For Watches & Wonders 2021, TAG Heuer is going back to the roots of the Aquaracer with a brand new lineup that spans four 40mm references, three 36mm references, and one 43mm limited edition that has been directly inspired by a vintage Heuer diver from 1978. Reportedly thinner, lighter, and shorter lug-to-lug, with a bevy of colors and a smattering of titanium (and even diamonds), the new Aquaracer Professional 300 looks streamlined, thoughtful, and as versatile as ever.
Speaking specifically to the standard production models, the 2021 Aquaracer line has been divided into two categories, 43mm (above) and 36mm (below). All seven of the new Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300s have a handsome new handset, a simplified dial design, a newly designed ceramic bezel insert, 300 meters water resistance, a screw-down crown, and a solid caseback.
Likewise, all iterations of the new WBP2XX (that’s the reference family) use TAG Heuer’s Caliber 5, an automatic movement based on the ETA 2824-2. With 42 hours of power reserve and a date display that has been placed at six o’clock, the Caliber 5 is an entirely known quantity and offers a lot in terms of reliable performance, timekeeping ability, and eventual service costs.
The general style is consistent across both size options, but you can quickly tell one from the other as the standard 43mm models have yellow text on the dial and a yellow accent at the point of the seconds hand. Additionally, the green-dial version at 43mm has a titanium case and bracelet (WBP208B.BF0631), and the blue 36mm Aquaracer (WBP231B.BA0618) has eight diamond hour markers
While the full and specific dimensions have not yet been disclosed, Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 has stated that the new Aquaracers are thinner, lighter, and have shorter lugs. Heuer has also fitted a new bracelet with a tool-less micro-adjust system in the clasp. It offers 1.5 cm of extension and can be adjusted without removing the watch from your wrist. This sort of thoughtful bracelet design is not common to the dive-watch scene, and I can’t wait to get a chance to take a look at the mechanism and try it out on my own wrist.
While certainly similar to the previous WAY2XX reference, these new Aquaracers look a lot less fussy. The dial has been simplified with new markers and less text, the hands are less complicated, and the date has been moved to six o’clock and is capped by a cyclops mounted inside the crystal. Likewise, the bezel design has been refined, with a more elegant font for the insert and jimping along the profile for better grip.
Put it all together, and this looks like a positive step forward for the Aquaracer, but I can’t help but scratch my head a bit at the sizing. The previous generation (using the same movement) was offered at 43mm and 41mm, so it’s a bit of a miss to offer this new one at 43mm and 36mm, but nothing in the middle. Brands like TAG Heuer must have appealing dive watches for everybody, and it’s hard to argue with the success of 40mm dive watches over, well, just about the entire history of the dive watch.
And while I don’t necessarily think that the 43mm version is going to be way too big (or that the 36mm is too small), I do think that the Aquaracer needs to exist in the 39-40mm range and that the need will only be more pressing in the coming years. That said, who knows, maybe a middle option is already in the works. It may seem like a nitpick – arguing the delta between 40 and 43mm – but think about how much a 2mm change meant to Tudor over the past couple of years.
Launched alongside the above seven new references, Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 is also announcing a new limited edition, the Aquaracer Professional 300 Tribute to Ref. 844. Based on the new 43mm design and rocking a titanium case, the Tribute to Ref. 844 has been tweaked to reflect the look and feel of Heuer’s Ref. 844 diver, which was originally launched back in 1978 and can be seen below. With faux tanned lume, a red 24-hour scale, and a vintage-effect perforated rubber strap (along with a full bracelet), the Aquaracer Professional 300 Tribute to Ref. 844 is limited to 844 units and is otherwise identical to the aforementioned 43mm Aquaracer variants.
Pricing for the new Aquaracers starts at $2,800 for the 36mm versions. The new 43mm steel versions will hit the market in June for $3,000 (which is up ~$250 from the pricing of the previous steel 43mm Aquaracers). Obviously, you’ll pay a premium for the blue dial 36mm with the diamond markers ($3,350), and the green/titanium 43mm version ($4,200). The flagship Tribute to Ref. 844 will have a price tag of $4,350, but it doesn’t hit stores until September, so you have time to save.
Blending a luxe, almost dressy feel, with an eminently wearable sports watch, the Aquaracer has long been many enthusiasts’ first introduction to the world of the big brand luxury sports watch. To that end, these new Aquaracers represent a specific and important corner of TAG Heuer’s mass-market offerings. And the host of updates – from the hands to the dial and even the new adjustable clasp – amount to a welcome evolution for the modern Aquaracer.
While the new Aquaracer Professional 300 maintains the same silhouette as the previous model, make no mistake that the new watch represents a significant step forward for the Aquaracer line. There’s a re-profiled and polished case, a redesigned caseback, new bracelet and rubber straps, an updated dial, new hands and a revised bezel. It’s a long list. So it’s somehow both familiar, yet all-new at the same time.
Launched today at the Watches & Wonders online watch fair, the Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Calibre 5 collection are the first new watches in the revised Aquaracer family, which will extend to other models and movements over the coming months. And yes, while the previous watch was the Aquaracer 300m, the new one is the Aquaracer Professional 300– no “m”.
The Aquaracer Professional 300 is the first major redesign of the Aquaracer series since 2014 and brings back the “Professional” name, which was added to the dial of TAG Heuer dive watches during the 1980 and 90s. As we ran through the changes in the spec sheets, there are two key themes that we kept coming back to. Firstly, the new range steps up the quality of materials and finishing to justify a higher price point and secondly, TAG Heuer’s designers have enthusiastically embraced the 12-sided bezel as a key design thematic, with dodecagons featuring prominently.
Overall, we love the new look, which seems to keep all the strong elements of the previous model, yet also addressing a couple of areas which never quite gelled on the 2014 re-design.
At Watches and Wonder 2021, we saw several beautiful new watches launched by many different brands. Some were expected, and some were a bit of a curveball and caught us by surprise, but in a good way! At the digital event, Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 launched its new Aquaracer Professional 300 collection. The release marked a new generation of the famous model, with a refreshed look that blended a bold-yet-elegant contemporary look with a functional and versatile form.
