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INTRODUCING: The TAG Heuer Carrera Collection

Nick Kenyon

It’s been a great year for new watches, and one of the biggest contributors to this slew of attractive wristwatches is TAG Heuer, who continue their run of strong releases in 2020. The latest release from the La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker is the TAG Heuer Carrera Collection, adding another feather to the Carrera cap after the announcements earlier this year of the TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph collection. But in a year when the Carrera collection has been such a focal point for the brand, what does this latest release offer?

The TAG Heuer Carrera Collection continues exploring the vision of blending the past and the present, vintage design cues with contemporary flair, but rather than the bold vitality of the Carrera Sport Chronograph collection, the Carrera Elegant collection is a sleek and refined expression of the same source DNA. You won’t find any utilitarian tachymeter bezels here – instead you’ll find a much more subtle thin steel bezel that serves up a much less imposing presence on the wrist.

Within the new range, there are three references with variously black, blue and anthracite dials, as well as a silver dial with rose gold dial furniture rounding out the line. All watches feature 42mm stainless steel cases, a diameter sweet spot for TAG Heuer that will sit snugly on almost all wrists. True to the Carrera heritage of this new range, the cases are defined by the sharply faceted lugs that, depending on the reference, gracefully taper into either a H-link steel bracelet or a brown alligator strap.

The dials of all four references are well balanced, with two chronograph sub-dials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, with a running seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock that has a date window neatly integrated within. The black and silver dials feature an almost liquid opaline finish, while the blue and anthracite dials are finished with a fine sunburst brushing.

An element that the TAG Heuer Carrera Collection finds itself in tandem with the Carrera Sport Chronograph collection is the minimal dial text, keeping much of the surface free for the different colours to play with the light, as well as offering a precisely lettered nod to the movement that powers both collections.

Within the four different references is the TAG Heuer in-house Heuer 02 movement, a caliber we are seeing more and more of this year. Featuring a column wheel and a vertical clutch, it offers a weekend-on-the-nightstand length of power reserve at 80 hours.

These newest members of the Carrera family offer a compelling package for those attracted to heritage-inspired chronographs but are looking for a subtlety of design that could be easily worn every day with a suit and tie. In true TAG Heuer style, the wheel hasn’t been reinvented with this collection, because it didn’t need to be. It carefully references the design of the coveted silver-dial Heuer Carrera from 1963, and brings it into the current century with contemporary sizing, a modern movement and a range of dial colours that are sure to be a hit.