Any advice for a newbie??

Hi All

Im looking to get my first watch and unfortunately budget it an issue. However I do want the best value for money I can get however Im finding it all a bit of a minefield.
I have a few questions and would appreciate any advice.

1) Formula one or Aquaracer?? Which is the better? From my research so far it has been suggested that the Formula 1 range is the entry level. Is this correct? I like both designs so would be happy with either? Is it just down to personal preference?

2) Quartz or automatic? It would appear that there are benefits for both with quartz being more accurate and not requiring expensive services. It was suggested that the automatic version could be as much as £$ 1000 more expensive than the quartz version. Is it really worth the extra money ( considering I am on a budget)

3) Maybe its just me, but if Im concerned about buying an older model. Surely I should be looking at a 2018/19 watch and am a bit confused about finding out about when it was manufactured. For instance I was looking at a WAY1110 and then was told that the WBD1110 is the newest, but they are the same price??

4) As budget is in an issue, I have been looking on ebay. I missed out on the following last night as I was a bit dubious but it was less than half the recommended retail price. Should I have concerns or was this a bargain??
I know Ebay have a money back guarantee if it turns out to be fake but still there was something telling me this was too good to be true. Any Thoughts??

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-BOXE...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Any help would be great.

Thanks

Neil

My answer to Question 1: It's a matter of personal taste. All TAG Heuer watches are of good quality. Buying from an AD will give you a 2 year warranty anyway.
Considering buying on ebay you could have a look at this vid: This guy (TGV) has made a lot of vids for newbies and advanced watch enthusiasts, concerning FAQs of this hobby. And he's quite entertainig.

Hi Neil, and welcome to the forum.


Technically the Aquaracer is pitched as the higher of the two ranges, but there probably isn't that much between them. Mostly it's design, at one point it looked like the F1 range would become wholly quartz but while they've cut back on the Calibre16 models the Calibre5 is still plentiful. The Aquaracers are a bit more 'stylish' perhaps, but it depends on the model, some F1s are very nice looking, some look cheap.


There is much snobbery about this and I've come to the conclusion over the last few years that it very much depends on what you want from a watch, if you want hassle free ownership, accuracy and a lower purchase price quartz is definitely the way to go. But if you want the romantic experience then you probably want a mechanical movement. Also are you planning to wear the watch every day? I rarely wear my automatics so can probably go a long time between services, but if you are using daily you may need to service the watch every 6years or so, which will cost quite a bit. On the other hand, batteries for high end watches aren't cheap, if you want one replaced on the high street and sealed to 100m (whatever the watch is rated to) then you need to budget about £50, sending it back means being without the watch for 3-4 weeks and more like £80-90.


A friend of mine went off to Selfridges one day and spent £1200 on a brand new F1 without telling me. I felt very frustrated because he'd bought 'because he knew I rated them' but he didn't tell me before hand. If he had I would have told him to a) try looking in the outlets as you get at least 30% off the RRP and you still get two years warranty etc and, b) look at somewhere like Watchfinder, where you still get a year's warranty and you don't have to worry about fakes. TAG watches aren't the best for holding value so buying pre-owned makes a lot of sense, but if you are nervous then a dealer like Watchfinder is a good compromise. One thing though, haggle on the price, they can only say no. But if you see something on their site that you think has been there a while, take a punt. Also, it's not necessarily an advatage to buy the 'newest' watch, aside from anything else it seems like the quality of movements TAG have been using as Calibre 5 has gone down in recent years, so you might be better off with an older one in that case.


I get very twitchy when I see ebay sales like this. Fakes of new TAG's (particularly Aquaracers for some reason) are getting too good now and you have to wonder how come people can have piles of new Aquaracers they can be selling on eBay for low prices. They always seem to have similar photo styles as well. And don't forget, the pictures on the listing could be real, it doesn't mean that the watch is. Yes you might be protected by eBay but do you want all that hassle? I would advise against using eBay if you don't know what you're doing, especially if the price is too good to be true.

I would say, most importantly, don't rush in to your decision - do a lot of research, it's a big purchase, read Calibre 11 and my blog www.tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com and make sure you know what you want and what you are buying. Good luck and I hope you will continue to be part of the forum and share pics of whichever watch you end up getting.

I think you're right to have concerns. Can't put my finger on anything specifically wrong, but there are several aspects to it that would make me suspicious and want to check out the seller much more closely.

....plus it's already been relisted despite having apparently sold.....hmmm.....

Hi Guys

Thank you for all your replies.
I did see that the watch had been relisted. Seems a bit strange to me, which makes me have even less faith in ebay.
I’ll definately have a look at watchfinder but have also come across www.chronext.co.uk.
Does anyone know anything about them?

Thanks again