TAG Heuer had a low key amazing year in 2023, thanks in part to a new 39mm Carrera with a glassbox crystal design and highly dimensional dial execution. It proved to be exactly the modern interpretation of this handsome classic we’ve been waiting for. Elsewhere, the fully titanium Solargraph remains one of the sleeper hits of the year. With the recent announcement that Julien Tornare (formerly of Zenith) taking the helm at TAG Heuer, it’s safe to say optimism is at an all-time high for the brand. We’ll have to be patient to see Julien’s influence take effect, but in the meantime, TAG Heuer has followed up on their biggest hit of last year, with a new variation of the Carrera based on their historic ‘DATO’ layout, and it works about as well as you might expect.
The Carrera chronograph dates back to 1963, launching the very same year as the Rolex Daytona. Like the Daytona, the Carrera was focused on the racing enthusiast crowd, however Heuer had an established track record with mechanical timers that stretched back decades prior. By the time the Carrera chronograph rolled around it felt like a natural extension of Heuer’s roots in the area, and further helped define the genre as we know it today. The Carrera has seen its fair share of ups and downs in the intervening years, but the core of the collection has remained largely intact, and today feels as strong as ever thanks to watches like the new 39mm glassbox chronograph.
This year at LVMH Watch Week, TAG Heuer is introducing a new take on their 39mm Carrera, and it’s a reference to the early DATO design which brought a date complication to the Carrera in the mid ‘60s. While the first application of a date saw it placed at 12 o’clock (something we find elsewhere in the current Carrera collection), the follow up presented a simplified layout, with a single sub-dial at 3 o’clock, and a date aperture opposite at the 9 o’clock position. We last saw this layout used in a limited edition created in partnership with HODINKEE, and it’s one we aren’t surprised to see make an appearance here in the new glassbox design.
The design is set within the contours of the new 39mm Carrera design, which includes a distinctive slope around the perimeter which breaks the outer realm of the dial into a different plane, while the hour markers are set within the opposite side of the structure. This dial is rendered in a lovely teal green with a radial texture throughout. There’s plenty of realestate to enjoy here giving the stripped down composition which includes a single sub-dail with a 30 minute totalizer. It’s a beautifully simple approach to the chronograph that puts focus solely on the most useful aspects of a timer.
The new Carrera DATO is powered by TAG Heuer’s TH20-07 automatic chronograph movement, which provides a bountiful 80 hours of reserve, and is visible through the caseback. The price is set at $6,550 on a black strap only. TAG Heuer