Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer recently added three models to its go-anywhere family of watches, the Aquaracer Professional 300 series, taking the collection to 11 references. The new models are non-limited and will go into the core collection, each coming with a 43mm stainless steel case and rubber strap equipped with the watchmaker’s innovative adjustable folding clasp.
The standout model of the release is the black DLC-coated Night Diver, a reiteration of a TAG Heuer icon, the Night Diver that was first introduced in the mid-1980s. One of the most celebrated sports watches of its era, the Night Diver has faithful update, retaining and improving signature details such as the famous 12-sided bezel and the dial’s horizontal engraved lines to produce a refined, highly versatile modern classic.
The stainless-steel case, bezel, crown, caseback and clasp of the new all-black, lume-dialled TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver are coated in matt black DLC, while its bezel insert is highly resistant black ceramic. Its other signature feature is its fully luminescent dial, which is coated in green Super-LumiNova to deliver exceptional glow-in-the-dark performance. To ensure ultimate legibility in extreme low-light conditions, the watch’s minute and central seconds hands are filled with blue lume to contrast with the green of the dial.
The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver is an update of an icon from the 1980s.
The hour hand and octagonal hour markers at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock are filled with green lume, and the remaining octagonal hour markers are all edged with black lacquer. The triangle on the unidirectional rotating bezel at 12, which is crucial to measure dive times accurately and safely, is also filled with striking blue lume to match the blue of the minute and central seconds hands.
The other two new references are black and blue versions that pick up on the bracelet models introduced at Watches and Wonders earlier this year. Both are colour-themed with matching black or blue dials, ceramic bezel inserts and rubber straps.
Each new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 references comes with an integrated rubber strap equipped with TAG Heuer’s newly developed adjustable clasp system. These straps will be cut to length as part of a fitting process and users can adjust their straps to accommodate a wetsuit, or simply to reflect changes in ambient conditions that make the wrist expand or contract.
The fine-tuning system developed by TAG Heuer’s engineers means this adjustment can be made to extremely small tolerances. This is done by pinching and sliding the button on the side of the clasp, which also features double safety push-buttons that prevent it from being unlocked by accident.
The new references also include the six signature features that have defined TAG Heuer dive watches since 1983: a unidirectional rotating bezel, a screw-down crown, water resistance to at least 200m, luminous markings, a scratch-resistant crystal and a double safety clasp. Further details that enhance the timepieces’ luxury feel and performance. The 12 sides of the bezel are all faceted for grip, while the crown is protected to prevent accidental damage. There is also a magnifying glass over the date, which is integrated into the underside of the sapphire crystal, making it smooth to the touch.
Another addition to TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer Professional 300 family features a blue sunray-brushed dial and blue rubber strap.
All this is set against the backdrop of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer’s dial with its trademark horizontally engraved lines. These have also been refined for the new generation of watches and are now set slightly further apart than in previous TAG Heuer Aquaracer iterations, giving the watches their elegant, sophisticated look.
As with the launch collection, the three new Aquaracer Professional 300 references are powered by TAG Heuer’s Calibre 5 automatic movement. They all have solid casebacks stamped with the famous scaphander diving suit, complete with a 12-sided faceplate. All TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 models are water-resistant to 300m.
