I have made an update video after 9 months:

Some fotos:

 

I still catch myself looking at these a lot, think they are one of the best looking three hand tags around currently. The issue is deciding between this and the black version.

 

You're right about one of the best looking Tag's 3 hander out there that being said...

Join the dark force !

Or the grey phantom. But its not everyday you'll find the grey phantom

 

Thanks!
I have have also made comparison video with WAY2110:

 

Can you buy the black yellow strap as a separate part can any give me some guidance on where to find it ?

 

You can definetely buy the black yellow strap separately.

I am no expert in customizing the strap but from where i am now if you want to buy the original tag heuer rubber strap is through the tag heuer service center

 

Do you know if it would fit my aquaracer?

 

I am sure it will but perhaps Hubert or David calibre11 can confirm you better on this

 

Hello guys! Old thread but I'm new to forum. My wife and I decided we'd keep our wedding gifts to about $1500. I decided I wanted my first luxury watch and have done a lot of research up and down. To be honest I was never really that big of a fan of Tag Heuer but I think a lot of it was because of all the hate I've read online about them. To say the least I was a bit biased against them due to the negativity. Naturally I was swayed towards an Omega (Rolex was too expensive) however, even Omega's price was just out of reach for me considering my budget.

With that said, the first watch I looked at was Raymond Weil Freelancer 2760. Keep in mind I currently only own a Seiko SKX007 on a jubilee band (love it!!!) and wanted a watch on a rubber strap. I seem to be drawn to divers apparently. I purchased the Raymond Weil at my local Macy's for a solid deal, about $1550 after taxes:




After realizing that the Raymond Weil Freelancer could be had for about $1200 at Jomashop, I returned it to Macy's with the intention of buying it from Jomashop instead. Well, low and behold, I came across the WAY211A.FT6068 for practically the same price the Raymon Weil was at Macy's! $1479 out the door. Having very little knowledge of the Aquaracer, Calibre 5 movement, etc., etc. I pulled the trigger and purchased it. I just loved the look (minus the yellow inside for the strap but it's really not that bad). I am now a proud owner of the WAY211A and special thanks to Spartan because your YouTube video really helped me a lot!

So I do have a few questions to the community. First of all, do you think I made the right choice switching? If so, why or why not? Secondly, can you guys talk a little more on the Calibre 5 movement? Is this particular model a Sellita SW200 or is it ETA 2824-2? Which one is better? What grade is this specific movement? I read it is the Elaborate grade? After having had it for a few days, I've noticed I'm gaining about +10 secs per day I'm hoping it'll be more accurate as time goes on. What are some of your guys' experience? Should I take it in to get it regulated?

A couple other things I've noticed during my research. So the 2016 model was updated to feature a new 43mm as well as offering this new rubber strap. However, only the 43mm has the new TAG Heuer logo without the arrow. Very interesting. Sorry for the long winded post but this entire thread talked about GMT only haha so I wanted to make sure we kept on topic for the OP. Thanks everyone.

 

From RW to TH ? Definetely a right choice(no offence to any RW fans in here). I was once also put off by the hate comments out there. But over years I've seen TH advancing (to a better future IMHO), while many other brands out there not necessarily doing anything intesting. I also own one WAY and mine have better +/- seconds per day (about +7 a day) which already the most +/- among my other TH watches (i mentioned before in other thread about calibre5 but i was told i cant judge it by just one watch). 2 of my calibre 6 are the best gaining "only" about 4 seconds per day. Followed by calibre 17 and calibre 18 also not bad. Well anyway, to answer you in a nutshell, personally i think ETA2824 is better than SW200, but this is again personal experience. I cant speak for everyone regarding this matter.
Now back to the watch itself. I think aquaracer (WAY series)is a really really really good watch. Its not legendary diver watch yet. But if i compare the price with what we got for aquaracer (A watch is a sum of total everything. Not just movement. IMHO) i think its one of the best diver watch out there. I was looking at the seamaster omega before and after i bought my aquaracer, until now i didnt regret it a bit. I totally understand reading so many hate comments can/might discourage you a bit. But if you trust me, you are not making mistake, especially with the aquaracer. TH offers lots of selection and some of 'em might be a mistake to own(couldnt find any more subtle word for this) but not WAY.

Just my 2 cents

Hope you enjoy your new Aquaracer. Wear it in good health.

Cheers

 

Sorry, we did go a long way off topic with the gmt discussion! Maybe @Hubert could prune those posts out or move them to the '17 aquaracer gmt thread?

Glad you like your new watch, did you buy it at Macys too? With regards to wether you made the right decision, you have to go with what feels best for you; this is why trying on watches in person is vital.

I forget the movement details, although there is a thread around somewhere that describes the differences, the calibre 5 is one of the lower grade movements, but all 5 grades are plenty accurate enough for real life, although nowhere near as accurate as quartz. I would expect it to settle down to maybe +5s/day.

 

Wow thank you all for the quick replies! Glad to hear this community is alive and thriving.

@OttoWilliam your comments really helped me assure that I made the right choice! There are so many haters and snobs out there, its crazy. Being that you think the ETA2824 is the better movement of the two, do you happen to know which particular movement is in this WAY211A? I'm assuming it's the Sellita SW200 since ETA is rolling back production. But I'm still new to the watch game so I'm not sure.

@dtf no, I actually bought the WAY211A from Jomashop online for even cheaper than what the RW was at Macy's! I'm still a bit weary and concerned about buying from the grey market but I can tell you I've had no complaints so far. Watch came in perfect condition and on time (it was in stock). The box is a bit smushed on one corner but I'm not too mad about that. The main box itself is perfectly fine. I also did try on both watches and I loved them both! It was tough, but in the end, I liked the TH better. I really hope the watch settles down and I can expect a more accurate watch.

 

Well i got mine last year, i am pretty sure it was SW200. I am not sure about yours though. Anyway now that you are proud owner of TH, you can always have it check should you find it too annoying. I dont doubt your calculation but its rare to find deviation outside -4/+9 spectrum. Now, i want to make it clarify one more time, having SW in your WAY doesnt mean they cheat you. Nor having ETA means that its privilage. I am sharing strictly based on my experience, i remembered i read somewhere in other forums they have completely opposite experience than me. And even that, i dont mind having SW. Not that i am bias towards TH but i like looking at watch as a whole. For me that means the movement, material, finishing, design and cost (in no particular order). If i sell you Elprimero movement with the design that it unlegible (like took at least 10 seconds to read the time) with fair price, i doubt you would buy it. I already have few ETA, few in-house,i dream of having valjoux and lemania but those are vintages and hard to get, i dont mind SW for my collection.
Oh, also if it is gaining seconds per day so much, you might want to check your daily routines. Do you often place your WAY near you cell phones, TV or speaker (any kind, laptop, TV speaker, loud speaker, car speaker) ?
Again, welcome to the forum. Dont listen too much from the haters. Especially the youtube channel like J.Antony, Urban Gentry, archie luxury etc. Believe me, they dont have more knowledge about watch and the industry any more than most of enthusiasts in here.

My WAY say hi to yours !

 

I don't necessarily place it near right near the TV or PC. It's a bit off to the side of them on a shelf. If it is kept near those items you've mentioned, does that affect the accuracy? I will try and wear it daily for next couple weeks and will try to report back here what I've noticed and if it has settled down. But as of right now it's about +9 or +10ish every 24 hours. I usually place it down on the 9 o'clock position at night or at times I'm not wearing. I guess I could try other positions.

Going back to the movement... How could we tell which movement I have? If it was ETA or Sellita, would it specify somewhere? Like is it engraved on the movement? I don't have a case back remover tool, I'll probably see if I can find one on Amazon for cheap (any suggestions?) but for now I'll just assume its the SW200 being that yours was as well. Mine is the 2016 model I believe with the rubber strap. I've read a little about our Calibre 5 movement but the general consensus out there seem to think it's a decent movement, not exceptional but not terrible. If there is a whole thread on this already, can someone link me to it? I would love to learn more about it. It's actually quite interesting, I spoke to a TH customer service rep the other day and he said Calibre 5 movement is -5/+20 seconds per day is within their specs. I thought that was a very high +/- deviation! Can anyone confirm this?

My WAY says hello back:

 

I dont know about -5/+20. Maybe experts in here can shed some lights about this. Clearly not what i felt with my watch.

I guess you could see by opening but i strongly suggest against it. Its a diver watch. Opening it yourself might lose its water resistant capabilities if you not properly sealed it back after opening. Again, please dont do it unless you're an expert.

Btw regardless the picture i attached, the movement inside your watch is already "decorated". Hence the name, Calibre5.

 

Movement in WAY211A is actually not decorated at all. They just change the rotor on Sellita.

Your welcome, I´m glad that my video was helpful. I tried that RW on bracelet before buying the Aquaracer, but liked WAY211A much more.

 

Hah I would definitely take guaranteed waterproofness over knowing which movement is in my watch! Guess you could always get it pressure tested after and send it to tag for a service if it's not waterproof.

-5/+20 sounds about right, I looked but can't find the accuracy specs, will try again when I've tried more time. Mechanical watches are not very accurate.

 

Say, if I wasn't happy with my range and decided to get it regulated. Whom and where could I take it to? Any nearby watch maker? Or would you prefer me shipping it to TH? I hear they're pretty expensive though. I am under the Jomashop warranty but I'm not sure if regulating a watch that is +10 spd is in their protocol. I could double check though. I figured if I took it to a local watch store to have them regulate it, I could at least proceed to ask them to let me know which movement I have at that point.

BTW, I also found this one TH's website:

https://faq.tagheuer.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/What-is-an-automatic-movement/?l=en_US&c=Watches:Technical_Details&fs=Search&pn=1