New: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition

TAG Heuer ambassador Naomi Osaka is not only one of today’s best and most influential tennis players, she is also someone who is passionate about fashion and design. The Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition is the result of the close collaboration between the Japanese sportswoman and the Swiss luxury brand. This timepiece is launched exclusively in the United States, Japan and Australia as well as online at tagheuer.com

Press Release with additional commentary in italics.

Commentary

Tennis has been in the news lately. Especially as the 2022 edition of the Australia Open just started (yesterday was Day 1 at date of publication of this article), and the big hoo-ha over Novak Djokovic’s immigration status into Australia (ended with the World No. 1 Men’s Player being denied entry into Australia after all avenues to appeal have been exhausted as at our latest edit of this article on Sunday 16 Jan). But our focus today is TAG Heuer’s new release of the Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Edition. Naomi, currently ranked No. 14 in WTA’s World’s Rankings will be playing in this year’s Australia Open as the Defending Champion.

The new timepiece is TAG Heuer’s familiar Aquaracer Professional 300 with TAG Heuer’s excellent Caliber 5 movement, and a makeover with Naomi’s favourite colours in two shades of green. The dial is particularly interesting as it features a wave/leaves motif, somewhat reminiscent of the Rolex Datejust 36 Ref. 126200. The two watches also match each other in technical specifications of the automatic in-house movements, though the Rolex has a 70 hour power reserve compared to the TAG Heuer’s 36 hours. However, similarities end there as the Rolex carries a steep retail tag of SGD 14,040 which is more than 2.5 times more expensive. In addition, the Aquaracer comes with diamond indices, a ceramic bezel, as well as 300m of water resistance as opposed to the Datejust’s 100m. Plus the obvious advantage (pun intended) to Naomi Osaka fans is the association with the tennis star, and the additional fanboy/fangirl bits – limited edition of only 250 numbered watches, her logo engraved on the case back, and the interesting box and travel pouch which comes with the watch.

We will try and see if we can get a hands-on session with photography with this watch, though with the small limitation and that it is only available in Singapore on-line, perhaps it is unlikely. BTW, our check on the online sales page on Sunday 16 January shows that the watch is tagged with an “Out of Stock” sticker, likely already sold out.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition

Retail price is set at SGD 5,500 with GST.

Naomi Osaka became a TAG Heuer brand ambassador in January 2021 and since then has enjoyed working with the iconic watchmaker brand. To celebrate their partnership, Naomi Osaka and TAG Heuer worked together on a new project: to create a new watch, a TAG Heuer Aquaracer, which will be launched exclusively in the United States, Japan and Australia.

A watch in Naomi’s colours

For this special edition, Naomi Osaka wanted the TAG Heuer model that bears her name to have shades of green on the dial and the strap. The green not only represents a reminder of tennis but also brings Osaka back to her love of nature and all things green.

“I am excited to continue my work with TAG Heuer not only because their time pieces are so renowned and classic but also because it is an honor to be able to create a timepiece with such an iconic brand with a rich history in watch making. I’m grateful to TAG Heuer for allowing me to fuel my passion for fashion and product design.”

Naomi Osaka

In honour of her two great passions, the dial of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Naomi Osaka Limited Edition has two shades of green: the dial has a distinctive pale green colour forming a wave pattern, while details on the five minutes markers are in a different shade of green with a subtle reference to the colour of tennis balls. The octagonal hour markers are made of diamonds.

Green is also found in the two straps delivered with the watch: both on the green rubber strap which comes with the watch, and in the additional strap made from fishing nets. This strap is 100% recyclable and recycled, perfectly reflecting Naomi Osaka’s commitment to the environment.

A special tool to make it easy to change the straps is also included. Finally, the case back is decorated with the player’s official logo: a teddy bear holding a flower. Naomi’s favourite emblem can also be found on the exclusive packaging of this limited-edition watch.

Naomi Osaka chose the Aquaracer collection as the basis for the limited series that would bear her name. Indeed, athletes and very active people appreciate the Aquaracer models for its exceptional robustness and for their hour markers and hands that are unusually wide for this type of model. This makes it easy to see the time with one glance and it is worth noting that the Aquaracer’s bezel is also extra-wide which brings a bold design to the time piece and improve the readability.

The result of this co-creation between the avant-garde Swiss watchmaker and the tennis player is a high-performance watch with a unique style and fashion, just like the extraordinary champion that is Naomi Osaka.

The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Naomi Osaka Limited Edition comes in a black and green box featuring the player’s official logo as well as the TAG Heuer logo. The box includes a black travel pouch with green over-stitching.

The Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition will be available in shops and online from January 2022. The series will be limited to 250 pieces, numbered from 1 to 250.

AQUARACER PROFESSIONAL 300 NAOMI OSAKA LIMITED EDITION WBP231E.EB0247

Movement
Calibre 5 Automatic
Function
Hours – Minutes – Seconds – Date
Dial
Light green lacquered dial
Indexes and hands filled with white superluminova® 8 VS diamonds diameter 1.40 mm (0.078 ct)
Case
36 mm diameter
Steel polished, fine brushed case
Ceramic black 60 minute scale unidirectional turning bezel Steel screw-down crown at 3 o’clock
Steel screwed case back with Naomi Osaka logo special engraving, limited numbered XXX/250
Water resistance: 300 meters
Strap
Dark green rubber strap + additional strap in 100% recycled and recyclable fishing net fabric
Steel folding clasp with double safety push-buttons with fine adjustment system; TAG Heuer shield
Availability
From January 2022