Watches and Wonders Edit: Tag Heuer drops new Carrera Chronograph, Carrera Skipper and Carrera Date models, as well as an ultralight Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph
The all-action Carrera is perhaps the most loved of all the collections from storied Swiss luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer.
The Carrera made its debut back in 1963, and was the work of Jack Heuer, great-grandson of the company’s founder, a former CEO and still honorary chairman to this day. It’s most notable feature is its beautifully readable dial, which takes its inspiration from the dashboards of racing cars.
One of those new Carreras appears in the main Carrera Chronograph line. Here the racing heritage of the collection – which takes its name from the Carrera Panamericana rally – is most evident with the dial all about legibility, allowing lap times to be easily noted. Specifically, inspiration for the new watch came from the 7753 SN model from the late 1960s, with its “panda” design with black subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock contrasting with the silver dial. The new Carrera Chronograph duplicates this look, while at its heart ticks the Heuer 02 in-house chronograph movement.
Like the new Carrera Chronograph, the latest version of the Carrera Skipper is based on the “glassbox” design of the Carrera’s 60th anniversary edition from 2023, in this case offering a 39mm case in rose gold.
The sea blue dial showcases the collection’s characteristic contrasting subdials – a 12-hour counter in teal at 9 o’clock and a 15-minute regatta counter in green, teal and orange at 3 o’clock. The colours echo the first Skipper chronograph as well as the America’s Cup-winning yacht Intrepid, whose victory that watch was created to celebrate. Powering the new watch is a version of the Heuer 02 calibre adapted for regatta timing.
Three versions of the Tag Heuer Carrera Date, with its trademark date indication at 6 o’clock, were revealed at Watches and Wonders. With 36mm cases – the same size as the original Carrera from 1963 – they are all driven by the latest Caliber 7 movement.
One comes with a seductive copper dial, running the gamut from light brown to beige, with a rose-gold bezel and crown. The other two both feature white mother-of-pearl dials with the same colour gradient, inside a steel case, with 76 diamonds around the flange – one of them with a further 11 diamonds on its indications.
With its unmistakable square case, the Monaco was an epoch-making collection when it was first introduced in 1969, and new versions continue to push avant garde boundaries, while also honouring the collection’s traditions.
In the case of the new Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, it is weight saving that’s been pushed to the limit: thanks to materials including a case of titanium and sapphire, it weighs just 85 grams.
In red and blue editions, and operated by the new TH81-00 calibre, it features a split-seconds and subdial pusher at 9 o’clock – allowing the wearer to track multiple events at once with separate seconds hand – as well as a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock and a chronograph subdial at 3 o’clock.
- Former CEO Jack Heuer worked on the Carrera – specifically the 7753 SN – which is inspired by the dashboards of racing cars and named after the Carrera Panamericana rally
- The Carrera Skipper chronograph uses the Heuer 02 calibre and was originally inspired by the America’s Cup-winning yacht Intrepid, while the ultralight Monaco gets the new TH81-00 calibre