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colonel
·I have just finished months of researching diving watches, and have eventually purchased the new Tag Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300m 43mm for my small 6.7” wrist. I wanted to have one high quality diving watch for my collection (I have a few cheaper ones) and it is not exactly a market with a dearth of models to choose from
Why do I want a diver as I don’t dive ? I think the appeal is the multi-use nature and ruggedness. I like a watch when traveling which I don’t have to take off for swimming, which I do a lot of. Which I can keep on for bad weather, rough conditions such as sport, and has a ceramic bezel for some protection against scratches. I find the most “scratched” place on my watches is the top of the case !!
My objective for a “high quality” diver was to have a beautiful and well finished one, which would be fun during the day, usable with a suit, but also rugged. I am also not shy in admitting I wanting some name awareness, in particular with sporting heritage. No pressure then
It was a tough choice. The new Aquaracer is not cheap, but on the other hand is not in the heady £4-£10k space. The leading theme is the design, uniqueness, tough construction and comfort. Comfort is Big in this one, and frankly I don’t think I will be able to buy a watch again without a sliding clasp adjustment.
The Aquaracer manages to be an instantly recognisable design, in a sea of me-too models, with its dodecagon bezel; on a case mixture of conventional and toneau. I like the fact that the bezel is thick, but the dial is still expansive, and despite a lot of detail, is very clear. The ceramic blue bezel, with bright and large white fonts is a major feature of the watch. The triangle lume design at the 12 o’clock point of the bezel is one of the unique features that make this piece quite special. I also find the 12 sided polished bezel has a better grip than a pure circular bezel.
The dial has the classic Aquaracer horizontal pseudo deck planks, the only other watch that I have had which uses this is the Omega Aqua Terra, which changed a few years ago from vertical to horizontal. The lume filled pips are octagons, nicely supporting the polygonic theme of the watch, with tapering oblongs at 12, 3 and 9, and a reduced pip below the date. The date is a great solution to the long running feud, pro and against cyclops. The magnifying glass extension for the date is actually below the sapphire crystal, keeping it totally flat and smooth on the surface.
The sword hands size differentiate sharply between minute and hour, and the second hand stretches right to the edge of the rehaut, with a subtle yellow coloured steel surround on the end arrow. This avoids any confusion between the second hand and the long minute hand. White half minute marks run along the edge, perhaps a bit excessive, but they do form an interesting visual barrier between the pips and the bezel. I would mention that the lume is particularly good, almost comparable with the class leading Seiko lumibrite and Tudor Black bay, if not quite as long lasting.
The case is entirely brushed, apart from the bezel surround and the fine chamfering on each top side edge, which curves nicely around the top edge of the crown guards. The crown is chunky without being oversized. It is signed and of course screw down. I find the winding action of the Calibre 5 very smooth, and the screw down as well, unlike the gritty screw down on some other diving watches I have experienced recently. The screw in medallion back has the classic Tag Heuer diving helmet logo, and is exactly aligned. It is polished on the edge but brushed in the centre. I generally prefer exhibition backs, but this is as good a closed back as any, and the alignment is a nice touch.
The case is thin for a diver, at just over 13mm. Combined with the large flat caseback, very short/stubby lugs and a vertically dropping bracelet link below the lug, makes for a great fit on any wrist, including a small one. For me, diving and pilot watches only really look good large, and it is very few manufacturers, Audemars Piguet, Seiko and Oris being three examples, that can achieve this so well. Tag Heuer now joins this club. I did look at the new 40mm, its very nice, but the 43mm just looks right to me. I was falsely led by the new “smaller” fashion recently, which led me to flipping a Tudor BB 36mm and a few other smaller watches which looked a bit too dainty after long term wear.
The mechanism is the Calibre 5/SW200. This is a great and reliable mechanism, but I think that for this price Tag Heuer should have considered chronometer certification, or at least offered it as an option. I am not too bothered about long power reserves, or in-house (whatever that means), which I find unnecessary, but this price is starting to wander into Tudor, Oris and Ball in-house territory. It is not really an issue for me, and of course, Breitling, IWC, Ulysse Nardin and Bucherer, amongst many others, offer significantly more expensive diving watches also based around this mechanism.
The bracelet is another one of the stand out features of this watch and contributes majorly to its high comfort level. It is well integrated into the watch, fully brushed and tapers sharply to the substantial clasp. The genius is of course the buckle, which has an “on the fly” adjustment. It is amazing how many butterfly clasps are still used, with no micro adjustment at all, or my BB 41mm S&G which actually has a full clasp, but no micro adjustment. Once you have worn a watch with this, like the Rolex easylink, or the Tudor adjustable clasp on the bronze BB, you really can’t go back. As my wrist expands and contracts during the day, click, and I am done! Tag even provide you with two half links, to perfectly adjust the bracelet so that only the long 1.5cm throw of the adjustable clasp is ever required.
I have two criticisms of the bracelet which prevent it being perfect. The minor one is that the middle link is not separately articulating, this would add a little to the comfort, but the elephant in the room is the horrible pin and collar system. This is not the worst one I have used, that pleasure is reserved for the Seiko Turtle which has the collars on the outer edge of the pin!! But it is close, with very stiff pin fitting, requiring a three stage extraction procedure, including a hammer. I have bent one pin already. If you are going to use knock in pins, and not the far superior screw in pin system, then at least it can be the easy insert of the Longines Spirit series, where only the last few millimetres are used to firm it up. Being cup half full, at least: 1. The adjustable buckle means you never have to adjust the links again after the first time, 2. The links will never fall apart ….
In summary, you can pay more for a diving watch, but apart from getting a more exciting mechanism, like the excellent Omega 88xx series in the Planet Ocean, perhaps more fine finishing, like the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, there is nothing that I like the look of, the construction quality or feature set more at a higher price. That doesn’t meant the new Aquracer is the best diver, it just means it’s the best for me. Its certainly the only diver that has made me excited to put it on, for a long time...
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