An iconic car and a famous race – Both are materialised in the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana!
The TAG Heuer Carrera is one of the most iconic chronographs on the market today. Its roots go back to 1963 when a young Jack Heuer got the inspiration a year earlier to create the Heuer Carrera from the gruelling race that is the Carrera Panamericana, ironically where the Porsche Carrera’s name was also inspired. For those that may not be aware of the history of the Carrera, our Watch Education article on the history of the Carrera is worth a read!
As for the race itself, the Carrera Panamericana is a race that initially started in 1950, and spanned over 3,000 km from Mexico’s Northern to Southern borders. It was known for its hard nature of racing, pushing the cars and drivers to their limits and was eventually cancelled after five years due to safety concerns. However, the race was brought back in 1988, re-launched and still running today. So where does the Porsche Carrera fit in? Well, in the 1954 running of the Carrera Panamericana, a Porsche 550 Spyder, driven by Hans Herrmann, clinched a class victory, and to celebrate, Porsche adopted the name for its higher spec cars, fitting as Carrera is Spanish for “Race”.
Fast forward to today, and the TAG Heuer Carrera has become an icon of the watch world, synonymous with racing, which we will see more of as of next year when TAG Heuer takes over as the official timekeeper of the Formula 1 from Rolex. What’s more, the association with Porsche is a strong one since both share the Carrera name and with many releases prior to this, it comes as no surprise that TAG Heuer x Porsche launches this new watch to coincide with the 2024 La Carrera Panamericana, where TAG Heuer is the official timekeeper of the week-long race, happening right now until the 17th October.
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Housed in the 42mm Carrera case, the same as the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche, TAG Heuer has given this piece a few upgrades compared to the last few Porsche collab models. In the new Carrera Chronograph, we have an open-worked dial whose shape is inspired by the Porsche 550 Spyder’s racing wheels, and the way the light hits the facets of the dial is reminiscent of the bodywork of the 550 Spyder.
The case is made from stainless steel and is fine-brushed, and the side of the case showcases the engraved “Spyder” logo on the side, done in a similar font used by Porsche in the 1950s. Measuring 49.7mm lug-to-lug and 15.1mm thick, in my opinion, makes for a good-looking and wearing chronograph, having worn the Chronosprint x Porsche for a while and looked right at home on my 17.5cm wrist.
In addition to the Spyder logo, there are plenty of other tributes to the Porsche 550 Spyder. The colour scheme on the TAG Heuer Carrera is inspired by the original 1954 race car, which was predominantly silver, but had pops of yellow over it. TAG Heuer has taken this as inspiration and infused this into the new Carrera Panamericana, namely on the lacquered hands and leather strap.
As with the new line of TAG Heuer Carreras, this piece has the vintage style “Glassbox” crystal encasing the dial. It blends seamlessly with the case, and covers a highly readable flange which is angled to be amplified by the crystal’s curvature – an innovation we saw when the new style Carrera was launched at 2023’s Watches & Wonders. It’s a nice touch, and I can vouch for the way these new styles of chronographs read, especially from an angle.
The movement in the new TAG Heuer Carrera has been given some additional boost with the TH20-09 automatic Tourbillon in-house calibre. Delivering 65 hours of power, the TH20-09 is COSC, so it’s highly reliable and accurate and beats away at 4Hz / 28,800 Vph, with the Tourbillon at 6 o’clock spinning around every 60 seconds. To keep with the motorsport theme and previous TAG Heuer x Porsche models, the oscillating rotor is in the shape of a steering wheel, enhancing the ties TAG Heuer has with racing.
Initial Thoughts
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana looks the business. I’m somewhat of a sucker for a sporty watch that has black and yellow elements, especially if it is done in the right amounts, which in this case, it is. The balance of the open-worked dial in the silver and greys blended with the black outer track and hands with the pops of yellow really stands out, and the black racing-style leather strap with the inner lining done in yellow compliments this aesthetic nicely.
While the purists will say 42mm is large and will prefer the 39mm case size, I say this is all about perspective, as well as your wrist size. For me, the 39mm Carrera does wear well, but to my eye, is on the smaller side for my personal tastes, whereas the 42mm Carrera seems to fit me better and looks more in proportion thanks to the case design. But as I’ve said previously, this is all subjective and comes down to what you prefer, so why not try it on for yourself? it’s the only way to know for sure…
Reference: CBS5012.FC6571 – Limited to 255 pieces worldwide
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 42mm diameter, 49.7 mm lug-to-lug and 15.1mm thick
- Case Material: Steel brushed and polished case with “Spyder” logo on the case side
- Case back: Steel screw-down with sapphire caseback
- Dial: Silver skeleton dial, Rhodium plated & facetted, polished applied indexes with Rhodium plating. Polished hour and minute hands with white Super- LumiNova® and Yellow lacquered central hand
- Crystal: Glassbox domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment
- Water resistance: 100m / 10bar
- Movement: In-house Calibre TH20-09 Automatic Tourbillon. 28,800 VpH (4hz) pivoting on 33 Jewels
- Power reserve: 65 Hours
- Strap: Black perforated calfskin leather strap, with yellow lining & sides with a fine brushed, polished steel folding clasp with double safety push-buttons
Australian Recommended Retail Price: AUD $53,300
Availability: Available now through TAG Heuer boutiques and online at tagheuer.com and limited to 255 pieces worldwide.
