For over 55 years, the Carrera has served as a physical reminder of the genre-defining relationship that TAG Heuer, née Heuer, has with the world of motorsports. Despite recent steps into more expressive territory with the Carrera Heuer 02 series, the flagship Carrera line has had a reliable presence in TAG Heuer's catalog throughout its existence as a model focused on functionality and legibility. Today we're happy to announce the addition of a number of contemporary Carreras into the HODINKEE Shop, the first significant update to our modern TAG Heuer offerings in quite some time.
Of the seven watches added to the Shop today, we have several chronographs – with and without tachymeter-enhanced bezels – as well as a twosome of time-and-date models, each holding true to Jack Heuer's original design tenets, while updated for the 21st century with the necessary improvements.
Originally interpreted as a chronograph, the Carrera family has seen a number of simpler editions over its five decade, including, most recently, the Calibre 5 series of time-and-date watches. Jack Heuer has stated that his original intent when developing the Carrera was to depict the passage of time in a way that was visible at a glance. The Calibre 5 series continues this objective by joining the pencil-style hands and baton-shaped hour markers that have defined the Carrera for over five decades, with an added date aperture at three o'clock. Two variations are available now, a black dial model on a stainless-steel bracelet and a white dial model on a leather strap, each sized at 39mm and priced at $2,500, making them an ideal acquisition for the discerning eye looking for a potential daily driver.
The three chronograph options presented here are the most authentic to Jack Heuer's 1963 progenitor. While today's iteration differs due to the presence of a date window and the placement of its registers (at six, nine, and 12 o’clock rather than three, six, and nine), what remains consistent is the notable lack of contrast between the recessed sub-registers and the rest of the dial. Additionally, visible along the curved flange of the watch is one of Jack Heuer’s key Carrera introductions: an angled steel tension ring that was painted to show ⅕-second demarcations and which helped increase water resistance by strengthening the crystal. The black versions are available with either a stainless-steel bracelet or a leather strap, while the blue model is offered only on a bracelet.
The final two newly available Carreras are virtually indistinguishable – from aesthetics to specs – from the previous chronographs. The only differentiator that sets these two versions apart is the addition of a fixed bezel made entirely of ceramic and equipped with a tachymeter scale, something not present on Jack Heuer's initial design, but considered de rigueur for most contemporary chronographs. While the presence of a tachymeter might not be sufficiently faithful to the original design for Heuer purists, it's a more bona fide representation of modern motorsports, an arena in which TAG Heuer remains an industry leader.
All the new Carrera models, from the time-and-date variations to the chronographs, are available now in the HODINKEE Shop in limited quantities – treat yourself to one of Jack Heuer’s most enduring designs today.