Jewellery & Watch News
As part of their 2021 Watches & Wonders releases, TAG Heuer’s famous dive watch is given a compelling makeover, now imbued with shorter lugs, a quieter rotating bezel, wider hands and a multitude of colourways. Meet the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watch collection, the Swiss watch manufacturer’s latest generation of luxury tool watches honouring the Aquaracer’s recognisable DNA with artful improvements in all the right places.
The TAG Heuer Aquaracer has been a permanent fixture for the luxury Swiss watch brand since 2004, but they have been engineering professional dive watches since the late 1970’s with the release of the highly collectable Heuer Ref.844. This rugged divers model, with its red 24 hour scale, lume-filled hour markers and rotating bezel, was embraced by professional and recreational divers all over the world, and to this day remains inspiration for other modern-day divers watches on the market. Throughout the four decades since, TAG Heuer have pushed the constraints of a diver’s watch, first with their 1000 series and then with the Heuer 2000 collection which was a huge success at the time for its vast choice of colourways, movements and case sizes.
From 2004, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer 2000 was branded to just the Aquaracer and benefitted from six distinguishing features: water resistant ratings of 200 metres or more, a screw down crown, sapphire crystal glass, luminous markings and a unidirectional bezel. It is this list of characteristics that is put into focus in the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watch series. Rather than opting for a complete overhaul, TAG Heuer takes inspiration from their 40-year-long divers’ legacy and delivers a new, striking, versatile and thoughtful aesthetic, one that is a pure symbol of TAG Heuer’s fearless, avant-garde spirit.
Frédéric Arnault, TAG Heuer CEO, describes: “TAG Heuer has been making bold, high-performance, stylish, luxury tool watches for more than four decades. The Aquaracer Professional 300 picks up a much-loved story and moves it on with the most significant step we’ve taken to develop our Aquaracer collection in many years. Pushing the limits, high functionality, a bold and unmistakable aesthetic, and the promise of going with you, even to the extremes – the Aquaracer Professional 300 is a watch that will take you beyond the edge. This is, after all, the place where we truly find ourselves.”
The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 series features seven new models in total, four of which measure to 43mm and three with a case measuring to 36mm. Six of these will be in stainless steel with a choice of black, blue or silver dials. The sixth model is a 43mm piece engineered from high-tech matte Grade 2 titanium with a handsome green striped dial. Other than their variations in size and the addition of diamond dot indexes on the blue dialled 36mm model, each of the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watches follow the same arrangements. Let’s take a look at what these new releases have to offer...
CASE
As we have said, the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watches come in two case sizes: 43mm and 36mm with six of the seven models engineered from polished stainless steel and the green-dialled reference (WBP208B.BF0631) manufactured from titanium. Their profiles are still instantly recognisable as an Aquaracer but have been substantially redefined to revive some of the elements of their historic counterparts. The familiar angular and modern form remains but is now treated to a brushed finish with a wide polished chamfer running from lug to lug. The lugs have also decreased in length and the case, bezel and metal bracelet have all been slimmed down for a more ergonomic feel on the wrist.
This reduction does not compromise the watch’s performance however, with every TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watch promising a 300 metre water resistant rating and improved durability. Elements of the sapphire crystal glass have also been enhanced including the date magnifier at 6 o’clock. In the past, this feature has sat above the main piece of crystal but now, for better legibility and robustness, the magnifier is integrated into the underside of the glass allowing the surface to feel smooth to the touch.
Since 1983, the Aquaracer’s most distinguishing feature has been its bezel and its iconic 12-sided silhouette and unidirectional capability. For the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 series, the bezel has been transformed, just enough to deliver better usability but artfully to ensure the watch’s design language remains consistent. Each bezel now integrates an insert of scratch resistant ceramic fluted into the 12 facets so that it is effortless to grip, even when wearing thick gloves. The internal tooth profile has also been adapted so that the rotating mechanism feels smoother, quieter and is easier to set. The black, blue and green models are paired with a ceramic bezel of the same colour while the silver dial contrasts beautifully to a black bezel.
TAG Heuer continues to hark back to its past with each TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watch returning the famous scaphander diving suit on the case back. This image first appeared on the case back of the 2004 Aquaracer and has since signalled the collection as a first-choice for underwater explorers. Like everything else, the design of the scaphander has been improved slightly with the addition of a 12-faceted faceplate – perfectly matching with the symmetry of the bezel – and a repeating hexagonal motif. The case back will now also always be square to the case, so the image of the diver always sits upright.
DIAL
Like the cases, the dials of the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watches maintain familiar Aquaracer cues while still advancing the overall design. The sunburst dials, which are available in black, silver, green and blue, still preserve the trademark horizonal striped finish but now the grooved sections are wider and more infrequent for a purer look. Wider sword-shaped hands for hours and minutes have also been added, a feature reminiscent of the TAG Heuer 2000 series, coated in green-coloured glow in the dark Superluminova for optimal legibility in all lighting conditions.
In six of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watches, the usual rounded hour markers have been replaced with octagonal pieces and in the blue-dialled 36mm reference, these markers are exchanged for eight VS diamonds totalling to 0.078 carats. Similarly, the seconds hand retains the distinctive wedge tip but is now given vibrant yellow colouring which works at standing out against all four dial colours. The date window has also been moved from 3 o’clock to 6 o’clock for one final dash of symmetry.
MOVEMENT
Just like so many Aquaracer models before them, the eight new references in the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 series are powered by the reliable Calibre 5 automatic winding movement. Based on the SW 200-1 architecture, the Calibre 5 has 26 jewels, runs at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a power reserve of 38 hours. The Swiss made movement is kept hidden behind the screw down decorated case back and fuels the central hands for hours, minutes and seconds and date window at 6 o’clock.
STRAP
The final enhancement added to the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 is the new integrated metal bracelet. Available in stainless steel or grade 2 titanium, depending on which model you choose, the bracelet now comes equipped with a highly sophisticated fine adjustment system which allows the wearer to extend or reduce the length of the strap by up to 1.5cm. This is perfectly suited for those that need a little more room when wearing the watch around a wet suit or when there are changes in climate or temperature. The bracelet is finished with a folding buckle engraved with the iconic TAG Heuer shield logo.
PRICE & AVAIALBILITY
The entire TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 collection is available to order now on the C W Sellors website. The 42mm titanium and green dial model retails at £3,500 while the other three stainless steel men’s references retail at £2,500. For the ladies 36mm models, the black and silver-dialled variants come in at £2,350 while the blue diamond dial retails at £2,750.
For more information on the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 series and the interest free finance and next day delivery available, get in touch with the C W Sellors team by calling 01335 4534543 or send us a message at sales@cwsellors.com.
