That’s very much the situation with these new Carrera 3-hand models. What Guy Bove does so well is make something new that actually looks like it was around all along to begin with. I’m merely discussing all of this so that TAG Heuer fans can understand what these products are meant for and what the company itself might be thinking during the development process.ĭesign-wise, we have a sort of “updated classic” of the Carrera, which has a lot of core Carrera elements (hands, hour markers) but some new things, as well, such as a revised case and bracelet. For a younger buyer or someone who owns just one nice watch, they need a product that will be casual enough for socializing and serious enough to lend something positive to their character. The popularity of the “steel bracelet” watch in the enthusiast community, alone, proves that people today really value watches that can go with a lot of things. These are today’s “Bar Mitzvah watches,” right of passage watches, first “nice” timepiece option, respectable business watches, etc… What does this imply about their design and wearability?Īs I said, TAG Heuer is going for something highly versatile here, not only when it comes to who will want to wear these watches, but also what those wearers can do with them. Its new star ambassador will be seen with them, and TAG Heuer dealers around the world will be stocked with them. So, what does that tell us? To me, it implies that TAG Heuer feels that classic yet stylish watches like the new Carrera collection are what it feels the mass market should be thinking about when seeing the TAG Heuer name. Gosling’s first role was for a photoshoot campaign designed to promote exactly these new Carrera watches. It also happened to be when TAG Heuer announced actor Ryan Gosling as its latest brand ambassador. I was at TAG Heuer’s launch of these new Carrera watches at an event several months ago in Los Angeles. That audience wants mostly conservative, versatile, and cosmopolitan products that can easily fit into today’s trendy lifestyle. Recall that while TAG Heuer does make a lot of watches for timepiece collectors and aficionados, the brand’s bread & butter has always been mainstream luxury Swiss Made watches. What do these entry-level Carrera watches mean to the TAG Heuer brand? While there is a lot of enthusiast interest for TAG Heuer’s more complicated or quirkier watches in the collector community, products like these roughly $3,000 Carrera models are for a slightly different audience. Dial colors are, for the time being, very conservative, with options including black (with silver or gold rose-toned hands and hour markers), blue, and this picture’s silver tone. I want to mention that in addition to the three-hand models pictured here (and the already discussed chronograph versions), TAG Heuer also produces the new Carrera Twin-Time, which is a GMT version in the 41mm-wide case. The larger new Carrera collection includes a fair number of models when it comes to dial colors and strap options (with more probably coming soon). These two watches in the photo are the references WBN2111.BA0639 (Carrera Calibre 5 39mm on the bracelet) and the WBN2011.FC6484 (Carrera Calibre 5 41mm on the strap). In this review, I check out two new TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 watches that represent a big part of TAG Heuer’s “everyday elegance” focus. The updated version catalog led by TAG Heuer designer Guy Bove is very much about capturing the classic essence of the Carrera while putting them into a wearable package meant for today’s enthusiasts. 2021 saw an overhaul of many TAG Heuer Carrera watches, including these Chronograph models here. The Carrera watch began decades ago as a motorsports-themed chronograph and sports watch, but over the course of its complicated evolution, the product also took the form of dressier “office” or “dress” pieces, in addition to beefier chronographs and other sportier models. T AG Heuer recently debuted a brand-new collection of its iconic Carrera sports watch family for everyday elegant wear.

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