TAG Heuer introduced its re-tooled Link lineup at Basel this year. Yesterday, I was at the mall and stopped in at a couple TAG dealers to see if they had the Carrera 1887 chronograph. No such luck on the 1887, but I did see one of the new Link Calibre 6 models, with black dial. I was actually pretty impressed with the changes. The current case diameter is 40mm, up from 39mm on the previous model. The larger size gives the watch better wrist presence, without making it oversized. The case edges are rounded and polished, the bracelet is more refined, and the bezel is more contoured. The dial utilizes (or is that rips off?) the "teak concept" texture featured on the Omega Aqua Terra line; it looks very nice, with a nice luster, applied indexes, applied logo, matching date wheel at 6:00, and the small seconds register. About the only thing I found questionable was the need to put numerals on the fixed bezel; I think it might have worked better with a plain bezel. (The model I saw had Arabic numerals on the bezel, as opposed to the Romans shown in the pics below.) The only other reservation I have is the movement; I don't know what base movement TAG is using (Sellita, maybe?), but the Calibre 6 is still not chronometer grade. It seems a shame TAG is upping the ante on the cosmetics of the watch, but leaving the guts the same. At any rate, while the Link line probably won't make the WISs drool, I'm impressed that TAG is making attractive modifications to their designs, while maintaining a somewhat reasonable price point. Listen up, Breitling!
On another note, I'm still astounded by how little jewelry salespeople know about the brands they sell. I asked salespeople at two separate ADs if they had the Carrera 1887 chrono, and they both looked at me like I had asked them to explain the basis of quantum physics. Neither one of them knew about the new Link line, either, despite the fact they already had one of the new models in. I understand salespeople aren't necessarily WISs, and can't be expected to know all about watches, but you'd think they'd at least be up to speed on the brands they sell, especially when TAG is one of the nicer ones they carry.
