TAG Heuer Speeds Ahead at LVMH Watch Week 2023 with two of their most impressive novelty releases.
In the words of Mr Frédéric Arnault, 2022 was a strong year for TAG Heuer with a myriad of novelties and activations. From the incredibly avant-garde Tag Heuer Carrera Plasma to memorable collaborations with the likes of Porsche, Gulf and Super Mario, TAG Heuer demonstrated its expertise across the breadth of its core collections. Despite that, TAG Heuer is not resting on its laurels, slamming down the throttle as it races off the blocks in 2023. This year’s novelty lineup continues from where TAG Heuer left off as it deepens its offerings for a wide clientele range.
Following the reintroduction of the legendary TAG Heuer Monaco “Dark Lord” last year, TAG Heuer reimagines another of its archival grails — the TAG Heuer Monza. Flashbacks from TAG Heuer’s golden years come to mind when the TAG Heuer Monza is mentioned. The watch was released in 1976 to celebrate Ferrari’s Formula One World Championship victory in 1975. It was aptly named “Monza” in honour of the Italian Grand Prix which Ferrari won the championship with one race to spare. Its black-coated case was iconic, to say the least, and paved the way for other black-coated models, including the Carrera, Montreal and Monaco. Red, white and black colours riddled the dial as a nod to the race livery of team Ferrari.
This year, TAG Heuer affords an ultra-modern twist to the TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronometer. A striking carbon case sets the narration from the get-go and epitomises TAG Heuer’s “Swiss Avant-Garde Watchmaking Since 1860” tagline. The ultra-lightweight and resistant material is the cousin of carbon fibre, so often found in Formula 1 car. Random fibre orientations during the forging process give desirable swirling striations that are almost impossible to replicate in another watch case.
Its namesake suggests two key characteristics of the watch — one being a flyback chronograph and the other being a chronometer. Within it lies a bi-register dial orientation skeletonised to match the forward-thinking direction of the TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronometer. A red frame draws attention to the blue luminescent date aperture while a translucent fumé blue sapphire crystal ensures legibility to the running seconds hand and chronograph counter.
Given that the Monza race track is nicknamed the Temple of Speed, including the (uncommon) flyback chronograph is a stroke of storytelling genius by TAG Heuer. The complication operates like all chronographs do with a caveat, it can be reset without stopping the central chronograph hand to record lap times without interruption. It is also worth mentioning this is the second time a flyback chronograph complication has been employed in a TAG Heuer watch.
The double scale on the watch flange allows the wearer to track the speed of a moving object over 1 km or heart rate with the tachymeter and pulsometer, respectively. Further chronometer certification ensures the TAG Heuer Calibre Heuer 02 COSC Flyback calibre is kept strictly within a narrow deviation to ensure accuracy and precision.
On the occasion of the TAG Heuer Carrera’s 60th anniversary this year, TAG Heuer kicked off a year of celebrations with the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary. The importance of the TAG Heuer Carrera cannot be understated as the brainchild of Jack Heuer, created in 1963, continues to be the inimitable face of the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture.
Numerous references of the iconic chronograph have spawned over the years, but a select few have attained legendary status. One such example is the Carrera reference 2447 SN of the late 1960s, which inspired the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary. The Carrera 2447 SN, which stands for silver and noir, is famed for its dial colour combination — a panda execution with a silver dial punctuated by black sub-registers.
Within horology nomenclatures are jargons and vocabularies that are every bit as intimidating as they are confusing. Terms such as dial or bezel are the tip of the iceberg, and the list expands as you wander deeper into a world of screws, gears and ticking seconds. The panda dial is one example popularised by vintage watch culture — it is usually reserved for chronographs featuring a white dial with black sub-registers, which explains a panda’s face.
This year’s release is a faithful reinterpretation of the Carrera 2447 SN. Given the original Carreras designed by Jack Heuer were centred around legibility, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary trods the same path diligently. A silver sunray brushed dial is paired with a trio of black azuré sub-registers with subtle snailing for a play on textures.
Minute details of the Carrera 2447 SN are replicated on the contemporary release, including black stripes down the central hands and hour indices and the double index placement at 12 o’clock. These subtle details are further evidence of Jack Heuer’s meticulousness. However, keen-eyed collectors and connoisseurs will spot the reversed placing of the 60-minute and 12-hour counters and the omission of the T from the dial to indicate radioactive tritium.
Only 600 pieces of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary are produced, with a serial number engraved on the case back. Also viewable through the case back is the TAG Heuer Calibre HEUER 02 Automatic movement that provides 80 hours of power reserve.
This story of TAG Heuer LVMH Watch Week first appeared in our Men’s Folio February ’23 issue. Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with the rest of our February 2023 issue.
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