VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Panda by Monochrome Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Quartz 'Indy 500' Special Edition

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At some point I should probably write a post about the many Indy 500 watches TAG Heuer have produced, but for now let's concentrate on this brand new model released last week at Watches & Wonders 2024. TAG Heuer have been pretty consistently releasing Indy 500 watches for the last few years, some of them really nice and some of them not so much. From the renders this one looks to be one of the better ones, perhaps bested only by the CAZ101AD released in 2020 with its black case, asphalt dial and red brick stripe.

The asphalt dial is present here once again, complete with a bright red minute track and of course the Indianapolis Speedway wings and tyres logo - which due to its shape is always a challenge to incorporate nicely onto a watch dial. Here it's not too badly done, but it could have been just slightly smaller to get it slightly away from the edges of the white subdial.

I've scoured the TAG Heuer website for information as to why the '11' numeral is highlighted in red, but I can't find a thing. The 100th Indy 500 took place in 2016 so it's not the 111th yet, as to what else it could mean I am afraid I am so far unable to clarify. Perhaps one of our American readers can help, I am not all that familiar with Indy 500 lore so it's perhaps quite obvious to a fan?

*see the comments for one theory!

All in all I think this is quite a nice looking watch and I appreciate the liberal splashes of colour deployed around the dial. It's certainly an improvement on the last two rather underwhelming models, although some might be surprised that the bezel insert is still old-school aluminium on a £2100 watch. I just hope it's not a rare case of a render looking better than the real thing...

Okay, let's find out what the quartz lovin' Council of Considered Opinion have to say about this one!

5.5/10. "You pretty much know what your going to get with the Indy 500. It's not for me but its a solid looking watch and a great watch for Indy 500 fans."

6/10. "Doesn't do anything for me."

7/10. "Is it really much different than those before it? Nice on its own... 7/10."

3/10. "It looks more like a mall watch, yet I understand the aim of this one, just not for me."

7/10. "I like it more than the previous (CAZ101AU.BA0842) 2023 Indy 500."

7/10. "I'm still trying to figure out why the "11" is in red. An improvement over the past few Indy 500 models. But my all time favourite is still the 2020 model CAZ101AD."

5/10. "It's fine."

7/10. "Love that dial but the logo at 6 is bugging me, LOL."

7.5/10. "If I was looking for a new F1, this one would be a good candidate."

5/10. "Not bad. I don't like the Indy 500 logo on the dial - I imagine they put it in a white subdial because it would have looked even worse in one with a dark background. And I'm sure there is a relevance to having the 11 o-clock number in red, but I have a problem with it. All in all, I much prefer the blue Red Bull F1."

5/10.  It's not my cup of tea, I am afraid."

5/10. "Nicer Indy 500 versions have been made."

7/10. "For the annual Indy500."

5/10. "Not a fan of the Indy logo, plus the tarmac dial doesn’t do it for me either, having seen the Porsche Carrera use it. Middle of the road overall, so a 5/10 from me."

VIDEO: TAG Heuer at Watches & Wonders 2024 by Revolution Watch

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Panda' Glassbox Calibre TH20-00 Chonrograph

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Okay then, here we go with the first of the new watches released at Watches & Wonders... and I thought I might as well start with the one most people will have the most interest in, since a) it's a Carrera Panda, and b) it doesn't cost £120,000. Oh don't you worry, we'll get to those new Monacos eventually... but probably not anytime soon as there's a lot to digest there and I feel like I haven't really understood all the intricate details, like why it costs more than my house did in 2003!

Anyway, as you surely know by now, I'm not the biggest fan of the 39mm glassbox Carreras (just as well I have 27 COCO members to bounce off then!) but this one isn't too bad. My main gripe with it really is that the subdials look slightly too far apart and more disturbingly they foul the edge of the flange that meets the edge of the dial. I never noticed this on the other models, I'm guessing the 'Panda' style of this model makes it more obvious. I'm also guessing this is because the TH20-00 (Heuer 02) movement is right on the edge of being too big for this case size...

But then again, when you look at the old Heuer 7753SN (which this new model is paying tribute to), that has the same slightly too-far-apart subdials too, so I guess perhaps we should think of it more as a 'heritage inspired feature' than a flaw? 

According to 'Time & Tide's' video on the new releases this new model wears smaller than the other glassboxes due to its black bezel. I can't imagine who needs a glassbox that wears 'smaller' since these already wear very small on the wrist. Of more note is the fact that this is the first glassbox to come on a bracelet rather than a strap. Presumably it will also be available on a strap at some point though, it certainly seems to work better from the pictures I've seen on the THF forum.

The bracelet itself seems fairly unremarkable, and doesn't have any kind of quick adjustment - something of a failing for a new bracelet at this price point I would have thought. But that aside I've been told by several people that this watch looks stunning in person and so my initial fear that we may be in for another 'Carrera Panda' washout come Watch of the Year time may sadly yet come to fruition. I mean I hope not... because it's getting beyond a joke now.

And yet, the scores for this one were definitely not what I was expecting. If you recall last year the 60th Anniversary Panda smashed it with a veritable avalanche of 9's and 10's. Not so with the 'First Impressions' scores for the CBS2216; three 3/10s and even a 2/10 were among the responses, along with a solitary 9/10 and not one single 10. Shocker! 

But then I can still see this being a genuine contender for the COCO Watch of the Year because I don't see anything else currently being able to unify enough people to mount a challenge (indeed looking at this year's releases so far it's hard to remember a weaker line up since this blog started in 2016). But still there's plenty of time for TAG Heuer to surprise us so I guess we will have to wait and see.

Okay let's turn this over to the Council and see what they have to say for themselves.

6.5/10. "Overall it's aesthetically pleasing. I particularly like the sub-dials, a good contrast against the silver dial with the nice red hands popping, Just wish they could have placed them more towards the centre of the dial."

6/10. "I’m not a fan of this dial."

5/10. "Mwha, I squeeze out a 5/10 This is partly due to the red tip of the secondhand."

3/10. "These look small enough already, without this colour combo allegedly making this version look even smaller! It’s clear that there will be a continual drip feed of these coming, which will polarise the scoring. 3/10 from me. Sorry guys."

6/10. "Might be nicer in the flesh, however the modern look I’m not sure suits the vintage case. Great to see a modern bracelet though."

7.5/10. "I think it’s a nice looking watch but the two black subdials instead of three are a miss for me."

2/10. "I think this design is not cool."

9/10. "The star of the show, the silver tone looks better in real life I think. If it wasn't the case of most of Tag Heuer watches nowadays..."

8/10. "Simple, effective, strong colour contrast, good bracelet."

3/10. "The subdials just look too far apart to me, and I really dislike any of these models that have this style of quasi-subdial at 6:00 (yes, I’m looking at you too, Skipper). I still dislike the new style (sapphire over bezel) glassbox Carreras. I really don’t like the new glassbox offerings. The reverse panda looked good, but the bezel inside the sapphire really bothers me."

7/10. "I don’t like this bracelet for this watch. I would give it more points with a black leather rally strap (maybe even better with red stitching). My favourite among the new glassboxes is still the

CBS2011.FC6529 Carrera 'Porsche Chronosprint', so it’s a 7/10."

8.5/10. "When I was shown a preview pic, I wasn't that impressed. But seeing it in person changed everything. This is one of those watches that needs to be seen in live to be fully appreciated (IMHO). It doesn't surpass the 60th Anniversary, but it's a great addition to TAG's line up."

6/10. "A truly excellent design completely ruined by the running seconds. I know people who were really excited about this one who have already turned it down because of that."

8/10. " I pre-ordered one, but haven't received it yet."

4/10. "Sorry to anybody who has bought one. I imagine it will look a bit better in the metal, but for me, this is the least appealing of the 39mm glassboxes released so far."

3/10. "I think there is a designer with brain damage in the TAG HQ!"

VIDEO: TAG Heuer's 2024 Watches & Wonders Releases by Time & Tide

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 'Kuwait' Limited Edition

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As I'm writing this, on Sunday the 7th of April, we're just days away from the opening of Watches & Wonders 2024... and knowing that most likely I am going to be asking a lot of the Council of Considered Opinion over the next few days I thought rather than asking them to give their 'First Impressions' score for this one, I would just keep this simple.

VIDEO: Is the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Any Good? by Teddy Baldasserre

 

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Dato 'Green' Calibre TH20-07

TAG Heuer Boutique / Milton Keynes, 18th March 2024

I think I've been pretty clear on my feelings about the 2021 Hodinkee Dato and the 2023 39mm glassbox Carreras in general come to that... and I was also less than enthusiastic when I wrote my 'First Impressions' post for this new teal dial version back in February. So honestly I was all ready to hate this even before I got it on the wrist. But... and this just shows that I am nothing less than professional at all times, I was somewhat shocked to find that I actually liked this one a little more than I thought I would.

Now don't get the wrong idea, I didn't feel like the scales had dropped from my eyes or anything, but in the flesh it certainly looked better than expected. The thing is my expectations were low. Very low. I actually gave it 3/10 when I gave my 'First Impressions' score, so there was a lot of room for improvement and even now I don't think I would give it more than a generous 5, but still it's not the disaster I thought it was and that's something.

BUYING EXPERIENCE: Cartier Pasha Quartz Watch

 

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While my wife Rose does have a pretty healthy selection of TAG Heuer watches that she's collected over the years, she hasn't been quite as loyal to the brand as I have. Over the years she's picked up a skeleton-dial Oris Atelier and an Omega Constellation quartz (both of which are right up there amongst her favourites) and now she's expanded this betrayal to include her very first Cartier. 

For a while she had been looking at a number of blue mother of pearl dial 'Links' on Watchfinder but couldn't quite decide if they would ever look as good in real life as they did in the pictures (my guess is not). Prior to that she had been looking at some nice looking Dior watches on the same site, but gave up on them when she realised how small they were...  and then she started looking at Cartier. I must admit I was quite surprised at this because she's never been one for Art Deco and she hates Roman numerals on watch dials (which most Cartiers of course have). 

OWNED: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Chronotimer' Quartz Chronograph

 

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Hard to believe but I've now had my CAF1010 'Chronotimer' for six years. I wouldn't say it only seems like yesterday that I drove to Sheffield to pick it up, but I still remember the experience quite vividly and I particularly remember driving home down the M1 and being distracted by the sunlight reflecting off the polished hour markers, hands and the digital display frame. 

The watch was purchased pre-owned from 'Parkers' and came with a slightly tatty but complete set of boxes. along with the booklet, warranty card and a service card from TAG Heuer and a bracelet that was just long enough for my 7.1/2" wrist. I originally found the watch listed on Ebay for £995 but later found the watch on Parkers own website for £945 (due to them not having to pay eBay fees).

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Tourbillon by Black Tag Watches

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Albert AMG

Hello Aquaracer fans, today we have another 'Top 10 Aquaracers' post for you, but unfortunately this month's guest Albert-AMG hasn't provided any text with his selections so to prevent this post being just a bunch of pictures I will step in and provide my own thoughts on his choices. 

ON THE FACE: TAG Heuer 'Flex' and 'Pro-Shield' Sunglasses

TAG Heuer Boutique / Stratford, London 21st March 2024

It must be said that the reaction to TAG Heuer revisiting their sunglasses range has not been entirely positive in the watch community... it seems that TAG making shades again somehow means that they will not be taken seriously as a watch company - don't ask me how that works because I don't understand it. No Rolex don't make shades, but they don't need to. I don't see the connection. Are Mont Blanc not taken seriously as a pen maker because they make watches... and fragrances? 

To be honest  I'm more surprised that companies like TAG Heuer haven't started making fragrances yet, since they have plenty of contacts in the LVMH group they could tap and fragrances are even more profitable than watches. Besides, I already own a pair of TAG Heuer shades and I like them a lot, so I was keen to see what the company would come out with.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer 1000 Series 'Lume Dial' Quartz Watch by Birth Year Watches

 

FEATURE: Red Bull Racing Factory Visit

 

Now look, I know what you're thinking.... lucky old Rob got to go to the Red Bull factory as a guest of TAG Heuer or Red Bull or some other generous benefactor... isn't life just cushty as a super-famous and important watch influencer? Well, no... haha,  you couldn't be more wrong. Because in actual fact I got to go to the Red Bull factory today because my amazing wife bought me/us (the outrageously expensive) tickets for Valentine's Day. 

Yes indeed, my wife is awesome!

And so on the morning of the 18th of March we headed off to Milton Keynes for a few hours of bumbling around the MK centre. Annoyingly the Goldsmiths was shut for refurbishment, but at least the TAG Heuer boutique was open and they had both the watches we were interested in seeing in stock - namely the green dial Dato and the new 'Polar Blue' Solargraph. I will write about these separately (because I desperately need content and Watches & Wonders is still so, so far away), but the TL:DR is that the Solargraph was disappointing while the Dato wasn't actually as bad as I expected it to be. Go figure...

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Link Chronometer by Birth Year Watches

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Four (2019-2021)

 

Due to serious health issues, the legendary Jean Claude Biver stepped down as CEO of TAG Heuer making way for Stephane Bianchi, although he in turn would make way for Frederic Arnault less than two years later. Frederic would stay in the position for four years, eventually being promoted to CEO of LVMH Watches. 

2019-2020 CATALOGUE & DEALER CATALOGUE

2019 saw the introduction of the Heuer 02 movement in a big way, including a limited edition 'Nanograph' which featured a silicon hairspring.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Pink/Green 36mm by Perth Watch Girl

 

FEATURE: Maybe Don't Try This at Home...

Long term readers will know that over the last few years I have bought and sold a huge number of 'classic' Formula 1s, indeed at one point I had fifteen of them and was homing in on 'completion'. But then I realised that I didn't actually want twenty 30 year old watches sitting on my shelf lining up to expire on me and so I decided to sell a few. And then a few more. And then once I started selling them I just couldn't stop until I had only one left - the very first one I got. 

I guess I could have saved myself a lot of hassle and just kept that one in the first place, but as usual I got carried away, over-stimulated by all the bright colours... until I realised that the only one that didn't look silly on my 7.1/2" wrist was the all black one with red highlights. Isn't that just typical?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Dato' Calibre TH20-02 by Chisolm Hunter

 

FEATURE: EBAY: No Fakes. No Fraud. No Doubt?

With adverts like the one above eBay is doing its best to convince us that their site is a super-safe place to buy watches. Of course, when it comes down to it only watches above the value of £1500 are actually sent for verification/certification - but to the casual observer who's not paying too much attention to the finer details eBay is depicted as a safe marketplace, which is... convenient. While I applaud eBay taking some kind of action, we've already seen people receiving watches with warranty cards that don't match their watches so I guess the question is do we trust the super-duper eBay authentication service? And if we're supposed to trust them to spot the super fakes of 2024 then presumably it should have no trouble spotting a really bad fake on their site, right? 

Apparently not. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Peach Dial' Calibre 7 Automatic by Brent Miller Time

FEATURE: C.O.C.O. Meet Up London 2023

Way back in 2022 our Swedish friend Jim Dollares announced that he planned to visit London and wanted to arrange a THF forum meet-up. Despite a tiny ripple of enthusiasm in the forum this ultimately came to nothing and ultimately we decided on Jim and I meeting in London with Charlie (Imagwai) joining us in the evening for dinner. But once the date was set it transpired that this wouldn't be possible due to child care commitments and the intervention of British Rail... instead Charlie said we were welcome to visit him in his opulent Kent abode in the evening, so that's what we did.

Yes I already mentioned British Rail, and British Rail were quite a big part of this story one way or another. Put simply, there was a rail strike, which meant if we were gonna make this work then we needed to take the trains as much out of the equation as possible. So, I decided the smart thing to do would be to drive to Charlie's, get the train to London and back, and then drive home (Jim was staying overnight with Charlie before heading back to the airport). This eventually turned into ‘drive to Orpington’ since the limited train service available served that station better than Charlie's local station, albeit the last train back was still a ridiculously early 6:05pm!

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Year of the Dragon' Limited Edition Chronograph by The Watch Village

 

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Titanium (1984-1988)

The 'Titanium' was a very short lived and very '1980s' watch (both literally and figuratively). It first appeared in the 1984 Heuer catalogue and had its last appearance in the 1987/88 TAG Heuer catalogue. As such it is another one of those odd watches that can be had with either a 'Heuer' or 'TAG Heuer' branded dial and there's a good chance that even if you get a TAG Heuer dial the backplate and clasp might well still be stamped with the old 'Heuer' logo... that's just how it was in the 1980s kids!

I find some of the 'Titanium' designs appealing, but others markedly less so. I actually remember looking longingly at a 220.206 on eBay for quite some time, to the point where I went to the trouble of enquiring if TAG Heuer had any spare links should I need to extend the bracelet. Unfortunately the response I got was that they wouldn't sell links for watches of that age and it would have to be returned to them to be 'worked on'. As you might imagine, hearing that I thought better of it and turned my attention to something else. A shame really as the 220.206 is a cool looking watch and would have been a nice addition to my collection... but no way was I putting myself in that position. 

Okay, well clearly this isn't going to be another super-long 'History of' post because there are only eight models in total (and only eleven variants of those). Needless to say I'm still working on the rest of the Carrera posts and they will be along in good time. 

VIDEO:TAG Heuer Carrera 'Skipper' Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

 

SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Formula 1 'OneLife Rally' Limited Edition Quartz Chronograph

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Occasionally TAG Heuer will make 'special order' models for special clients, generally organizations or charities; these tend to be standard models that have been modded with a logo either on the dial or the backplate. This one popped up on the TAG Heuer forum (I think it was spotted on Instagram) and it's basically a stock CAZ101AM that has been customized with a 'OneLife Rally' engraving on the side of the case and on the backplate.  

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Reverse Panda Glassbox TH20-00 by Gullie

 

FEATURE: My Top Ten Aquaracers by Shane Paradis

 

As you know, this year we are celebrating 20 years of the magnificent Aquaracer and today I'm pleased to welcome the newest addition to our 'Council of Considered Opinion' - Shane Paradis. Shane is an American with a refreshingly positive attitude to quartz and older TAG Heuer models in general, which leads to some interesting and dare I say it 'unexpected' choices in his personal list of  'Top 10 Aquaracers'. He's also the first person not to include any of my Aquaracers in his Top 10, but I won't hold that against him. Honestly!

VIDEO: The Outstanding Revival of the TAG Heuer Carrera BY ID Guy

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 'Qatar' Limited Edition

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After the disappointment that was 'LVMH Watch Week' (Polar Blue 34mm Solargraph aside - potentially, though it remains to be seen) the feeling I had when I clapped eyes on this limited edition release for Qatar, was 'THIS IS MORE LIKE IT'. And while repeated exposure has tempered my (over) enthusiasm a little, this is still perhaps the most exciting TAG Heuer of 2024 so far and most importantly it's not bloody teal!

THANK YOU: 750,000 PAGE VIEWS!

Wow. It really doesn't seem like five minutes since the blog hit the half million views milestone, and yet here we are at 750,000 already! I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, for some reason the blog has been picking up views rapidly in recent times... I'm not 100% sure why that is, I can only assume it must be the renewed interest in TAG Heuer generally that's sparking people to search the brand and in the process they are coming across links to the blog.

This last month in particular has been very busy with an average of about 1800 page views per day and February 2024 is already the biggest month in the blog's history with nigh on 50,000 views this month alone. It seems like a given that the counter will top the one million views mark this year, so I can only say a big thank you to everyone who visits and reads my nonsense, and of course a massive thank you also to everyone that has contributed to making this the best TAG Heuer dedicated blog on the internet over the last eight years.

Still the only one as far as I know. 🤣

Tomorrow we'll be looking at the new limited edition Qatar Carrera Day/Date and then on Monday our newest COCO recruit will be sharing his Top 10 Aquaracers with us. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T 'Ginza Boutique' Limited Edition Chronograph by WatchBox Reviews

 

Wow. Cool watch, but I thought Tim would have realised that there were no end links and you shouldn't be able to see the ends of the strap like that... but apparently not!

FEATURE: Is There Ever Going to be a Genuinely New TAG Heuer Watch Ever Again?

 

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As much as I enjoy writing this blog, as the years wear on it does frustrate me that everything is so damned predictable. I mean what do we have to look forward to really? More Carreras, more Monacos and more Aquaracers. Which is fine.... and of course we have the Autavia and the Link floating around, basically doing nothing much and the Formula 1 propping up the whole shebang - although judging by last year's output you have to wonder for how much longer?

It seems like TAG Heuer have become so obsessed with their own history and heritage that they can't even contemplate starting with a blank sheet of paper, which is odd when you consider that this is a company who proclaim themselves avant garde at every opportunity. But then they've painted themselves into this corner where they can't even use a dial colour without referencing racing cars, drivers' helmets or Steve McQueen's underpants.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Calibre TH20-00 Chronograph by Brent Miller Time

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox 'Teal Dial' Tourbillon Chronograph

 
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I've not so much saved this one till last... as put off writing about it until I absolutely had to. This is the final watch released at 'LVMH Watch Week' and it is literally a new colour on an existing watch, so really there isn't much to say about it. Unfortunately the Glassbox tourbillon is not a favourite of mine: I briefly saw (the blue) one in the Covent Garden boutique at the tail end of last year and it confirmed to me that I was never going to like it much and I can't see this new teal green colour scheme changing my mind.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera Collection by Random Rob

HISTORY: TAG Heuer Carrera Part Three (2017-2019)

 

With Jean Claude Biver now in charge TAG Heuer continued to re-invent itself and to reposition itself as an 'affordable luxury' brand. This era coincides with my growing interest in watches and the start of this blog (in October 2016), so as you can imagine this era is quite a big deal for me as it marks the time when I was first visiting watch stores locally (and in London) to get first hand experience of as much as I possibly could. 

I know a lot of people disliked the 'Biver' era of TAG Heuer and especially the skeletons, fearing that Jean Claude was trying to turn TAG Heuer into a poor man's Hublot; but I am emphatically not one of them. Apart from anything else, I miss the days when a skeleton dial Carrera cost £4000 - I recall at the time Jean Claude promoting the Heuer 01 and telling us all that the new watch was an £8000 watch selling at £4000, and given the price of the more elevated Grand Carreras it kind of replaced he wasn't far off the mark. 

VIDEO: LVMH Watch Week Interview with new CEO Julien Tornare by Revolution Watch

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde

 

At last year's Watches and Wonders TAG Heuer released two new Carrera Plasma models: one was an even more blingy version of the previously released 44mm Carrera that overstepped the line where good taste ends and just kept on running... at the same time they released a much less gauche Carrera in 36mm, which featured a pink lab-grown diamond crown and a pink lab-grown TAG Heuer shield on the (lab grown diamond) dial.

It was pretty cool actually, and this year they've given it a make over by switching out the pink elements for yellow and putting it on a white alligator strap. Unlike Beaverbrooks while I can't honestly say I'm 'obsessed' with the 1.3 carat diamond crown, it is undeniably cool. The white strap I'm not so sure about and like most of the Council of Considered Opinion I think overall this looks 'nice' but perhaps slightly less 'nice' than the previous version. Or perhaps it just doesn't have the same impact second time around?