Well, it looks nothing like any real TAG ever made... so I didn't really have to study it too closely.
Ok, thanks for taking the time Belonged to a relative who passed But are there obvious signs to look out for to avoid a fake in the future as I'm keep to own a TAG?
The biggest obvious sign is that it doesn't look much like a real Tag Heuer. Proportions and finishing are not consistent with a Swiss-made timepiece. You could also have Googled the model ref number on the back and seen that it wasn't correct. The big thing that gives it away for me is that awful Tag Heuer logo on the dial - colour shades are not correct and it's just generally awful.
There are lots of things wrong with it. But the easiest give away is that logo is of poor quality and the words beneath the logo aren't even aligned with the logo, they're slanted instead of being straight across.
This is a very common question, but to be honest if you don't have the knowledge I would suggest you stick to buying from a jeweller. Knowledge takes a while to accrue, I would also suggest reading the 'Is my TAG authentic' thread so you can get a better understanding of just how hard it can be to spot fakes. Pet peeve is the Aquaracer. Everyone wants them cheap but the market is littered with fakes, I would never buy a pre owned AR unless it was from a seriously reputable dealer, and never from the grey market.