TAG Heuer and Bamford Watch Department unveiled a limited edition Aquaracer last month — using the existing technical dimensions and movement and giving it a totally new exterior aesthetic.
The TAG Heuer x Bamford Watch Department Aquaracer Limited Edition shows that new life can be breathed into a product by changing the finishes, materials, dial, and hands — without investing in an all-out redesign. This is the second TAG Heuer x Bamford collaboration, the first watch was a Monaco in 2018.
While the 43 mm Aquaracer’s boxy case and bracelet are familiar, this limited edition has been manufactured in a lightweight, hypoallergenic, grade 2 titanium. And to give it a rough matte finish, the entire case and bracelet were sandblasted. The result is an Aquaracer unlike any offered before it.
An outsourced Swiss-made Sellita automatic movement, hidden behind a titanium screw-down caseback, drive the three hands and date. Reliable but nothing as notable as an in-house caliber which is fine considering this timepiece is all about being functional while making a visual statement. Which it does rather well.
The entire black dial features a stamped concentric circle pattern, often referred to by TAG Heuer as azurage. Applied on top of white luminous baton-shaped indices that glow blue. The TAG Heuer shield logo is printed in white at 12 and “BAMFORD AQUARACER 300m/1000ft” is printed at 6. A white cross-hair marking further distinguishes this as a special edition. The chapter ring is printed in white.
One of Bamford’s signature colors is orange and is seen in the dashes on the flange. The same orange hue is used for the circle around the chapter ring and painted on the hour and minute hands, as well as the orange triangle on the 60-minute unidirectional dive bezel. Completing the orange-white look is an orange and white striped tip on the needle-shaped sweeping center seconds hand. All of the hands have been given a black-gold-plated treatment that ties the entire Bamford colorway together.
A flat sapphire protects the dial side and a sandblasted titanium screw-down crown controls all functions. Water-resistance is 300 meters and this watch does meet the ISO6425 professional dive watch standard.
TAG Heuer x Bamford Watch Department Aquaracer Limited Edition (Ref. WAY208F.BF0638) caseback is engraved with “ONE OF 1500,” is available for pre-order now, and begins shipping later this month. Retail is $3,900.
