The refresh of TAG Heuer's Aquaracer range is complete with the unveiling of the new Aquaracer 300m Ceramic Bezel Calibre 5, the companion watch to the Aquaracer 300m Chronograph we showed you back in April. The 300m Ceramic bezel models replace the popular Aquaracer 500m, which was part of the range since 2010. Given the similarities between the two series it was perhaps inevitable that the range would be rationalised, but we still hope that TAG Heuer continues development of hard-core dive watches in the tradition of the Aquagraph and the Super Professional.

The new range features not only a family of steel cased models with different colour combinations, but also a pair of titanium divers to give the range an even greater point of difference to other Aquaracers.

We had the chance to get up close with the new titanium twins for an extended review, which means plenty of photos as we look at the newest Aquaracer from every angle.

Design

The new Aquaracer is the second model in the Aquaracer 300m Calibre 5 family, alongside the steel bezel model (above left) launched in the middle of 2014. The two watches share many elements, but the ceramic bezel model has a more sporty feel with its larger hands, polished hour-markers, cyclops above the date window, and of course a glossy ceramic bezel in place of the brushed steel bezel.

And speaking of those hour-markers, they're a feature that's hard to ignore. Perhaps it's the size (they feel about 20% too big to our eyes), but they do seem to have an "ultra shine" finish, meaning that they dominate the dial, especially at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions. The dial itself continues the horizontal streak look of the Aquaracer family and successfully gives the dial a depth missing from traditional flat-black dials.

The benefit of those large hour-markers is that the dial has plenty of lume- both green and blue tones.

The other new element of hardware on the dial are the new hour and minute hands. These blocky hands feature the TAG Heuer shield in the point of the hand.

One of the more interesting models in the range is the Phantom model (shown below) that goes for that "ultra-stealth" Black-on-Black look. The watch uses dark grey lume to complete the act. There is not much point worrying about the legibility of this model- it's not designed to be legible, it's designed with a specific style in mind. Later in the review we'll show you how the watch looks in real-world conditions so you can work out if the Phantom is for you.

Finally, as you can see below, the cyclops makes a return to the Aquaracer range to help magnify the date window.

Case

The base case is the same as the other Aquaracer 300m Calibre 5 models, with only the thicker bezel giving the watch a higher profile. All models are 41mm, 2mm smaller than the Calibre 16 Chronograph. The combination of what we think is the "right" size for a watch (41mm) and the relatively thin profile means that the size of the watch is bang-on perfect

The look of the case traces its origins back to the Heuer 2000 series of 1982- the last Heuer model launched by Jack Heuer.

The case has just the right combination of curves and hard-edges….plenty of TAG Heuer heritage flows through the Aquaracer, but in a design that certainly doesn't look 33 years old.

Being a diving watch, there is no clear caseback here- just the traditional divers helmet.

Aquaracer 300m Ceramic Range

Aquaracer WAY211A

The first of the Aquaracers features a black dial and matching black ceramic bezel, with yellow detailing (the "Calibre 5" script and the tip of the sweeping seconds hand). This model is available with either the bracelet shown in this photo (not the H-Shaped links available on the Steel bezel Aquaracer 300m), or a black nylon strap with yellow stitching.

Now is probably the time to talk about the nylon strap- we love it. The strap has a soft colorful rubber lining on the inside of the strap and look and feels great. Without a doubt, if you are buying this watch, go for the strap ahead of the bracelet as it gives the watch a real presence.

Aquaracer WAY211B

The second black-dial model offers blue highlights on the dial, ranging from the Calibre 5 script, the sweeping seconds hand (not just a coloured tip) and blue minute markers on the dial. Matching these details is