Final Design- Carrera Calibre 1887
TAG Heuer has made some small- yet meaningful- changes to the design of the Carrera Calibre 1887 ahead of its release.
The first change is to the bezel, where following feedback from retailers, the tachymetre scale is dropped to give the watch a cleaner, “minimalist” look.
The second change is to the to the texture of the sub-dials, which on the Black Carrera 1887 shown at Baselworld had the same matte finish as the rest of the dial. TAG Heuer has now added the familiar subtle, circular patterning, providing greater differentiation between the dial and the sub-dial.
It should be noted that the White Carrera Calibre 1887 at Baselworld already had this patterning, so perhaps even in March TAG Heuer were considering changes to the final design.
While the sub-dial change is a subtle improvement that most won’t notice, the bezel change is far more significant and makes a real improvement to what was already an elegant design, making the dial appear larger.
Making small changes to watches that have been previewed are not unusual, for example back in February Calibre 11 posted about the changes made to the 40th Anniversary “Jack Heuer” Carrera between the time that it was first shown and when it went on sale, even if in that case they were not necessarily for the better.
The revised TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 will go on sale in September/ October in Asia and most of Europe, while other areas such as Spain and North America will have to wait until January 2011. Those in North America will be frustrated by having to wait a little longer, but a couple of months is a small price to pay for what is, in the end, a nicer watch.
See below for “before” and “after” photos of the Carrera 1887.
1) Change in Bezel
The Black TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 as seen at Baselworld in March 2010- followed by the final design.
2) Change to Sub-Dials
Detailed photo of the Baselworld Carrera sub-dial showing no change in texture between the dial and the sub-dial, followed by the final design.
i much prefer the old bezel, it was one of the nicest things on the new Carrera, the thin elegant tachy bezel.
now its more of a dress watch rather than a sports watch as it was meant to be.
How is one to use the tachymetre with out the bezel?
I really like the removal of the tachymeter scale. In the day and age of speedometers, tachys are rarely anything more than clutter. The Monaco doesn’t suffer from the lack of a tacky, er, tachy scale, and the Carrera 1887 looks like it benefits significantly from it’s removal. Good on TH for listening to it’s customers and retail partners.
Umm what good is a chronograph that does NOT have seconds indices on the small seconds register[register NOT "sub-dial" btw]
It is utterly useless as a tool.
Nice rip-off of the Speedy case lugs and bracelet.(edited by dc)
Interesting response to the changes, but here at at the message boards. There seem to be two views: 1) maybe the new bezel looks better (seems to be 80:20 in favour), but 2) concern that the watch is now less of a tool watch with the tachy scale/ seconds on the sub-dial.
Whether it looks better is subjective. Is this now less of a tool watch? maybe at the margins, but I don’t think it ever was a true tool watch- there are plenty of models in the Carrera range that have a tachy scale and are more for those looking to use the chrono.
I see similarities with this Carrera from the early 1960s:
Dean, the Speedie/ Carrera comparisons have always been there, but where you see a Speedie, most of us see lugs from the original 1964 Carrera.
dc
I REALLY REALLY hate it when the subdials (in this case, the small seconds subdial) do not have any kind of surface differentiation to stand out from the main dial surface. It really is a no-no and usually shows lack of sophistication. It really is one of my pet hates in watchmaking. At least TAG Heuer should use a small line to differentiate, or a different dial texture, or whatever…
To DC:
The Carrera chronograph, designed by Jack Heuer, was introduced in 1963.
The Omega Speedmaster Professional (Omega reference number: 3570.50.00), also referred to by Omega as the “Moonwatch”, is a manual winding chronograph introduced in 1957.
The Speedy came first.
It has a tachymetre.
Seeing as we’re on the Speedy, somebody really needs to take them to court for dishonest advertising:
Astronaut David Scott, commander of the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, wore a Waltham watch on his third lunar EVA when his standard Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph stopped fucntioning.
It is NOT “the only watch ever worn on the Moon.”
Heck there are still functioning Accutron timers up there still sending back info.
Yes, the Speedmaster did come before the Carrera. And before the Speedmaster was the Heuer Ref 2447 from the 1940s with the same lugs…and I’m sure that before that there was an Omega that also had the same design….
Either way, most Heuer fans have a lot of respect for the Speedmaster and after +45 years, I think its OK to say that modern TAG and Omega both draw from their own legitimate past and that the TAG Carrera of today is inspired by the Heuer Carrera of 1964 probably more than ripping off the Speedmaster of 1957.
And yes, agree that the whole “moon” thing is a bit tired.
Cheers
Want to have some fun? Go to Omega’s facebook page and mention that they are not the only one’s with a watch on the Moon; or better yet even mention another brand; go try it.
Any other brand.
Be forewarned tho; You’ll get a very nasty message and banned.
They won’t even let you type another brand’s name in a historical context.
Something Omega could learn from this very forum.
Hi Miguel, I guess they have tried to replicate the look of the Calibre 15
David
I like the changes, but I’ve still not convinced by the sub-dial layout.
The changes do make it look more like the 300SLR limited edition though, which I guess is a good thing.
As a chronograph, it’s just as useful with or without the tachy bezel IMHO.
I’ll be interested it see what it looks like up close, on a nice leather strap…
And here is the white dial/ leather strap version
Is the 1887 worth waiting for? As opposed to buying a Calibre 16 now.
Hard to be definitive GDM- if you like the current Calibre 16 Carrera, then grab that one now- am sure that you’ll get a good price. There is certainly nothing wrong with the Calibre 16 movement (ETA/ Valjoux 7750), but Calibre 1887 is a much newer design.
If it was me, I’d wait because I prefer the newer design and you get the bonus of the new movement, but it comes down to personal preference.
dc
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