The 2016 TAG Heuer Aquaracer is a pretty cool timepiece although not everyone thinks so. We have a number of  guys at work really interested in horology so the discussion of watches in a fairly frequent discussion.

This is a conversation I can now join after the phases of model airplanes, go-karts, rifles, pistols and model helicopters have run their course. A number of us are divers so the discussion of dive watches is especially interesting for me. I have been a keen observer of TAG Heuer for some time now going back to the 2000 series although I decided on another dive watch from the TAG Heuer range as my first purchase 20 years ago – I don’t regret that decision.

So I decided to revisit the Aquaracer series now they come with the ceramic bezel insert. The size of wrist watches has increased in diameter and in one of our discussions one of our enthusiasts, a Rolex owner commented about the size of his son’s Carrera and how it feels like an onion on his wrist. This is a case of style, I prefer a larger diameter watch as my wrist size supports such a timepiece and I have always thought a dive watch should be larger than smaller as you tend to have difficulty reading instruments underwater.

This is especially true in murky water or silty conditions, night dives are a little better as a dive light provides a source to charge the lume. Rated to 300 metres, the Aquaracer is a professional timepiece for commercial divers with a chronograph option although I prefer the three hand model. The Calibre 5 automatic movement is either 25 or 26 rubies with the ETA 2824-2 being the 25 jewel model and the Sellita SW200-1 fitted with 26 jewels. Both movements have a balance frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour equaling 4 Hz and a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.

The general conscious is that the ETA is the superior movement with Sellita being a rendition of the ETA movement as patents have apparently expired. Speaking to my local watchmaker, he doesn’t much like the finish of the Sellita movement even if they are now becoming the industry standard mechanical movement now that ETA are becoming harder to source.

Interestingly Sellita previously undertook outsourced work for ETA and the SW200-1 is fitted with the extra jewel. Which movement is better? I really don’t know, but as the 2824-2 is certainly more marketable than the SW200-1 and in the world of luxury goods, that is a decisive factor.  Really, you would be hard pressed to beat the workhorse ETA 2824-2 movement without developing an in-house movement. Then the argument moves to in-house movement versus generic movements and the marketability of each.

Viewing some watch videos online and speaking with my local watchmaker, the finish of the Sellita seems to be lacking and that isn’t a great selling point for a major Swiss watch manufacturer. Maybe future models will incorporate a display case back but that might require TAG Heuer to lift their game and manufacture an in-house movement for the Aquaracer series. The Aquaracer uses the Calibre 5, that is nothing really as it was either the 2842-2 or SW200-1, so unless you popped the caseback off or counted jewels, you are not even sure of the engine in your Aquaracer.