A couple of years ago TAG Heuer released one of the nicest watches in their recent history, the blue dial 'French' limited edition 42mm Carrera (part number CBN201B). There were 200 of these made (one of which is currently available via Watchfinder I notice) and if I remember correctly it was in my top three watches of 2023. Ultimately it placed fifth in the COCO Watch of the Year poll, but oddly was the only watch besides that year's winner to score an 8/10 (voting was massively affected in 2023 by the all conquering Panda Glassbox it must be remembered). Big shoes to follow then, and while this is another pretty nice 42mm Carrera, I don't think it's quite as good as it's predecessor.
Let's get the obvious out of the way straight away shall we. That right hand subdial screams 'Seafarer' doesn't it? And as such I can't help thinking this was perhaps envisioned as a follow up for those who either couldn't get hold of the limited edition Seafarer, or those like me who don't really like the glassbox Carreras all that much. Unfortunately, despite the Hodinkee connection (oddly I haven't heard anyone mention the name Hodinkee since the Seafarer's launch, I assume it's still going?) the Seafarer is still available nearly a year down the line... and as such I understand the proposed grey dial follow up model has now been delayed or possibly canned altogether. Given that, I'm slightly surprised to see that this one is not limited to 200 pieces but 500, so TAG Heuer must be fairly confident that this one will sell well.
Like the Seafarer this one also looks to have those blingy subdial rings, which I could live without and while the yellow certainly pops against the blue dial it feels like a dive watch vibe that doesn't sit as well with the elegant overall design as it could. The blue stitched strap is a nice touch, but I can't help thinking this is a nice but inferior rework of a previous winner (much in the same way that every Red Bull F1 has been inferior to the original) and I can't reasonably score it any higher than a 7.25/10.
As usual with the (formerly 'Elegant') Carreras, this one is powered by the calibre TH20-00 (formerly the Heuer 02) and costs €7350, and perhaps not surprisingly given the number produced it is probably available in your country and not just in France - apparently the United States have been allocated 6, so what makes it for 'France' I'm not really sure.
Anyway, let's see how the Council feel about this one...
8.5/10: "I think its a great looking watch. They did a good job with the colour choices and details. A fun summer watch - good time to release it."
7.5/10: "I don't quite know what it is but there's something quite attractive about this watch. The navy blue dial with the pops of colour in the sub dials looks great and with those orange hands it really pops."
8/10: "Very nice watch, but the coloured sectors in the right sub-dial don't really match the rest of the watch."
8/10: "Beautiful watch. The slightly faded orange color looks nice."
9/10: "Recently I am drawn to blue watches."
7/10: "Nice, simple style, colours effective.7/10 as price unknown."
8/10: "I rate this higher than the Goodwood FoS based on looks. But I'm not into Nautical themed watches, so have no real interest in buying one. Whereas I might on a Goodwood if one were to come my way."
8/10: "Nice strap, nice -Carrera Elegant- case, a properly numbered LE… I like this one more than the Hodinkee Seafarer new glassbox (7/10), but less than the Goodwood FoS version (9/10), so it’s a 8/10 for me."
8/10: "This watch is both fresh and retro. The bezel ring is my favourite. I also prefer it to the Hodinkee seafarer.
9/10: "Oh this is gorgeous. I really admire the dial on this one. Great colour choices, too. Too big for me, though."
9/10: "Yes, quite nice indeed! 🔥🔥🔥"
7/10: "I like the skipper vibes but without the weird glassbox and absurdly large tide pusher, looses a point for the running seconds."
6/10: "It looks nice in general, but I am not sure I like the Seafarer inspired subdial. Scored it an extra half point just for being properly numbered (not a lazy "one of" LE)."
7/10: "I like it a lot but I will forever hate the moronic decision to put that cross hair ugly ass running seconds on the dial. Extremely solid 7 of 10. Just imagine how sexy and perfect it would be with a proper sub dial at 6!"
8.5/10: "I rather like this one. It’s like the Skipper but for those with taste. That is, not a glassbox sh*tter. I particularly like the cross hairs as it gives the appearance of having just two subdials, which is preferable for me."
6.5/10: "It's nice, big fan of dark blue, but I guess it's yet another combination of similar 41/42mm Carreras, just with the addition of a nicely coloured subdial."
6/10: "Not bad, not overly exciting. My score is 6."
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