No 224 - TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500 quartz

It was early summer in 2014 and vacation was coming up. My wife was five months pregnant so we decided to do something easy and relaxing and ended up going to the Greek island Crete. My plan was to bring my new blue Squale along but it was so polished without any marks at all and since I didn’t wanted to risk scratching it I saw that as the perfect excuse to find myself an appropriate vacation watch; a classic sign of the watch junkie syndrome.

The range of suitable used tool divers was of course scarce just because I was in a hurry finding one. But then there was this watch that kept popping up every once in a while that I first had discarded as a candidate, but as we got closer and closer to departure it seemed like it was going to be my only option so I finally decided to get it.

The watch was a blue TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500 quartz. I had had the automatic version in the past which made an unexpectedly good impression on me. Being cheaper because of the quartz movement, and having the rubber strap instead of the bracelet were actually two things a saw as advantages and made me like this watch even more than the automatic version. Details like the tapestry dial and the rubber inlay in the bezel really made this watch stand out. The rubber was both comfortable and good looking and even if it would never work as my everyday office watch it really did a great job as a vacation/beach/pool/sports watch. Just perfect!

#224 - The TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500, ref. WAJ1112.

Resting on a can of Greek beer.

Resting on a bottle of Desperados. Flashbacks to my younger days!

Relaxing in the sun with some inspiring reading material.

Found this guy lurking down in some shallow waters.

The Aquaracer got to explore the Mediterranean Sea for a week and got to go on a diving trip checking out old planes from WWII lying on the ocean floor. But what it did best was acting as my beer buddy during the stay. It could handle its liquor pretty good and never lost track of time even if I did sometimes. The Aquaracer 500 once more proved it was a worthy watch that deserves better credit than they are sometimes given. 

Goodbye my summer love!

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 89 - Tag Heuer Aquaracer 500 automatic

Isn’t it ironic? One day I sell a Tag Heuer and decide it was going to be my last and the next day I go and buy another. It’s at time like these I start to question myself. “What the hell is wrong with me?” My drive knows no limits and at this particular moment in July 2011, this almost brand new full set automatic Tag Heuer Aquaracer 500 shows up for about $1200, and I just had to try it. When I get a little too enthusiastic I sometimes lose my sense of rational thinking and forget about any possible consequences. I didn’t do any research regarding the watch or the unknown seller. It just felt like a good price for a newly purchased Tag Heuer so I sent a PM saying “I’ll take it”. It was like I completely had forgot about the promise I made to myself the day before about not getting another Tag Heuer and I pursuaded myself by repeating over and over that this was a new Tag Heuer and not a vintage one available with the Heuer logo and therefore could be seen as an exception.

As soon as the money was transferred, that was when I got time to think. Could something be fishy? Did the certificate have the stamp from the AD? Could I have missed some important information in the ad saying it was running bad? Could it be fake? Hell, could it have been stolen? Had the price been as good as I thought it was or was I mistaken? Could I flip it without making a big loss? But perhaps I was going to keep it… For real? Get a grip man! It was a Tag Heuer. Of course I was going to flip it!

Finally the package showed up. Was there even going to be a watch inside or was I about to unwrap a brick? Of course! I had been scammed. The Aquaracer 500 was a brand new model. How could I have been so blind?

It turned out that the package contained a full set Tag Heuer Aquaracer 500 in perfect condition. It actually blew me away a little bit. It was much better than I could ever have imagined. The overall finish of the details were really nice. I loved the tapestry dial and the rubberized bezel (even though I didn’t like the action of the bezel). The bracelet felt a little sharp and could have been more comfortable. It had a see through case back were the new Calibre 5 movement was visible (but from what I understand it is pretty much a basic ETA 2824-2 with an engraved rotor and some minor modifications).

#89 - The Tag Heuer Aquaracer 500 ref. WAJ2110.

From the left. Helium escape valve at 10 o'clock.

From the right.

See through case back. Calibre 5 movement.

I think the ref. WAJ2110 with the bracelet had a MSRP just below $3000 and paying $1200 for an almost brand new one back in 2011 must have been a really good deal. There was no problem flipping it when I decided we were done and I got my money back. I’m really glad I took the chance to give this one a try and it really was much better than I had expected.

Wrist shot.

A pocket shot.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.