Five weeks out from the first watch show of 2013, we can bring you this sneak preview of TAG Heuer’s 2013 Carrera. The Carrera was first introduced in 1963, meaning that next year marks the model’s 50th anniversary…a great excuse for a commemorative edition or two.
And the good news is that despite being an opportunity to celebrate the brand’s past, the first of the new models is anything but retro, as you can see from the teaser image below.
So, what can we work out from this shadowy image?
Case Design
The most obvious feature of the 2013 Carrera is that the watch appears to use a “bullshead” chronograph layout (where the crown and chronograph pushers are positioned on the top of the case) of 2012’s Mikrogirder (see below).
Given the great reaction to the Mikrogider, it would be fantastic to see the style used on a more mainstream model. The design merges a traditional circular stopwatch and the classic Carrera case to create a unique and harmonious design.
Dial
The dial on the new watch is made of two elements- a lighter silver/ white inner circle and a darker outer circle. The dial appears to share some of the design elements of the 80th anniversary Jack Heuer Carrera (above), including the red hands.
Movement
The only clue to the movement inside this 2013 Carrera is that the dial has (at least) two registers- 3 and 6 o’clock. This is a different layout to the Mikrogirder, and while nothing is confirmed, I understand that the new watch has a traditional movement, rather than the haute horlogerie Mikrogider movement. It could be the Calibre 17 (as per the Jack Heuer 80th Birthday Carrera), the new Calibre 1888 or perhaps a reconfigured Calibre 1887.
Pulsometre Scale
One feature that I wouldn’t have expected to see on a modern TAG Heuer is the Pulsometre scale, a scale used on many of the famous 1970s Heuer Chronographs (such as the Heuer Montreal above). Mark Moss wrote a great article late last year about the different scales that you see on watches, which you can read here.
Geneva Launch
The first of TAG Heuer’s 2013 Carrera’s will be launched at the Geneva Exhibition from 21 January 2013. If indeed this watch is a more affordable and conventional version of the TAG Heuer Mikrogirder, then it’s hard to think of a better way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of TAG Heuer’s most important chronograph.
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