 'blackened' 80s TAG Heuer watch has at least some degree of damage to the bracelet - and understandably so, even now I'd hesitate to buy a black watch with a coated bracelet if I'm honest. 

This watch is being sold by a private seller in the Czech Republic and the asking price is £995, which seems remarkably reasonable all things considered. Apparently the watch was serviced three years ago and is running very well.

I've long been after a 3000 Series chronograph and I've also always had a thing for black and gold watches, and if I wasn't already committed to buying something else I'd be giving this some serious thought... 

The second watch is probably even rarer, though not in quite such good condition.

936.013SB

This is the without a doubt one of the least known TAG Heuer watch models out there. It was available in four sizes of which this is the 'midsize' (approx 34-35mm), which is a shame because again if this was the full size 37mm then I would be extremely interested. A curious detail about this watch is that it's only known catalogue appearance is in a 1988 Japanese catalogue, so quite why it is branded 'Heuer' is something of a mystery...

One theory is that these watches were made using old dials left over from the Heuer days, and it's easy to see why that might be true - especially as it wouldn't be hard to combine other 3000's from the mid 80s to produce this rather dramatic colour scheme.

As you can see though, the black coating on this one, while still 'good', hasn't fared as well as the chronograph above, especially on the bracelet.

This one is from Russia and is a much more affordable £411, but being the smaller size kills it for me. To be honest if it was 37mm I'd have already bought it, no question!

These are two of my favourite watches from TAG Heuer and hopefully one day I will get hold of one or both. I don't have a huge amount of hope in finding a 936.006SB though, this is the first time I've ever actually seen one of these outside of that previously mentioned Japanese catalogue.

I will leave links to both sales below, but as I say, please check things out yourself before buying as I have no personal experience with either seller or with Chrono 24:

Heuer 3000 Series Quartz Watch (936.013)

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/heuer/3000-series-professional--id17611172.htm

Heuer 3000 Series Automatic Chronograph (136.006)

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/heuer/3000-chronograph-automatic--id17124361.htm

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