Introducing TAG Heuer Introduces Its Smallest Solar-Powered Watches Yet

TAG Heuer is expanding its Aquaracer Solargraph lineup again, introducing a purposeful new bezel design across both 40mm and, more pertinently, a new and smaller 28mm diameter… Ladies, look out.

While TAG's solar-powered Formula 1 models have been a particular focus of late, the brand first added solar movement technology to its repertoire with the Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph in 2022. Since then, TAG's solar tech has only become more discreet. Earlier generations of solar watches often relied on visible solar panels or obviously semi-transparent dial sections to expose the solar arrays underneath. Today, the integration is much cleaner. In the case of the Aquaracer Solargraph, you’d barely know the watch was solar-powered.

Modern solar watch movements are also significantly more efficient than you might realise. Every movement differs slightly, but around 3 - 5 hours of direct sunlight is often enough to keep the average solar watch running for roughly 6 months. Most models (including these TAGs) now incorporate low-power or sleep modes when left in darkness for extended periods, while some fully charged solar watches can run for literal years without additional exposure to light.

Specifically, these new 28mm Solargraph models are powered by the TH51-00 calibre, which delivers up to eight months of autonomy once fully charged, requiring around 14 hours of light exposure to reach full charge. Not bad for such small movements/watches which therefore have smaller solar arrays.

TAG hasn’t stripped back the fundamentals of the Aquaracer just because the case is smaller. You still get 100 metres of water resistance, a sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, a screwed caseback and a proper steel bracelet with double safety push-buttons and extension adjustment. So, it still behaves like a sports watch.

The 28mm range is split across four references: black sunray, blue sunray, white mother-of-pearl, and then the diamond-set mother-of-pearl model with yellow gold-plated details. The mother-of-pearl models are particularly stealthy, inasmuch as you'd really be hard-pressed to recognise them as solar watches - which is entirely the point.

I appreciate mechanical watches, but I’ve never been someone who gravitates towards the overly technical side of watchmaking. However, from a purely practical perspective, it’s difficult to argue against modern solar quartz movements. And before anyone asks for a detailed explanation of how these photovoltaic cells and energy conversion systems work, that’s probably where my expertise ends. I like watches, but physics was never really my thing…

Which brings us to this new 28mm Aquaracer Solargraph collection. I tried the range on during Watches and Wonders earlier this year and, wow, the sizing felt very different – in a good way. Very different, too, from the larger Aquaracer models already in the lineup. The core Aquaracer architecture is still there – the twelve-sided bezel, three-link bracelet, screw-down crown and sharp case geometry all remain intact (in fact, with the new bezel design, it's even sharper) – but the smaller diameter changes the game.

Smaller sports watches can sometimes lose their edge once reduced in size. These TAG Heuers don’t. The bezel, bracelet and case geometry still retain enough edge to keep the Aquaracer identity intact.

My favourite of the four is easily the white mother-of-pearl reference with the diamond-set bezel. Yes, it sounds like it leans dressy: 36 diamonds set into the bezel, 12 additional diamond hour markers, yellow gold-plated hands and indexes, and a mother-of-pearl dial underneath it all. But, in person, it still reads plenty sporty.

The yellow gold-plated details help. I find that once you start pairing gold accents and diamonds with a smaller case size, things can drift fairly quickly into jewellery-watch territory. Here, the gold just sits nicely through the hands, indexes and logo to soften the steel case slightly without changing the overall character of the watch.

The bracelet plays a role in that, too. TAG Heuer’s three-link Aquaracer bracelet has always leaned masculine, but at this smaller scale, it feels noticeably more compact overall. The watch just sits properly on the wrist. It’s not top-heavy, which can happen quite quickly once diamonds and precious details start adding visual (and sometimes literal) weight to a smaller case. The 28mm sizing sharpens the bezel proportionally as well. That sounds like a small detail, but you notice it the moment you put the watch on.

My verdict? The proportions, movement choice and overall execution are right on point and, honestly, for women wanting a proper luxury and chic sports watch that still feels wearable day to day, the 28mm might now be the pick of the Solargraph range.

Brand: TAG Heuer
Model: Aquaracer Solargraph Professional 100
Reference Number: WBP141E.BA0049 (blue), WBP141G.BA0049 (black), WBP141H.BA0049 (mother-of-pearl), WBP141J.BA0049 (mother-of-pearl + gemset bezel)
Diameter: 28mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Colour: White, blue, or mother-of-pearl
Indices: VS+ 12 diamonds (0.07ct) in rhodium-plated settings
Crystal: Double AR-coated sapphire front
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 100 metres
Strap/Bracelet: Three-link bracelet, folding clasp with double safety push-buttons and adjustment link extension

Calibre: TH51-00, La Joux-Perret/Citizen E168 base
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, solar charging
Autonomy: Continuous operating time of approximately 8 months from full recharge to stop, fully charges in 14 hours
Winding: N/A (quartz)
Chronometer Certified: No

Price: A$4,900, A$8,100 for gemset bezel
Availability: From May 2026
Limited Edition: No

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