I listened to the entire TAG Heuer watch keynote at Replica Watches UK and Wonders 2022 before writing this article. The video shows great enthusiasm for a relaunch project that is proceeding quickly and has promoted at least one relevant product novelty in each collection. In an ideal ranking by brand, TAG Heuer won for variety and completeness of offer, by inserting a “stand-out model” in each product category, be it an entirely new model or an extension of the range. Particularly appreciated is the young, strongly product-oriented approach of the CEO who, in just two years, has given a change to his image and product.
Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver
Do you remember the presentation of the new Aquaracer collection? The watch brand TAG Heuer has on several occasions emphasized the progressive extension towards the high-performance segment of the collection. The new Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver confirms the promises at the debut. The project is new and is even more interesting considering that professional watches of the genre require considerable design effort, sacrificing economies of scale, although 1000 meters of rating are no longer news in the professional diving watch segment.
TAG Heuer is obviously capable of building diving watches capable of exceeding a thousand meters, but the Professional 1000 Superdiver represents a bridge with the recent history of the brand, in the form of the Super Professional 1000 M reference WS 2110-2, for example. For its flagship model TAG Heuer took inspiration exclusively from the Aquaracer collection, renewed in 2021, in the form of the twelve-sided bezel and the horizontal line dial, wider in this edition than the Aquaracer 300 meters. From design to mechanics, everything has changed. Orange is the dominant color on the bezel, with a ceramic insert whose first fifteen minutes are brushed orange, and spheres; you will notice that the orange section is actually inserted inside the black one and the finish is opaque overall.
The luminescence in the dark is blue on the bezel and minute hand
The luminescence in the dark is blue on the bezel and minute hand, green on applied indexes and hour hand. For the case and bracelet, the option of grade 5 titanium was chosen; considering the overall dimensions (45 mm in diameter and 15.75 mm in thickness), the choice is appropriate both to enhance the image of a technical product and to contain the overall weight. However, there is no replacement rubber strap and the choice surprises me. The news does not end here, however; not only is the new Superdiver ISO 6425 certified, an option that the Swiss have finally decided to adopt permanently, but it brings to the debut a new collaboration on time-only calibers between TAG Heuer and Kenissi, a young manufacture created by Tudor for the production of its movements which also provides to third parties, upon request.
It denotes how much in TAG they took care of the project of a professional underwater model; the collaboration on calibers will not be limited exclusively to this watch. Finally, among the goodies, a system that protects the crown and ensures that the latter is properly screwed to the case. Designed for saturation diving, Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver has the helium expulsion valve located on the left side of the case. The price is equal to 6,700 Euros.
Technical features
Reference: WBP5A8A.BF0619
Case: grade 5 titanium
Diameter: 45 mm
Thickness: tba
Caliber: TH30-00 – COSC certified
Water resistance: 1000 m
List price: 6,300 Euros
Availability: July 2022
TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf Special Edition
Before continuing the story with the rest of the Aquaracer range that has monopolized the 2022 novelties with Carrera, TAG Heuer has given us a welcome novelty, the classic gem for collectors and lovers of Monaco. After mounting the Heuer 02 caliber on Monaco, here is finally the awaited Gulf Special Edition variant. Cleverly, the designers have not applied the formula of the latest limited edition signed 2018. With only the Heuer logo and the crown on the left, the reference CAW211R.FC6401 is unsurpassed for personality and vintage references, despite not holding up the technical comparison with the new template.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf Special Edition reinterprets the theme in a new way and with the TAG Heuer logo after years of the Heritage line. The livery is less marked and the Gulf theme is almost hinted at; the classic two vertical turquoise and orange lines are thin, placed on the right side of the dial as usual, but interrupted by the circular sector in which the thirty-minute chrono counter recalls the Gulf colors again on the scale. At twelve o’clock the number “60”, a tribute to the Porsche race number, confirms the search for sophistication and the desire to get out of the excessively colorful scheme of all previous editions, although the latest 2018 limited series has, I repeat, a dial colorful but very successful.
There is no competition on the mechanical side;
There is no competition on the mechanical side; the Heuer 02 caliber is one of the best industrial chrono calibers on the market and TAG Heuer has used the Gulf orange to enhance the presence of the column wheel, as if to underline the uniqueness of this Gulf 2022 edition compared to all the models that they preceded it. If you want to nitpick, you might want a Rally replacement strap … made of rubber. With the arrival of summer, and I say this as a Munich owner, it is really difficult to use such a watch every day. I therefore suggest using the bracelet, since the Monaco offers a water resistance of 100 meters among other things.
Technical features
Reference: CBL2115.FC6494
Case: steel
Diameter: 39 mm
Thickness: tba
Caliber: Heuer 02
Water resistance: 100 m
List price: 6,700 Euros
Availability: March 2022
TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph
The Aquaracer model is still the center of attention, this time in a truly unpredictable variation. TAG Heuer introduces the first solar-powered Aquaracer, thanks to a hidden panel under the dial and a movement that in this case is made by La Joux-Perret. The fine Swiss manufacture is owned by the Citizen Group, which uses Eco-Drive technology;
It would not be unlikely to think of a third party supply of this technology, which represents the most advanced in the solar watch segment.
The need to offer this architecture on Aquaracer escapes me, but the proposal is interesting overall because it promotes a solution that is different from the other models in the catalog, including materials. The case is in sandblasted DLC-treated steel while the bezel is an unprecedented combination of carbon fiber and Super-Luminova® inserts that add to the scale’s graduation.
The TH 50-00 caliber which, as confirmed by TAG Heuer, is produced exclusively for the brand by La Joux-Perret, has a maximum autonomy of six months, which becomes 3.5 years by activating the energy saving mode. Once again, these data suggest the origin of the caliber although, I stress, there are no official confirmations but a personal evaluation based on the technical specifications.
Technical features
Reference: WBP1112.FT6199
Case: sandblasted black DLC treated steel
Diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: tba
Caliber: TH50-00
Water resistance: 200 m
List price: 2,800 Euros
Availability: October 2022
Although more sophisticated than its predecessor,
the new Aquaracer Professional 300 Orange Diver would look great with its date-less dial and therefore perfectly symmetrical. Nonetheless,
the coloring enhances the Aquaracer’s style details highlighting all its peculiarities, such as the octagonal-shaped applied indexes,
the trapezoidal-shaped baton ones, the wide horizontal stripes pattern on the dial. I am sure that the Orange Diver model will be a success and the aggressive price will favor sales.
Technical features
Reference: WBP201F.BA0632
Case: steel
Diameter: 43 mm
Thickness: tba
Caliber: Caliber 5 automatic
Water resistance: 300 m
List price: 3,100 Euros
Availability: May 2022
RELATED ARTICLES
