BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
After releasing a bunch of 44mm sporty Carrera chronograph watches recently, TAG Heuer is back with another fresh installment of Carrera chronographs. Featuring a more compact steel case and a variety of elegant sunburst dials, these new watches bring a dressy flair to the Carrera line up.
The new Carrera chronograph watches draw heavy inspiration from the original Heuer Carrera released in 1963. The dial has been cleanly executed with minimum clutter and text to ensure optimum legibility. The chronograph functions have been laid out using two nicely sunken sub-registers at 3 and 9, to give the dial a balanced look. There are four colorways on offer: blue, black, silver, and anthracite, and each variation comes with a nice sunburst finish that looks graceful and offers a nice contrast to the elegant looking baton-style polished hands and applied hour markers. While the face of the new Carrera 42’s is quite refined and sophisticated, there are some sporty touches as well. First up is the printed cross-hair pattern above the date window at 6, which looks a little quirky and has been used to implement the running second’s function. Next is the usage of luminous material on the hands as well as the indices to ensure low light visibility.
The case on the new TAG Heuer Carrera chronographs has been crafted from stainless steel and measures a modest 42mm in diameter. The case design looks familiar and has a nice rounded shape supported by chunky faceted lugs that lend the watch a nice masculine and retro vibe. The right side of the case is flanked by a nicely knurled crown at 3, and two pump-style pushers at 2 and 4, which are quite reminiscent of the pushers found on the 1963 Carrera. The case is water-resistant to a healthy 100 meters.
At the helm of these new watches is TAG Heuer’s modern manufacture caliber, Heuer 02. A column-wheel based automatic chronograph movement, the Heuer 02 runs at 4Hz and offers an autonomy of around 80 hours. The movement can be viewed through the exhibition case back and has been nicely decorated using Geneva stripes and an automotive-inspired skeletonized oscillating weight.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera 42mm sports chronograph watches are available to purchase on either a brown alligator strap (anthracite and silver dial) or a stainless-steel bracelet (Blue and Black dial). The retail price has been set at USD 5,350.
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