SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer S/EL Quartz Chronograph Two Tone

CG1125

I've never been a big fan of gold or two tone watches, but if there's one watch that works in those colour schemes it's the S/EL. It plays to it's 80s retro styling, be it full gold, steel and gold or the even more abrasive and in your face black and gold.

So I was quite excited to find this on the 'Cash Converters' website of all places... and actually they have rather a lot of TAGs for sale (at least 50 when I looked), including a pink dial Alter Ego for less than £300. So go on, how much do you think this was up for?

£399...

So what's the catch? Well, by their own admission the gold is a little bit worn, but that's not unusual on these watches. The case is 38mm, so it's a little on the small side, but still works for a lot of guys... my 6000 is 38mm and that is my lower limit, so I could have lived with it for that price.

But the killer is the bracelet. James at Cash Converters sent me a quick email reply to my enquiry telling me that the bracelet measures 145mm. Some 50mm smaller than I need... which means this watch is sized to less than 6". James reckons that it would fit an average wrist, but to me that is wide of the mark to say the least.

Now I don't know if you are familiar with link prices on eBay, but anything with any kind of gold on it is at least £50, and I'd need four/five links - if I could find them! Which means the watch is suddenly going to stick me for £600+ and doesn't look quite the bargain I first thought.

It's a proper shame and I can't help but wonder if James has got his tape measure round the wrong way because looking at the bracelet, it doesn't look unduly short. I mean 145mm is tiny, and makes me wonder - if it is correct, was this watch previously owned by a woman? At 38mm it's not massive for a woman's wrist and it's half gold... so maybe it was. I just hope they haven't committed the cardinal sin of trading this in to buy a Michael Kors 'Daytona'.

It's a pity that the watch is 2.5hrs away in Enfield (within the M25) otherwise I'd go and have a look for myself. But alas I fear that as my wrist is rather larger than most, even if James has got it wrong (and I really think he might have), it's very unlikely to fit me.

Here's a link to Cash Converters selection of TAG Heuers... they do offer 14 day returns and they say they check their items against police records to ensure you aren't buying stolen goods. But at the end of the day they aren't a watch dealer, so I would treat them like you'd treat a personal sale, or an eBay auction.

Worth a look though, believe it or not they've got one of those rare Japanese black mother of pearl dial Carreras for sale...

https://www.cashconverters.co.uk/shop/tag-heuer/6337

VIDEO: 1995 TAG Heuer S/EL Chronograph by Birth Year Watches

SPOTLIGHT ON: Some Interesting Finds on Ebay...

Due to Ebay's new policy of deleting listing pages the second the auction is finished I won't be posting links to the auctions, but these are all currently on eBay and shouldn't be too difficult to find if you want to.

WK111D-0

My first pick is a WK111D-0 2000 Series which is pretty standard except that it features the Royal Crown of Jordan on the dial, which is pretty darned cool I'm sure you'd agree! Also, can you think of any other watch where the TAG Heuer logo is at the 9 position? Neither can I... This is a Buy It Now listing and will set you back £474, which is quite a hefty sum for a 2000, but then few 2000s have this one's 'gravitas'.

165.806/1

Next up we have one of the much sought after 2000s with the Breitling style bezel. I believe there was some kind of court case where Breitling served TAG with a copyright suit, though I don't know anything more than that unfortunately. Considering the amount of copying that goes on in the watch world it seems kind of hilarious that two companies should be going to court over it, but then again this one absolutely screams Breitling. Yours (with no strap) for £625, or bidding starts at £299...

S93.306C

Our next pic is this gloriously tacky S/EL in two tone black and gold. This is kind of horrendous, but it's so horrendous that I love it! Believe me, if this was on a bracelet not a leather strap I would be after this, big time. Sadly, there's no bracelet, and this piece is on a Buy It Now for £999, which is a chunk of change. Still, for the right person I'm sure this is going to be a dream buy.

214.306

A pre TAG Heuer watch next, this is a Heuer Executive, which is gold plated - though it's not at all apparent from the pictures. Surprisingly for an older piece, this watch measures 41.5mm including the crown, but is a decent diameter enough to make this wearable today? It's a unique look and I can't see many really falling in love with it, my guess is it will end up in the hands of a Heuer collector and live in a display case somewhere. £642 will get you a piece of Heuer history, if you want it...

WA1214

Something less unusual and rare, this 80s Formula 1 is being sold as a 'ladies' watch, but I'm pretty sure that it's the regular 35mm mens model. This really is crazy because it's being offered at a price of £175, which is ludicrously low for the condition. I've tried to enquire about the diameter and bracelet length but as yet the seller hasn't come back to me. If it is 35mm that's still too small for me, but I might be tempted to buy it anyway, just to add to my collection.

264.006

Here's a 2000 you don't see every day, and again this is from the very early days of the TAG Heuer brand and probably originated in the Heuer days. The watch looks to be in immaculate condition and its 40mm diameter makes it a perfect modern wearer, but this classic 18k gold TAG does not come cheap, you'll need to part with £828 to acquire it. Good news for the larger wristed though, as the band supplied will fit a 7.95" wrist.

WH5253

Last but not least we come to this lovely 6000 series with a two tone case, a leather band and an unusual green dial. This one is for sale from Japan, which means there's extra import taxes, so that's something to bear in mind. I really like this, but I've already got one 6000 and I don't really 'need' another one. Like mine, this is on the smaller side with a diameter of just 38mm (which is my bottom limit) and just 9.5mm thick. Could be worth keeping an eye on this one as it might possibly turn out to be a bargain, with a starting price of just £151 I think this will go a lot higher, but you never know... 

Finally, if you've already got all the watches you need, why not fill your room with the scent of 'TAG Heuer' courtesy of this promotional candle, yours for just £45. No mention of what 'TAG Heuer' actually smells like, I'm guessing a mixture of sandal wood and engine oil...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Review by iReviewWatches

FEATURE: I Finally Saw an Alter Ego!

If you spend as much time as I do on eBay it can be frustrating to find watches that appeal to you but you don't want to buy because you've never actually seen one in the flesh, and watches really can look a lot different when you get them in your hands than they do in pictures. Now obviously I'm not going to buy an Alter Ego for myself, but they are kind of intriguing and since they've long been discontinued I've just never actually seen one close up before. So it was a moment of excitement this morning when I happened to spot one in a Pawnbrokers window in Northampton...

Funnily enough I don't usually carry my phone about (because I hate them), but in this instance I had it handy and so I was able to snap this pic. The watch is actually a good bit more chunky than I anticipated, I really expected it to be a little more dainty than it is. I'm guessing this one must be 32/34mm or thereabouts, comparing it to the (scratched up) Link which was also in the window and I'm guessing was about 39/40mm (both of which being hilariously dwarfed by a huge Breitling that must have been 46-48mm).

The watch has a brushed finish, which works for it in terms of scratches, but I've always thought the whole thing with the Alter Ego was to be as showy as possible and so this one comes across as a little dull. It doesn't help that it has this blue mother of pearl dial which gives zero contrast to the case and makes the whole thing look a little one dimensional.

Overall I really like the design and I think it's so neat that it doesn't look like anything else out there, it's clearly a very modern look and that's something that's desperately lacking in these days of endless 'Heritage' pieces - although to be fair, women's collections don't seem to suffer from that blight nearly as much as men's. Even so, this is an unusually aggressively modern looking watch and is probably not going to be everyone's cup of tea. From my own experience I know it's taken an awful long time for my wife to come round to the idea of getting herself an Alter Ego, and she wants a polished one with a bright blue dial, so this isn't even close.

One thing I don't really like though is the crown, apart from the odd placement it looks massive... and kind of undermines the 'classy' dress watch credentials this should otherwise enjoy.

Price wise this one is up for £495, which is difficult to compare because on eBay prices for these are all over the place. You might be able to find this on eBay for £300 or £800, it seems like women don't use eBay the same way men do and so there's much more likelihood of getting a bargain, whereas any decent men's TAG on eBay will find a buyer at a price close to it's true value. Case in point, there's a beautiful ladies Kirium with a blue dial on eBay that's failed to sell twice and it's only £280...

How ridiculous is that? You put a blue men's Kirium on eBay and you will sell it - unless you're being completely unreasonable on the price.

Well, it may not be the most exciting model, but I am actually glad that I've finally got to see an Alter Ego for myself. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I still quite like it, and I will be interested to see if/when my wife picks up one for her collection.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 'Engraved' by David Harris

FEATURE: My Top Ten Formula 1's

In all honesty, these days I'm not a massive fan of the Formula 1 range... I don't have a problem with quartz pieces, so it's not that... and while I have to admit that the new Formula 1's are probably the best they've ever been, now that I've moved up to wearing my Aquaracer's on a daily basis I don't really have as much interest in them anymore.

Which is fair enough, because after all the quartz pieces are essentially TAG's entry level pieces and they are built to a budget. They also give the opportunity for some fun pieces which can be a little more colourful and creative while not breaking the bank. After all, you might think you like that orange dial now, but do you really want to invest £3000 in one? Probably not.

In the last few months I've sold both my Formula 1's, my WAH1110 went on eBay and my CAU2012 was traded at Watchfinder for my Grand Carrera GMT, and even though the decisions to sell were made pretty quickly I honestly don't have a hint of regret. The best thing about the WAH1110 was the fantastic lume, but it was a touch small and didn't have enough wrist presence for me. My rollercoaster of a relationship with the CAU2012 has been well documented on this blog, and considering how long it took me to track one down I am still rather shocked myself that I only kept it about 12 months...

But while I doubt I'll be adding any Formula 1's to my collection in the short term, there are some that I kinda like and potentially might fall catch my interest at some point, so let's have a look at what they are...

10. Formula 1 Chronotimer (CAC111D.BA0850)

As anyone who reads my blog regularly will know, I am a sucker for those quirky semi-digital TAGs, and so this one is a no brainer. I must say I don't like the black insert on the left and the crown guards are far too big, the dial also looks a bit small, but even so I've looked at these on eBay many a time and been very tempted for the £400 they seem to go for. Maybe one day...

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2018/04/spotlight-on-tag-heuer-formula-one.html

9. Singapore Grand Prix Limited Edition (CAU1118.FT6024)

I'm not too sure about this one, I have a feeling (hope) that this would look better in person than it does in pictures. It's got the same dreadful clasp as my WAH1110 no doubt so that would need changing out, but green/black watches are unusual and I think it perhaps suits the F1 range better than the Grand Carrera GMT. Never yet seen one for sale, probably because only 300 were made.

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/12/spotlight-on-formula-one-chronograph.html

8. Classic Formula 1Chronograph (CA1213)

I've picked the yellow model, but I could just as easily have picked the blue, red or white versions. These classic F1 chronographs are much loved and good condition pieces will cost you more than you might expect, particularly as the chrono versions are decent sizes for people with big wrists like me. Always nice ones available on eBay, and I'll probably pick one up on a bracelet at some point.

7. Calibre S (CAH7011.BA0860)

This one is all about the dial and movement for me, both of which I really like. However, the case is the same case as the CAU2012 I sold a few months ago, and having owned that I know I will almost certainly never own one of these* because the lumpy pushers/crown guard arrangement really bugs me. Which is a shame because otherwise I really like this. There was one of these on Watchfinder a while back for about £1000 I think, but it had some scratches on it so I passed. I'd like to see one and at least figure out if I can live with the pushers because it's a really cool looking watch in my opinion.

*I said the same about the Grand Carrera GMT and the 500M Aquaracer though, so make of that what you will!

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/12/spotlight-on-formula-one-24-calibre-s.html

6. Ayrton Senna Special Edition (WAZ1014.FT8027)

When the Manchester United Formula 1 watch came out, the only thing I really liked about it was the rubber strap, so it's cool that TAG have used it on the Aryton Senna Special Edition (some might wonder why it's on the Man Utd watch seeing as the design echoes the famous S/EL bracelet design, forever connected to the great Brazilian driver) for those of us who aren't into the supposed 'beautiful game' and/or Manchester United.

I much prefer the three handed version of this over the chronograph as it's much cleaner and there's more room on the dial for the stripes. The silver bezel looks great against the black case and even better with the black around the edge. My one gripe is the hands, in person that red does not look great, indeed the hands look like plastic. If this watch had silver hands I would probably buy one, even so I might still buy one... maybe.

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/08/first-impressions-formula-one-quartz.html

5. 'Black Bull' Chronograph (CAZ101E.BA0842) 

It's not actually called the Black Bull at all, but I always think of it as the black 'Red Bull' so, fairly logical - to me at any rate. When this was announced I thought I might prefer it to the Red Bull Special Edition, but a try on in London told me otherwise. I still think it's a smart watch, but that blue version is just a better in my opinion. Would still make somebody a nice (only) watch they could be proud of and will probably come down in price quicker than the Red Bull I think... and easier to find on a bracelet too.

4. Aston Martin Special Edition (CAZ101P.FC8245)

As I said in my review a few days ago, this one really appealed to me and I do like it, but do I like it enough to splash the full cash? I don't think so, at least not at the moment. Things can change of course, but at the moment I'm in that 'saving' phase while I try to work out where I want to go next and this would be a pleasant distraction, but a fund killer, so for now I'll admire it from afar - plus the strap is too short for my wrist so I'd be wanting a steel bracelet to go with it, so - more expense!

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2018/06/on-wrist-tag-heuer-formula-1-aston.html

3. Formula 1 Classic (385.513/085) 

This one could be controversial for some people, but for the real TAG Heuer enthusiast this is a collection must have really... this particular colour scheme wasn't one of the original selection, but was added into the 1989 catalogue, and I think it's by far the nicest of all. Unfortunately these are rather small and not really suitable for my 7.3/4" wrist, but I still want one and eventually I will hopefully add one to my collection.

There's a really interesting article on Calibre11 about one guy's quest to restore his beloved 385.513/085 and I thoroughly recommend giving it a read.

https://www.calibre11.com/mytag-tag-heuer-formula-1-1989/

2. Alec Monopoly Limited Edition (WAZ1117.FT8023)

It's fair to say that no one saw this one coming, and when it was announced it was rather a shock. Probably the most divisive TAG Heuer yet, and given more time to think about it I think I would have pulled the trigger on this one. But with only 200 pieces made they were all gone within a couple of days and the chance was missed. Within days of release they were appearing on eBay for multiples of their £1000 list price, which was as predictable as it was annoying - and makes me rue the missed opportunity to buy all the more. I mean, all credit to TAG, they put out a 200 piece limited edition with a special box for barely any more than the standard watch... I just wonder how many of these have ever actually seen any wrist time? I'm sure a lot of them are being sat on as investments, which is largely dependent on Alec Monopoly's career curve...

http://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2018/01/feature-alec-monopoly-tag-heuer-formula.html

1. Red Bull Special Edition (CAZ1018.BA0842)

And so we come to my number one pick, and if you've been paying attention then this probably hasn't come as a complete surprise. Available on either a steel bracelet or a blue NATO, these pretty much flew out of the stores and I've only ever actually seen a bracelet version once (the NATO is much easier to find - probably because it's utter tut). Some say this is now discontinued, but it's still showing on TAG's website, so I don't know about that... but either way, they're definitely holding up value wise as I can't find one for sale for less than £1100 anywhere.

As I said earlier, the black version is nice enough, but this blue (with red accents) is something quite exceptional and I really, really love that there is no Red Bull logo on the dial. I genuinely think that would have ruined this watch, and for those of us who aren't completely on board the 'Red Bull' train having a tacky logo on the dial would have been a killer blow I think. I don't have anything against Red Bull (although Helmut Marko looks like a Bond villain) and I'm quite happy to have a branded back plate but that's as far as it goes. I must admit when it was announced that TAG were moving over to Red Bull after many, many years partnering with McLaren I did fear a terribly tacky watch coming out of it. How wrong I was. If I do take ownership of another F1 at some point, there's a very good chance it will be this one.

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/10/first-impressions-formula-one-quartz.html

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/10/on-wrist-formula-one-quartz-chronograph.html


So there you have it, my top ten Formula 1 TAG Heuers, and not a single automatic amongst them. To be honest, from my own experience I don't really see that buying an automatic F1 makes a lot of sense, especially since you can get a Carrera Calibre 16 for not much more. Personal taste of course, but for me, I was disappointed with my CAU2012 because it was a £2500 watch that didn't feel like a £2500 watch. I'd have much rather had the same watch in quartz for £1500, and if that was the case I probably wouldn't have sold it.

Leave me a comment and let me know what YOUR favourite F1 is...

VIDEO: How Do They Do It - Making TAG Heuer Watches by Sticustom

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Link Calibre 17 Chronograph

CBC2112.BA0603

Michael Jones / Northampton, 26th June 2018

Came across this one by accident when hunting down the Aston Martin F1, and the first thing to say about it is that because of the way it was displayed in the window I couldn't see the price and had forgotten how much it was, so I was slightly surprised when I picked up the watch and saw the label which said £3650 (although I've also seen it for £3900 on Ernest Jones website, so I assume it must have gone up recently?). I did know that was the price, but I had forgotten, and for some reason it always surprises me when I see Links that cost this kind of money because I just don't associate the range with those kind of prices.

Leaving that aside, I have to say that the dial is very attractive. The one I tried on had a lovely blue sunburst dial (the watch is also available in black) and while there has been much made of the cluttered text in the lower sub-dial, in person I really didn't see it as a problem. It's a shame they've made the date window white, I guess it helps make it legible, but I can't help thinking it would have looked nicer if it had been matched to the dial colour (as indeed it was on the prototype of the black dial, but not the blue, oddly...).

The bracelet is very luxurious and tapers sharply down to the butterfly clasp which provides a clean look, there's no denying the bracelet is very nicely made and definitely gives this watch a certain X-factor. The bracelet was slightly too big for my 7.3/4" wrist, but as far as I can tell it seemed very smooth and comfortable. My only gripe with the bracelet is that it looks too wide where it joins the watch itself, indeed it actually makes the dial look rather undersized. This isn't helped by the seemingly oversized pushers and crown which also seem to give the impression of a too-small dial and take up an unusual amount of the right hand side of the case. I get that it's part of the whole integrated bracelet thing, but I can't help thinking it looks like they've fitted a bracelet for a 43/45mm case to a 41mm watch, because despite being a chronograph this watch is only 41mm (the same as the three handed version), which perhaps explains why the dial does looks slightly crowded.

Still, like everything, it's just a case of getting used to a 'different' design I guess. It is a very stylish and luxurious looking piece and the dial colour in particular is very attractive. I think if I was in the market I might tend to go for the three handed version, which is more like £2400 and doesn't suffer from the cramped dial.

WBC2112.BA0603

The other nice thing about the three handed version of course is that the date is able to be positioned at the 3 position which looks neater and actually looks a bit smaller into the bargain, which personally I prefer, especially with the white background.

All in all, while I like the bracelet and I like the watch, I'm on the fence about the combination. It seems a bit strange that they've made the chronograph a 41mm (and I've checked this in several places) when it's standard TAG practice to make three-handers 41mm and chronographs 43mm, I really do think that another 2mm would have given the dial a bit of breathing space and made it a bit less cluttered.

That aside it's clearly a quality product and it really looks and feels the business. I definitely think I'd take the blue dial over the black (although I haven't seen the black in person) as it just seems to give the watch something extra, but I don't think I'd pay nigh on £4000 for it if I'm completely honest.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Monza Review by Edinburgh Watch Co

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Aston Martin Quartz Special Edition

CAZ101P.FC8245

Michael Jones / Northampton, 26th June 2018

When I saw the first pictures of this Aston Martin Special Edition I was quite taken aback and thought there was a very strong possibility that this was a watch I would want in my collection. As more pictures emerged my enthusiasm was tempered slightly as it became clear that perhaps the yellow wasn't quite as in your face as it first seemed, and so I was very keen to finally see this in person and find out what it really looked like on the wrist.

One thing the picture above completely fails to convey is that this watch is almost 'Phantom' like, far from having shiny indexes everything is black and grey, which is probably a deliberate choice to make the yellow pop - and to a degree this does work. But it does mean this isn't the most legible of watches, and while the yellow does pop nicely, there's not a lot of it really so if you're hoping for a real eye-catcher you might be a little disappointed.

Case in point, when I walked up to Michael Jones' window and scanned the watches looking for the 'bright yellow' F1 (figuring it would stand out a mile) I actually didn't notice it at first, and it wasn't until I'd had a good look at a Link Chronograph with a blue dial that I even noticed the CAZ101P! Indeed the yellow stitching on the strap is more eye catching than the dial, which does seem rather muted in comparison.

The strap is very nice, I really love the yellow stitching and the patterned leather is very stylish, especially with the shape moulded into it. It does kind of bring to mind a car seat or something and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Aston Martin's interior was the inspiration for that. It comes fitted with a standard pin and buckle clasp, which is fair enough at this price point (£1350), but there is one major gripe - like the Gulf F1 I tried on the other day the strap is ridiculously short.

I do have a big wrist (7.3/4") but even so, not wanting to really pull hard on the strap in the shop I had to settle for using the second to last hole on the strap and the (very) pointed end of the strap barely reached under the retaining loops, that is really not going to work for me and even the salesman was rather surprised when he saw it on my wrist.

I've been hearing about people having this problem with Monacos of late and having to order a longer strap, which I think is a bit off if they are having to pay for it. I would hope that the dealer would supply the longer strap in the price, but I'm not sure if that is happening and I'm not sure if the Aston Martn or Gulf straps are available in longer lengths, and since they are a big part of the look of the watches in question that could be an issue. Personally I'd order a bracelet for the Gulf but the Aston Martin really needs the yellow stitched strap to carry off the complete look.

Incidentally, the retainers on this strap look much more substantial than the ones on the Gulf F1 which is good, because they ones on the Gulf look positively feeble. And the salesman in Michael Jones disagrees with our man in Ernest Jones, he thinks the odd blue strap on the Gulf is synthetic suede, which probably makes more sense to be honest.

If TAG are making their straps shorter as standard now I wonder how long it will be before they start reducing the length of the bracelets? I don't really understand why this is suddenly happening, I could imagine a shorter strap being preferable in the (very) important Asian markets, but over here in the West we're all getting fatter so we need a decent strap please!

At this price the bezel is obviously aluminium, and to be honest I didn't really notice it so much when I was trying the watch on, much like the dial it's kind of 'phantomy', but I like that they added the 'Aston Martin Racing' text. I also like that the watch has silver pushers and crown, even though the black ones would have looked much better on this watch than they do on the Gulf F1. For me the silver pushers definitely lend more class, whereas black ones bring to mind the older, cheaper F1s of old (like the one I sold a few months ago).

The backplate is uncluttered and tidy, with the expected Aston Martin and TAG logos in place of the usual chequered flag pattern.

Oh yes, the logo... tagheuerenthusiast superfan 'Jim Dollares' recently posted on the Calibre 11 forum that he's come to realise that he hates the logo on the dial and that every time he sees it it makes him want to punch someone in the face! Quite an extreme reaction I'm sure you'll agree, especially as it's nowhere near as 'bright' as you think it's going to be.

Personally I don't really have a problem with it, I don't love it, but I don't hate it either - it's just kind of there, and while I must admit I was concerned about the idea of having a 'branded' watch dial, it doesn't seem to bother me in the slightest. I think it's preferable to the 'Indy 500' branded dials for example.

To be honest I'm slightly confused about why the new Aston Martin racing car is this bright yellow colour, it seems somewhat at odds with AM's image which is usually all about style and a rather gentrified look. As far as I can remember I don't think I've ever seen an Aston that wasn't black, silver dark blue or dark green... maybe they've been hanging around Red Bull too long?

Overall this watch is quite classy looking, and while that is generally a good thing... in a way I'm kind of disappointed. I was hoping the yellow was going to be a lot more 'neon' (like the car it represents) and the watch a lot more 'fun'. It sounds a bit mad to criticize a watch for being too classy and I guess it will appeal to a lot of people, but for me if I want to wear something classy I'm not really going to wear a Formula 1 when I've got a Grand Carrera in my watch box. When I think of TAG Heuer F1's I think of a more relaxed, fun watch.. but to be fair this is probably the 'smartest' looking TAG Heuer you can buy for the money, which is a plus point for a lot of people.

While I won't be buying one anytime soon, I think this one would probably feature in my top five Formula 1's of all time (if not then certainly top ten - file that under future posts!). Like the Gulf I reviewed a couple of days ago, the watch looks smaller than 43mm, perhaps partly because it's a quartz and thus the case is a bit thinner than you might expect. It sits nicely on the wrist and again I'm sure it will sell well, but for me it's not really what I want from an F1 and in any case the strap length is a definite problem for anyone with a wrist over 7.1/2".

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Review by iReviewWatches

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Orologio Formula 1 Football Special Edition Quartz Watch

WAZ1015.FC8198

Here's a topical post (this is about as close as I'll get to the World Cup!), I just came across this one on eBay with the description 'not available to buy over the counter in any UK jewellers'. Well, claims like this are usually spurious at best, but in this case it seems to be technically correct as this one only seems to be available to purchase from Goldsmith's website (not in store).

You may rightly be forgiven for wondering what's 'Limited' about it, because I didn't notice at first either, but if you squint hard enough you can see that the dial actually has a football on it. Here, let me get a close up for you...

Pretty subtle huh? But all the better for it I'd say, and much preferable to those 'Premiership' Aquaracers and Manchester United F1s in my humble opinion (although the rubber strap on the F1s are neat).

The watch comes on a NATO and thus it loses considerable cool points in my book, but fair enough this is clearly reflected in the price and presumably they wanted to get this as low as possible because this is just about the cheapest men's TAG you can buy. This makes sense because this is clearly aimed at the football fan rather than the watch enthusiast, and keeping it under a grand and team neutral means it might entice the devoted football fan who wants to treat themselves to something 'special'.

Despite not really liking football (or NATOs, did I mention that) this is alright, it's a simple design that works well and gives the footie fan a way to celebrate their passion without shouting from the rooftops. Unfortunately there is very little information on this watch and I can't find a picture of the back, this is the nearest I've managed to get, but of course the wretched NATO is in the way!

It very much appears to me that there's a standard chequered flag backplate under there, which is a shame... but then again, if they are producing the watch to a budget I guess it's cheaper to go with a standard part. Maybe it has some sort of engraving lower down, though I doubt it is numbered somehow.

All in all then this would make a nice first luxury piece for a football fan, or an upmarket beater when you want to leave your Manchester United Heuer01 at home. But I suspect the majority of sales will be made to people who will only buy one watch and who maybe just want to buy into the TAG Heuer 'football' buzz.

The watch is available for £900 from Goldsmiths' website, or from about £600 on Chrono24. The one I saw on eBay was going for £196 last time I looked but it does have a fair few days left to go...

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ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Gulf Special Edition

CAZ101N.FC8243

Ernest Jones / Milton Keynes, 23rd June 2018

I was kinda hoping the new Aston Martin Formula 1 might have been in the stores today, as it's now showing on the TAG Heuer website, but sadly no luck. However, instead I got my first look at the new Formula 1 Gulf Special Edition and it's a strange one because it's somehow definitely more than the sum of it's parts.

The first thing I noticed was the strap, which is a very odd texture. Chris in Ernest Jones tells me it is leather, but that it has been given an 'asphalt' finish. Oddly, in our conversation I did say that one of the things I like about TAG is that they bring out watches that aren't run of the mill and they try different things... but in this instance I can't say I'm completely onside. In all honesty it looks like felt, or even glass paper as there are speckles of silver in the surface, it's very, very strange and being the colour that it is it doesn't really work for me. I'd like to see the watch on a bracelet if I'm honest, and I don't think it would be unreasonable for TAG to offer that option really...

The other thing to say about the strap is that it's too short! I have got a bigger wrist than many at 7.3/4" but apart from the Gulf Monaco earlier this year, I've never tried on a watch where I was so short of strap. I was on the second to last hole, which doesn't really leave me much to tuck in to the (rather dainty looking) strap retainer. I have a horrible feeling it would come loose, flap about and annoy me.

The back is fairly standard chequered flag fare, and contains the only Gulf logo on the watch. I guess with the three chronograph dials and the TAG logo at the 12 position, there's not really any room for it on the dial, and it's definitely better that they didn't try and cram it in somewhere.

I don't know why, but the pushers and crown look a bit wrong to me being in black... I'd have much preferred to see them in steel (as they are on the Red Bull F1). I think it would have been okay if the strap had been black, but with the blue strap I think they definitely would have been less intrusive in steel. Allow me to demonstrate...

Modified version with steel crown and pushers...

Which brings me to my next quibble, the blue stripe. I know the Monaco 50th Anniversary Gulf Special Edition you can find in your local jeweller has the 'incorrect' darker blue stripe, and yes this one does have a much better contrast with the dial - but, for me this colour just doesn't cut it. It may be historically correct to the Le Mans winning Porsche 917s, and if you're big into that then this will probably be a major plus for you, but for me I would honestly choose the darker tone every time and it makes me think I would definitely have gone for the special edition 50th Anniversary Monaco over the limited edition 50th First Victory. Sky blue just doesn't cut it for me on a watch dial, it's accurate, but from an aesthetic point of view it's just not a very nice colour and it doesn't convey 'luxury' watch at all for me.

Another modified version with a different blue stripe and a black strap for good measure...

So you might be forgiven for thinking I'm not a fan of this watch, given that I want the pushers changed for steel, I don't like the strap and I'm not a fan of the sky blue... but overall, I do rather like it. Despite my misgivings about the strap, it's very comfortable and considering the watch is 43mm it seems to wear slightly smaller than that. I was wearing my grey dial 500M Aquaracer when I went to try this one on and although they are the same diameter the lugs on the F1 are far less prominent and give a more compact feel overall. It's not too thick, sits well on the wrist, and will easily slide under any cuff.

The bezel is aluminium, and again it kinda clashes with those black pushers for me... but of itself it's perfectly nice looking. The subdials are clear and easy to read and the 1/10th of a second is slightly larger than the other two, which makes sense as it's the one you're most likely to want to read. The date window at the 4 position is the best option really on a watch with so much of the dial taken up with dials, and incorporating it into the subdial at the 6 position would have been a mistake, so I'm glad they didn't do that.

It seems slightly odd that when I wrote my 'First Impressions' post a few weeks ago my main criticism was that the blue on the watch didn't match the render, and now that it does I sort of wish it was more like the prototype... but this just further underlines the fact that until you get a watch in your hand on on your wrist, pictures can only tell you so much.

Prototype watch with the darker blue stripe.

Priced at £1300, this offers a relatively affordable way into Gulf/TAG Heuer ownership and I have no doubt that it will sell well for the company. Personally, despite liking the watch (on the whole) there's too many things about it that I would like to change, so I'm going to wait and see what the F1 Aston Martin looks like in the flesh.

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Ladies Kirium Quartz Blue Dial

WL131F.BA0710

Clearly, not all Kiriums are created equal, some are definitely intrinsically nicer than others and this blue dial version is right up there for me. I happened upon this watch on eBay a few weeks ago and I really thought my wife would go for it, especially as the asking price of £280 seems very reasonable to me. The seller was open to offers, but turned down an offer of £250 and my wife decided not to pursue it any further.

I can't quite fathom the idea that it's worth losing a watch for the sake of £30 myself, but there you go. She's obviously not quite as obsessed as I am. But clearly the market agrees with her as the watch went unsold and has popped up back on eBay once again for the same asking price.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ladies-Tag-Heuer-Kirium-Sapphire-Blue-WL131F-BA0710/323304344950

I think this is a stunning watch and if I thought for one second I could wear a 29mm watch on my 7.3/4" wrist then I'd buy it myself!

As I've said before, I think the brushed Kiriums generally look better than the polished ones, but for a ladies watch with a jewel blue dial it makes total sense. I think my wife has some reservations about the watch because the photographs show up a lot of surface scratches, but to be honest I bet they aren't as bad as they look in the pics. Polished watches always seem to photograph quite badly, but you should still be aware that a lot of polished Kiriums have been worn as beaters... sometimes I wonder what sort of person buys a polished luxury watch and then wears it to their day job breaking rocks?

This particular example comes with all the (correct period) boxes and a warranty card, albeit the card seems to have some very odd marks on it, it looks like it says TAG Heuer Malaysia - but it looks like its been punched into the plastic, which looks a bit strange, but maybe that's how they do things over there?

Again, I can't vouch for the seller, but she has very good feedback, I think I'll give the wife one more look and see if I can't persuade her to try again.