TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition
The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition is inspired by the tennis player and TAG Heuer brand ambassador. It is a stunningly beautiful watch, courtesy of its eye-catching colour scheme. However, with only 250 examples available and distribution restricted to Australia, Japan and the United States, there will inevitably be some disappointed horophiles.
Today’s TAG Heuer Aquaracer can trace its origins to the Ref. 844 of the late 70s. Produced over a number of years, it featured a unidirectional turning bezel, a screw-in crown and was water resistant to 200m. In my opinion, the most visually striking variant of Ref. 844 was presented with an orange dial. 
Over the years, the Aquaracer has become increasingly refined. However, last year, the model ascended to new heights. Indeed, examine the latest TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 and you will see a plethora of subtle changes. The dial surface, hands, indexes, minute track and bezel have all benefited from small improvements. The case incorporates a combination of polished and brushed surfaces, juxtaposed but discrete. To the rear of the watch, the caseband is embellished with a revised depiction of a diver’s helmet. Other updates include a new, more prominent crown protector, an updated crown design and a slimmer bracelet. This latter change is not intended to save a few Swiss francs, but rather to improve the ergonomic relationship between the watch and its wearer.
Quite simply, when TAG Heuer released last year’s Aquaracer Professional 300 there was a palpable uplift in quality. This did not come as a surprise. In 2020, the updated Carrera Chronograph received a significant dose of Kaizen love and the Aquaracer perpetuates this notion of continuous improvement.
Most would-be wearers are desk-divers who are unlikely to use their Aquaracer in anger, however, as its name implies, this watch has a maximum water resistance of 300m. And yet, while the Aquaracer can get its hair wet without fear of steaming up, it is unequivocally a ‘looker’.
While I suspect most gentlemen will opt for the 43mm case option, most ladies will favour the 36mm case variant. The dial on this latter model features a wave motif and eight octagonal indexes. Moreover, the crown protector assumes a more diminutive appearance than its masculine counterpart. The blue dial variant eschews the aforementioned indexes, incorporating eight VS diamonds, granting the composition a note of glamour.
Now, the Swiss marque has released the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition. Ms Osaka is a Japanese tennis player who became a TAG Heuer brand ambassador in January 2021. The eponymous timepiece comes in a 36mm stainless steel case and features a dial, again with a wave motif, but this time suffused with a pale shade of minty green. The ‘lollipop’ affixed to the central seconds hand is dressed in an eye-popping shade of lawn green. This colour is repeated on the minute track, positioned at 5-minute intervals. Unlike its ‘regular’ sibling, this limited-edition model rejects the standard 3-rows stainless steel bracelet in favour of a deep green rubber strap. And why such a predilection for green hues? It’s simply a reference to the colour scheme of Ms Osaka’s workplace.
I perceive just one problem with the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition. In my opinion, this is the most attractive example of the Aquaracer to date, but with only 250 examples available and distribution restricted to Australia, Japan and the United States, it is inevitable there will be some disappointed horophiles unable to secure one of these sublime beauties.
The brand’s press release
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 honour to be able to create a timepiece with such an iconic brand with a rich history in watchmaking. 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 timepiece 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: the luxury tool watch from TAG Heuer
For the Aquaracer Professional 300 launch collection, TAG Heuer followed a clear concept: to create a bold, high-performance, ergonomic watch for divers that was distinctively TAG Heuer. At the same time as they respect the tradition that has made TAG Heuer’s dive watches famous for decades, they also push the aesthetic refinements and materials further to meet, and even exceed, the high expectations of today’s customers.
TAG Heuer’s designers wanted the Aquaracer Professional 300 to be a reliable instrument, but also adaptable to multiple environments. More and more wearers are turning to divers’ watches for their robustness and versatility, while at the same time wanting to wear them for both work and play. The TAG Heuer Aquaracer pushes back the limits to go ever further, whether under the sea or on land. A truly robust and accurate tool, this watch is ready for any challenge. The permanent Aquaracer Professional 300 collection has a total of eleven timepieces in two sizes, 43 mm and 36 mm, with either steel or rubber straps as well as a version in titanium.
Further reading