Channelling the Roadmaster – the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa
Nina Scally- TAG Heuer, Team Ikuzawa, and Bamford Watch Department reunite for a second collaboration limited to just 150 pieces.
- The watch reinterprets the 39mm Carrera Glassbox with a white Clou de Paris dial inspired by the 1970s Team Ikuzawa Roadmaster stopwatch.
- Powered by the TH20-10 manufacture movement, it drops the running seconds hand, leaving room for a clean, sponsor-style layout at 6 o’clock.
When Jack Heuer first put pencil to paper in 1963 to draft the Carrera, he was engineering an instrument built entirely around the concept of legibility. Fresh off hearing white-knuckle stories about the notoriously dangerous Carrera Panamericana border-to-border rally across Mexico, this mechanical chronograph had to be different. It had to be built for survival.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Japan, Tetsu Ikuzawa was busy forging a legendary motorsport legacy of his own. Pushing open-wheel racers and Porsches around Japanese circuits with an aggressive, razor-sharp driving style, he became the undisputed king of the golden era of Japanese motorsport during the 1970s and 80s. Decades later, his daughter, Mai Ikuzawa, took the wheel, completely transforming Team Ikuzawa into a cultural platform that bridged track heritage and modern luxury.
Following the runaway success of the collaboration’s first joint release in 2023 with the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa by Bamford (honouring Tetsu Ikuzawa’s racing colours, packaged with a miniature Porsche 906 model), TAG Heuer and Mai have teamed up once again, alongside longtime friend of the brand George Bamford. Together, they deliver chapter two: the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa.
The physical foundation for this release is the 39mm steel Glassbox case that TAG Heuer introduced for the Carrera’s 60th anniversary. Personally, I think it remains one of the smartest case designs in contemporary watchmaking. By doing away with a traditional bezel and extending a domed sapphire crystal right over the edge of the case, the black flange with its 60-second scale curves upward right beneath the glass. This bezel-free construction gives you an uninterrupted view of the dial from virtually any angle, tipping a hat to Jack Heuer’s original mandate for instant legibility. Meanwhile, the finely brushed and polished stainless steel case with classic round pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock is paired with a crown featuring a subtly red-lacquered ring.
This three-way collaboration digs deep into the Team Ikuzawa archives, drawing visual inspiration directly from a specific piece of timing hardware: the Roadmaster handheld stopwatch. Throughout the 70s and 80s, the Roadmaster was defined by its high-contrast graphics, which could be easily read amidst the greasy, fast-paced chaos of a pit garage. To translate that into something wrist-worthy with a robust feel, the dial’s typography needed some rejigging, which is where Bamford comes into the mix. Globally revered for their bespoke customisation work, they have an influence palpable throughout the design, evident in the bold black-printed numeral indexes, which replace the traditional applied metal markers of the classic Carrera DNA.
One interesting feature of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa, however, is the crisp white Clou de Paris hobnail pattern, which graces the dial’s surface, giving the white surface a tactile depth that invites the light to come and play. Colour has a starring role here, too, leaning heavily on the red-and-white identity that has defined Team Ikuzawa since day one. A bright red lacquered finish coats the hour and minute hands, as well as the central chronograph seconds hand. The dual-register dial layout offers a striking symmetry, with a red-printed minute counter at 3 o’clock balanced by a 9 o’clock hour counter with a black-printed scale and a red lacquered hand. Even the rectangular date window at 6 o’clock is a bespoke affair, displaying its numerals in Team Ikuzawa’s distinctive shade of red.
Perhaps the most compelling design choice sits right above the date window, where the Team Ikuzawa logo replaces what would traditionally be the running small seconds sub-dial. If you look back at motorsport chronographs from the golden era, Jack Heuer frequently left negative space on the dial for sponsor logos and partner insignias (also known as double-signed dials). By omitting the small seconds indicator in this new model, tradition is restored. The result is undeniably spacious and instrument-like.
All this symmetrical beauty required a mechanical tweak. Underneath the custom-printed sapphire caseback, stamped with dedicated Team Ikuzawa and Bamford Watch Department text, beats the automatic Calibre TH20-10 manufacture movement – a clever evolution of TAG Heuer’s modern in-house chronograph architecture. Modified to run without a sub-seconds wheel at 6 o’clock, it features bi-directional automatic winding, a robust 80-hour power reserve, and a buttery-smooth column-wheel and vertical clutch engagement. Surrounding the sapphire exhibition window is the individual 150-piece limited-edition serial number engraved into the steel.
Versatility is built right into the core of the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa. The watch comes mounted on a classic seven-row stainless steel bracelet featuring alternating brushed and polished links, with a double-safety push-button folding clasp. Swap the straps over, however, and you can shift its character instantly. The set includes two fantastic extra options: first, a white perforated leather strap with contrasting red stitching and a red lining that instantly mimics vintage driving gloves. Second, a bold white textile strap that features red stripes directly referencing Team Ikuzawa’s historic racing livery. Unboxing the watch is just as delightful, since each watch arrives packaged in an exclusive red metal case modelled after pit-lane toolboxes, complete with a zip travel pouch and custom Team Ikuzawa key charms.
When a watchmaker hands the keys to a team that actually lives and breathes racing heritage, and to a customisation specialist like George Bamford, what unfolds is a timepiece that looks and feels like racing paraphernalia. The trio has created a limited edition that strikes a balance between nostalgic motorsport culture and serious contemporary Swiss watchmaking. Given the fervent cult followings behind both Team Ikuzawa and the Carrera Glassbox, the 150-piece limited-edition TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa is sure to find homes with collectors in short order.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa price and availability
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa is limited to 150 individually numbered pieces worldwide and available to purchase from late July 2026 through select TAG Heuer boutiques and authorised retailers. Price: €10,450/US$10,500/£8,850
| Brand | TAG Heuer |
| Model | Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa |
| Reference | CBS221M.EB0435 |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | White Clou de Paris |
| Bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet with additional white leather and white textile |
| Movement | Calibre TH20-10, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 80 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, chronograph, date |
| Availability | Limited to 150 pieces |
| Price | €10,450/US$10,500/£8,850 |