Since its creation in 1963, the Carrera has constantly reinvented itself, finding its way in grand style through successive eras with style, classicism and modernity. The most recent variations are certainly not short on style, witness the new TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Automatic 39mm available in different versions, either all-steel or two-tone steel and pink gold or steel and yellow gold. With its pure design based on smooth, harmonious lines, this sophisticated and elegant model reveals its different facets in refined style, including through the 18-carat pink or yellow gold adorning the bracelet, bezel and crown of the two-tone Carrera models. The H-shaped bracelet, the signature of the Carrera collection, is an elegant combination of delicately satin-brushed gold and steel with meticulously polished edges.
Another interpretation of the iconic collection, the TAG Heuer Carrera Day-Date Automatic 41mm also elegantly illustrates the very essence of the Carrera legend. Refinement is taken to extremes thanks to the hour-markers, hands, date window and pink gold-toned logo delicately hand applied by the dial-making artisans of the Manufacture TAG Heuer. The now polished and satin-brushed hour-markers accentuate the contrast with the hands on this eminently readable dial – reflecting the DNA of the Carrera and a loyal tribute to the original design intended by Jack Heuer. The date window of which the edges are finely polished on top features a simultaneous day and date display function. The entirely polished case may be fitted with an ergonomic bracelet featuring H-shaped links, or an alligator strap for a more traditional look.
Carrera also embodies the quest for performance cherished by TAG Heuer. The TAG Heuer Carrera CMC Concept Chronograph has established itself as one of the most futuristic interpretations of the collection. Featuring a high-tech design, rugged sturdiness and extreme lightness, this featherweight 18-gram model pushes the boundaries of technology thanks to an innovative production procedure hitherto mainly used in Formula 1 and aeronautics. The case, caseback and bezel of the TAG Heuer Carrera CMC Concept Chronograph made of ultra-thin carbon fiber arranged according to an isotropic structure. Thanks to this reinforced carbon fiber measuring just 0.007 mm thick, the parts are made in 3D, heated and then compressed. By means of a chemical reaction, the initially soft and supple strata subsequently become extremely rigid. Such a production process enables in-depth work on details and affords an exceptional degree of precision, while also reducing geometry-related constraints. Bearing marked similarities to the famous Carrera Mikrogirder in terms of design, the case with its powerful lines houses Calibre 1887, the first very movement developed in-house by TAG Heuer and finalized in 2011, after four years of intensive research, to commemorate the brand’s 150th anniversary.
Adopting a “transgressive” approach, taking risks, defying traditions… TAG Heuer has perfectly understood that such is the price of making one’s mark on History. In that of watchmaking, 2004 proved a milestone with the launch of the Monaco V4 with its patented belt system that definitively established TAG Heuer’s status in the field of pure innovation. Ten years later, the revolution continues, for within a decade since the principle was first introduced, TAG Heuer has risen to the challenge of transporting the belt-driven system to a tourbillon. By far the most complex and most emblematic Haute Horlogerie mechanism, the tourbillon is a system regulating the rhythm of the oscillations of a watch. Traditionally, the effects of gravity are counteracted by placing the balance and the escapement within a rotating cage. The TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Tourbillon renders this system even more complex, since for the very first time, the tourbillon is driven by a micro-belt. The major advantage of this is that the belt driving the tourbillon cage serves to prevent any backlash and thereby guarantees its smooth rotation. The watch is also equipped with a linear automatic winding system and the weight glides along a straight rail inside of turning as is usually the case. With its four microscopic toothed belts (measuring no more than 0.07 mm wide), stemming from a development process and technology that remain one of the watch industry’s best-kept secrets, the movement proves extremely shock-resistant. Another world-first feature is that the barrels turn on ball bearings. The design of the Monaco V4 Tourbillon is also a tribute to the brand’s avant-garde spirit, since the case with its powerful lines is made from black titanium of a grade generally used in the aerospace industry. Once again, design meets technique in this stunning model.
Changing the game
The world leader in prestigious and high-end chronographs is the watch brand with the longest-standing legitimacy and legacy in F1 Motor Racing. TAG Heuer was for instance the first watch brand to sponsor a professional driver — Jo Siffert, 1969. In 1911, the Automobile Club de Monaco launched the Rallye de Monte-Carlo, the first event gathering drivers from all across Europe, at once to prove that steam or gas powered vehicles could successfully cross the continent in winter, and to showcase the final destination, the famous casino capital of Monte Carlo. That same year, TAG Heuer patented Time of Trip, the first 12-hour dashboard chronograph for cars and aircrafts. In the meantime the Automobile Club de Monaco became the governing body of the iconic Grand Prix event. In 2011 they signed a historic agreement making TAG Heuer the ACM’s Official Watch and Chronograph and Eyewear Partner of its most glamorous event: the Grand Prix of Monaco. As with all of TAG Heuer’s racing partnerships past and present, TAG Heuer is down in the pits and the paddocks, working side by side with the drivers and crews. The role TAG Heuer plays in Monaco is unparalleled in the Swiss watchmaking world. It has sponsored more first-placed Monaco drivers than any brand in history. TAG Heuer ambassadors who have crossed the checkered flag first at Monaco include Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Other playgrounds, other world famous sportsmen : last spring TAG Heuer was proud to announce the signing of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to a long-term partnership as a TAG Heuer Brand Ambassador. Two-time Ballon d’Or winner, Real Madrid forward and Captain of the Portugal football team for the coming World Cup in Brazil, Cristiano Ronaldo joins an illustrious roster of TAG Heuer sports stars and celebrities that includes film actors Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio, WTA tennis champion Maria Sharapova, Formula One World Champion Jenson Button, World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier and the entire crew of 2013 America’s Cup winner Oracle Team USA. “TAG Heuer is by far the best at what it does,” said Cristiano Ronaldo, “and has been for more than 150 years. No other luxury brand has such strong ties to the highest levels of sports. It is incredibly glamorous yet also so unconventional, and we share exactly the same determination : to totally change the game, push the limits and make our own rules. It is a great honor to be a part of such a powerful and pioneering legacy.”
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Automatic 39mm
Case : steel Diameter : 39 mm Movement : mechanical self-winding Functions : hours, minutes, central seconds, date Dial : opaline silver-toned Strap : brown alligator leatherWater resistance : 100m
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Automatic 39mm
Case : steel Diameter : 39 mm Movement : mechanical self-winding Functions : hours, minutes, central seconds, date Dial : black Bracelet : steel Water resistance : 100m
TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Day-Date
Case : steel Diameter : 41 mm Movement : mechanical self-winding Functions : hours, minutes, central seconds, date Dial : opaline silver-toned Strap : brown alligator leather Water resistance : 100m
TAG Heuer Carrera CMC Concept Chronograph
Case : ultra-light, Carbon Matrix Composite (CMC) Diameter : 45 mm Movement : mechanical self-winding, Calibre 1887 Functions : hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, tachometric scale Bracelet : alligator noir Water resistance : 100 m
TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Tourbillon
Case : black grade 5 titanium Dimensions : 41x41mm Movement : belt-driven tourbillon, 40h power reserve Functions : hours, minutes, seconds Strap : black alligator leather Water resistance : 50m
CARRERA “Dashboard” Calibre 1887 Chronograph
Case : polished, fine-brushed and sandblasted steel and titanium case, black titanium carbide coated steel fixed bezel, curved sapphire crystal, smoked sapphire case back, water-resistant to 100m Diameter : 45mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (manufacture calibre 1887, 50 h power reserve) Functions : hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, date Dial : black with sunray effect with 3 counters, polished hour and minute hands with luminescent markers, red chronograph second hand Strap : soft touch black alligator with red lining and black titanium Grade 2 folding clasp with safety push buttons
