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- TAG Heuer and Australian watch publication Time+Tide have reunited for the Aquaracer Professional 300 Sundowner II, a mechanical follow-up to their sold-out 2024 collaboration.
- The limited-edition dive watch features a 42mm titanium case, COSC-certified automatic movement, 80-hour power reserve and 300 metres of water resistance.
- Limited to 500 pieces worldwide, the Sundowner II is available in November 2026, from AUD $7,700 for the rubber-strap version and AUD $8,650 for the titanium bracelet.
Two years after bringing a distinctly Australian flavour to the TAG Heuer Aquaracer collection, Melbourne-founded watch publication Time+Tide is back for another round. The result is the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 x Time+Tide Sundowner II, a mechanical sequel to the original solar-powered collaboration that sold out in just 24 hours.
Launched in 2024, the first Sundowner was a 40 mm titanium Solargraph inspired by the Australian outback, combining a sun-powered quartz movement with warm rose-gold accents and a khaki fabric strap. Limited to 250 pieces, it was a fitting tribute to Australia’s sun-drenched landscape, although some watch enthusiasts had one request: what if it were mechanical?
Well, TAG Heuer and Time+Tide have listened: the Sundowner II replaces the original’s solar quartz movement with a COSC-certified automatic calibre, moves up to the larger Aquaracer Professional 300 platform, and trades its outback-inspired colour palette for a darker design influenced by the Australian coastline.
1/2From An Outback Solargraph to a Coastal Automatic
The biggest change sits under the bonnet. Where the original Sundowner used TAG Heuer’s TH50-00 Solargraph movement, also found inside the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph as well as the Oracle Red Bull Racing Solargraph, the Sundowner II is powered by the automatic Calibre TH31-01, delivering an 80-hour power reserve and chronometer certification from COSC.
Going automatic means losing the convenience of a solar-powered watch, which can run for months after a full charge without additional light. Neither approach is inherently better, but it’s a meaningful change for collectors who prefer their watches powered by gears and springs rather than sunlight.
Speaking of big, the new watch also grows from 40 mm to 42 mm, with a 12 mm-thick, grade 2 sandblasted titanium case measuring 48 mm from lug to lug. Water resistance has also increased from 200 to 300 metres, while a grey ceramic bezel with rose-gold-toned markings frames a black, wave-pattern dial.
Sundowner Success Scores a Sequel
There’s plenty to take in, from the dial’s sunray finish that sits beneath a transparent varnish to the rose-gold-plated hands, applied hour markers and dual TAG Heuer and Time+Tide branding. Without a date window, the face looks cleaner and more symmetrical at a glance.
“In many ways, this is a crowd-inspired sequel, for while the original Sundowner was a huge success, it had many watch enthusiasts lamenting, ‘if only it was mechanical’,” said Time+Tide founder Andrew McUtchen.
“Our answer is a deeper-diving, true ‘one watch’ that can endure the harshest Australian conditions and then turn up at the evening function in a suit, looking mean.”
Whether it succeeds is ultimately a matter of taste, but the move from the original’s khaki strap to black rubber and titanium certainly gives it a different character.
1/11TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 x Time+Tide Sundowner II – Key Specs
- Reference: WBP5184.FT6257 (rubber) / WBP5185.BF0010 (bracelet)
- Case: Grade 2 sandblasted titanium
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Thickness: 12 mm
- Lug-to-lug: 48 mm
- Bezel: Grey ceramic with rose-gold-toned markings
- Dial: Black sunray finish with wave pattern, rose-gold-plated indices and hands
- Crystal: Flat sapphire with anti-reflective treatment
- Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre TH31-01, COSC-certified automatic
- Power reserve: 80 hours
- Water resistance: 300 metres
- Strap/bracelet: Black rubber strap or grade 2 titanium three-link bracelet, both with micro-adjustable folding clasps
- Limited edition: 450 rubber-strap / 50 bracelet models
- Availability: November 2026
- Price: AUD $7,700 (rubber) / AUD $8,650 (bracelet)
1/6How Much Does the Sundowner II Cost?
The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 x Time+Tide Sundowner II arrives in two limited-edition configurations, both scheduled for release in November 2026.
The rubber-strap version (WBP5184.FT6257) is limited to 450 pieces worldwide and costs AUD $7,700. But for those who prefer a full-metal configuration, the titanium-bracelet model (WBP5185.BF0010) will set you back a little more at AUD $8,650, with only 50 examples available globally.
That’s a considerable jump from the original Sundowner’s AUD $4,450 launch price, although buyers are getting a different Aquaracer platform, a mechanical movement and upgraded dive-watch specifications. We’ll leave you to weigh up whether this one moves from the wish list to the checkout.
The first Sundowner was built around Australia’s relationship with the sun. Its successor takes the same Australian connection in a different direction, trading solar convenience for mechanical watchmaking and the dusty outback for the seaswept coastline.
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