Sundowner sales go live in 3 hours, here’s a recap of the live London launch

Andrew McUtchen

On the flight back from GPHG 2024 in Geneva, I had some clear air to write a speech for the launch of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Solargraph x Time+Tide ‘Sundowner’, which is about to go on general sale, so if you want a chance to buy it early, sign up here before 7pm GMT. I was grateful for this uninterrupted 90 minutes to collect my thoughts on an occasion that I did not want to slip by on this fast-moving river of time. The trouble with a business running at the speed of Time+Tide right now is that significant moments can up and pass you by, to be replaced by more and more and more and more and more. This brief respite in the blurry timeline of the last 18 months gave me a crystal clear view of why this collaboration means so much. And why it stands out from practically all other achievements and milestones.

Anybody that watched About Effing Time will not be surprised by this. In an early episode of the show, we talked about our first experience of luxury watches. Leaning into the cringe, I admitted that my first contact with a luxury watch was, in fact, not a luxury watch. Unbeknownst to me, what I thought was a precious TAG Heuer Aquaracer was actually a cheap Bali knockoff. But instead of thinking anything less of the year nine Caulfield Grammar boy who had that watch on his wrist (which, by the way, was slowly turning green), I decided in that moment that my aspiration in watches was to also own a fake TAG Heuer. I never made that dream come true, because a couple of years later, on my 21st birthday, I went to a local jeweller with my parents and picked out a grey titanium Citizen Eco-Drive with rose gold coloured details, which was more in my budget then.

Both of these experiences came full circle this week when we launched the Time+Tide collaboration of my dreams, a Solargraph with 18k rose gold details that is very much the real deal. This was not only a launch party for the watch in our new London Watch Discovery Studio, but also the first event to be held in this stunning location in Oxford Circus, in the heart of London. To my absolute shock and amazement, the General Manager of TAG Heuer Australia flew over to mark the moment with me. Van Mulrayan took the arduous journey in her stride, and walked onto the floor to take a microphone and co-present the watch with me without missing a beat.

It was so fitting for Van to join me for the launch, as the ‘Sundowner’ is not only the first collaboration between Time+Tide and TAG Heuer, but in fact the first Australian limited edition for TAG Heuer in so long that nobody can remember the last one. For this reason, hosting duties were shared, and stories were told of how the watch came to be. I will spare too much of the detail here, but the short version is Van and I would convene each Watches and Wonders with a new plan for an edition and present it to the powers that be. After several years of getting very close, we finally cracked the code with this “tool watch with luxury touches” that is the ‘Sundowner’.

We also shared more detail about how our two logos came to share the dial, as well as the design process that saw a power brand relax many of its guidelines to allow a piece to emerge that truly stands out from the standard collection, and that will forever reflect the adventuring Australian spirit on the wrist. I would like to thank all of the guests that joined us to warm the house that is the London Watch Discovery Studio and that left such a strong atmosphere of community that we will continue to enjoy for the many years that we will inhabit this remarkable space. If you listen closely to the ‘Sundowner’ full reveal video, you’ll hear me say “when the sun sets in one place, it rises in another.” This sums up the equanimity of our two Discovery Studios – in Melbourne, and now in London – in operation on opposite ends of the globe. We imagined a world where the watches, and the talk about them, never stops. We are getting closer.

I must also thank Van once again for making the formidable flight from Australia and for showing no signs of the jet lag that would usually render me mute for days after a trip like that. Van, you are a superstar. Thank you also to my team in London, who are newly formed and raring to go. I really could not have asked for a better opening event and for one that signals the shape of things to come. The ‘Sundowner’ goes on sale at 7pm GMT tonight for those with early access and 8pm GMT to the world. Sign up for early access now (or before 7 pm GMT on Monday, 18th November) to be in with a chance, and I wish all prospective buyers the very best of luck.