TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver Watch Review

There is an overriding sense of quality exhibited in the design of the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watches. Earlier this year TAG released these new models under the Aquaracer collection and they comprised of three 36mm references in steel, three 43mm models in steel, a limited edition grade 5 titanium model and a “Tribute to Ref 844” model in titanium. This month the Swiss brand has released another titanium “Tribute to Ref 844” watch and two Professional 300 Calibre 5 Automatic watches in a blue and black dial version that now come with an integrated blue or black matching rubber strap and a fine-adjustment folding clasp feature. TAG Heuer has also released a Night Diver watch – a tribute to an original, which promises legibility and easy timekeeping whilst in the dark or underwater thanks to two contrasting shades of luminous material. Today we’re going to look at this model. Meet the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Rider Calibre 5 Automatic watch.

Up until the 1970s, TAG Heuer wasn’t a brand strongly linked to the world of diving. Towards the end of this decade, the Swiss brand created the reference 844 that gave birth to the success of a series that followed. It was named the Professional 1000 and it went on to shape the famous Aquaracer watch. For a manufacturer associated strongly with the motorsport industry, these dive watches (which grew to form a series of models that varied from a 28mm to a 42mm size) became an unexpected mainstay within the company’s catalogue. Whist the ref 844 watch is a classic that has been reinterpreted in the form of the new Professional 300 Calibre 5 Automatic series released earlier this year, so too has the Night Diver watch.

The TAG Heuer Night Diver watch was originally launched during the 1980s. The 37mm quartz-powered watch boasted a fully luminous dial that stood out from the crowd, offering both something unique and eye-catching for offshore and onshore use simultaneously. The same can be said for the newer version, which has launched as part of the Professional 300 Calibre 5 series. Once again, the dial is fully luminous – a feature that can be well-utilised when caught in light-compromising conditions underwater or for keeping track of the time during the night. The contrasting luminous materials enhance readability for quick and effortless timekeeping underwater, as well as when on dry land too.

In addition to a fully luminous dial, the watch is kitted out with all the new features of the Professional 300 series. Its screw-down crown is even more resistant to damage, shock and impact than before. The bezel has been made incredibly easy to rotate and now comes in a glossy black ceramic material. The watch is powered by a reliable movement and comes fitted on a rubber strap with a newly designed fine-adjustment folding clasp system.

The signature features of the new Night Diver version of the Aquaracer Professional 300 series

The stand-out feature of the new TAG Heuer Night Diver watch from an aesthetical point-of-view is its matte black diamond-like carbon-coated case, which gives the watch a masculine and stealth-like appeal. The reinvigorated timepiece from the archives has a solid stainless steel core and boasts the distinctive 12-sided bezel with a black ceramic insert bearing a legible 60-minute dive scale for use underwater. This easy-grip feature surrounds a white dial with a horizontally embossed surface pattern, just like the original watch it takes after. Black gold-plated indexes, hour markers and central hands have all been treated with a generous layer of Super-LumiNova, which is designed to contrast against the luminous material used on the white dial. The watch also features a date window at 6 o’clock, nestled underneath the newly-designed cyclops lens for enhanced readability, and the watch is once again water-resistant to 300 meters.

The DLC surface coating of the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver watch has been chosen by experts for its improved resistance to extreme external conditions and hard-wearing finish. The surface of the dial is treated with a green Super-LumiNova material for exceptional performance during the night. These contrast against the blue-hue of the luminous material on the hour markers, indexes and hands – all apart from the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock hour makers that is. These glow in rich green instead. The remaining octagonal hour markers are all edged with black lacquer. One of the most integral features used to safely measure dive time is, of course, the 12 o’clock location on a unidirectional rotating bezel, and so this feature has been highlighted in a blue luminous material to match the finish on the central hands.

The newly designed sliding clasp fitted to the rubber strap comes as part of the package when you purchase the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver watch.  The straps are cut to length as part of the fitting process at an official TAG Heuer store or boutique, then can be adjusted to suit ambient conditions likely to cause the wrist to expand or contract. This fine-tuning system is operated by pushing and squeezing the buttons on the side of the clasp. Equipped with double safety push buttons, this type of clasp is the most secure on the market and has been engraved with the TAG Heuer logo upon its surface.

If you’d like to enquire further about the new Night Diver watch from TAG Heuer, you can check the details out on the following page or call our sales team at Jura Watches on 01345 453453

Technical specifications of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver Calibre 5 Automatic watch

• Case: 43mm – black DLC-coated stainless steel – 300-meter water-resistant – flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front – engraved diver helmet design on the back of a closed caseback – black ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel with a blue lume-coated 12 o’clock marker – easy-grip screw-down crown
• Dial: White – fully coated in green Super-LumiNova – blue Super-LumiNova-coated hands, markers and indexes – green lume-coated 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock hour markers – black lacquer edging on all other hour markers – date under cyclops lens at 6 o’clock – horizontal patterned dial surface
• Movement: Calibre 5 – automatic, self-winding – 38-hour power reserve – 28,800 v.p.h – hours, minutes, seconds and date functions
• Strap: Black rubber – black DLC-coated folding clasp -  fine adjustment system – double push-button security mechanism
• Reference: WBP201D.FT6197
• Price: £2,750