SPORTING HERITAGE

With this chronograph that can be worn just as easily at work or in the gym, TAG Heuer is continuing the tradition of watches linked to motor racing. Start her up!

The spirit of competition is always much in evidence at TAG Heuer. With the Carrera 16 Calibre Chronograph, unveiled during Baselworld, the brand is maintaining the legend of the original model, 55 years after it was launched on the watchmaking world. This timepiece has several sports-style elements with a well-chosen range of colours to add dynamism to the dial. The dial itself has a classic layout, like the split-time measurements set in the traditional way using monopushers. The results are displayed in hour and minute sub-dials at 12 and 6 o’clock, respectively. The second hand is in the centre. The dial also features a running seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock and a date counter at 3 o’clock.

To show off its characteristic style, two versions of the Carrera 16 Calibre Chronograph are available. One comes with a black dial, combined with a black leather strap recalling the traditional perforated gloves once worn by motor-racing drivers. The other blends the blue dial with a steel strap featuring a folding clasp.

Price: 3,800 EUR (leather) – 3,950 EUR (steel) tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

A CELEBRATION WITH THE SIGN OF THE VIPER

On the eve of its 55th anniversary, the Carrera has donned a midnight blue ceramic coat and includes on the mechanism the prestigious “Tête de Vipère“ (Viper’s Head) seal issued by the Besançon Observatory, a guarantee of precision and high quality.

The Carrera chronograph is the work of one man, Jack Heuer, the great-grandson of the founder of TAG Heuer (the brand was set up in 1860) and a big fan of motor racing. In 1963, five years after joining the firm, Heuer designed a watch adapted to motor racing, and which was worn by a large number of drivers: the Carrera. In 2018, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of a legendary watch that is now a star of the brand’s collectors’ catalogue, TAG Heuer has introduced a contemporary version with a sophisticated mechanism called the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer “Tête de Vipère” in a limited edition of 500 pieces.

Housed in a midnight blue case measuring 45mm wide, the automatic calibre Heuer-02T features other blue elements, such as the tourbillon and rotor. The mechanism runs at 28,800 vibrations an hour (4Hz) and provides a power reserve of up to 65 hours.

The open-work dial has a black chapter ring with a precise minute track. Two silvered, luminescent, stick-shaped hands display the hours and minutes in the centre, while the seconds are driven by a tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Also in the centre is the chronograph second hand; the minutes and hours are shown in two rhodium totalisers at 3 and 9 o’clock, respectively.

Price: 19,900 CHF tagheuer.com

By Sharmila Bertin

MILLENIAL GENERATION

TAG Heuer gives a contemporary face to one of its flagship models. The new design comes with a calibre providing very modern performances. Let’s take a closer look!

“We had the choice between creating a watch with a vintage inspiration or a modern interpretation. We opted for the second…” says Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer. A mythical watch from the 1960s, the Carrera has been given much more than a rejuvenation. A new, powerful movement, the calibre Heuer 02, is housed in a 43mm-wide modular case that is watertight down to 100 metres. The thirteen versions interplay with the materials to give a contemporary character to this generation of men’s watches. So, steel, carbon and ceramics are combined with metal, rubber and leather straps. The black or blue dial is now skeletoned, revealing the calibre components. Hour and minute hands point to prominent indices with a similar design to provide excellent readability. The chronograph layout is true to the original design, however, with totalisers at 3 and 9 o’clock completed by the running seconds at 6 o’clock. A date counter catches the eye at 4.30. On the bezel, a tachymetric scale underlines the sports style.

The automatic calibre drives all the functions and provides the watch with a healthy power reserve of 80 hours. The calibre Heuer 02 triggers the start, stop and reset functions for split time measurements using a column wheel and a vertical clutch.

The Carrera Heuer 02 is also available in a 45mm-wide version with GMT to delight demanding travellers.

Price from 4,800 EUR tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

SPEED IN THE VEINS

Almost 50 years after the launch of the Monaco model, TAG Heuer has released a new version dressed in the colours of Gulf Oil International after a new partnership signed with the giant oil company.

While the watchmaking landscape was awash with round wrist watches, Heuer overturned the aesthetic codes of the times on 3 March 1969, almost 50 years ago, with an automatic chronograph housed in a square case. Christened Monaco, in honour of the Grand Prix taking place in the principality, the timepiece with straight angles had a blue dial protected by a layer of curved plexiglass and a crown on the left-hand side. Production of the Monaco model came to an end in the mid-1970s, before being relaunched in 1998 and 2002. 49 years later, in 2018, and once again in March, TAG Heuer has introduced a new model with the dial colours borrowed from Gulf Oil, the brand’s new partner. The watchmakers from La Chaux-de-Fonds and the oil company that is closely linked to motor racing have sealed a collaboration that bears fruit today with the creation of the Monaco Special Edition Gulf 2018.

The case of this new watch is made of steel and measures 39x39mm; the crown is at 9 o’clock and the long pushbuttons used to start, stop and reset the chronograph take up their usual position on the right-hand side. This metal setting contains the Calibre 11, a self-winding mechanical movement running at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800 vibrations an hour) and providing a power reserve of 40 hours.

The dial is coated in a layer of delicately sunburst petrol-blue PVD, with two stripes on the right-hand side, one light blue and the other orange, inspired by the colours of Gulf Oil; the company logo can also be seen at 6 o’clock, just above the date counter. Two counters with rounded angles and a white background stand out in this colourful decor: the running seconds (at 3 o’clock) and the chronograph minute totaliser (at 9 o’clock). The seconds, meanwhile, are at the centre, as are the hour and minute hands.

Price: 5,700 CHF – 5,250 EUR  tagheuer.com

By Sharmila Bertin

A LEGEND ON YOUR WRIST

With his unique record, Fangio fully deserved a homage from the most sportive of watchmaking brands. The result is this precise and solid chronograph.

On 4 August 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio won his 5^th Formula 1 world championship on the Nürburgring track in Germany. Since the history of TAG Heuer and of the famous motor racing competition are closely linked, the brand wished to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the event that definitively made the driver a legend with a new limited edition. The Formula 1 Fangio stands out through the presence on the dial of a stripe in the colours of Argentina, the Maestro’s native land, and on the caseback with his signature and the watch number. Otherwise, we can see all the features of the chronographs in the collection with the sub-dials in tricompax position and a date counter at 4 o’clock. The design is rounded off by the rhodied and faceted hour and minute hands, which are coated with white Super-LumiNova®.

A highly precise quartz movement drives the chronograph functions. Short time is measured in traditional fashion with the help of brushed steel monopushers. The results are displayed in minute and hour sub-dials located at 9 and 6 o’clock, respectively. The central second hand shows the times down to 1/10^th of a second.

While this men’s sports watch is very precise, the Formula 1 Fangio is also robust with a 43mm-wide case made of polished steel, and watertight down to 200 metres. The 900 pieces in this limited edition are worn with a matching strap, also made of polished steel and equipped with a folding clasp.

Price: €1,350 tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

STREET ART ON YOUR WRIST

Street art has moved from the pavements to museums and wrists with the first piece by Alec Monopoly on the dial of a TAG Heuer.

Alec Andon, a.k.a. Alec Monopoly, is famous for graffiti on New York’s streets. In 2008 he made headlines with his work mocking the world of finance and depicting people from pop culture. His playground has since spread to other international cities whose walls bear his designs. The world-renowned artist always has his face covered and is now the TAG Heuer “Art Provocateur” ambassador. The first limited edition watch (200 available) from this collaboration has the features of a Formula 1 model. The self-portrait on the dial bears the artist’s signature iconography. The top hatted Monopoly Man has a scarf around his face to remain anonymous, just like the artist.

A quartz TAG Heuer movement fuels the white Super-LumiNova® hands, central seconds and graduated scale lies on the black PVD unidirectional rotating bezel. The crown and back are screwed down to increase the case’s water-resistance to depths of 200m.

The Formula 1 Alec Monopoly Special Edition comes with a black rubber strap and deployment clasp in satin-finished steel.

Price: 1,150 CHF tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

SIMPLE AND ROBUST

The men’s models in the Link collection have been given a new lease of life for their 30^th anniversary with a redesigned case and new dials.

First unveiled in 1987, the Link stood out thanks to a metal strap with rounded S-shaped links. This system was unique at the time and was a guarantee of user-friendliness and comfort on the wrist. This year, Tag Heuer has released new versions of this timepiece with three hands, and they are still just as simple and resistant. You don’t change a winning team. The strap has kept all its attractions and is still perfectly integrated into the case. The alternating finishes, polished and brushed, are repeated on the case The case itself has perceptibly expanded from 39 to 41mm. The bezel now has an elegant and gentle outline thanks to the geometric association of a cushioned base with a circular ring.

The watch has a wide face for optimum readability. The rhodium, polished, faceted hour and minute hands, coated with white SuperLuminova, make their way around steel stick indices that are also coated in luminous material. A discreet date counter is set at 3 o’clock. Three dial colours are available. You might prefer the dynamic satin sunburst blue, the simple opaline black or the silver version.

The Link is driven by the automatic Tag Heuer Calibre 5, providing the timepiece with 38 hours of power reserve. It can be seen at work through the sapphire case back. With its screwed crown, the watch is watertight down to 100 metres.

Price: CHF2,700 tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

A PASSION FOR CARS

The Carrera has been constantly brought up to date, while maintaining its sports design. Among the different versions available, the model with a titanium case is in pole position.

Since 1963, with the first model developed by Jack Heuer, Carrera chronographs have been linked to motor racing. The Carrera Calibre 1887 Automatic Chronograph is continuing this prestigious heritage. For the 50^th anniversary of the watch, TAG Heuer gave it a virtually scratch-proof ceramic bezel with a tachymetric scale. More recently, the watchmakers released an even more modern version with a 43-mm wide case, which was watertight down to 100 metres and made of Grade 2 titanium with a black titanium carbide coating. Together with the deep black dial, the materials give a more modern sports feel to the timepiece.

The watch is still powered by a self-winding mechanical movement, the calibre 1887. Some of its components, such as the column wheel and the rotor, can be seen through the sapphire case back. The power reserve runs between 50 and 40 hours when the chronograph is working. Times are still measured using the two monopushers on the outside of the case. Seconds are displayed with a long, slim red hand, while the minutes and hours are shown with the blued totalisers placed at 12 and 6 o’clock, respectively.

The Carrera Calibre 1887 Automatic Chronograph comes with a black alligator strap with red stitching and a pattern recalling the hands of the chronograph. A titanium folding clasp keeps the watch perfectly attached to the wrist with safety push buttons.

Price: €4,900 tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

HOMAGE TO A CHAMPION

TAG Heuer celebrates the Formula 1 driver, Ayrton Senna, with the new Senna Limited Edition collection with three sports watches.

Ayrton Senna’s first win at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1987 was just the first of 41 victories during his career, but it ranks as one of the finest on this demanding circuit in the history of car racing. To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of this exploit, TAG Heuer has unveiled a trio of watches named the Senna Limited Edition 2017 in the colours of the Brazilian champion: a Carrera Heuer 01 chronograph and two Formula 1 watches. The shared aesthetic feature of the models is the famous S (for Senna) displayed on the dial and the bezel with a stylised font in red lacquer.

Both watches from the Formula 1 collection are powered by a quartz movement The two versions, a three-hand watch with the date and a chronograph, are sports watches with a 43mm-wide black PVD case dressed in red and black. The interplay of contrasts guarantees excellent readability. The Carrera Heuer 01 chronograph gives the watch mechanism pride of place with its skeleton dial revealing the workings of its in-house automatic calibre in a brushed black PVD steel case with a width of 45mm.

Ayrton Senna, TAG Heuer’s brand ambassador in 1988, was particularly fond of a Link model that was stood out through its strap with a double S shape. The strap can be found once again on the three Senna Limited Edition 2017 models. This original, user-friendly design provides remarkable comfort on the wrist. The rubber links on the Formula 1 alternate with red inserts for an even more sports-watch look. The links on the Carrera Heuer 01 are made of black PVD steel and alternate polished and satin finishes.

Price: €1,300 (Formula 1) – €1,500 (Formula 1 Chrono) – € 5,500 (Carrera Heuer 01) tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

Beijing, June 1^st, 2017 – Today, Angelababy (Yang Ying), a Chinese superstar of positive image and extraordinary personality, officially became TAG Heuer’s new Brand Ambassador, interpreting the brand’s spirit of #DontCrackUnderPressure in the best possible way. Another powerful and charismatic superstar joined the family of TAG Heuer.

“Beautiful” is the best-known tag of Angelababy. She is real, positive and full of energy. Her beauty comes from her inner peace and grace. “People live for the dream. You have only one life to make all the efforts and strive for it.” This sentence that she knows by heart is the epitome of her diligence, commitment, wisdom and boldness. As the commercial visuals Angelababy did for TAG Heuer, though a little bit fragile through the lens, wearing the TAG Heuer new Aquaracer Lady, her gaze was firm and powerful. This is the Angelababy that #DontCrackUnderPressure, demonstrating impeccable beauty, flawless charm, and the power to rule her dreams. Just like TAG Heuer, it never stops chasing after its dream and keeps on improving its performance, persisting its true heart with the time goes by.

“Multi-role” is another tag of her. Debuted as a model, Angelababy worked hard to become an actress and has received wide appraise. What helped her win more awareness and acceptance was that she challenged herself and broke previous perceptions of her on TV shows. The establishment of AB Capital also gave her another role as an investor. While in everyday life, she is a wife and a mother, meaning more responsibilities. Walking through all the roles, Angelababy continues to explore greater potential, take on challenges of unknown fields, and keep on pushing boundaries, demonstrating enormous inner power. This matches with TAG Heuer perfectly.

When talked about the new ambassador, Mr. Jean-Claude Biver, TAG Heuer CEO and President of the LVMH Watch Division, said gladly, “I am very happy Angelababy joined the big TAG Heuer family. She will help TAG Heuer establish a deeper bond with the younger generation. In the meanwhile, with the spirit of #DontCrackUnderPresure, we are going to accumulate greater power, together with Angelababy, to spread the spirit to more and more young people.”

TAG Heuer’s new ambassador Angelababy commented, “I am very honoured to become the global ambassador of TAG Heuer. TAG Heuer helped me to discover another side of myself and encouraged me to commit to my belief even more. The power of dream allows me to be never afraid of pressure, and the inner power gives me enormous confidence. Together with TAG Heuer, I will never stop pushing forward, let’s all #DontCrackUnderPressure! ”

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