By Kien Lee
In the 1960s, a young Jack Heuer, freshly placed on the mantle as the company's CEO attended the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida which was a race timed by the Heuer brand. It was there that he learnt from the Rodriguez couple about the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. The ill-fated circuit was furiously fast and extremely dangerous, existing for only 5 editions before it was cancelled.
Jack, who had an uncommon knack for harnessing the power of a good story, was intrigued by the speed, emotion, and romance of the race, and decided that it would make a good name for one of his new lines of wristwatch chronographs.
The Heuer Carrera would be formally launched in 1963 and through the decades would gain an immense popularity, achieving a status and recognition few other watch models would.
Fast forward to today, the TAG Heuer Carrera is celebrating its 60th anniversary, and TAG Heuer on the occasion is introducing an updated Carrera for the occasion.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph
The new TAG Heuer Carerra Chronograph comes in a stainless-steel case, measuring 39 mm in diameter, a sizing that appeals to both genders. The updated Carrera features overall ergonomics that have been honed and refined, making the watch as comfortable to wear as possible, even across a range of wrist sizes.
The case is topped with a sapphire crystal shaped liked the domed hesalite crystals found on Heuer Carrera models from the 1970s. In this new version, the crystal has been redeveloped so that the curve flows seamlessly over the tachymeter scale that runs around the dial edge and into the case.
The flange and indexes have been curved, too, further contributing to the watch’s seamless aesthetic, coherence, and legibility. This design approach also means the tachymeter can be read from a wider range of angles.
The new pushers have also been re-shaped and positioned to make them as efficient for the user as possible. At its heart, the TAG Heuer Carrera remains an extremely refined watch, designed for purpose and defined both by its function and its form.
Two models are available. The first offers a signature blue dial on a blue calfskin leather strap, whilst a second with a racier, black-and-silver “reverse panda” dial, the nickname given to black watch dials with high-contrast white or silver subdials.
The latter draws inspiration from some of the most coveted Heuer Carreras of the 1960s, 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, with an extremely limited production run of just a few years. It comes on a black perforated calfskin leather strap.
