# Calibre 5 - is it worth it?



## mususk266 (Jul 4, 2010)

Ive just bought an aquaracer 500m blue version several days ago, love it, outstanding good looking, than ive read about crown problem...:-s ... i have internationa warranty for tat matter if occur anyway, my friends are nailing me down at the wall saying that a lot of money ive spend for just a sellita sw200, not even eta2824 inside. i have found that after the watch arrived, not even eta inside.






now im :think:well, in my opinion it is not just a blunt sw200 inside or eta2824 meaning aside it is nicely decorated which means the movement had to be dismountled in order o be decorated, i think TH didnt put the same pieces back togheter after deoration I mean to rebrand sw200/eta2824 as caliber 5 having moidified/replace the rotor and also add some decorations is just not fair play for tag heuer because if it is like this is stealing or deceiveing using bold marketing campains.i believe, personal opinion, TH is doing an upgrade meaning caliber 5 have a equivalent standard as top grade if it is not a chronometer grade which is not becouse cosc in missing from the dial. somebody told me that for money asked for the watch a cosc should be provided at least.somebody should settle this matter becouse a lot o frustration is accumulated among buyers and TH should make a fair play coming in front with some informations related to caliber 5(degree of modifications relative with standard sellita/eta, accuracy, degree of hand assembled if any etc)looking foreward for your opinions.thanks.


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## vanilla.coffee (Feb 27, 2011)

My Carrera Cal 5 has the Selita SW200 movement.
This is the accuracy of my SW200...










Second hand sweep is smoother than other ETA 2824-2 equipped watches that I own. 
It also ticks more softly, the date change is way smoother and overall the quality of this movement is better than that of an ETA 2824-2.

I am very pleased that my Carrera came with the SW200 - it is a very good, very high quality movement and as you can see from my accuracy test - very accurate.


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## mususk266 (Jul 4, 2010)

i incline to believe the same, the sw200 or eta2824 aka calibre 5 meaning if there are not heavely modificated are, at least, at top grade standard.
my doubt is why TH says nothing about what kind of modifications apply to standard sw/eta calibers or, again at least i say if caliber 5 is indeed top grade why TH arnt came foreward stating that.


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## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

mususk266 said:


> Ive just bought an aquaracer 500m blue version several days ago, love it, outstanding good looking, than ive read about crown problem...:-s ... i have internationa warranty for tat matter if occur anyway, my friends are nailing me down at the wall saying that a lot of money ive spend for just a sellita sw200, not even eta2824 inside. i have found that after the watch arrived, not even eta inside.


Two things:

1) If you end up having crown issues, TAG Heuer has always refused to cover a stripped crown under warranty. The company considers a stripped crown to be abuse done by the owner of the watch. Perhaps you meant you have an international warranty from the shop you bought the watch from? Instead of TAG Heuer? In that case, that would be different.

2) I've mentioned this numerous times before. The ONLY difference between a Sellita SW200 and an ETA 2824 is literally one jewel. That's it. Sellita doesn't make a copy of the ETA 2824. They make the real thing, but with an extra jewel. ETA used to sub-contract out the work for making their movements to Sellita. In order to keep up with demand. Many watches out there that have ETA movements inside that were actually made by Sellita. Sellita's movements are not copies. They're the same movement. Especially in terms of quality. The addition of simply one extra jewel doesn't change that.


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## nightwalker (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm pretty sure that both ETA and Sellita do the pearlage, Geneva striping and rotor decorations themselves before shipping out the movements for assembly. Regardless, the cost of the movement is always a small fraction of the MSRP. 

Even Breitling (for example) use basic ETA 2824s on their Seawolf divers, the only difference being that Breitling gets them COSC certified. Chronometer specifications are -4/+6 average daily variation, which plenty of non COSC movements can be regulated to meet, if they don't already.


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## tpd80 (Jun 28, 2011)

Impressive.

My sw200 keeps better time than my eta2895 and eta2824... but not that good.

Did you have to regulate it your self or was it that good out of the box?



vanilla.coffee said:


>


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## mususk266 (Jul 4, 2010)

and yes in our times a cosc watch isnt anymore viewed as high end and any eta/sellita could be easely regulated to meet the cosc standard but theres a catch: cosc is a warranty that between servicing the mechanism keeps its stability and accuracy while a non cosc mecanism but regulated to meet cosc standatd it just not the same thing.

returning at our topic, calibre 5 is factory regulated at least? or is just old based sellita sw200 or eta and thats meaning the only differenece from tissot le locle's eta is better decoration.

it is top grade? it has any improvements whatsoever?
couse if not i find myself deceived by TH, the price of aquaracer being outrageos for that matter.


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## Perseus (Mar 25, 2010)

A few things...

- I've never seen a watch company that covers a stripped crown under warranty.

- Hardly any modifications are made to ETA/ Sellita movements by the manufactures themselves. Check this thread out for some good info: https://www.watchuseek.com/f2/smoke-mirrors-part-2-eta-modifications-upgrades-459866.html

- Sellita has been making movements almost as long as ETA. ETA has even used Sellita to manufacture some of their movements. ETA may be more well known but I don't think they are superior to Sellita and many people who are a lot more knowledgeable than myself agree. Check out this article at Calibre11 for more info: TAG Heuer Movements: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow | Calibre 11 -TAG Heuer Watches


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

This reminds me of another post.


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## drunken monkey (Jun 22, 2011)

Difference between an ETA movement and the equivalent Sellita version?
About $30-50.

If what's inside the TAG Heuer bothers you so much, stop asking questions and go get that Tissot and wear it with pride.


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## vanilla.coffee (Feb 27, 2011)

tpd80 said:


> Impressive.
> 
> My sw200 keeps better time than my eta2895 and eta2824... but not that good.
> 
> Did you have to regulate it your self or was it that good out of the box?


This is straight out of the box.
Keeps better time than my COSC Grand Carrera Cal 17

This SW200 debate is mute. A lame effort to troll I think. (My opinion)


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2012)

In a word - "NO"

I’m very disappointed with my TAG Calibre 5. OK its mechanical so gaining 3 minutes as week is within spec – they said, but after 5 months use it suddenly lost 1 hour in the night twice. I took it back and they sent it off to TAG. Returned last Saturday after a few weeks away. No explanation of what was done or found. Worked OK for 4 days, then either stopped over night or lost 3 hours. Corrected the time and it lost 5 minutes in half an hour. Manually wound it and it worked OK ‘till I took it back to the dealer today
The watch has a 38 hour reserve of power and I had been active all day so must be faulty. First person I saw in the shop tried to tell me it was keeping time just by looking at it, then gave some waffle about it being like a car engine and not always running the same ! Fortunately someone else took over before I got annoyed.
1200GBP for a watch that is not as good as my 29GBP Lorus. Wish I’d never bought the TAG.


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## mususk266 (Jul 4, 2010)

nice constructive attitude you have there better keep it for yourself next time, nobody ask you, nobody want your off topic opinion and also you missed the point becouse my concern was if caliber 5 is any better than the blank sw200/eta2824. im not bothered that tag is using this sw or eta, im bothered becouse at this high price i think i can demand at least a top grade caliber if not a cosc and i expect caliber 5 to have some modifications other than decoration meaning improved accuracy, stability...

if caliber 5 is no better than standard caliber used in tissot le locle in terms of performance than im done with tag.


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## tpd80 (Jun 28, 2011)

People always get so mad at Tag, or other watch manufacturers, after they impulsively buy a watch and find out it’s not what they imagined. Instead they should be mad at themselves.

If the price of your Tag is so much to you, why didn’t you research it before you bought it? This is a very well covered topic and information is abundant.

I spent countless hours researching a watch inside and out before I buy because I don’t have 10's of hundreds of dollars to throw around.

Oh, and no watch is worth the price you pay.


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## beebox (Jan 12, 2008)

I like some of the Tag design but their crown issue and service centre sucks! 
i will look at omega watches which has been amazing so far.


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## mususk266 (Jul 4, 2010)

@*tpd80*
yes and no to your afirmation but i knew what ive bought, te aquaracer is a great watch and i will not sell it but i was convinced that caliber 5 is just not the standard sw200 with better decoration. i was convinced it was a higher grade movement and for that reason im upset.

the price is ok for the overall look and high quality i guess and still is delivered with only a better deorated caliber and my question is, if had cosc certificate which i was willing to pay for, cosc is a warranty of accuracy and stability, having cosc rendered this topic usless btw but how much up price went up? already payed a lot, a few hundreds more doesnt matter in this case right? 
and more, why they didnt use 2892 at least? using that(2892) and/or cosc(or even a top grade at least) could raised the price so much? if is like this already are at few dollars behind zenith defy classic price point and that being said you guess what everybody will buy. 
dont get me wrong, i know breitling, iwc, omega or other big time players are using eta but at least you know what you buy, at least they have cosc standard or are heavily modified in terms of peformance not only decorations.

this is my problem, TH is ripping you off, they are not play a fair game and like one of my friends said, leo di caprio cost a lot having him brand image and also the bold marketing campains so they must take the money back somehow.
so, caliber 5 aside decorations is no different than standard sellita sw200? or is a higher grade?


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## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

beebox said:


> I like some of the Tag design but their crown issue and service centre sucks!
> i will look at omega watches which has been amazing so far.


No crown issues, but Omega's service centers are even worse than what you get from TAG Heuer.


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## vanilla.coffee (Feb 27, 2011)

If you are upset about the movement inside your watch, moaning about it on here will not make you happy.

You can fix this really easily - return the watch and get your money back.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

I don't see any problem with having a watch with Sellita movement, maybe it's just a personal taste.

About long term, any watchmaker familiar with ETA movement should be able to work on Sellita movements, I've read that both share some identical parts (can anyone confirms ?).


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## nightwalker (Aug 20, 2011)

mususk266 said:


> @*tpd80*
> yes and no to your afirmation but i knew what ive bought, te aquaracer is a great watch and i will not sell it but i was convinced that caliber 5 is just not the standard sw200 with better decoration. i was convinced it was a higher grade movement and for that reason im upset.


The Calibre 5 is fully decorated and, from what I can tell, uses Incabloc shock protection. There is little more that can be done except for a COSC certification, which would probably add to the cost. At least Tag Heuer has a customised rotor. Have a look at this Breitling 17 movement and it should look familiar.


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## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

lvt said:


> I don't see any problem with having a watch with Sellita movement, maybe it's just a personal taste.
> 
> About long term, any watchmaker familiar with ETA movement should be able to work on Sellita movements, I've read that both share some identical parts (can anyone confirms ?).


Yup. They share many identical parts.


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## enricodepaoli (Feb 24, 2008)

I've read that although they both share basically the same design, their parts are not all the same. I am personally not sure, though. 

Also, Sellita is know to be a respected company who has been credited by ETA to assemble many movements for them. 

Being a traditionalist the way i am, i enjoy having an older 2000 classic auto with an ETA movement inside of it. But I would not think a Sellita is a bad thing myself.


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## catlike (Aug 7, 2009)

I have 2 watches with SW200 movements and one of them is probably my favorite watch right now.

I have 2 watches with ETA Valijoux 7750 movements, one cost $900 and the other one cost $7,000. I can assure you that there are not $6,100 worth of mods on the $7,000 watch movement and I'd be surprised if the figure was $300. Yes there are of course other differences between the watches that justify _some_ of the price difference but I can't believe it would still even come close to justifying the price difference. Do I care? Absolutely not! I buy watches because I like the look of them and they make me feel good when I wear them.

Don't get hung up on differences between major movements, either you like your TAG or you don't.....


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

That most likely won't happen.


vanilla.coffee said:


> If you are upset about the movement inside your watch, moaning about it on here will not make you happy.
> 
> You can fix this really easily - return the watch and get your money back.


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## drunken monkey (Jun 22, 2011)

These days, none of the companies do their own modification as ETA does it all before shipping out to customers.
Also, in comparing the IWC that uses a modified ETA vs the same unmodified use in a TAG Heuer; do you really think there is £1500 worth of modifications in the IWC compared to the TAG Heuer?
In the case of 7750 powered TAG Heuer vs IWC using a modified 7750, the difference is £1655 in one instance and £2905 in another (Portofino and Portuguese respectively) or if you prefer, up to twice the price.


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## ard92 (Dec 8, 2011)

Its best not to worry about bang for your buck when it comes to luxury watches (or anything luxury), if you do worry about it then you will end up buying a cheap seiko or an orient. No high end watch out there is worth what is asked and what people are willing to pay for it.


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## calibre 11 (Jan 2, 2007)

A bit off-topic, but I'm planning an update in the next couple of weeks of what is happening with TAG Heuer/ ETA/ Sellita/ In-House. In summary: less ETA, more Sellita and......

David


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## Rachdanon (Jan 30, 2012)

David, I'm looking forward to it.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

calibre 11 said:


> A bit off-topic, but I'm planning an update in the next couple of weeks of what is happening with TAG Heuer/ ETA/ Sellita/ In-House. In summary: less ETA, more Sellita and......
> 
> David


A few words about the Seiko based 1887 should be nice


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## calibre 11 (Jan 2, 2007)

lvt said:


> A few words about the Seiko based 1887 should be nice


Yes, there'll be a few words...promise


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## 1887 (Feb 15, 2012)

calibre 11 said:


> Yes, there'll be a few words...promise


Especially, the confusion in my mind as to the Calibre 1887's antecedents > Caliber: TC78, Caliber: 6S37


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## Wisconsin Proud (Jun 22, 2007)

mususk266;4740234 said:


> Go price the IWC, Breitling, Omega and come back to us with what you find.
> 
> You want modification, COSC, higher decoration then you will see these prices:
> 
> ...


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## drunken monkey (Jun 22, 2011)

Wisconsin Proud said:


> And you can tell your buddies those other brands pay advertising as well to the big names.


Not just big celebrity names but a lot of the more expensive brands sponsor sporting events as well as individuals.
I'd wager having your name in the background of every single camera shot doesn't come cheap and in all likelihood, costs more than celebrity sponsorship.


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