One To Watch | TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer-01
One of our most loved TAG Heuer watches, this TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer-01 takes the spotlight this month.
Ground breaking when it was first introduced and now a firm favourite of TAG Heuer fans, the striking skeleton dial and its in-house movement sets it apart from the rest of the Carrera collection.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 is a firm favourite of ours.
The History Of Carrera
Historically, TAG Heuer have used the Carrera collection as a way to express their motor racing heritage and its generally seen as the model that best captures the spirit of the brand.
A poster for the 1953 Carrera Panamericana Rally in Mexico, a race which helped inspire the birth of the TAG Heuer Carrera.
Taking its name from the Spanish word for “Race”, the first TAG Heuer Carrera was introduced in 1963 as a tribute to the legendary car race through Mexico; the "Carrera Panamericana Rally" of the 50s.
The Heuer workshop in 1963.
The TAG Heuer Carrera was the first chronograph with a pure and functional dial design featuring a wide dial opening and a 1/5th of a second scale on the flange. It was inspired by the instrument panel of a racing car – in which the key to the design was legibility and clarity.
The first TAG Heuer Carrera, which was introduced in 1963. It was inspired by the exciting car race "Carrera Panamericana" of the 1950s.
Since its re-introduction in 1996, the TAG Heuer Carrera has become one of the most popular models. It’s the affectionate nod to motor racing’s past combined with the strong desire to break boundaries and revolutionise technology that captures watch lover’s hearts everywhere.
Looking To The Future
More than six decades on from the original Carrera, the Carrera Heuer-01 perhaps concentrates more on looking to the future rather than nodding to the past. The design strays quite far from the original Carrera models we all know and love.
The impressive and striking dial of the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01.
The case is a large and powerful 44mm compared to the modest 36mm of the original, and the skeleton dial turns heads for its striking and stand-out style – not its classic clarity and simplicity.
Boasting a large and powerful 44mm case, the Heuer-01 is much larger than the original Carrera.
However, we’re totally okay with this. It’s still very much recognisable as a Carrera, so the affectionate nod is still there. And, when looking at the collection as a whole, there’s still options for those wanting the classic and heritage-infused Carrera look. The Heuer-01 is simply offering a hi-tech, contemporary choice.
The Modular Construction
Another point of difference worth noting between the Heuer-01 and previous Carreras is its modular construction. The case, produced in-house, is made up of several components including a separate middle case, caseback, bezel and four individual steel lugs joined to the titanium-carbide coated case.
The Heuer-01 has a modular construction, meaning its made up of several separate components.
This allows for an infinite combination of materials, colours, treatments and finishes in the future, meaning its simpler and easier to produce variations on the design.
The Calibre Heuer-01 Movement
And then of course, there’s the Calibre Heuer-01 movement.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 is fitted with the new Calibre Heuer-01 movement.
A lightly modified version of the Calibre 1887 that TAG Heuer has been producing in-house since 2010, the Calibre Heuer-01 has a redesigned skeletonised rotor along with flashes of red detailing on the column wheel. The result is an impressive and highly desirable movement at a very reasonable price - you can get this watch for an attractive £4,000.
Our Verdict
Things We Like
✔ The hi-tech skeletonised dial
✔ The Calibre Heuer-01 movement
✔ The red detailing
✔ Great price
Perfect For
✔ A first luxury watch
✔ The TAG Heuer super fan and/or the motor racing fanatic
✔ Handing down the generations
✔ Those wanting a high quality in-house movement for a good price
Shop this story
