Over the years, TAG Heuer has introduced a bevy of variations on its flagship watch model, the Carrera, but none quite so avant-garde as the one the Swiss brand introduced this week at Baselworld 2015. The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01 — a new take on the classic Carrera design that TAG Heuer says will represent the backbone of the collection going forward.
Of course, “backbone” could be considered a pun in this case, because the ticking heart of the new Carrera — which the brand has dubbed Caliber Heuer 01 — is a partially skeletonized evolution of the brand’s in-house chronograph movement, Caliber 1887. The “Heuer,” of course, comes from the name of company founder Edouard Heuer, while the “01” designation marks it as the first of a new generation of movements.
Among the new elements that distinguish the Heuer 01 from its 1887 base are an openworked date disk on the dial side (visible in a window with red border), a bold red column wheel visible on the back side, a skeletonized chronograph bridge and a blackened, openworked rotor. The movement (which TAG Heuer boldly asserts is the only manufacture chronograph movement on the market that can be had in a watch costing less than 5,000 Swiss francs; see below for price) holds a power reserve of 50 hours. The movement’s chronograph functions are arranged in a tricompax display on the skeleton dial: chronograph minutes counter on a subdial at 12 o’clock, hours counter at 6 o’clock, and small seconds at 9 o’clock.
It’s not just the movement that’s evolved, however: the case of the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01 is also new — made of titanium for greater shock resistance and built in a modular construction rather than the monobloc construction of previous versions. The advantage, says TAG, is that it opens up a greater range of possibilities to use different materials, colors, treatments and finishes on the various separate components, which include the lugs, bezel, case middle, caseback, crown, push-buttons and even the gaskets in between parts. The watch’s perforated racing-style leather strap, with deployant buckle and safety buttons, evokes the Carrera model’s origins in the world of motorsports.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01 will retail for $4,900.
We at WatchTime got a chance to see the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01 up close at Baselworld. Scroll down to see some photos of the watch taken on the scene by our colleague Rob Velasquez.
Compared to other skeletonized watches, it is quite affordable I must say.
Thanks a lot for those lovely pictures!
What’s going-on inside the date display?!