The seventh edition of LVMH Watch Week has arrived, and this time the Italian fashion capital of Milan provides the backdrop for what has proven to be one of the year’s most significant horological announcements. From the 19th to the 21st of January, nine watchmaking houses under the LVMH umbrella converged upon the Milanese venue, each arriving with carefully curated presentations that would set the tone for 2026. Amongst them, TAG Heuer commanded particular attention, not through bombast, but through a clarity of vision that announces the brand’s chosen thematic focus for the year ahead: Master of Chronograph.
The designation carries weight. It signals not a retrospective exercise, but rather an active statement, a declaration that the chronograph, far from being a mechanical relic, remains the truest expression of TAG Heuer‘s watchmaking identity. Three distinct additions to the celebrated Carrera collection embody this philosophy with striking coherence. Each piece reveals a different facet of the brand’s approach: the first expands the beloved glassbox design into a fresh proportion; the second returns to TAG Heuer‘s maritime heritage with a complication that had lay dormant for decades; the third introduces a haute horlogerie interpretation that positions the chronograph at the pinnacle of fine watchmaking. Together, they constitute something altogether more compelling than a simple seasonal release.
The Carrera Chronograph 41mm: Scaling an Icon
The newest entry to TAG Heuer‘s glassbox family arrives in a 41-millimetre case, a dimension that proves more significant than its modest numerical increase might suggest. In 2023, when the brand revived the glassbox design for the Carrera’s 60th anniversary, the initial presentations arrived in 39mm and 42mm iterations. This intermediate size fills a carefully considered space, neither the intimate proportions of the heritage-inspired 39mm nor the commanding presence of the 42mm, but something occupying a thoughtful middle ground that speaks to a particular audience: those for whom the Carrera’s design language resonates profoundly, yet who desire a slightly expanded canvas upon which that vision plays.
The steel case measures 41mm in diameter, with a thickness of 14.17mm and lug-to-lug dimensions of 47.48mm. The brushed and polished finishing lends a contemporary refinement to surfaces that curve with deliberate intention. The signature domed sapphire crystal, that celebrated “glassbox”, curves seamlessly over a three-dimensional dial-flange architecture, capturing light from every conceivable angle and creating an optical effect that draws the eye inward toward the dial’s content. Water resistance reaches 100 metres, sufficient for those occasions when proximity to water becomes unavoidable, though the watch remains fundamentally a dress-adjacent instrument rather than a serious diving companion.
Three inaugural dial configurations demonstrate TAG Heuer‘s nuanced approach to colour in contemporary design. The signature blue presents itself through a circular-brushed surface that catches light with characteristic subtlety. Azuré tone-on-tone counters and rhodium-plated hands enhanced with white Super-LumiNova create the optical illusion of depth, whilst the flange’s tachymeter scale encircles the dial with purposeful legibility. For those attracted to contemporary chromatic expression, the teal green variant introduces a hue that TAG Heuer has designated as a new signature colour for the house. The effect, achieved through careful interplay of light and shadow, evolves dynamically as the wrist moves, an embodiment of the brand’s commitment to legibility achieved through visual harmony rather than superficial contrast. The third variant, rendered in black with red accents on the chronograph hands and outer ring, channels the racing heritage that inspired Jack Heuer to conceive the Carrera in 1963. Each counter bears the mark of its colour family, creating visual separation without discord.
The movement within is the in-house calibre TH20-01, an automatic chronograph that exemplifies the sensibilities of contemporary TAG Heuer watchmaking. It operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz) and delivers an impressive 80-hour power reserve, sufficient autonomy for those intervals when the watch sits unworn. The vertical clutch ensures seamless engagement of the chronograph function, whilst the column wheel provides precise actuation. Through the transparent sapphire caseback, engraved with TAG Heuer’s Victory Wreath emblem, the movement’s geometry becomes visible: 33 jewels arranged across bridges that, whilst finished without the elaborate hand-polishing reserved for haute horlogerie pieces, possess a clarity of purpose that speaks to engineering competence rather than decorative excess.
The bracelet deserves particular mention. TAG Heuer’s seven-row steel design represents a sophisticated reinterpretation of the heritage beads-of-rice aesthetic, combining brushed and polished links with articulation that balances comfort and character in equal measure. The butterfly folding clasp, itself a brushed and polished steel construction, secures the assembly with push-button releases and bears the TAG Heuer shield as its authenticating mark.
Availability and Price: Ref. CBS2114.BA0053 / CBS2113.BA0053 / CBS2115.BA0053 – January 2026. Suggested retail price CHF 7,500 (approximately USD 8,350 / GBP 6,800 / 7.950,00 €).
The Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph: Haute Horlogerie Ascendant
For those who regard the chronograph not as functional complication but as canvas for watchmaking virtuosity, TAG Heuer presents the Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph: the first incarnation of the rattrapante mechanism within the Carrera family, and arguably the most ambitious horological statement the brand has issued in recent years.
The timepiece inhabits a 42-millimetre case fabricated from grade-5 titanium, a material that carries weight far beyond its physical lightness. Grade-5 titanium possesses an inherent technical character, it speaks to engineering environments and aerospace applications, that elevates this watch beyond conventional luxury categorisation. The case measures 15.17mm in thickness, with lug-to-lug dimensions of 48.6mm. The peaked lugs, that signature Carrera design motif inherited from Jack Heuer’s original vision, have been refined and sharpened, whilst the glassbox construction extends further, with the sapphire crystal beveled and domed to create an optical magnification effect that subtly enlarges the dial’s presentation.
What distinguishes this piece, however, is the architectural ingenuity of its case architecture. Refinement has extended to the pusher configuration: elongated pushers sit either side of the crown to activate the chronograph function, whilst an elegantly integrated pusher at 9 o’clock resides within the case band to command the split-seconds mechanism. This integration, the elimination of any sense that the split-seconds pusher has been retrofitted, reflects haute horlogerie thinking applied to tool-watch design.
The dial presents perhaps the most visually striking element of the entire composition. Constructed from translucent sapphire glass rather than the conventional lacquered or opaline surfaces, it permits unobstructed visibility of the movement beneath. The subsidiary dials, the chronograph counters and permanent seconds indicator, are individually fabricated from the same material as the main dial, creating a sense of visual consistency and depth that no conventional dial construction could achieve. The flange curves deliberately to follow the sapphire crystal’s profile, minimising parallax error. Red lacquered hands on the chronograph counters provide functional contrast, whilst the hour and minute hands receive the white Super-LumiNova fill that ensures legibility in low-light environments.
The movement powering this composition is the calibre TH81-01, a work of collaborative engineering realised through ongoing partnership with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. This represents a variation on the TH81-00 that powers the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, yet it has been specifically evolved for the Carrera’s dimensional and stylistic requirements.
The specification alone conveys its sophistication. Beating at 5 Hz, or 36,000 vibrations per hour, it achieves a frequency that far exceeds the conventional 4 Hz standard, a technical choice that sharpens chronograph precision incrementally yet measurably. The power reserve extends to 65 hours when the chronograph is disengaged, or 55 hours when the complication remains in active use. Construction encompasses more than 350 individual components, each finished by hand employing more than ten distinct techniques: black polish for the screws, hand-beveling for the bridges, and TAG Heuer’s signature checkered-flag pattern, which is engraved by hand, one square after another, an embodiment of labour-intensive craftsmanship that marks the manufacture’s most ambitious calibres.
The rotor, the oscillating weight that drives the automatic winding mechanism, itself carries the TAG Heuer shield motif, finished with fine-brushed surfaces and adorned with a delicate miniature gradient painting on its periphery. It is the sort of detail that collectors discover, rather than observe at first glance: a commitment to completion that extends beyond any functional requirement.
Water resistance reaches only 30 metres, reflecting the watch’s character as a haute horlogerie instrument rather than a tool designed for aquatic exploration. The bracelet comprises black rubber with textile embossing and red stitching, paired with a fine-brushed and polished titanium folding clasp bearing dual safety push-buttons.
Availability and Price:Â Ref. CDD2180.FT8120 – June 2026. Estimated suggested retail price CHF 110,000 (approximately USD 123,000 / GBP 100,000).
The Carrera Chronograph Seafarer: Maritime Legacy Reanimated
Seventy-seven years have elapsed since the tide indicator first appeared on TAG Heuer’s horological canvas, specifically on the 1949 Solunar, a timepiece born from collaboration between Edouard Heuer and Walter Haynes, the president of Abercrombie & Fitch, who had conceived the original concept and commissioned its mechanical refinement. The mechanism itself possessed elegance in its simplicity: a rotating disc, calibrated to the lunar tidal period of 29.53125 days, that would indicate whether high or low tide was anticipated at a given hour. Young Jack Heuer, then studying physics, had contributed to the project through conversations with his school physics teacher, who improved the gear ratio calculations that enhanced the mechanism’s accuracy.
That complication vanished from TAG Heuer’s catalogues decades ago, becoming the province of collectors and historians. Now, in 2026, it resurfaces within the Carrera Chronograph Seafarer, not as pastiche, but as genuine revival infused with contemporary watchmaking sensibilities.
The case measures 42 millimetres in diameter, fabricated from fine-brushed and polished steel that contrasts deliberately with the dial’s opaline champagne base. The domed sapphire crystal emerges from the glassbox construction that has become synonymous with the modern Carrera family, its optical magnification effect enhancing the clarity with which the dial’s multiple information layers communicate to the wearer. The sapphire caseback reveals the in-house TH20-04 movement, itself engraved with the Victory Wreath emblem on the lug.
The dial orchestrates its elements with sophistication. The beige flange houses a 60-second/minute scale with tachymeter graduations. Three subsidiary dials occupy their conventional positions: at 3 o’clock, the minute chronograph counter; at 6 o’clock, the small seconds indicator; at 9 o’clock, the tide indicator itself. The colour palette references the original Seafarer heritage with considerable faithfulness. “Intrepid Teal”—named after the 1967 America’s Cup-winning yacht Intrepid, which inspired Jack Heuer to create the original Skipper regatta chronograph the following year—appears on the hour and minute hands, the 30-minute chronograph counter, and the tide indicator itself. There, the teal pairs with a dark yellow derived from original pieces, creating a visual dialogue between contemporary sensibility and historical authenticity.
The indexes, curved and faceted with rhodium plating and polish, bear 18-carat yellow gold plating in the 3N alloy (indicating 75 percent purity). The triangular-shaped marker at 12 o’clock represents a design element present across TAG Heuer’s contemporary exploration watches. The hands throughout receive white Super-LumiNova application, ensuring legibility across varying light conditions.
The movement, calibre TH20-04, represents a deliberate evolution of the workhorse TH20-00 chronograph movement. The base architecture remains intact, but the hour counter has been eliminated in favour of the tidal complication. The mechanism operates via a dedicated pusher at 9 o’clock, labelled “TIDE,” which causes the tide disc to rotate. Once synchronised with local tidal information, the disc completes its full rotation over the 29.53125-day cycle, continuously displaying anticipated high and low tide at its corresponding hour markers.
The movement itself operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and delivers an 80-hour power reserve—sufficient for intervals exceeding three days of unwound autonomy. The vertical clutch ensures smooth chronograph pusher engagement, whilst the column wheel provides precise actuation. The rotor, shaped as the TAG Heuer shield, drives bi-directional automatic winding with characteristic efficiency.
The bracelet represents a sophisticated reinterpretation of heritage beads-of-rice design. Fabricated from seven rows of stainless steel links, alternating brushed and polished surfaces, it articulates with flexibility and character. The butterfly folding clasp incorporates dual safety push-buttons and bears the TAG Heuer shield as its authenticating mark.
Complementing the steel bracelet, TAG Heuer supplies each Seafarer with an additional sports strap in beige, a colourway referencing traditional boat rigging. The lining matches the Intrepid Teal details of the dial, whilst a robust folding clasp in stainless steel ensures security both on land and sea.
Water resistance reaches 100 metres, a specification that grants genuine utility should the wearer encounter maritime environments, though the watch remains fundamentally designed for those who appreciate sailing heritage rather than those who undertake serious underwater exploration.
Availability and Price: Ref. CBS2016.EB0430 – March 2026. Estimated suggested retail price CHF 8,300 (approximately USD 9,300 / GBP 7,600 / 8.800,00 €).
The Coherence of Vision
What emerges from these three presentations, considered as a unified statement rather than three discrete releases, is an impressive clarity of purpose. TAG Heuer has chosen not to scatter its efforts across multiple families and aesthetic directions, but rather to concentrate its horological arguments within a single collection, the Carrera, explored across three distinct horological registers.
The 41mm Glassbox Chronograph addresses those for whom the design language resonates with personal significance, offering an intermediate proportion that previous iterations could not accommodate. The Split-Seconds Chronograph elevates the complication to haute horlogerie status, embracing labour-intensive hand finishing and materials (grade-5 titanium, translucent sapphire glass dials) that announce an uncompromising approach. The Seafarer, meanwhile, resurrects a complication that had passed from contemporary consciousness, revitalising it through the sensibilities of contemporary design and finishing practices.
Each watch, viewed individually, represents a coherent response to distinct horological questions. Yet their presentation as a unified statement under the “Master of Chronograph” banner suggests something more significant: a brand that has interrogated its own DNA and arrived at the conclusion that the chronograph remains not merely relevant, but essential to its identity. In 2026, surrounded by digital precision and smartwatch computing, TAG Heuer has chosen to argue that mechanical chronographs matter, not as nostalgic exercises, but as instruments of continuing sophistication and expression.
The commitment extends beyond rhetoric to hardware: each watch integrates components and movements developed in-house, each benefits from design refinement extending across decades, each carries the Victory Wreath emblem as testament to Jack Heuer’s racing vision. For those attracted to watches that possess coherence of purpose, technical proficiency, and design sophistication realised through mechanical means rather than digital calculation, these three additions to the Carrera family warrant careful consideration.
