BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
It seems that Bamford is getting around a bit these days. Times were the only brand that Bamford worked with was Rolex, but now they’ve broadened their horizons and are collaborating with almost anyone and everyone. We recently wrote about a limited edition Girard-Perregaux Laureato called the ‘Ghost’, well now Bamford is back, and it seems they’ve also been working with TAG Heuer, another brand which has been busy recently.
In a bid to not be outdone by basically every other brand that’s pumping out new models like McDonald’s pumps out fries and heart disease, TAG Heuer’s latest version of the Aquaracer follows hot on the heels of their 88th birthday tribute to Jack Heuer.
It’s funny how changing several things on a dial and leaving the case relatively untouched can dramatically change a watch. The dial of this new edition features concentric rings and four lines dividing the quarters. Personally, I like it, and I think it looks like the Steyr logo, maybe TAG Heuer and Bamford can collaborate with them too. White and orange tones contrast the black dial. The seconds ring around the dial is white, along with the applied hour markers. Surrounding that is a set or orange markers. The hands are predominately black with orange decoration in the case of the hour and minute hands, and orange & white alternating decoration for the seconds hand. Usually, I’d comment on how the date window is white while the dial is black, but TAG Heuer has decided to make it a feature by magnifying the date as well. I know that some of you won’t like it, as you didn’t like it in my Rolex GMT Master II BLNR review, but I think it means I can pardon the white date window in this case.
Inside the watch is the calibre 5 which has a 4Hz beat rate and a power reserve of 42-hours. The calibre 5 can be based on one of two movements, depending on what’s available. It can either be based on an ETA 2824-2 or a Sellita SW-200. In this case, the movement has 25 jewels, which means it’s based on the ETA (the Sellita has 26 jewels).
That movement is sitting inside a grade 2 titanium case that’s been sandblasted all over; even the caseback hasn’t escaped the sandblast. It does make for an unusual appearance, but not an unpleasant one. The case measures 43mm in diameter and, being TAG Heuer’s diving watch, is rated at 300m of water-resistance. This one is a limited edition piece, with only 1500 available for a price of CHF3,800.
Visit TAG Heuer here.
