In 2023, TAG Heuer commemorates the 60th anniversary of its iconic Carrera series, and amidst a year of festivities, the brand seizes the opportunity to dedicate the majority of its Watches and Wonders 2023 novelties to this revered sports watch collection. Within this lineup, two particularly vibrant releases join the familiar 42mm-wide Carrera Chronograph family, injecting a burst of colors that enriches the clean and sophisticated foundation of this timepiece. These new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph models infuse a dynamic and spirited energy into the brand’s most versatile design, setting themselves apart from the rest of the series with their distinctive application of accent colors.
The stainless steel cases of these fresh TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph iterations closely resemble those of previous releases, providing a recognizable canvas for TAG Heuer to build upon. The characteristic narrow sloping polished bezel, inwardly faceted lugs, and broad polished case-side chamfers remain staple elements of the Carrera series. The pump pushers and sapphire display caseback are also present, maintaining the watch’s allure. While seasoned enthusiasts may find few surprises here, it remains an attractive and sporty platform boasting a robust water resistance of 100 meters.
TAG Heuer bestows a unique personality upon these new Carrera Chronograph models through their dial designs. The foundation for both models remains the classic Carrera style, featuring sunburst dial surfaces, faceted applied indices, striped baton hands, raised chronograph subdial chapter rings, and a sleek and minimal running seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The brand introduces an aggressive edge to this more refined side of the Carrera lineup by incorporating generous highlights in various shades of orange.
The central chronograph seconds hand and the two chronograph subdials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock boast a vibrant, highly saturated reddish-orange tone that borders on vermilion in images. The outer seconds scale and the subdial at 6 o’clock display lighter, papaya-like accents. However, it is the design of the hours ring that steals the show. TAG Heuer encircles the applied hour indices with a trio of orange hues ranging from almost yellow to nearly red, skillfully creating the illusion of a continuous color gradient at first glance. Both available dial options take these orange accents in different stylistic directions. The black dial model offers a classic racing-inspired look, while the deep blue dial pays homage to one of the Carrera’s most intriguing models from its extensive history—the Heuer Carrera 1153N, commonly referred to as the “Mick Jagger.”
Powering both of these new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph models is the familiar in-house Heuer 02 automatic chronograph movement. Despite the brand introducing an updated “evolved” version of the Heuer 02 platform as part of its Watches and Wonders 2023 novelties, TAG Heuer continues to employ the first-generation Heuer 02 movement as well. Nevertheless, the Heuer 02 remains a truly exceptional caliber, boasting an impressive 80-hour power reserve and beating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Aesthetically, both models present the Heuer 02 movement in a familiar manner, showcasing skeletonized bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève and a gold rotor inspired by automotive wheels, further embellished with striping. TAG Heuer pairs these new models with clean dial-matching calfskin leather deployant straps.
While they may not be the most groundbreaking releases of Watches and Wonders 2023, these new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph models are an elegant addition to the broader Carrera family, offering enough unique colors to stand out in any crowd. MSRP is $5,550 USD.