3 TAG Heuer dive watches + alternatives 

I’ve got a tag heuer aquaracer. Had it for just over a year and was my 18th birthday present. Love the thing to pieces, started a real watch passion for myself and is a great gateway into the watch world. Had I know about Tudor black-bay at the time probably would have gotten one of them but seeing tag heuer in motorsport made it a recognisable brand and a great first watch

I didn't know about Sinn not Oris when I got my first entry level luxury watch in my early 20's around 1995. But, for the reasons you stated about TAG Heuer, it is why I picked it as my first entry level luxury watch. A 37mm white dial black bezel quartz dive watch, it stayed with me as my main and only watch (mostly) for over 12 years until I unfortunately lost it. Loved it and it was robust as hell.

You're spot on about TAG Heuer as a brand. For a while, it was THE watch to buy as a grown up with a "real" watch. Rolex certainly has always been a thing, but that's something further down in the age/career line, outside of people that founded a startup or had trust funds. TAG has gotten a bit more grief than I think is fair, though they do deserve some. The brand name is obviously worth something, so just saying a watch has X specs with Y movement doesn't tell us where it should be priced. I'm not really sure what a mall brand means. My local mall has Rolex, Tudor, Hublot, and Omega along with TAG Heuer. In fact, all but Hublot on that list are in multiple malls here. I've never heard those others described as mall watches. I've heard the term "Department store watch" before, and that makes more sense. There are watches typically only see in department stores, and not jeweler or watch boutiques. I like the Autavia's gradient dial, and think it separates it from the rest. However, there's just something overall that doesn't make it stand out above some other watches for me. The new 40mm Aquaracer is nice. I've nothing against a cyclops as a concept, but the execution on the new ceramic bezel 43mm Aquaracer is not good. The circle is so incongruent with the rest of the watch that it's just puzzling. They got the shape right on the green one shown, which is quite nice looking. I think they're worth a look as a brand, and their new 39mm Carrera is an excellent every day watch. Will it hold its own against say an Omega Aqua Terra? No, but it's literally less than half the price and that's a large gap.

A Tag Aquaracer was my first "luxury" watch purchase. I still like it today. I also own the Sinn and Oris and agree with you comments with regards to comparison. Still after the Black Bay, hopefully this year. The Christopher Ward Trident, the Tissot Seastar and Longines Hydroconquest come to mind as rivals at varying price points. Enjoyed the content, thanks!

I'm sick of people putting tag down. They make damn good watches. My first luxury watch was a tag and after buying Rolex, etc I'm back to buying them again.

Thank you for the piece on TH. Bought my first Tag in 1987 and it still works (quartz). I have had several over the years. They all perform flawlessly and they take heavy abuse as I am rough on my watches. Another great point is at this price point they are the perfect grey market purchase. The discounts are deep and provide a fantastic discount. I will take that risk. I will always wear these watches.

My first higher end watch was the Jason Bourne Chronograph Link ever since seeing it in the Bourne Identity I wanted it and was pretty happy to get it in auction. I don't care that some bash Tag. The bracelet is one of the most comfortable on the market and build quality for a now 20 year old watch is pretty good

Just bought my wife an aquaracer last week, the Naomi Osaka Ltd edition. She loves the colour and wave pattern on the dial. It is beautiful. We have an added bonus that Naomi was in Melbourne for the Australian open and autographed the watch boxes whilst doing a promotion for Tag.

The green AR is actually sort of a unicorn, was amazed seeing that in your vid Adrian. Wanted it and found it hard to get, especially new. I don’t mind Tag, the Monaco, Carrera or as well AR are solid watches. Working in the automotive area and that’s the watch you see the most. as you mentioned, especially a non watch guy has them On the radar and put their money on it. Good overview, cheers mate

Normally I don't comment, however, I feel the urge to give my opinion here. First off, the Autavia is not a dive watch, hence the leather strap. Second, TAG Heuer is now under the LVMH umbrella corporation, so yes, they are a fashion brand. But isn't that an integral element of a watch? For me a watch is an instrument, it's science and engineering, and then it's art on your wrist or an expression of yourself. Third, "in-house" is great, however, there's a reason everyone uses ETA or Selita movements, they're dependable. Further to that point, you can buy an ETA and throw it in your watch for really cheap, but it's how you calibrate it that matters, which TAG Heuer does among many other tests(they even sent off the Autavia for chronometer certification, but we skipped that part). Finally, I would like to thank you for giving me inspiration to comment on your video. It seems like everyone loves demeaning TAG Heuer in their videos, like they don't deserve what they're asking for in their watches. They have been around since 1860 for a reason, and they will continue to be a great watch brand with the man at the helm now, I'll let you look into that one and see why.

Having been a Tag Heuer Aquaracer owner for the past 3 years, I can attest to the build quality being very solid. My 2019 version has the date at 3 and a more usable cyclops too. It has a ceramic bezel that still looks brand new. It has been though a lot. However, it has been to the Tag Heuer workshop 5 times during its warranty period. Twice for issues with the sailcloth strap it came on, and 3 times for movement failures. They ended up replacing the strap with a bracelet and the movement entirely early last year. So far it’s been running at -1s a day very consistently, and the bracelet had been solid. I do enjoy wearing the watch a lot more now, however I wish it was at this level from the get-go.

Only Tag I really like is my 1995 Tag Heuer 2000. Got it for high school graduation in '95. Was my first nice watch, still wear it. It's beautifully thin, and has been to hell and back durability wise. Amazing.

Bought my first Tag Heuer years ago. It was from the 4000 series. I literally wore it every day for around 15 years. I still love it. I know it is not a popular model but it was my entry point into well made quality watches. I have bought more Tags since then and they have all been great. I get that the branding can be rather too much, but they are good watches. I recognise there are other cheaper alternatives and for me you can’t beat a Seiko dive watch as an alternative. Much cheaper and can look great. Another, if not better, entry level watch.

I’ve had an Aquaracer chrono CAF2110 for 12 years. It was added to my collection because I wanted a 7750 in a robust package , a weekend/adventure watch, and this fit perfectly. Just got it back from service at TAG USA and I fell in love with it again.

I have always been a fan of the tag heur Monaco. It is one of the coolest chronographs of all time. It was so cool Steve McQueen wore one in the movie le Mann. The problem with tag is that they got away from being a racing watch company. If they just focused on making damn good chronographs then problem solved.

It's nice to see the aqua racer getting some love. I've had one since 2006, the automatic w/ grey/blue dial and stainless bezel, waf.2110. It was my one and only do everything watch for many years. It still gets a lot of compliments. An ETA 2824 is not as expensive to service as in house calibers. Easy parts availability, and when regulated, mine runs within chronometer specs. The dial, crystal/ar coating, and bezel are really nice. I'm glad to hear they're ditching the cyclops of the past few years, think it's still a nice looking design without that. FYI I have seen people removing the magnifier using a little heat, maybe you can do that with these.

I love Tag Heuer. I also love that watch nerds hate them, because that makes the secondary market prices very nice for people like me. Honestly when I hear "in-house movement" all I hear is "expensive service that takes months". I'm all for Sellita movements that can be serviced for $100 and back on my wrist the next day. Let's be real, when we say in-house we mean *proprietary* and all the bullshit that goes with that, just like Apple not letting you repair your phone. Give me Sellita all damn day, and spend the extra budget on the finishing and dials. Which is exactly what Tag does.

Had a tag professional diver for years, dived with it, wore it to work, took a pasting. Great watch. Now I have a Sinn 104, fabulous.

My first dive watch is a tag Heuer professional 200m bought in 1992. Still going strong. Bought another tag Heuer chrono the same year but gave it to my brother a few years later. He's still wears the watch and it's working well. They're very reliable watches.

I own 2 Tags and love them both 🙌🏻 Great video Adrian

I love my Aquaracer period. Took me 1 year to make up my mind. Watches i had in mind. Tudor Black Bay - loved it but i don't know. Superocean 42 - I liked it but not enough Aquaracer 43 - Way2013 refernce love it.

I had the black dial version of the green AquaRacer you got there Adrian, except in 41mm, not 43 and it really was a nice looking and well constructed watch; wore beautifully and the bracelet was excellent. I sold it to fund a BB58 but I’d tell anyone thinking about an AquaRacer that you’re getting a solid dive watch for your money, especially if you get a good condition used one at a good price.

Great video man. TAG has a special place in my heart, so I’m praying for them to come back strong this year 🙏

10 years ago, bought a Tag Heuer Aquaracer as my first mechanical watch. Ended up being my gateway to Rolex, AP, Lange and Patek.

I bought a TAG from a market in Lazarote for about 20 quid when i was young teenager. It had a lovely silver and gold bracelet that turned my wrist green. I loved that watch.

gifted an aquaracer in 2015 it is a beater among beaters. I build steel infrastructure and I mean I have beaten on it. It is so well constructed… I had a Gahock melt .. now I have a collection of others that function,,, movement,, hold value,,, etc. but I wear the tag when I need to know time and don’t care about destruction… and it’s been 7 years in steel so you decide

The new night diver is awesome and super unique looking. Also the newest panda Autavia is fantastic with an in house movement and quick change strap. They've had some awesome releases lately

Great video as always Adrian. Would love to see you take a look at the SPB143 and showcase it on some straps, and maybe even compare it to your BB58 as someone who is considering selling it (although I know that's cliche content these days). Thanks for your amazing content.

I have the three hand Autavia, much like the one in this video, but blue dial. I love it-never get tired of looking at it.

Great video, not the usual ‘Tag bashing’ we usually get. I’ve got a Tag Monaco, an Oris Dive sixty five, and a Longines. Currently wearing a Bulova Lunar. They’re all good watches, it’s just down to personal taste. Keep the videos coming.

I would really love Tag Heuer watches if not for them being overpriced. If you can get them at a better price or on the used market then I think they are great choices. The new aquaracer 40mm divers look absolutely gorgeous, albeit too expensive still.

I have a Tag and regrettably also sold a Carrera… lovely piece. Recently though I acquired an Oris 65 Diver Chrono in order to revisit 1968. It was my 10th birthday and I was given my first ever watch. An Oris.

I think the first time I became aware of TAG as a brand was when I saw it on the side of a McLaren F1 car but I can't say I've ever been tempted to buy one of their watches. When you look at the Autavia then at the offerings from Longines you get an awful lot more with the latter for a lot less cash albeit with a lot of weight. They are just too expensive and there are loads of alternatives, mostly cheaper.

I almost didn't watch this video because I am not into TAG, but you helped me understand why. - I don't want people know what I have spent on a watch and I am more interested in quality than branding. So it make sense I was more interested in Sinn and Oris you posted. Thank you Adrian.

You keep teasing us with that Explorer II without a video :(

Carole Forestier-Kasapi is the new movements director for Tag-Heuer and she’s a real pro. I have to believe Tag brought her in to develop new movements so I expect there will be some fine new calibers coming from Tag in the next few years.

I’ve got a lot of love for Tag H. Great video and I respect the thoughts. Personally, I had overlooked to AquaRacer for years due to the watch nerd shaming of the brand. When I finally tried it on, it was the perfect watch for me. Solid construction, and reliability. What I love about Tag is that their designs are slightly off the beat and path. More than likely what I have always loved and ultimately bought the Monaco.

Tag Heuer watches look amazing. Among my favourites among any watches around at any price.

My first delve into watches was a Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 7 and I have been more than happy with it. 2nd was a Tudor Black Bay Fifty Eight 925. I would definately consider another Tag in the future but would be a Monaco ... so different level.

Great watches TAG Heuer. Well built and some great dial detail. Love how the light hits them. I find them comfortable. Some ranges are a bit thick and they don't hold their value. I have a couple and a load of higher brand makes but I wouldn't swap them for anything.

Kind of hard for TAG to compete when the black bay comes in so close to their aquaracers in price.

Enjoy your insights as always Adrian. There does seem to be a frame of A-roll inserted around 1:51 if you haven’t caught that already.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Monaco (I have one), Silverstone and Monza (not the last version), and there are some nice Carreras but there’s the brand seems to have lost their way. Too many plasticky, tacky watches - they maybe need to cull some of the cheaper watches and focus on quality. There’s a lot of competition in the mid tier watch range now and Tag seems to have fallen behind a bit.

tag should try and make a nice gmt since no one else does a very good one for a good price

Since buying a GMT II in '98, my first foray back into the world of automatic watches was the purchase of a TAG F1 Calibre 5 a little over a year ago. I follow F1, and I liked the general design. But what seemed at first like a solid daily workhorse watch is now in the shop being repaired under warranty -- stopped being able to wind it. A bit frustrating.

Both those divers are gorgeous, love the 43nmm size. Far better than 40mm for wrist presence. They have actually released versions of these in 40mm for those who want it (or very similar aquaracer). Having said that the way they've done the 43mm on this may be too heavy. The only strap alternative you'd ever want to put on this as a diver is a rubber band. Aquaracer has always been a solid entry point to luxury watches

They have some of the coolest chronographs! I own a Carrera, it’s an amazing watch.

I have two favourites. The old school half-link/Shark Skin Sports elegance (the one that Senna and Ron Dennis always used to be photographed in). I wish i'd never sold mine. Also the original 'resin' F1. I believe you're holding one in your RU-vid picture in Green/Yellow. I received one for my 18th Birthday in 1995. Black on Black. I still have it to this day. It's utterly bomb proof and I am just as proud to own it as my 116520.

Tag were huge in the 90's, even ravers were wearing the colourful but tiny F1, my first "serious" watch....

I agree that the Autavia is my pick of the three. Interestingly, I prefer ETA movements to many "in-house" calibers in the

I’m waiting for my Aquaracer Pro 300 to be delivered tomorrow. I tried a number of watches on last week, including the Grand Seiko GMT 9F Quartz, a Longines Spirit Titanium, Rado Captain Cook and the Tag Pro 200…. The Professional 300 was the one that blew me away for finishing, fit and overall wrist presence. It does wear a lot smaller than the suggested dimensions on my 17.5cm wrist as well.

TAG was my 1st "luxury" watch, 25 years ago, and it still looks good, and works well

TAG and Heuer designs are on the whole original - most others in the price range are derivatives (Sinn excepted) of Rolex submariner.

Most people complain about price retention with Tag Heuer watches which if you buy used is a bonus as I bought my Aqua racer for £400 quid and I love mine 👍

My first watch that I bought many years ago was a Tag Heuer Aquaracer

Great video. I think those Tags are great watches. It was my first entry level watch too.

I think Tag Heuer Carerra Caliber 5 is a real steal on the secondary market. Added one 7 years ago as my daily office watch. Very happy with it.

I LOVE the vintage Autavia's and never thought I would buy a Tag....but today I checked out the new Aquaracer 200m....very very nice! will wait a bit and buy a used one cheap ;-)

Literally just got the Autavia on bracelet today. Beautiful piece. Only Tag I've wanted as most of their watches don't appeal to me. This will actually be my second "luxury watch". The first being a Grand Seiko SBGM247. So I kind of went backwards. Just a FYI if you get it on bracelet you also get a NATO strap which is super easy to switch to as the bracelet can be removed without tools. Black and Blue for the blue dial and Black and Brown with the silver dial.

My first entry level luxury watch was a TAG CV2113. I still love it!

I like the Autavia best, but frankly I’d rather be buying a Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer instead for like a third of the price. Agree with others; Hydroconquest trumps the Aquaracer. Green HC on Green rubber is 🔥

It's funny one of the reasons I went for Oris was because people didn't know I spent over 1k on it. Tag is a bit like an Audi, every Tom, Dick and Harry has one that earns just over the medium wage and wants to show off their moderate success even though they bought it on finance.

So refreshing to see a Tag video without the bashing. My F1 auto ceramic got me into mechanical watches and after 4 years and many you tube videos watched, for less than £1500 I'd still pick the same watch every time 🙂

You are so right, regarding the cyclop. It is more a bad joke. But anyway. I don't own a TAG Heuer. I am more into brands like Rolex, Omega, Zenith or Panerai. But I would not exclude to buy a TAG Heuer in the future. The first watch of my son (21), was a TAG Heuer Aquaracer and he is happy with it... Nice video, thanks!

I’ll take a longines hydroconquest over a aquaracer any day.

When I first became interested in "nice" watches, I wanted a TAG Heuer. I picked the one I wanted, and couldn't afford it. I purchased a Tissot diver instead. Now, I don't see the value. The Autavia is lovely, and I would buy that, but the appeal is short lived when an Oris is put on the table. They have the same or similar movement, but Oris puts more watch on your wrist. The peeps who grew up in the 90s and 00s may know TAG, but that kudos isn't better than wearing a good watch.

For christmas I received a Tag F1 Chrono as a gift from my girlfriend. This is currently the first luxury watch I own unless you consider a Tissot PR100 to be "luxury"

So true man, that was my first swiss watch I didn’t know other brands

Great video and even though I don't own a TH it makes a very nice change to see a video on them. You're spot on about the bezel looking great one minute then totally weird once turned.

If I can make a plug for one of my favorites, I’m fond of the Sinn U1 at this price point. Different aesthetic, and totally unapologetic about being a tool. If you like the idea of wearing a watch that looks ready to be strapped to the outside of a submarine, the U1 is a good option to consider.

You want to make me buy one , even though I have more than enough watches . The vintage Heuer Autavia has been on my radar . Good vid

I have THE AUTAVIA and I got it with a collapsible strap, it is easier for micro adjustments. I think I'll hung on to it for a while before getting another, preferably a Vacheron

I have the Aquaracer with the ceramic bezel and the Black dial. Not the newest Model (2021/22), but the Model before. And i love the dial sooooo much!!! It looks so amazing and plays with the light. And i think, that omega copied the laser Technik for the dial design of the seamaster 300m from this amazing Tag Aquaracer dial!!!

I have a few TAG’s, mainly special edition Senna or Space X, I think the higher spec automatic watches they do are better value, the tourbillon watches are incredible value. However at the bottom end where they want £1,700 plus for a quartz watch, you are deffo paying for the brand name and little else.

Love or hate homages, that is another topic altogether. But I purchased a Steinhart Ocean one double green premium 42mm. Same movement as above, but with elabore premium decorated movement and display case back. 300m water resistance. Screw down crown. Ceramic bezel. Sapphire crystal, and mine is running as +/- 3 seconds per day. All for sub £500. I wear it more than my Omega Planet Ocean chronograph, which I love but also costs 15x more.

Great presentation, thanks. I think the Autavia is a very underrated watch, it really is very nice in person and comfortable to wear on the wrist. I particularly like the oversize crown, the fumé dial and the polished surfaces on the bracelet and hour marker indices. It is also chronometer certified which distinguishes it from the movement in the Aquaracer. The best value proposition is buying from an established grey market dealer, those I have dealt with source their watches from ADs and you get the original manufacturers warranty.

My favourite is still the Heuer Monza Re-edition CR2111. Pure class in off white.

Sorry, not a watch comment but noticed your brilliant studio set up. Nice 👌

I’m really interested in the new 40mm. I think TAG has a hit on their hands. Please review it.

Refreshing video, Adrian - barring the Monaco they’re not for me, but that’s just me. They’ve got their own aesthetic, they’ve got great brand awareness (your comparison with Oris & Sinn is entirely valid) and they’re a great entry point for people to get into watches.

My first luxury watch was a tag, I like them. A great gateway watch brand. Great video thanks

I love the history of Heuer and their motor sports heritage. My first quality Swiss watch was a Formula One.

I have a Tag from 1993, think got lucky as it's still a lovely looking watch. Better than the model released after and I prefer to most the new ones

This Heuer vs Tag Heuer argument doesn't hold water for me . Problem is you want the brand to be what it's not . Tag heuer has diversity to appeal to different kinds of persons and their undoubtedly the best in the diversity sector. Definitely a solid brand and one of the best out there

4:37 This new Professional 200 is so good. Perfect size for an everyday sports watch, great dials, date at 6 with no cyclop. It is the perfect Aquaracer, at least for me... I think. I just have to see if I like those polished center links ;-)

For your average person, your assessment of TAG Heuer perfectly sums up the brand as a high street\mall oriented company known for its associations with sport, particularly motorsport.The same, it could be argued is true for Rolex, although Rolex as a brand is something your average bod wishes to aspire to as the perceived ultimate in brand recognition\status.

Good reviews, only thing is that the sinn 104 is not a dive watch but a pilots watch and marketed as that. In fact has countdown bezel. Can potentially be used as one but not built as one. Sinn has however multiple dive watch options specially engineered to be dive watches and to be used as tools. The u50 is a great entry to their dive watch lines. The technology in them is next level. And one can get the tegiment option at cheaper than some tag aquaracers.

I own the Monaco Quartz and love it. Great gateway brand when getting into Luxury watches and yes built like tanks

The name recognition is the exact reason my brother in law bought his TAG around 2003. When I commented on it he said, " I just wanted a fancy watch".

Cheers adrian mate! By far my favourite Tag is the link chrono!!! My first genuine luxury watch! Great dial great bracelet and will always stand proud in my collection!!! 👍🙏👍

Carrera Cal 5 39mm was my first nice watch, then onto the 43mm Carrera Day-date. I don't own them anymore but Tag definitely started my passion!

I added the Heuer Monaco Calbrie 11 blue dail to my Patek Philippe Nautilus, Rolex Submariner, Omega Moonwatch the Square case design is different & looks vintage l love it. A Video on the Heuer Monaco would be nice 👍

I got my aquaracer in 2020 as my first luxury watch from my first paycheck 😄😄😄

My very first “good” watch was a Tag Heuer Link Chrono. Brilliant watch, well made and looked the part. It’s gone now, but knowing more about watches these days, the only ones I would still covet are a blue dial Monaco, or one of the newer Calibre 02 Carrera Chronographs.

I want a Tag Heuer now. I've had an Omega for years and a Rolex before. It was always Rolex, Tag or Omega.

Adrian, you can get this Autavia on bracelet. Also, I read some bad things about service of Isograph and possible problem with parts. Worth to mention that. I had few offers to get this Autavia, almost brand new, still with protective foils for 60% retail.

I was surprised to find myself enjoying that Autavia more than I anticipated

Great vid !! Nice to take a look at something I wouldn’t normally take an interest in :)

Had the blue Autavia up until recently, beautiful watch

I love the vintage Heuer Carrera CS3111