TAG Heuer is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Carrera Chronograph with three new models, unveiled at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023. The Heuer Carrera made its debut in 1963 as a tool watch. Its design was clean and legible, without distracting or extraneous elements. The updated TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph and Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon echo the spirit of the original, with a few more bells and whistles. TAG kicks off the celebration with two 39-mm Carrera Chronograph styles, one with a blue dial and a second with a black & silver reverse panda dial – the nickname given to black watch dials with high-contrast white or silver subdials. With three chronograph counters, the reverse panda model is a greatest hits compilation of collectible 1960s Heuer Carreras: such as the reference 3147 Dato 12, the first Heuer Carrera with chronograph and calendar functions, and the reference 2447 NS, perhaps the rarest Heuer Carrera of them all.
Carrera Chronograph CBS2212.FC6535 ($6,450.00) – tagheuer.com
Both iterations of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph are topped with a sapphire crystal shaped liked the domed Hesalite crystals found on Heuer Carrera models from the 1970s, only now the crystal flows seamlessly over the tachymeter scale that runs around the dial edge and into the case. In the same way, the flange and indexes have been curved – making the tachymeter visible from more angles. Equally pronounced are the new pushers, reshaped and positioned to make them easier to use. Inside, a next-gen version of TAG’s in-house automatic chronograph caliber powers the watches. Named TH20-00 and visible through the sapphire crystal case back, the movement’s new oscillating weight offers bidirectional winding – previous versions only charged the movement’s mainspring if the rotor moved in a counter-clockwise direction – and an 80-hour power reserve. Both styles come on leather straps, with the black strap perforated like driving gloves.
Carrera Chronograph CBS2210.FC6534 ($6,450.00) – tagheuer.com
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon is a follow up to a series of previously released tourbillons with larger cases. Elevated by an aperture at 6 o’clock with a tourbillon cage, this elegant 42-mm model shares the ‘glassbox’ form of early Carreras. Every element of the watch has been refined to showcase the tourbillon, including the curved sapphire crystal and the dial’s subtly curved flange and indexes – curved to mirror the crystal’s edge. The deep azure subdials are surrounded by contrasting silver rings, increasing the legibility of the chronograph read-outs. In the same way, the minutes scale running around the outside edge of the dial is punctuated by orange detailing over each hour marker. A final, retro touch is the central seconds hand, a crisp triangular shape inspired by 1960s race car instrument panels. TAG Heuer’s TH20-09 tourbillon movement, visible through the exhibition case back, powers the watch. As with the TH20-00, the TH20-09 now delivers bidirectional winding and a higher level of finishing.
Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon CBS5010.FC6543 ($24,050.00) – tagheuer.com
