Customer Reviews

TAG Heuer Men's WAB2010.BA0804 Aquaracer Automatic Watch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This watch is an automatic, meaning that it contains a mechanical movement powered by the action of the wearer's wrist. Some mechanical movements must be wound manually by the user. Neither type require a battery as a quartz watch would. The payoff is that all mechanical watches, however much they might cost, are less accurate than any quartz watch one might buy for $20 from a local garage. The reason that one might pay upwards of $1000 for such a watch is that the movement is a precise, finely engineered example of the watchmaker's craft, and not a simple piece of electronics produced by the millions as might be found in a cheap Casio (to take nothing away from Casio).

The highest quality automatic watches are known as 'chronometers', and must contain a movement that has passed a rigorous set of tests laid down by the Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (www.cosc.ch). Such a movement will have an accuracy of 99.99%, which is the maximum obtainable. Only 3% of all watches produced in Switzerland each year are certified as chronometers. Briefly, the COSC standard states that a certified movement must be accurate to within -4/+6 seconds per day. Most high-quality mechanical watches can be adjusted by a good watchmaker to meet that level of accuracy. As far as I am aware, this movement (a Tag-modified ETA 2824-2 for the technically inclined) is not COSC certified; however, this does not mean that it cannot meet the standard, but simply that Tag Heuer have not submitted it for testing.

Even chronometer-certified movements are still less accurate than a quartz watch. This is not a problem specific to Tag Heuer, but is common to any mechnical watch, whether it be from Rolex, Omega, Breitling or any other manufacturer. Even Omega's new co-axial movement is not designed to increase accuracy, but rather stability over time. Stability is often considered to be a more desirable characteristic than pure accuracy in a mechanical timepiece (which is in any case impossible); that is, that it constantly gains 6 seconds a day, rather than gaining one day and losing time the next.

Many people (and websites) confuse chronometers with chronographs. A chronograph is a watch that has extra functions and displays allowing the timing of individual events, similar to a stopwatch. This watch is not a chronograph.

When buying an expensive watch, or any other valuable item, it pays to do a small amount of research and understand what exactly it is one is paying for.

I have always been very impressed with the build quality of Tag Heuers; their finishing and reliability is excellent and they are very reasonably priced when compared to other high-grade Swiss watches.

I have the blue one and love. Been SCUBA diving with it, no problems. It is an automatic, so it's not going to be as accurate as a quartz, but if you buy it from an authorized dealer, they will adjust to make it accurate, usually within a couple seconds a day. You can save a few bucks buying a TAG online, but you're screwed if you don't like it or have problems.

I've never been particularly bothered about watches - they seemed to me to be either too sporty or too formal I think. I wanted to know the time, but I never put any energy (or money) into picking a watch. That was until I discovered the black dial/ss bracelet dive watch, along with the automatic movements, and I started to think I might spend some money on a watch. The first attempt at a purchase did not go well - I was fooled by Invicta's shameless marketing policy of claiming that their watches are very heavily reduced - a policy Amazon went along with. I got their 9937 dive watch and then found out about the way the company worked (their television sales - their endless catalogue of tasteless watches). I sold that watch, got myself a Seiko Black Monster for a song (what a fabulously funky thing it is), and started to research the more traditional black dial dive watch category with care. It had to be an automatic and it had to be simple - just three hands, no sub-dials or GMT functions etc. etc. and I didn't want to get a watch, like the Invicta, the appeal of which depended on how well it could pass as something else. I wanted something which was technically good AND which looked the way I wanted it to look. I was very tempted by the Debaufre/Steinhart offering - but it was just too close to the Invicta (like the Invictat it is a relatively cheap Rolex Submariner copy or 'homage' though doubtless better quality). The Marcello C Nettuno 3 very nearly convinced me too - that really is an excellent watch, but new they cost nearly $900 which, for a relatively unknown German made Rolex homage - however good - was too much money. Then I discovered this TAG Heuer Autoracer (WAB2010) and, whilst it was more expensive than I was happy with, it was the ONLY watch I could find that fitted the bill. Being a TAG, and diverging significantly from the Submariner mold, it doesn't quite count as a Submariner copy - but - unlike the newest Aquaracer 500m offering - it stays close enough to it to keep the simple look I like. It is nicely finished, almost all the steel is brushed not polished, and that keeps it casual and not too bright and blingy. It is the perfect size for my average 7' wrist - 40mm watches are just too small - 43mm and above are too big. Finally, because it has recently been discontinued it is heavily reduced (the original price would have been impossible for me). There really isn't another watch out there that I could find which was technically well enough made and which looked simple and direct (even if the Omegas were affordable they're too flashy and complicated and the bracelet is too blingy). Now if you look at the watch forums many watch enthusiasts dismiss TAG because of their advertising policies (lots of expensive celebrities to pay) - but if you want a really well made, swiss, mechanical dive watch which is not all bells and whistles and which is slightly more casual than dressy. then you don't have a lot of choices. This watch is beautifully finished and wonderfully well designed and incredibly comfortable - my long search for a good swiss automatic in the mainstream of the diver tradition is over, and I have the right watch.
Additional Note - Amazon's customer service is really fantastic. It was incrediby easy to get to talk to a real person - they knew who I was and what I had ordered from them - and they responded very reasonably indeed to my requests. This is a great company - I'm sure their two year 'grey market' guarantee is at least as good as the manufacturer's. Superb retail experience!

9 months later:
Now its running at between plus and minus 1.5 seconds per day (often only fractions of a second out of time.) When I got it, it was running at about 13 seconds fast per day. So on top of everything else it is wonderfully accurate.

I've had my eye on this watch for a while on amazon before seeing it at a local jewelers on sale. The watch looks much bolder than the picture at the top of this page shows and seeing it in person It looks more like the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Quartz in Black except with a red pointed second hand that looks very classy as it gently sweeps around the face of the watch. The luminescent paint on the hour marks are very bright, but only last for a few hours. They do make the watch look very bold and sporty, and in that regard it's very versatile, I feel like I can literally wear this watch everywhere, in both casual and formal situations, and then be able to go for a swim afterwards with it on.

As a watch itself, it's difficult to justify the price if you're looking at nickels and dimes: it keeps time just like any other watch, and actually worse than quartz watches. But the automatic movement is a marvel to behold if you remember that it keeps time to within a few seconds per day with just gears and springs. (I'm a mechanical engineer by trade and this fact amuses me greatly). Likewise it's a well built, good looking piece of accessory that looks much simpler and classier than the chronograph style watches with a million dials that are popular in this price bracket.

I've had this watch for a week and the accuracy has gone down from gaining 15 seconds a day to about 12 now. These movements have a tendency to "stabilize" over the first few weeks, so if yours gains 15-20 seconds a day at first as some of the other reviews have noted, just give it some time (no pun intended) and then check it in a week or two. You can also get the watch calibrated by a jeweler if you really care about accuracy. Honestly I stare at a computer with a clock for 10 hours a day, so I never need to know what time it is to the second. I was initially pretty hesitant about getting an automatic for the accuracy reason, but after having this watch I realized that I don't really care: it's actually kind of fun synchronizing it to my iphone once a week.

The Tag Caliber 5 movement itself is a modified ETA movement that's found in many other Swiss automatics. It's a little more fluid (10 beats per second) than the Japanese movements, and the discrete ticking is barely noticeable. If it's movement for the buck you're looking for, you'd be better off with an Invicta #9937 which has the same movement for a little over $300. But the Tag excels in not looking like a Rolex knockoff, with bold looks that will get noticed, and phenomenal build quality. This is a watch that I'd want to wear for years to come.

Found this watch as a Christmas gift to myself in 12/08. Great price and less expensive than the same model I found locally -- that was used! So I ordered and was glad to see sold and shipped by Amazon. Watch arrives in GREAT packaging, looks wonderful, seems to be working fine... then BAM. Five days later the date locks. Can't even move it with the crown. So I call Amazon customer service, provide my info and ship to Kentucky for repairs. I'm skeptical at this point. Amazon provided me the contact info for the repair shop in KY, so I called and spoke to them once my watch arrived (I had to pay shipping to KY, and I purchased insurance. Amazon paid the shipping back to me, which was nice.) Repairman said it wasn't that big of a concern (the date not switching) and they should have my piece back to me in 6-8 weeks. It arrived back in five weeks. I'M VERY HAPPY NOW! Watch is working great, the experience was great, and dealing with Amazon customer service for a significant purchase like this really turned out to be easy and efficient.

This is mt first TAG and I love it. I have an OMEGA SEAMASTER that's ten years old and still keeping great time. I like the looks of the TAG over the OMEGA. Great price on Amazon and the two year warranty is good to have. UPDATE..Since this review I have purchased an Aquaracer in the quartz model too. The quartz has a slightly smaller case and is much lighter in comparison to the automatic.

First off all Its a thumbs up from me for Amazon, This is my first online experience and Amazon gave me that confidence through a great satisfying experience they made. I was stunned when I checked the watch condition with all the accessories and the box are intact and real fresh from the Tag Heuer factory.defenitelly I'll keep on coming back to Amazon.
Secondly. regarding the watch,Theres nothing I can say but "Excelent".I've been a tag heuer Fan for 11 years now but this is my first automatic watch in my whole life and I was not dissapointed.Performance,Quality,Design and Price($900)I definitely recommend this watch to anybody BTW Amazon financing is really a great help. Thanks

The watch looks great - a gift for my husband - so no complaints there!! It is a bit bigger than expected - the dimensions could have been listed. However the mail experience with UPS was terrible. I had to track the watch myself (a month after I ordered it)to get any kind of info. I received 2 e-mail from Perfect Timing telling me they were sending the watch back because duties had not been paid. The first time I had not received any info on this and the second time I had already paid the duty a week earlier!! Lots of phone calls and e-mails before the watch finally arrived too late for the birthday.

This watch looks sophisticated and classy at anything from a football game with jeans on to a formal affair. It has an excellent seal design around the adjustment knob to keep water out. It is subtly upper class, not a 'holier than thou' piece like a gold Rolex, but enough so that respectable people who appreciate watches will take positive note of it. Very accurate, usually in the 2-5 sec a day variance range.

In terms of design and ergonomic (is very confortable on the wrist) I am very happy.
The big negative surprise is the accuracy, each 24hours it adds 20 seconds , what is unacceptable for a $1000 watch.
Because I order from USA to Europe the return is a problem and the warranty is not valid because Amazon (seller) is not an authorized agent.
It seems that this problem is common with TAG watches.