TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36mm
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36mm was launched amidst the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Swiss marque’s motorsport-inspired watch. Meehna Goldsmith looks at this latest model, presented in four variants, perfectly suited to both male and female wrists.
TAG Heuer and motorsport
TAG Heuer has a long history with motorsports. When scant fractions of a second make the difference between claiming the chequered flag or not, precision timing is crucial. Today, the Swiss marque has several partnerships in place: TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Monaco Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix Historique.
When TAG Heuer released the Carrera in 1963, the model was a hit from the get-go and soon became a classic. The original Carrera featured a sexy angular case glinting with a diamond polished finish, along with prominent bevelled lugs. Obsessed with legibility, Heuer decided against a bezel to decrease clutter and open up the dial. To this day, the Carrera honours that heritage. You don’t go cross-eyed trying to decipher the information from the indicators. The watch maintains that bright, open feel that invites you in.
Almost exclusively, watches are designed and then given a name afterwards. While putting the cart before the horse is generally a bad tactic, it proved a wise decision with the Carrera. The evocative Carrera name finds its origins in an impromptu conversation. In 1962, Jack Heuer attended the ‘12 Hours Race’ at Sebring in Florida, a guest of the Sports Car Club of America.
While Heuer was at the track, he heard about a race called the Carrera Panamericana, once staged in Mexico during the 1950s. The race was cancelled in 1955 due to safety concerns. Nevertheless, the Spanish word ‘carrera’ meaning race, path or career, had a provocative ring to it, especially when pronounced correctly with that trilling “r” sound. Give it a try. Jack Heuer was captivated too. Upon returning to Switzerland, he registered the name ‘Heuer Carrera’. Could Heuer have known that some casual socialising at the track would ultimately lead to the creation of an icon?
The Heuer Carrera
Although the Carrera was conceived as a chronograph, the design proved so compelling that the brand expanded the line with the three-hander, removing the chronograph functions while retaining the defining legibility and racing codes. For the 60th anniversary of the Carrera, TAG Heuer presents a refreshed Carrera Date.
A new TAG Heuer Carrera Date
In a crisp and svelte 36mm stainless steel case, the TAG Heuer Carrera Date is a hat tip to the original which came in the same size. This latest rendition, however, offers a tuned-up movement and a striking range of dial colours, namely, Carrera signature blue, pastel green and a silky silver, all topped-off with a sunray-brushed finish. A dial in pink with a snail finish will follow in May.
The Carrera Date has a raised track around the outside of the dial, with quarter-of-a-second markers ‘that symbolize acceleration’. The markers on the Carrera Date possess a casual yet refined appearance, incorporating a tone-on-tone finish that contributes to the harmonious whole.
The hands and indexes found on each version of the Carrera Date are facetted and plated in 18K 5N rose-gold. The golden tones also extend to the TAG Heuer logo and the frame surrounding the date aperture at 6 o’clock. The forthcoming reference in vibrant pink eschews these golden shades in favour of silver hued hands, indexes, etc. To aid visibility when light is sparse, the dial glows courtesy of Super-LumiNova® applied to the hands and indexes.
Calibre 7
More than just decorative refinements, the Carrera Date also comes with additional updates as standard. The crown now sits flusher to the case, while the brushed and polished three-link bracelet tapers more naturally into the case. Although previous models carried the TAG Heuer Calibre 5 Automatic, which had a 38-hour power reserve, this model puts more juice in the tank with the automatic Calibre 7 that will run autonomously for 56 hours.
Universal appeal
The advent of the 21st century saw the arrival of oversized timepieces, a lot of which looked like flying saucers on the arm, especially for smaller-wristed folk. Sometimes it wasn’t clear if a person was wearing the watch, or the watch was wearing them. The TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36mm in stainless steel hits a sweet spot that will appeal to both men and women, while staying true to its ancestry. It also proves a fitting tribute to mark the Carrera’s 60th anniversary.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: TAG Heuer Carrera Date
- Reference: WBN2310.BA0001 (silver dial)
- Reference: WBN2311.BA0001 (blue dial)
- Reference: WBN2312.BA0001 (pastel green dial)
- Reference: WBN2313.BA0001 (vibrant pink dial)
- Case: steel, diameter 36mm, water resistance 10ATM (100 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition caseback
- Functions: hours, minutes, centre seconds, date
- Movement: Calibre 7 automatic, 25 jewels, power reserve 56 hours
- Bracelet: steel H-shape bracelet with steel folding clasp and double safety push buttons
- Price: £2,750 (RRP as of 24.4.2023)