Tag Heuer Professional 2000
Tag Heuer has made some interesting watches over the years. Their quality and acclaim has ebbed and flowed. But, the Tag Heuer Professional 2000 is a surprisingly quality watch. There have been many iterations. So here, I shall review one of the later year ones.
Design
The Tag Heuer Professional 2000 is a watch of its time. It is available in many configurations. Mine is two-tone. The steel is brushed rather than polished. The two tone is “interesting”. By which I mean there are several different shades of gold. The dial is a slightly different gold from the bezel which is a different shade from the end links which is a different shade from the bracelet.
Tag Heuer Professional 2000
We can start our deep dive with the watch’s shape. The shape is curious. The case is octagonal, albeit with the octagon’s sides being bowed inwards to create curved sides. The bezel and dial are circular. However, the bezel has six notches. The two side notches are in the middle of the two sides. The four other notches are in the top and bottom corners. The bezel does not rotate. Inside the bezel is an inner circle. The inner circle is aesthetic more than functional. It marks each minute notch.
The dial complements the curious shape. The dial is circular. Mine is champagne gold coloured. The dial has concentric circles. The outer circle then slopes down toward a rececessed inner circle. The minute numerals are on the slope. Further minute markers are on the inner circle. The small seconds dial and the chronograph dials are in the 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions. They are recessed and in a slightly different champagne color.
Tag Heuer Professional 2000 in Box
The markers and date window are ‘interesting’. The date window is rectangular. It is surrounded in a gold rim. The date function snaps briskly through dates. The dial markers are replete with lume. A colored Tag Heuer logo sits discretely next to the date window.
Tag Heuer Professional 2000, Bracelet
The hands are further a function of the watch’s time. The minute hand and chronograph hand are standard. The hour hand is common for Tag Heuer. It features a circular bulb and is reminiscent of a “peace” sign.
The main downside from the design is the sizing. The watch sometimes looks smaller than it is. The case is around 40mm across (42.3mm including the crown). it is 44mm lug to lug and there is a 20mm lug width. However, because the dial is recessed, and the outer case quite thick, the watch appears smaller than it is. This is something to consider. It is not a negative per se. But, it is an aesthetic choice and differs somewhat from other watches that might appear larger at this case size.
Movement
The Professional 2000’s movement is interesting. In essence, it is an ETA 2892 with a Dubois Depraz 2000 chronograph module. This is not an in house movement. However, it is not a bad movement. Panerai’s latest chronograph reportedly uses a more modern iteration: an ETA 2892-A2 paired with a newer Dubois Depraz chronograph module.
The movement is perfectly adequate, if relatively standard. It beats at 28,800 BPH. It has a perfectly functional chronograph. The second hand sweeps smoothly. The movement is relatively thin, being less than 4mm thick and less than 26mm wide.
There are some advantages to the movement. It is relatively common. Thus, it is relatively easy to work on. It is well known as robust and reliable. However, should an issue arise, a competent watch maker should be well able to work on it. The Professional 2000 is also water resistant up to 200 meters and has a threaded crown. In theory, one could use it for diving.
Should you consider the Tag Heuer Professional 2000
The question is then whether you should consider the Tag Heuer Professional 2000. In many ways it is very much worth considering. The watch has an interesting and unique shape. It has a striking design and an interesting color-way. It also features a robust – if standard – movement. In short, it would make for an interesting addition to any watch collection.