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.
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The much talked-about TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 will finally be unveiled at Basel tomorrow. The new model is a successful evolution of the exiting Carrera CV2017, and of course is fitted with TAG Heuer’s new movement.
Of course, there is a separate and very interesting story to the Calibre 1887 itself, but for now let’s focus on the watch itself.
At launch there are two models available- white (CAR2111) and black (CAR2110) dial, both available with either a leather strap or a bracelet.
The first thing that you notice about the watch is how clean and simple the dial looks- this is a very classical watch without any gimmicks.
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The re-editions of the Heuer Carrera are generally considered to be the best executed of the various classic Heuer watches bought back to life by TAG Heuer. The Carrera re-edition of 1996 was the first attempt by TAG Heuer to tap into the Heuer heritage and was successful in bringing the Monaco, Autavia, and soon the Silverstone, to a new generation of TAG Heuer collectors.
Of the various Carrera re-edition models, perhaps the most sought-after is the Carrera 1964 limited edition (Ref. CV2117), known as the Jack Heuer 40th anniversary Carrera. The 40th anniversary Carrera was announced at Baselworld in 2005 to mark the 40th anniversary of the first Heuer Carrera, which was released in 1964.
Named after the famous “Le Carrera Panamericana Rally” that was held from 1950-54, the Carrera (Spanish for “Race”) was the first Heuer model with its own model name.
The 40th anniversary watch was available as a limited edition of 1964 watches and was engraved on the back with ‘Carrera 1964 – 2004, 40 years of legend’ and the signature of Jack Heuer. The watch came with a black 20mm leather rally-style strap on a deployment clasp.
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Update
Looking for the review of the Carrera Calibre 1887? Click here
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The first photo of the Calibre 1887 powered Carrera is out a few weeks ahead of Baselworld 2010.
TAG Heuer have been in touch to say that there was a mix up with the embargo dates for the photos of the Carrera Calibre 1887 and so have asked all websites to take down the images. So, if you didn’t get a chance to read the story earlier this morning, sorry…but you ‘ll have to wait another couple of weeks to see the new Carrera.
In the meantime, to read more about what to expect from TAG Heuer at Basel in March, click here.
A while back I posted the official TAG Heuer launch image of the new Carrera Day Date Carbon Fibre/ Titanium watch- and now here are some photos of the watch out in the wild. This is the same as the Limited Edition version of the Carrera Day/ Date launched for the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix, but with more appealing red accents rather than green.
The titanium version of the usual steel Carrera Day/ Date features a carbon-fibre look dial and the Calibre 16 movement (ETA/Valjoux 7750).The 43mm titanium case has a brushed finish and weighs in about 20 grams lighter than the standard version- safe to say that the benefits of titanium are aesthetic rather than to save weight.
The band has the basket-weave look of Carbon Fibre, but is actually standard calfskin leather that has been treated to give it a distinctive look.
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The Ennstal Classic was first held in Austria in 1993 as a rally for classic cars made before 1972. The rally allows drivers to tackle the beautiful and challenging mountains and valleys in the Dachstein-Tauern region of Austria, and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the premier European classic car rallies.
TAG Heuer was an original sponsor of the event and issued a Carrera to the winners and notable participants. While these were generally standard production watches, TAG Heuer did make a special limited edition Carrera for the 2005 event.
On the left is the 2005 Ennstal Classic TAG Heuer Carrera. Only 50 watches were made, making it one of the rarest of the Carrera line since its re-introduction in 1997.
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Back to the world of modern TAG Heuer watches, below is a photo of the new TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Day/ Date “Carbon Fibre”- essentially this is the same as the Singapore Limited Edition, but with more tasteful red highlights instead of Green and a nicer looking strap. The dial has a carbon-fibre finish, which is tough to see in the photo below, but looks pretty good.
Another reason to reconsider that Carrera Calibre 360 purchase…
Last year TAG Heuer released a limited edition Grand Carrera for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix- which was also the first ever race to be held at night. Singapore has been a strong market for limited edition watches, with TAG Heuer, Sinn and others releasing Singapore-only models
The 2008 watch (pictured right) sold out quickly, but the black and green colour combination looked a little odd, albeit distinctive.
With the 2009 Singapore race coming up, TAG have tried again and this time with much more success. Photos of the new model on the next page
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This is the new TAG Heuer Carrera with the Calibre 5 movement (ETA 2824-2). The design is heavily influenced by the Calibre 1 Limited Edition manual wind watch that was released last year- both watches sharing the clous de Paris marking on the dial.
While I normally prefer Chronographs over a standard watch, the new Calibre 5 is a nice design- I like the elongated hour batons and the unsual date window and its not too big at 39mm. The watch comes in black and a brown dial- black is the one to have. Not sure about the bracelet either- this one would look better on a rally-style leather strap.
Larger photo of the Calibre 5 duo on the next page
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Nice looking box…only available in Portugal. Any guesses?
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In 2006 TAG Heuer released four limited edition Carrera 360 models- White Gold, Rose Gold, Stainless steel and black PVD. The watches marked a turning point for TAG in the development of its own in house movements. Although based on an ETA movement, TAG developed a complex chronograph module that achieves 360,000 vibrations per hour, 10 times of the El Primero movement and allowing timing to 1/100 of a second. So a real landmark watch, and at a real landmark price for TAG- between $12,000 and $25,000 depending on the model- serious cash for any watch and well above the price of most Tag’s.
Fast forward to late 2008 and TAG released a Day/ date Carrera that borrows heavily in style from the Calibre 360- same Arabic numerals, similar case style and similar crown.
This is by no means unusual and generally works well- the hardcore and wealthy enthusiast gets the first sight of new technology and the latest shape, while the rest of us wait a couple of years and then get a reasonably priced version of these halo watches. The benefit for TAG is also clear, as they are able to showcase their latest materials and technology while at the same time establishing the brand at higher price points, which seems to be the aim of every watch brand these days.
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Cheers Arno
