Celebrity watch challenge – do you pick the black or blue TAG Heuer Glass Box Carrera Chronograph?
Fergus NashBlue or black is an age-old formalwear quandary that can divide any demographic, but the choice between colour or monochrome also extends to some of the most popular sports watch dials. With the release of the new TAG Heuer Glass Box Carrera Chronograph, the debate continues between the reverse panda configuration and the blue dial, but it’s not just as simple as a colour change. At the launch of TAG Heuer’s short film The Chase for Carrera starring Ryan Gosling and Vanessa Bayer in London, Andrew went person to person to settle things with a vote.
The latest iteration of the long-storied Carrera is based somewhat on the reference 2447 NS from the late 1960s, although it has been given a thorough reinvention from the ground up. Instead of just a one-for-one reissue, the TAG Heuer Glass Box Carrera Chronograph contains elements of vintage essence while being integrated with contemporary styles. The bezel is one of the most intriguing components, with a domed tachymeter below the sapphire crystal and a cascading slope down to the dial, printed with chronograph markers and embedded with applied hour blocks.
Both the blue and the black variations have a circularly-brushed dial, however it’s a much more subtle effect on the black dial. It almost looks like a gloss finish there, and to reinforce the look of vintage traditionalism the hands are filled with creamy lume and the date window has been moved to 12 o’clock. That does mean that it’s harder to read the date when the chronograph hand is resting at 12, but it’s not the worst of inconveniences. The blue dial is much flashier, and the brushing really brings out a sparkling gradient of blue hues in a spectacular way. The movement is the TAG Heuer TH20-00, an in-house calibre with 80 hours of power reserve and a 4Hz beat rate.