One-point-five hours hiked at three miles per hour means I should be there in less than a half an hour…” I complete the mental calculation and return the TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 to my side where it all but disappears against the canyon walls – black-on-tan livery camouflaged against the dark rushing water and sharp, sandstone crags in a place where panhandlers once thrived. This is gold country. Or rather, it was gold country. Founded in 1849, French Gulch was the terminus of the western branch of the California Trail and one of the Golden State’s richest regions at the height of the Gold Rush. Nowadays, it’s a thirsty husk of its former self – a classically ramshackle western dive, boarded up and bleached by the sun.
Displayed in Basel in 2016, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 Caliber 5 Titanium WAY208C reference seems to be a suitable match for trekking to the canyon, with rugged exposures cracking up in two meandering streams of clear streams. This invisible “Desert Diver” is a quiet TAG Heuer 2016 Basel announcement, it seems that all attention has been lost to the connection of the washing-smartwatch this sub-15k Taubilon rotation mechanism. But just as begging, the real nuggets often find quiet whirlpools, far from the water and exploring the eyes, crowded in the gates.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the TAG Heuer diver, but maybe it’s because we’ve always quietly shared a similar growth trajectory. Not only were we products of the early 1980s, we both cut our teeth in the water, nurturing a penchant for exploration. We also both endured some particularly awkward growing pains of our teenage years, though emerged a little more well-rounded, and probably better for it. Regardless of the similarities in our narrative, my longstanding appreciation for the TAG Heuer Aquaracer has plateaued with the 300-meter Caliber 5 – a thoroughly modern, solidly built sports watch, and what some might argue to be TAG’s most distinctive, yet cohesive diver ever.
Even at a glance, it clearly carries the design DNA of a TAG diver, but gone are traces of the early days of riding Submariner coattails, or the confused, avant-garde period that followed. After some 30-plus years, we now have a watch at its apex, confident in its own skin between function and contemporary form while also making a compelling case for value in an admittedly crowded segment. But most important is how the WAY208C still feels fresh – even with what amounts to a palette swap from the standard TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300, and the third in a trio of admittedly eyebrow-raising treatments.
Contrary to many other comparable divers in its segment, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer’s desert diver tones eschew vibrant reefs and coral sand beaches, instead conjuring rocky peaks and arid plains punctuated by the brisk relief of a high alpine swimming hole. It’s really the first TAG I’ve seen in a great long time that does what any good dive watch should in two steps: first, capturing the imagination with strong visual cues grounded in real-world palettes, before delivering on those cues with practical capability, like an ultralight titanium case, 300 meters of water resistance, and a titanium carbide coating (applied through physical vapor deposition) that’s ten times harder than steel.
PVD is hardly a new treatment to tool watches like the TAG Heuer diver – whose earliest PVD models date back to the origins of the brand’s submersible offerings. Granted, as over 30 years and hard wear of those models ultimately revealed, PVD will inevitably show signs of weakness. However, the modern TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 takes additional measures to slow this process – by using titanium which holds PVD coatings better than steel, and softening many of the case edges, where sharper angles are more prone to higher wear. The end result is a silky smooth, ultra-matte finish that shrugs off scuffs against rocks and branches (and the occasional slip of the springbar tool), lending further credence to the notion that this TAG Heuer Aquaracer is built for more than just looks.
The two-tone, grey-on-tan color scheme is a rare sighting in watches – in fact, it almost has a sort of Bamford Watch Department custom look to it (and I mean that in the nicest way), which just works, though on paper, it probably shouldn’t. There’s a lot of texture and shape in the dial, from the beveled, sandblasted indices and signature ribbed “shutter” texture running across the dial, to the sharp, angular bezel with its smooth ceramic insert and sand-colored engraved numerals framing it all. But like a khaki-colored FJ-Cruiser, all these bold, contrasting elements still feel cohesive. This is largely due to the tasteful color-matching, and the fact that muted, earthy tones and matte-black surfaces generally play well with texture, just as long as said surface isn’t overly large – and with universally wearable measurements of 43mm x 12mm thick, this TAG Heuer Aquaracer most certainly isn’t.
All these cool stealthy tones come at a slight cost though – and it’s the low-light luminosity. Even though the watch gets above-average marks for legibility thanks to a surprisingly generous application of grey luminous paint, it’s still a far cry from green, blue, or even tan Super-LumiNova – the latter of which might also have worked here. So while I still love and respect the design choice to use grey lume, it’s worth mentioning that this TAG Heuer Aquaracer doesn’t pack the lengthy nighttime punch of its compatriots in the WAY series.
Ultimately, there’s only one thing that genuinely feels out of place here (well, two if you count the odd white contrast stitching on the strap), and it’s the date magnifier. Now, it’s important to note that it’s not the cyclops that bothers me, it’s the context. On any other stainless steel TAG Heuer Aquaracer variant, it would probably get a pass, but here, it looks a little like a monocle grafted on to a pair of combat goggles – painfully awkward, and wholly unnecessary once deployed in the field.
Like the others in the new WAY208 collection, this TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 comes on a contrast-stitched nylon strap with a rubberized backing, fitted with an ultralight titanium deployant that snaps into place with a confidence-inspiring engagement. As mentioned, the white stitching is a baffling choice, but the strap itself is of very high quality. Serial strap-changers take note, the 43mm variants of the Aquaracer like the WAY208C have 21mm lug widths, which should be a boon to anyone with a healthy supply of 20mm NATO straps or 22mm rubber straps, because the watch looks exceptional on both.
When you strip away all the visual elements, a three-handed dive watch generally doesn’t have a tough job. Tell the time, and keep moisture out, at any realistic depth. Assuming that a dive watch does both of those things, there are really only two other points where a diver can stand out; the user interface, through the bezel and crown. The former must be tactile and rotate with an ease that it can be done quickly, but a firmness that implies it won’t be moved in error. And the latter must thread smoothly, and rotate without any noticeable wobble in any position. I’ve had great luck with both points on several TAG Heuer Aquaracers (including this one), and the ETA 2824-based Caliber 5 kept great time in and out of the water, hiking, bushwhacking, and finally diving into the secret waterfall zone on Clear Creek that I’d heard so much about.
Shades of gray-on-tan color scheme is a rare sight in the watch – in fact, it’s almost a Bamford look at the department to look at it (I mean, in the best way), it just works , Although on paper, it probably should not. There are many textures and shapes in the dial, from the oblique blasting index and signature ribs “shutter” structure to run the entire dial, sharp, angular borders with smooth ceramic inserts and lame engraved digital frames. But like the khaki-colored land cruiser, all these bold, contrasting elements still feel cohesive. This is mainly due to the elegant contrast, low-key, plain tone and matte black lacquer surface with texture in general, as long as the surface is not too large, generally wearable measurements 43mm x 12mm thick, this TAG Heuer Aquaracer certainly not.