The automotive world has always shared many aspects with the world of hands. Just think of how critically important chronographs were on the wrists of drivers from the early 1960s so that they could time their laps around the track.
From that period forward, there were multiple maisons that began to develop cutting-edge solutions aimed at finding the absolute best performing chronograph so that it could be a highly accurate instrument for pilots.
Among these, it is certainly worth mentioning one of the most historic of all Swiss maisons, namely TAG Heuer, which embarked on the journey in search of the highest performing chronograph in 1963 with the launch of Jack Heuer’s famous Carrera chronograph.
From there on, the resonance of the “Heuer” name within the world of four-wheel racing was so high that the house became the official sponsor of several races and racing teams.
The prestige gained by the Swiss maison through the production of high-performance watches with timeless looks has also enabled TAG Heuer to forge a strong partnership in 2021 with one of the world’s most famous and prestigious automakers, Porsche.
Today, to celebrate this partnership that aims to showcase the history, quality, innovation, and prestige of both houses, TAG Heuer and Porsche present the new Carrera Chronosprint in two different versions.
So what can I tell you IWS friends…fasten your seat belts and let’s catapult full speed inside this article to find out the details of the new Chronosprints.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche
Since its creation in 1963, the TAG Heuer Carrera has always been a timeless and unique-looking watch with within it encapsulated all the features inspired directly by the world of motor racing.
This year, on the occasion of its 60th anniversary, Tag Heuer decided to introduce a new version of its chronograph, the Glassbox. One of the most successful new releases of the year in our opinion. The revamped design breathed new life into the iconic Tag Heuer house model.
Now TAG Heuer brings us two new Chronosprint Carrera variants in collaboration with Porsche.
A chronograph watch that comes in two different variants, both with 42mm cases, made of steel and 18K rose gold, respectively.
The first detail that makes the collaboration obvious is the “Porsche” inscription on the periphery of the dial above which are the chronograph seconds shown by the central hand.
One of the special features of this new watch lies just inside the chronograph mechanism, which, when operated by means of the pulsate at two o’clock on the right side of the case, will start the central chronograph seconds hand.
This, unlike traditional chronographs, will be faster for the first 9.1 seconds and then go into gradual deceleration at the stroke of the 10-second chronograph and restart quickly again after striking the 60-second minute.
The choice to create this “accelerated effect” of the chronograph seconds was not entirely accidental. To be precise, in fact, the 9.1 seconds that the chronograph makes faster, marked by the red lines on the flange, comes from the exact same time that the first Porsche Carrera in history, the 901, took to make a 0-60 mph sprint.
Thanks to this first detail, the inspiration from the world-famous German supercar turns out to be not at all left to chance. Therefore, we could say that Tag Heuer, with this small, albeit quite unique detail, wanted to celebrate the history of one of the greatest undisputed icons of the motoring world.
As a reminder of the first model of the Porsche 911, launched in 1963 as the first Heuer Carrera, we also find an additional detail that is truly noteworthy. Looking at the chorographic counter at 6 o’clock, in fact, we can see the reference to the iconic Porsche dashboard of the 1970s, with a red highlighted area near the number 50, i.e., the speed limit allowed in urban areas.
Another element that brings a piece of Porsche’s world history back to the wrist of the wearer of the new Chronosprint is the chronograph counter at 9 o’clock where a red stripe is shown indicating the critical engine rpm limit beyond which damage can occur.
Obviously, the choice of placing the beginning of that limit near the number 6.8 is no accident. This is the 6800-rpm limit provided for the engine limiter on the first 911 in history.
Complementing the silver dial of the steel case version and the beige dial of the rose gold case version, we find the date window at 6 o’clock as well as the iconic “Carrera” inscription at 12 o’clock above the Heuer house emblem. Protecting the dials of both models we find the new curved domed crystal “glassbox” crystal, which pays homage to the domed hexalite crystal models of the 1970s.
Redesigned to have a curve that flows seamlessly over the flange, this glass runs along the edge of the dial merging with the case and resulting in one with it.
Powering the two new watches is the innovative automatic caliber TH20-08, which is a new interpretation of the in-house TH20 caliber launched at the Watches & Wonders 2023 exhibition. This movement, designed for precise measurements of short time intervals, fully mirrors the Porsche 901’s acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds.
Thanks to this special mechanism with two snail-shaped wheels that create a deceleration movement for the central hand, it is able to accelerate rapidly, decelerate gradually over 60 seconds, and restart quickly.
Observable through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback of both versions, the movement is also reminiscent of the world of four wheels thanks to the oscillating weight that recalls the steering wheel shapes of 1960s Porsches.
To complete the references to the world of Porsche supercars, the straps of both versions are branded with the “911” sign.
Price
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche in steel will be sold at a list price of EUR 9,450; the rose gold version, however, at a list price of EUR 23,900.
Final thought
With this watch Tag Heuer wanted to pay tribute to one of the most fascinating cars of all time. Whether or not you are a lover of the world of four wheels, you can never remain indifferent to the passing of a 911 on the street, especially from the past.
So I find it really ingenious to create a model that holds within it part of the history of a great automobile, along with the whole history of one of the most beautiful chronographs of all time.
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