#Tag aquaracer calibre 5 movement manual#

The in-house Omega Calibre 8800 movement is legendary in the industry for its decorations, precision, and accuracy and you can’t go wrong with that.Īt first, I did feel some guilt paying $1,350 for a watch with an ETA 2824-2, since you can get watches in the $400-500 range with the same movement. Lastly, the aforementioned Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean can be had for over $4,000 if that’s within budget.

It has pretty much the same specs as the Tag Heuer, except the back is transparent so you can see the movement. For another cheaper ETA-powered automatic diver, one can consider the Alpina Black Dial Automatic Men’s Blue Bezel Watch for under $700. Seiko movements have a great price-to-value ratio and they look great too. In the lowest end of the spectrum, one could get an reliable automatic diver in the Seiko Black Automatic Diver Men’s Watch for just under $200. Why get a Tag Heuer Aquaracer for your daily diver watch though? It’s true that there are many other options depending on your price range. It moves at 28,800 vibrations per hour, which is also the most common in the industry. The ETA 2824-2 is pretty standard with 25 jewels and a 42 hour power reserve. That said, it’s less complex than other in-house movements and pretty much makes the entire difference in price (other than the brand name, of course) when comparing the Aquaracer to something like the Omega Seamaster. Despite being probably the most mass produced Swiss movement out there, it’s clearly a competent one, given that so many companies choose to use it. Mechanically, the Calibre 5 movement is a modified ETA 2824-2.

There isn’t much else in terms of decoration, but I suppose that’s one of the main differences between a Tag Heuer and a more expensive luxury watch. In the picture above, however, you can see that the half circle rotor is decorated with Côtes de Genève in the center with the Tag Heuer brand engraving. Since the back casing is solid, I can’t see the Calibre 5 movement without opening up the watch or looking online. The 2nd position also stops the watch, allowing for precise time setting.

#Tag aquaracer calibre 5 movement manual#

The neutral position allows manual winding of the movement, while the 1st and 2nd positions on the crown change the date and minute hand, respectively. The crown is adorned with the Tag Heuer “shield” logo and is screw down.

It’s obviously no chronograph, but I’ve used it many times in the kitchen and other places. Just point the triangle at the minute hand and read the bezel as the time passes. Solid back casingĪround the face, there is a uni-directional (CCW) rotating bezel that can be used for imprecise time estimations. However, it has a beautifully embossed scuba logo to make up for it. The date display is standard at the 3 o’clock position and does not have a magnifier/cyclops, which I prefer since it means the face is completely flat. Unfortunately, the back casing is solid, meaning that we can’t see the Calibre 5 movement inside. The hands and hour markers are polished with a luminous coating that reads clearly but subtly in the dark (it’s not an obnoxious glow-in-the-dark watch). The Aquaracer’s dial is simple and clear. Of course, there are many other watches that fit these requirements, but I chose this one due to Tag Heuer’s recognizable brand and quality ETA movement. It’s also made of stainless steel with a closed back and has a high water resistance rating of 300m. The Aquaracer has a sapphire crystal display, which is the most scratch and shatter resistant watch glass. Second, I wanted something that was more of a “beater watch” since I was probably going to wear it pretty often. First, I wanted something more casual, as the Tissot I owned at the time had a simple black dial with a dark brown leather strap, and as I learned during my initial research into watches, watches with bracelets are seen as more casual nowadays. I chose this watch as my first luxury watch for two main reasons. After coupons and discounts, the price was $1,325, which I still believe is a good deal on this watch. At the time in 2014, I bought it new off a grey market retailer called TheWatchery, which as far as I can tell, no longer exists. For me personally, this watch was a Christmas gift to myself after getting my first sizable bonus in my job after college. Technically, the Tissot Le Locle was my first watch before I gifted it to a close friend, but this Tag was the first watch I owned that really required a lot of research and a large investment. That said, watch collecting is definitely not for everyone and it usually takes years (if not decades) to build up a collection of several quality timepieces. The Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 Automatic was my first real entry into the world of luxury automatic watches.