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 TAG Heuer Men's Aquaracer Automatic Watch #WAF2112.BA0806 By: TAG Heuer Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 3 More Information your watch, the thing you look at more often than you look at your own face  On: 2008-06-26Since I do, in fact, use reviews like this to aid my decision making, I decided to write one. I needed a watch, and, frankly, since Im 38, built like Jamie Bamber (hence, not a hipster), fairly well educated (Ph.D. in English), single, and living in NYC, I figured it should be an impressive, trendy watch. Previously, Id been wearing a 66 yr old tiny Art Deco (arabic numerals) wind-up Movado my dad had worn and had given to me (dont cry; hes still alive and wearing a Rolex); however, that watch is a family heirloom, and I truly feared Id destroy it either at the gym or at home (Im a bit of a klutz around my sink). When searching amazon, I granted myself a 1k budget. However, I wanted a Swiss automatic watch that I felt sure could take all sorts of abuse. I cant swim, so Ill probably never go diving. But I do shower two or three times a day, sweat copiously (and work out almost daily, running and lifting, for an hour or more), and wash seemingly endless sinkfuls of dishes (I eat six meals a day, most of which I make at home). Furthemore, I liked The Bourne Identity. Truth is, my dream watch is a mother-of-pearl (reminds me of The Tempest) Omega Automatic Seamaster Aqua Terra, but that was well beyond my budget. So, I confined my search to TAG Heuer. They make some beautiful watches. I considered buying a Link, because I like the bracelet, but with my budget, I could only afford a quartz Link, and even then the price would be a reach. I almost bought the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Automatic with the dots for numbers and the black bezel, but I decided not to buy a watch that looked so very sporty, and I thought that a plain steel bezel would show fewer scratches. Also, I didnt like how visible the numbers seem to be on that models bezel (Also, w/r/t a few other models of TAG Aquaracer: I dont ever wear any green, so I ignored all the TAGs whose logo contains green). Anyhow, the watch I bought, this one (which cost me 1250 after tax and s/h), is really handsome. Its an automatic, so it does run fast. It runs ten seconds fast every 24 hours, but bear in mind, I run two miles every day (sometimes sprints), lift and drop heavy dumbbells often, and do about 400 crunches a day. In other words, the watch gets shaken a lot. The date changes at exactly midnight. The thing is heavy, but the weight feels nice, manly. The blue of the dial is a light navy, but dark enough to be more sober than festive. In bright sunlight, the blue looks slightly metallic, and in low lamplight, its easily mistaken for black. The lume is very strong, and because the crystal is so clear and because the metal hour markings and hands are wide enough, the watch can be read in quite low light (even reflected light). The watch looks both sporty and serious, a little commanding even (Its alpha without being at all douchey). Its a watch Im proud to wear now, and can imagine being happy to wear when Im 45. Also, I should say, I wanted a watch that nobody would suspect is a replica. As an unpublished novelist living in Brooklyn, a guy who just wears old 7faM jeans and a black t-shirt (and who rides the subway!), I feared that an Omega (of any sort) would instantly be perceived as a replica, even if it wasnt one. I searched the internet for TAG replicas, and, apparently, while the Link and TAGs more expensive models have been replicated, there are very few Aquaracer (quartz or automatic) replicas floating around. An Aquaracer is sufficiently affordable that its not regularly replicated. As for my watchs effect on people, I just got it, and Im a hermit, so the only people who have really obesrved it are the two guys who work at the jewlery shop near my apartment (the shop also sells watches: Movado, Raymond Weil, and ESQ) at which I had my bracelet adjusted. Both guys said "Wow. Nice watch. Thats a TAG. Nice, Man. Whered you get it?" In the past few months, Ive walked past Keanu Reeves, Claire Danes, Parker Posey, and Maggie Gyllenhaal (sp?) on the street (it is NYC, after all). If, in the future, anybody like that stops to chat with me expressly because she admires my watch, Ill return to this review and add an addendum. If this happens with Danes, Ill send TAG Heuer a letter of appreciation. Does anybody have Evangeline Lillys phone number? Ive got a TAG now; Im ready to sculpt my destiny. A nice watch On: 2008-06-26Since I do, in fact, use reviews like this to aid my decision making, I decided to write one. I needed a watch, and, frankly, since Im 38, built like Jamie Bamber (hence, not a hipster), fairly well educated (Ph.D. in English), single, and living in NYC, I figured it should be an impressive, trendy watch. Previously, Id been wearing a 66 yr old tiny Art Deco (arabic numerals) wind-up Movado my dad had worn and had given to me (dont cry; hes still alive and wearing a Rolex); however, that watch is a family heirloom, and I truly feared Id destroy it either at the gym or at home (Im a bit of a klutz around my sink). When searching amazon, I granted myself a 1k budget. However, I wanted a Swiss automatic watch that I felt sure could take all sorts of abuse. I cant swim, so Ill probably never go diving. But I do shower two or three times a day, sweat copiously (and work out almost daily, running and lifting, for an hour or more), and wash seemingly endless sinkfuls of dishes (I eat six meals a day, most of which I make at home). Furthemore, I liked The Bourne Identity. Truth is, my dream watch is a mother-of-pearl (reminds me of The Tempest) Omega Automatic Seamaster Aqua Terra, but that was well beyond my budget. So, I confined my search to TAG Heuer. They make some beautiful watches. I considered buying a Link, because I like the bracelet, but with my budget, I could only afford a quartz Link, and even then the price would be a reach. I almost bought the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Automatic with the dots for numbers and the black bezel, but I decided not to buy a watch that looked so very sporty, and I thought that a plain steel bezel would show fewer scratches. Also, I didnt like how visible the numbers seem to be on that models bezel (Also, w/r/t a few other models of TAG Aquaracer: I dont ever wear any green, so I ignored all the TAGs whose logo contains green). Anyhow, the watch I bought, this one (which cost me 1250 after tax and s/h), is really handsome. Its an automatic, so it does run fast (mine runs ten seconds fast every 24 hours). Teh date changes at exactly 12:01 am. The thing is heavy, but the weight feels nice, manly. The blue of the dial is a light navy, but dark enough to be more sober than festive. In bright sunlight, the blue looks slightly metallic, and in low lamplight, its easily mistaken for black. The lume is very strong, and because the crystal is so clear and because the metal hour markings and hands are wide enough, the watch can be read in quite low light (even reflected light). The watch looks both sporty and serious, a little commanding even (Its alpha without being at all douchey). Its a watch Im proud to wear now, and can imagine being happy to wear when Im 45. Also, I should say, I wanted a watch that nobody would suspect is a replica. As an unpublished novelist living in Brooklyn, a guy who just wears old 7faM jeans and a black t-shirt (and who rides the subway!), I feared that an Omega (of any sort) would instantly be perceived as a replica, even if it wasnt one. I searched the internet for TAG replicas, and, apparently, while the Link and TAGs more expensive models have been replicated, there are very few Aquaracer (quartz or automatic) replicas floating around. An Aquaracer is sufficiently affordable that its not regularly replicated. As for my watchs effect on people, I just got it, and Im a hermit, so the only people who have really obesrved it are the two guys who work at the jewlery shop near my apartment (the shop also sells watches: Movado, Raymond Weil, and ESQ) at which I had my bracelet adjusted. Both guys said "Wow. Nice watch. Thats a TAG. Nice, Man. Whered you get it?" In the past few months, Ive walked past Keanu Reeves, Claire Danes, Parker Posey, and Maggie Gyllenhaal (sp?) on the street (it is NYC, after all). If, in the future, anybody like that stops to chat with me expressly because she admires my watch, Ill return to this review and add an addendum. If this happens with Danes, Ill send TAG Heuer a letter of appreciation. Does anybody have Evangeline Lillys phone number? Ive got a TAG now; Im ready to sculpt my destiny. beautiful watch but stops working after 8 weeks  On: 2008-02-18I bought this watch for christmas and I really loved the watch. It is very beautiful and stylish. But what I never would expect from a TAG is that the watch stoped working after 8 weeks regular wearing. This really disapoint me. From a leading swiss watch company I was expecting a watch which last fro long without any problems not stop working after 8 weeks. I own more then 10 watches of different brands but never had a problem like this. My only hope is that amazon will repair or even beter change the watch to a new one because after only 8 weeks to get a repaired watch is not really what I expect from a 1200 or 1800 regular priced watch. Handsome, functional, very readable On: 2007-12-06Ive had my Aquaracer for a short while now and I really love it. This is my second Tag and Im looking forward to not having to buy batteries every 8 or 9 months, since this watch is "automatic" and should self-wind with regular wear. Some have mentioned that the watch will need regular maintenance (perhaps every year or two) to maintain the automatic mechanism. This wasnt mentioned to me at the point of sale. I suspect I will just let it go and see how long it runs without problems. The watch itself is really beautiful, one of the nicest looking Tags I think. The blue background is not a solid blue, it looks like metallic blue with tiny gray or silver dots creating a very tiny grid-work. The result, to my eye, is that the blue background takes on different shades of deep blues depending on the light and the viewing angle. All these colors have a beautiful, and lustrous effect to them. The dial is very easy to read. That was one of the reasons I was attracted to the watch. No extra dials or gizmos to confuse your eye, just nice big hands and nice big marks on all the hours. The glow-in-the dark material, which is implemented as tiny strips centered in the silver hour marks, gives off a very faint greenish color by day. To me this is a very beautiful contrast with the blue background. The crystal, which is synthetic sapphire, is very clear and I love the anti-glare aspect of it. I hope it as anti-scratch as I have been lead to believe. Apparently it is only scratchable by diamonds or certain cutting materials which one should not normally encounter. I teach aerobics and wear this watch during class. It gets lots of waving around, bumping, and quick-stop impact during various exercises and so far it seems none the worse for wear. I have not yet tested it under water... honestly Im a little worried about doing so. Other expensive "water resistant" watches I have had have proven to not be so resistant afterall, and Id hate to mess this watch up. The band is very comfortable and it has what I would call a double latch mechanism, which theoretically should lessen the chances of the watch unlatching and falling off your wrist. The watch is not cheap, but is less so than many Tags and comparable watches. It the favorite of all my watches now. I have 4 in total that were all priced over $1,000.00, just to give a frame of reference. Ill create a new post in a few months or years after I can see the longevity of the watch. |