Borna Bosnjak
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Precious metals join the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional line-upThe release consists of two solid gold references and four bi-metal references powered by automatic movementsThe TAG Heuer Aquaracer Full Gold sports a new movement for the brand, created in collaboration with AMT, an arm of SellitaThe TAG Heuer Aquaracer has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance, with more focused design language and distinct divisions within the collection, as well as ground-breaking innovation with the Solargraph. For Watches & Wonders 2023, TAG Heuer is launching a slew of new models in the Aquaracer Professional 200 line, all united by one common factor – gold. While not immediately associated with anything but robust performance, the Aquaracer is also one of the brand’s most widely appealing models, so it makes sense for it to become even more versatile. Between two solid gold-cased references and four steel and gold models, TAG Heuer is also introducing a new movement partnership with an industry giant – Sellita’s custom movement arm, AMT Manufacture.TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Full GoldWe begin with the heavy-hitters – the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Full Gold, available in either 18k 3N yellow gold or 5N rose gold, paired with blue or black sunburst fume dials, respectively. The finish of the case retains the tool-tastic aesthetic of the Aquaracer, but dresses it up a touch with a flash of polished flank chamfers and outer bezel. Speaking of the bezel, its insert is also in gold with soleil brushing, extending the finish of the dial into the case. Moderately sized at 40mm in diameter, the weightiness of the cold is helped by a DLC grade 2 titanium exhibition caseback, with the overall water resistance sitting at 200 metres. Interestingly, TAG Heuer chooses a DLC-coated steel crown, rather than a gold or titanium one, making the Aquaracer Full Gold a tri-metal watch.The dials remain highly legible, with truncated arrow indices all round. I’m a fan of this design, as their dimensionality is really on show, with a bevel in the middle helping the light contrast differently on either side. They’re paired with the broad sword handset, both gold-plated to match the case material. The finishes on both dials are complex, combining fume and sunburst techniques, but especially so on the blue dial. Changing from electric to abyss blue, with turquoise filling in the horizontal lines – it’s quite a sight. TAG Heuer paid close attention to the lume also, helping after-dark legibility by including bicolour luminova.The extent of the gold, however, is limited to the case and dial markers, with both references equipped with rubber straps ending in DLC grade 2 titanium clasps. While they do not come with TAG Heuer’s new sliding extension system, they do have an on-the-fly adjustment built in.Apart from the case materials, the biggest intrigue for many will certainly be the new TH31-00 Automatic calibre. It’s impressively specced, featuring an 80-hour power reserve and COSC certification. It appears well-sized for the case, often a pitfall of watch design, and has some pleasant, industrially applied decoration, with a semi-skeletonised rotor and C?tes de Geneve. Despite the brand’s introduction of a Kenissi movement in its Superdiver, along with an announcement of a long-term partnership, the Aquaracer Professional 200 Full Gold is powered by an AMT Manufacture movement. The company is an arm of Sellita, tasked with designing and manufacturing everything from minor modifications to existing calibres to semi-bespoke and new movements for their clients.TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Full Gold pricing and availability:The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Full Gold will be available from September 2023. Price: A$26,700BrandTAG HeuerModelAquaracer Professional 200 Full GoldReference NumberWBP5150.FT6199WBP5152.FT6210Case Dimensions40mm (D)Case Material18k 5N rose gold with DLC grade 2 titanium caseback (WBP5150.FT6199)18k 3N yellow gold with DLC grade 2 titanium caseback (WBP5152.FT6210)Water Resistance200 metresDialBlue or black fume sunburstCrystal(s)Sapphire crystals front and backStrapBlue or black rubber strap with black DLC grade 2 titanium clasp with on-the-fly adjustmentMovementCalibre TH31-00 Automatic COSC, Sellita subsidiary AMT manufacturing and assemblyPower Reserve80 hoursFunctionsHours, minutes, dateAvailabilitySeptember 2023PriceA$26,700TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Gold and SteelServing as a midway step between the all-steel all-rounders and the luxe full-gold, TAG Heuer is introducing four Aquaracer Professional 200 Steel and Gold models. Using the same 30mm and 40mm steel case sizes from the existing line-up, the watches are spruced up with a solid gold bezel insert and crown, as well as gold-plated hands and indices. This time, the caseback is steel, but there’s no compromise to the water resistance of any of the four models, remaining at 200 metres.The blue dials are once again matched to yellow gold highlights, while the black/brown/anthracite is reserved for rose gold. The smaller 30mm dress up the Aquaracer even further, adding mother-of-pearl finishes to the dials and replacing the 11 arrow-like markers with 11 VS diamonds totalling 0.107 carats.Movement-wise, the Steel and Gold models rely on TAG Heuer tried-and-true classics, more specifically the Calibre 5 for the 40mm and Calibre 9 for the 30mm. Both are Sellita bases, the Calibre 5 coming from the SW200 and with a power reserve of 38 hours, while the Calibre 9 is a SW1000-1 base with 40 hours of power reserve.TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Steel and Gold pricing and availability:The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Steel and Gold will be available from April 2023. Price: A$6,800 (30mm models), A$7,350 (40mm models)BrandTAG HeuerModelAquaracer Professional 200 Steel and GoldReference NumberWBP2150.FT6210WBP2151.FT6199WBP2450.FT6215WBP2451.FT6200Case Dimensions40mm (D)30mm (D)Case MaterialSteel with solid 18k 3N or 5N gold bezel insert and crownWater Resistance200 metresDialBlue or brown smoked dial (40mm)Blue or brown mother of pearl with 11 VS diamond indices (30mm)Crystal(s)Sapphire crystalStrapBlue or black rubber strap with steel folding clasp, micro-adjust on 40mmMovementCalibre 5, ETA 2824 or Sellita SW200 base (40mm)Calibre 9, Sellita SW1000-1 base (30mm)Power Reserve38 hours (Calibre 5)40 hours (Calibre 9)FunctionsHours, minutes, dateAvailabilityApril 2023PriceA$6,800 (30mm models)A$7,350 (40mm models)
27.03.23