Last March, during the last Baselworld 2009 show, the Swiss watchmaking giant has presented its new offering for those seeking for a sporty, waterproof timekeeper. Called TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5, the new wristwatch comes in a mid-sized 43 mm case and allows for an impressive water resistance of 500 meters (1640 ft.) Combine these features with the timekeeper’s quite elegant styling and you get yourself a solid choice not only for recreational diving, but also for more formal events.

Although the Swiss-based watchmaking brand is best known for its gorgeous TAG Heuer Carrera, F1 and Monaco series of racing cars-inspired watches, the Aquaracer range of *ahem* professional diving watches is also gaining in popularity among the watch buying crowd.

Available both with automatic and quartz movements, these timepieces are starting at ridiculously low prices well South from the €1000 mark.

In fact, the Aquaracer Quartz range is your back door to the exciting world of luxuries watches. It will not force you to sell your car or mortgage your house in order to put on your wrist a thing of sheer beauty and superb build quality.

While the previous iterations of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer timekeepers were clearly more than just inspired by the evergreen Rolex Sea-Dweller and Submariner families of diving watches, with the new model the Swiss watchmaker takes a step away from the beaten road and offers a new concept, which is written in its own unique design language.

This new TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5 gets some of its styling cues directly from the recently unveiled TAG Heuer SLR limited edition watch.

At least, both watches feature quite brutal-looking dials with “vertical streak effect”.

The Aquaracer 500 goes even further than the SLR, featuring “radial streaks” on its unidirectional rotating bezel, which is available either in 18k gold, or in black or blue rubber with its color matching that of the dial.

In both cases the bezel is also decorated with prominent-looking numerals made of some brushed metal.

As always, the Aquaracer 500 is available with either pretty standard ETA 2836-2 automatic caliber (a rather old mechanism, which is basically the same good old ETA 2824 with a day/date indicator -here, the day of week wheel has obviously been stripped- and a Novodiac anti-shock system) or a Swiss quartz movement neatly packed in a not so large 43 mm case made of brushed steel.

The automatic-powered model starts at a modest price of €1850 with the version with a gold bezel adding around half that much to the grand total.

See also: Eterna KonTiki Date

Photos: TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5 diving watch specification:

Price range: €1850 (MSRP) for the Automatic model
Movement: ETA 2836-2 automatic caliber or a Swiss quartz
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date
Power reserve: 42 hours
Case material: Steel
Case dimensions: 43.00 mm
Case height: No data
Dial: Black, Blue or Silver
Water resistance: 500 meters
Strap: 3-row fine-brushed steel bracelet with solid steel clasp, diving extension system and safety push buttons, Black rubber strap with solid steel clasp, diving extension system and safety push buttons
Crystal: Sapphire with magnifying lens over the date window at 9 o’clock

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