FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Porsche Chronosprint' Calibre TH20-08 Chronograph

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If you've been around for more than a couple of years you will probably remember TAG Heuer's previous motorsport collaboration with Aston Martin. That was a bit light on product with only a Formula 1, a  couple of Heuer 01 Carreras (one of which was only available if you bought a specific Aston Martin) and a Heuer 02T Tourbillon emerging before the companies went their separate ways. If I remember correctly this was because Aston Martin stopped sponsoring the Red Bull Formula 1 team, which paved the way for a new love-in with Porsche (who TAG Heuer were already working with in Formula E). 

Of course, Red Bull Racing now seem to be getting in to bed with Ford, so it remains to be seen what happens to the Porsche tie-in in the next few years. Regardless, the TAG Heuer/Porsche collaboration has already produced more watches than the TAG/AM partnership ever did, with these two representing watches number six and seven to date.

 

You will of course remember last year's Porsche RS2.7 models,which garnered an enormous amount of praise from my fellow TAG Heuer enthusiasts over at the THF Forum, or at least the steel one did, maybe not so much the £20,000 rose gold version! Unfortunately I never got to see the steel one (though I did try the rose gold on twice) so I can't comment from first hand experience, but it certainly looked the better of the two to me too.

Again with these 2023 models I feel like the steel one is the better looking of the two, though I'm glad TAG Heuer have switched the rose gold one onto a brown strap this time as in hindsight the red did look a little bit naff - not to mention poorly manufactured, both times I saw it the strap looked battered and it hadn't even left the store.

The big news this time is that TAG Heuer have created a new, or I should say a 'variation on' the TH20-00 movement called the TH20-08 which... 'emulates the Porsche engine and the time it took for the first Porsche 911 to reach 100km/h'. What this means in practice is that when you start the chronograph instead of it plodding around the dial in an orderly fashion as you would expect it to, it races off, accelerating up until it reaches 9.1 seconds which in this instance is not where you expect it to be, but actually around where you would assume 20 seconds to be. Once there the chrono second hand starts to slow down and completes the rest of the circuit in a total of sixty seconds before launching itself at top speed again once it passes the '12' position.

Now, I must admit my first reaction to this was.... what a pointless waste of time. But, then, having thought about it a bit, I thought - well, why not. It's a bit of fun and a talking point. After all, lots of watches have 'pointless' features that we never use, like 500M depth ratings for example. As I write this I am wearing my Aquagraph which is rated to 500M: I don't even swim in my watches so this is utterly pointless. True you could argue that the Aquagraph was created as a hardcore dive watch and so it does have a 'purpose' and I wouldn't argue, but how many of us actually use it to more than 10% of it's potential? Similarly, how many of us actual bother to set or use a moonphase? I'm sure we can come up with plenty of examples of 'pointless' novelty functions, but the only problem with this one is that it does actually make the watch harder to use.

The problem is you see, that if you mess around with the spacing of the dial and make it irregular then it becomes much harder to use the chronograph as a chronograph because instead of glancing at the hand and its position on the dial you have to actually read the scale on the bezel (which is still there incidentally). So sure it's still possible, but it's not instinctive. Kinda like those 24 hour dials on the Navitimer. Only more so because at least with those presumably you will get used to them eventually, I can't really see anyone ever getting used to this because it's too obtuse. 

But does it matter? Well, if like me you never really use your chronographs then probably not. I think most of us play with them more than use them and if that applies to you then the sight of the second hand racing off and slowing down will probably keep you entertained for hours. But I imagine if you are someone who actually uses a chronograph as it is intended to be used then I could see this being immensely frustrating to use, especially if you are timing laps while driving, which is after all supposedly the purpose of these models.

So this watch surely isn't for everyone, and as one of our esteemed C.O.C.O. members asks below 'Is it cool to own this watch if you don't own an original 911'? Well I already asked myself the question would it be okay for me to own the Carrera 44mm 'Orange Racing' if I don't own a Porsche, and while I actually think that is probably okay, this watch is SO specific to one model that I feel like you at least need to own some kind of 911 (not just any old Porsche) not to feel a bit of a tool wearing it. 

And that wasn't the only thing the C.O.C.O. members brought up actually, as you can see, pretty much 50% of the comments make some reference to the enormous price tag TAG Heuer have saddled these with. And okay, on the one hand yes these do contain a special movement that will have taken some work, and sure putting the Porsche logo on anything instantly adds a premium, but even so it's yet another TAG Heuer that's pushing the brand to the limit of their market.

Finally, before we hand over to the Council, I do think it's a shame that TAG Heuer abandoned their original plan to print 'Carrera' in the highly recognisable 'Porsche Carrera' font as that would really have set this apart from the standard models. Less troublesome for me is the change of bezel colour from the original renders (black on the left fading out as it went round the dial), but one of our crew was a bit upset about that too. Oh well, you can't please everyone I guess. And he still bought one, so it can't have been that big a deal - haha.

Overall I don't mind these, but the photographs I've seen are so inconsistent that it's quite hard to judge them fairly. I'm told they look great in person though so let's hope for the best. Okay, let's find out what the rest of the Council have to say... 

Steel 8/10, Gold 8/10: Tried it on today finally. It's really nice, and I like the speedometer-like action of the chronograph. I think the 42mm glassbox is an excellent design and look forward to future variations. For this one, I like the shade of white and the way the red accents play on the dial. And the polished surrounds of the subdials caught the light in such a way that caused rainbow-like colours, which was fun. The only problem with this one, as with all new TAGs it seems, is that the price is too high. This is an excellent $7000 watch; it is a so-so $9k one. The trend is not looking good for TAG. Fortunately it seems to be affecting their sales from what I've heard, so fingers crossed they come to their senses about who their market is.

Steel 8/10, Gold 8/10: It's pretty good, but not amazing. That said, I did buy one in steel.

Steel 6/10, Gold 6/10: I like the warm/cool feeling of the gold/steel respectively, but just doesn't feel as Porsche-y as the RS 2.7 models from last year and the price is ridiculous.

Steel 7/10, Gold 5/10: Nice looking watch. Not bothered about the chapter ring either way really. Too big for me sadly, and a bit pricey too.

Steel 7.5/10, Gold 5/10: I actually really like the steel one, but not the gold one so much. That’s weird for me as I do like the idea of something gold, albeit out of price range. I think it’s down to the warmer dial colour perhaps. Which brings me on to price, as even the steel one is rather too salty for me. I think they missed the mark on the straps too. The 911 element is cool, but it’s plain and boring other than that.

Steel: 7/10, Gold: 5.5/10: The chrono "party trick" is creative (I'll give them that), but it seems as if it cannot operate as a normal (i.e., accurate) timing chronograph? The dials are unique and generally pleasant. Once again in 2023, TAG Heuer's pricing is silly.

Steel 6/10 (1 point deducted due to price), Gold 7.5/10: I was looking forward to this watch, with a mindset to buy one. But my heart sank when I saw it in person, no "Carrera" in Porsche script font, no sale for me. The Chronosprint function is nothing more than a gimmick (IMHO), hardly worth the $9200 asking price, which is $2200 more than the Porsche Orange Racing. The watch just isn't special enough for the 911's 60th Anniversary. I'm very disappointed, probably the biggest letdown of the year! The gold version has a nicer overall look to it. At least it's the same price as last year's Red RS2.7 in gold. But without the Porsche font and Carrera script engraved on the side of the case like the RS, it's also a letdown.

Steel: 7/10, Gold: 8/10: I had my first (serious) spin on the circuit with a 911.. 35 years ago. So I have a hate/love relationship with Porsche. Unfortunately, this never worked out again. But now that I see these watches I am happy. Nice and sporty, and a great way to honour the 911.

Steel 8/10, Gold 6/10: Problem with those watches is, you need the car, too. To wear them without owning the car might be a bit pathetic, no? Well, this doesn't keep me from giving a verdict, and yes I like the steel version.

Steel 9/10, Gold 8/10: The steel one speaks more to me than this gold one but I am not an anti-gold watch person.

Steel 7/10, Gold 7/10: I had a reservation for this watch, but I cancelled the reservation because the Carrera logo has changed. The goodness that I confirmed in the sample has disappeared. I wanted to give both watches 9, but it's expensive, so I'll give it 7.

Steel 6/10, Gold 8/10: Nice but, should have had the Porsche font. I like the gold version better, but that then ups the cost of course. So, steel version - 6/10. Not special enough. Gold version - 8/10. Just more than I’d spend, or be allowed to...

Steel 8.5/10, Gold 8.5/10: I like both versions at least as much as the 2023 Skipper, so same score 8/10 (or if half points are allowed, then 8.5/10). Love the 911 strap! But the price is very high.

Steel 6/10, Gold 6/10: Think the gold works better, but also feel not enough Porsche collab features on this. 6/10 for me on both, but I'm not the audience.

Steel 5.5/10: It's a cool watch but it's not for the premium price. Still not sure about the 'glass box' and the chronograph is technically very clever and quite fun but ultimately just a pointless gimmick. But for me, to go all out for a Porsche watch and not have 'Carrera' in the Porsche font is a big misstep. Gold 6.0/10: I think I actually prefer this over the steel. I still feel the same overall about the watch however the gold one seems warmer and easier on the eye. Not sure I like the brown strap and I do have reservations about the dial colour, but overall I prefer it out of the two on offer.