CBN2A5A.FC6481
TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 17th August 2020
I'm sure many of you were as perplexed as I was when they announced that the new 'Sports Manufacture' Carreras were 44mm in diameter. Having released the Heuer 01 initially as a 45mm piece and then scaling it down to 43mm, it seemed a little odd to then release the Heuer 02 at a size half-way between the two. Especially when one of the complaints constantly levelled at the new Carreras is that they are too big.
Of course, that's subjective; it depends partly on your wrist size and partly on your own preferences and to be honest I can't help thinking that most of the people who say these things wouldn't buy a watch like this anyway, but still... people keep telling themselves that watch sizes are getting smaller, and they don't like the fact that it's not happening.
Anyway, another factor in the 'too big/no it isn't' argument is the lug to lug measurement. Put simply, a big watch with short lugs can wear the same as a smaller watch with longer lugs. Now traditionally the Heuer Carrera was renowned for having very long lugs, which works fine on a 36-39mm model, but if your watch is 43mm to start with then long lugs are going to make the watch wear like a freaking 50mm Brietling Avenger Hurricane!
The solution of course is to make the lugs shorter and that is exactly what TAG Heuer have done, with dramatic effect. In short, if you've seen these new 'Sports Manufacture' but you are put off by the 44mm diameter, I would say suspend your skepticism until you've actually tried them on because to me these wear like a 42-43mm watch, not a 44mm.
With the Covid restrictions it's obviously more of a problem to try on multiple watches, so I elected to go with this one, but I'm pretty sure they did have all four in the boutique that day. Unfortunately that does mean I can't comment on the new bracelet, but I can tell you that the alligator leather strap was comfortable and as you'd expect came fitted with a push-button deployment clasp.
On the wrist the watch is chunky and looks expensive (which it kinda is...) and seems quite brutish. It's not a 'pretty' watch, it's very masculine, even with the rose gold touches and yes I can see why the old-school Carrera perhaps find it slightly inelegant (ironically). But it's a modern watch for modern times and while it didn't massively appeal to me, I'm sure it will be popular with its target audience. I definitely think I prefer this to the new 'Elegant' model, I really don't like the pushers on that one and I feel like the dial will be way too big for me without a thick tachymetre bezel to reign it in.
Maybe next time I visit a store I will try either the blue or green versions and see if it feels different, this one really didn't make a lasting impression on me (although admittedly I am writing this over a month after I actually visited the store so that is perhaps a little unfair), but I'm not entirely unhappy about that since I don't have £5395 lying around just at the moment...
Needless to say, the CBN2A5A comes fitted with the (quickly becoming) ubiquitous Heuer 02 movement, replete with its impressive 80 hour power reserve. We know this because it says it on the dial, which is something else about this watch that some people definitely don't like. I do think the font could have been a little smaller as it does feel slightly crammed in there - but really, I think I would get used to it quite easily.
Overall the watch does give the feeling of something very substantial and well made, but it just didn't ring my bell like I thought it was going to. At the end of the day though it's all subjective and one man's delight is another man's sh*te; all you can really do is go with what works for you and don't listen to other people telling you what you are 'supposed' to like. That's always been my approach and I ain't going to change it anytime soon.
Definitely don't worry about the 44mm diameter though, it really doesn't feel anything like a 45mm Heuer 01 in size, but it is quite thick, and because the lugs are compact it is quite chunky. It will be interesting to see how it plays on a bracelet, I always found the Heuer 01s on bracelets felt a lot bigger and chunkier than the ones on the rubber straps... hopefully I will be able to try one on soon and find out.
THE CBN2A5A.FC6481 on the TAG Heuer website:
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