Modern classics take inspiration from the past
Tag Heuer unveils new iconic models as it rolls back its overall catalogues
WHILE Tag Heuer has dropped many of its catalogues, there are still plenty of iconic models retained. And this year being the 60th anniversary of its Carrera motor racing line, the Swiss luxury watch brand has rolled out more than the usual share of new timepieces from the Carrera and other popular collections dear to Tag Heuer. These are only three of its 2023 novelties:
Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche (S$13,150 steel / S$33,550 rose-gold)
A celebration of both the Carrera and the Porsche 911’s sixth decade in business, this chronograph, the product of a Tag Heuer-Porsche collaboration formally sealed in 2021, bears elements from both the watch and the legendary German sports car.
Speed and precision meet on this new release, capturing the original Porsche 901’s remarkable feat of reaching 0-100 kmh in a mere 9.1 seconds. This is reflected in the Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche’s new in-house movement, built for precise measurement of short intervals. The central hand picks up speed swiftly, gradually easing over 60 seconds and quickly restarts.
The Porsche 901’s achievement is also recalled in the red lines on the flange framing the dial, a visual representation of speed and acceleration. The sub-dials display features that spark flashbacks to the iconic dashboard of the 1970s Porsche and the rich sports-car heritage.
The Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche comes in a 44 mm stainless steel or rose-gold case. Both models are paired with a calfskin leather strap, in black for the steel chronograph and brown for the gold watch. The straps are embossed with the original number “911”.
Carrera Skipper (S$9,650)
Few watch fans are aware that the Carrera collection, long associated with motor sport, once included a sailing watch. After all, the Skipper, as the chronograph was then called, last appeared in the collection in 1983 – precisely 40 years ago!
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Interest in the watch was revived in 2017 when Tag Heuer collaborated with watch specialist website Hodinkee to produce a run of 125 pieces of the Skipper.
While the new Skipper is technically bang up to date, its look harks back to the original model which TAG Heuer produced in 1967 to celebrate the win of the boat Intrepid in America’s Cup that year.
The first Skipper had a 30-minute sub-dial, which was adapted to countdown the 15-minute regatta pre-start in three five-minute segments. Each of these segments was a different colour – orange to alert that there was just five minutes to go; green was the colour of the boat’s rigging; and light teal replicated the colour of Intrepid’s deck.
The new Skipper revisits this distinctive and colourful livery. Its 39 mm steel case holds a brushed dial in Carrera signature blue with sharply contrasting sub-dials – the 12-hour counter being “Intrepid teal” and the 15-minute regatta having segments in Intrepid teal, green and orange.
The chronograph, which comes with a blue textile band, is powered by an automatic movement with bi-directional winding. The movement has a power reserve of 80 hours.
Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph for Only Watch
In its fifth contribution to the biennial Only Watch charity auction (which happens on Nov 5) to raise money for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Tag Heuer continues to use it as a launching pad for its next big thing – this time the brand’s first ever mechanical split-seconds chronograph wrist-watch.
Encased in titanium and sapphire in Tag Heuer’s iconic race model, the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph boasts a century-rich chronograph heritage and a production team legendary in watch-making. Led by visionary watchmaker Carole Kasapi, the team has breathed new life into the famous round dial in a square case construction, playing on light to create a stunning crystalized effect. The 41 mm case’s surface hardness has also been enhanced for improved scratch resistance.
The sapphire case-back offers a view of the brand’s new “groundbreaking” movement, crafted totally in titanium. The automatic movement, the lightest chronograph movement Tag Heuer has built so far, is capable of measuring two separate time intervals concurrently.
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