Throughout 2020, TAG Heuer has commemorated its 160th anniversary with special editions of its signature TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph collection. Following the launches of two TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years watches – the Silver Dial and the Montreal Limited Editions – the luxury watchmaker is introducing the third and final watch in the series, the TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 160 Years Special Edition. Two versions have been created – one with a blue dial and one with a white dial. Each version is powered by the Heuer 02 manufacture movement and limited to 1,860 pieces.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 160 Years Special Edition was inspired by the classic Heuer “Dato 45”, which in 1965 was notably the first Heuer wrist chronograph ever to feature a turning date disc. Like its famous ancestor, this special TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph has its date window positioned at 12 o’clock on the dial.
Catherine Eberlé-Devaux, TAG Heuer’s Heritage Director, says, “It was fascinating – truly a privilege – to have a chance to look at all of the outstanding Carrera models when we were creating our anniversary selection. The choice of the 3147N – the in-house reference for the Carrera “Dato 45” – was a bold one because it challenged our design team to create a clean, legible chronograph dial with a date window in an unusual position. They updated and upgraded a true icon, rising to the occasion brilliantly.”
The celebration continues with the TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 160 Years Special Edition
TAG Heuer continues to celebrate its 160th anniversary in style with the introduction of the TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 160 Years Special Edition, the last of the year’s three limited-edition releases. At its heart is a Calibre Heuer 02 manufacture movement that delivers an impressive 80-hour power reserve. The number of the limited edition – 1,860 of each version – is a nod to the year Edouard Heuer founded his watchmaking workshop in Switzerland’s Jura Mountains.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph with the blue dial has a 44 mm polished and fine-brushed stainless-steel case and features a blue ceramic bezel with a tachymeter scale. The blue circular brushed dial has contrasting white “azurage” chronograph subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock marking the elapsed minutes and hours, respectively. A blue opaline permanent seconds counter is positioned at 6 o’clock.
The white dial reference also has a robust 44 mm polished and fine-brushed stainless-steel case, but its black ceramic bezel with a tachymeter scale offers a particularly bold contrast to the silver opaline dial. Black “azurage” minute and hour chronograph counters, at 3 and 9 o’clock, respectively, add to the striking look. A white opaline permanent seconds indicator is positioned at 6 o’clock.
On both versions, the applied rhodium-plated indexes and the rhodium-plated hour and minute hands are coated with white Super-LumiNova®, which offers outstanding legibility in all lighting conditions. The dial features a rhodium-plated TAG Heuer logo and is printed with the words “CARRERA HEUER 02 80 HOURS”. The highlight of this model is the aperture at 12 o’clock displaying the red date on a white background – a nod to the original Heuer 3147N “Dato 45”, the watch that inspired the new timepieces. The red date is complemented by a red lacquered central chronograph seconds hand and red motion lines in the 3 o’clock counter. The dial is protected by a domed and bevelled sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph has a stainless-steel screw-down case back engraved with the words “ONE OF 1860”, indicating its limited-edition status. Through the sapphire crystal on the case back, the Calibre Heuer 02 manufacture movement is on display with its specially dedicated 160th anniversary oscillating mass. This chronograph model is water-resistant to 10 bar (100 metres/330 feet), and is presented on a stainless-steel H-shaped bracelet with a folding clasp secured by double safety push-buttons. These outstanding limited-edition chronographs are delivered in a special box designed to celebrate TAG Heuer’s 160th anniversary.
Exceptional performance – and an 80-hour power reserve – with the Calibre Heuer 02 manufacture movement
The TAG Heuer Carrera line has always featured the brand’s most advanced watchmaking technology. The TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph Special Edition, along with all the redesigned 2020 TAG Heuer Carrera models, is powered by the Calibre Heuer 02 movement, visible through the transparent case back. This sophisticated in-house innovation is entirely Swiss-made in TAG Heuer’s Chevenez manufacture. This movement comprises 168 individual components, including a column wheel and a vertical clutch – signatures of improved chronograph timekeeping and high-quality manufacture movements – and boasts an impressive power reserve of 80 hours.
The thin movement allows for a thinner case design and improved wearer comfort.
The vertical clutch improves the precision of the chronograph start and stop functions as well as the running of the central chronograph seconds hand, which means that no time is lost when the chronograph is activated. And, with a column-wheel mechanism, the movement functions even more precisely – as is immediately apparent when the wearer uses the pushers.
A pillar of the brand’s collections since its creation in 1963, the original TAG Heuer Carrera was a high-precision “race-car dashboard for the wrist”, designed to meet the unique technical demands of the world’s top drivers – and to reflect their elegant style. Today, the new TAG Heuer Carrera collection is an authentic and contemporary tribute to this timeless icon, featuring an unprecedented level of luxury at the cutting edge of watchmaking innovation. Simple, refined and legible: rarely do aesthetics and functionality so flawlessly intermesh as with the new TAG Heuer Carrera chronographs.
The TAG Heuer Carrera: anatomy of a flagship
In 2020, TAG Heuer has taken the opportunity to celebrate not only a special anniversary but also to honour the memory of Jack Heuer and his proudest creation, the TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph. It was nearly 60 years ago that the brand’s CEO at the time heard about the Carrera Panamericana, an open-road border-to-border automobile race in Mexico, best remembered for its dangerous routes and daredevil drivers. Jack Heuer was attracted by the word carrera, which in Spanish can mean “road”, “race”, “career” and “course”. He knew that it was the perfect name for a robust, sporty chronograph, and, in 1963, the first TAG Heuer Carrera left the factory. It was Jack Heuer’s tour de force and remains a true TAG Heuer flagship model to this day.
TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 160 Years Special Edition Technical Specifications
TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 44 mm Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic
Reference CBN2A1D.BA0643
MOVEMENT
Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic
CASE
Diameter 44 mm
Polished and fine-brushed stainless-steel case
Black ceramic fixed tachymeter bezel
Domed and bevelled sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment
Stainless-steel crown at 3 o’clock
Stainless-steel screw-down sapphire caseback with special numbered limited-edition engraving
Special 160th anniversary oscillating mass
Water-resistant to 100 metres (10 bar)
DIAL
White circular brushed dial
3 counters:
– 3 o’clock: black “azurage” minute chronograph counter
– 6 o’clock: white opaline permanent seconds indicator
– 9 o’clock: black “azurage” hour chronograph counter
Rhodium-plated applied indexes with white Super-LumiNova®
Rhodium-plated hour and minute hands with white Super-LumiNova®
Red lacquered central hand
Rhodium-plated TAG HEUER applied logo
Date display at 12 o’clock
CARRERA HEUER 02 80 HOURS printing
BRACELET
Stainless-steel H-shaped bracelet
Stainless-steel folding clasp with double safety push buttons
Available from November 2020
TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 44 mm Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic
Reference CBN2A1E.BA0643
MOVEMENT
Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic
CASE
Diameter 44 mm
Polished and fine-brushed stainless-steel case
Blue ceramic fixed tachymeter bezel
Domed and bevelled sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment
Stainless-steel crown at 3 o’clock
Stainless-steel screw-down sapphire caseback with special numbered limited-edition engraving
Special 160th anniversary oscillating mass
Water-resistant to 100 metres (10 bar)
DIAL
Blue circular brushed dial
3 counters:
– 3 o’clock: white “azurage” minute chronograph counter
– 6 o’clock: blue opaline permanent seconds indicator
– 9 o’clock: white “azurage” hour chronograph counter
Rhodium-plated applied indexes with white Super-LumiNova®
Rhodium-plated hour and minute hands with white Super-LumiNova®
Red lacquered central hand
Rhodium-plated TAG HEUER applied logo
Date display at 12 o’clock
CARRERA HEUER 02 80 HOURS printing
BRACELET
Stainless-steel H-shaped bracelet
Stainless-steel folding clasp with double safety push buttons
Available from November 2020