The hands and hour markers are polished with a luminous coating that reads clearly but subtly in the dark (it’s not an obnoxious glow-in-the-dark watch). The Aquaracer’s dial is simple and clear. Of course, there are many other watches that fit these requirements, but I chose this one due to Tag Heuer’s recognizable brand and quality ETA movement. It’s also made of stainless steel with a closed back and has a high water resistance rating of 300m.

The Aquaracer has a sapphire crystal display, which is the most scratch and shatter resistant watch glass. Second, I wanted something that was more of a “beater watch” since I was probably going to wear it pretty often. First, I wanted something more casual, as the Tissot I owned at the time had a simple black dial with a dark brown leather strap, and as I learned during my initial research into watches, watches with bracelets are seen as more casual nowadays. I chose this watch as my first luxury watch for two main reasons. After coupons and discounts, the price was $1,325, which I still believe is a good deal on this watch. At the time in 2014, I bought it new off a grey market retailer called TheWatchery, which as far as I can tell, no longer exists.

For me personally, this watch was a Christmas gift to myself after getting my first sizable bonus in my job after college.

Technically, the Tissot Le Locle was my first watch before I gifted it to a close friend, but this Tag was the first watch I owned that really required a lot of research and a large investment. That said, watch collecting is definitely not for everyone and it usually takes years (if not decades) to build up a collection of several quality timepieces. The Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 Automatic was my first real entry into the world of luxury automatic watches.

Aquaracer tag heuer calibre 5