TAG Heuer - Carrera, 50 years of history
The story began in 1911 with the first car dashboard chronograph, the «Time of Trip», and continues to this day through the brand's ongoing partnerships with the best individuals and teams in driving disciplines around the world.
In 1963, Jack Heuer, the man responsible for some of the most groundbreaking advances in sports timekeeping, turned his attention to the specific needs of professional motor-racing drivers. A long-time fan of and participant in the sport, he knew exactly what was needed: a wide-open, easy-to-read dial and a shock-resistant and waterproof case tough enough for even the most intense road wear. He also had in mind the ideal inspiration: the «Carrera Panamericana Mexico Road Race», the world's most gruelling open-road endurance competition.
He knew what the look and feel of the watch should be. Inspiration came from a range of innovative ideas, including many from the early 60s modernism - the geometric purity of Oscar Niemeyer's new architecture, for example, and the curving, sensual lines of an Eero Saarinen building or chair, and the clean, uncluttered aesthetics of Pop-Art. At the same time, the Carrera is rooted in the enduring codes of motor sports, such as the black & white of vintage dashboard counters or the perforated leather gloves favored by Juan-Manuel Fangio and his contemporaries.
Heuer oscillating pinion of 1887, one of the brand's first patents and a major benchmark in modern watchmaking. In 2011, TAG Heuer added two new standouts to the legacy: the Carrera Heritage, a full line of sporty, vintage-inspired Carreras, and the groundbreaking Carrera Mikrograph, the world's first chronograph displaying the 1/100th of a second on a sweeping central hand. In 2012, the brand launched the TAG Heuer Carrera Mikrogirder, a dual-assortment, ultra high-frequency watch that beats 7.2 million times every hour and has a flying central chronograph hand that rotates 20 times per second. This astounding machine - the first timepiece ever created with neither a balance wheel nor a hairspring, is accurate to an unprecedented 5/10,000 of a second. At the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix ceremony in November 2012, it was singled out as the best overall watch in all categories, taking home the prestigious «Aiguille d'Or», the most coveted distinction in the global watch industry.
Now, to mark the 50th anniversary of the icon, TAG Heuer unveils its future and launches several new versions of the Carrera model like the Calibre 1887 Chronograph with a ceramic bezel (see photo), the Calibre 1887 Racing Chronograph (41 or 43 mm) or the Heritage Calibre 1887 Chronograph. And the brand of La Chaux-de-Fonds goes farther and unveils the first manufactured Concept Chronograph Carrera CMC. Fully manufactured in Carbon Matrix and inspired from Formula One and the aerospace industry, it weighs just 19 grams.
The primary source of inspiration for this concept watch is the original 1963 Carrera. Its case design, however, is based on the 2012 breakthrough Mikrogirder. The Carrera Carbon Calibre 1887 Concept Chronograph shares the Mikrogirder's distinctive asymmetrical «bullhead » case with a base horns design. The crown and chronograph pushers are mounted at 12 o'clock, like a classic stopwatch. The fundamental difference is the material used, the Carbon Matrix Composite. The case, back and bezel are made from thin carbon fibers organized as on an isotropic matrix. The reinforced fabric, which is only 0.007 mm thick, is structured to build the components into 3D form, then heated and compacted to transform by a means of a chemical reaction the soft, flexible layers into a super rigid form. Inside ticks the famous Calibre 1887, TAG Heuer's first movement built in-house.