ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Red Bull Edition Chronograph

 

CAR2A1K.BA0703

TAG Heuer Boutique / Bicester Village, 19th April 2021

I can still remember the first time I saw a Red Bull Drive Timer Carrera Heuer 01; it was in a Goldsmiths in Milton Keynes (not too far away from the Red Bull Formula 1 Team factory - four or five kilometers according to Google maps) and my abiding memory is thinking 'I wish my Heuer 01 had those Arabic numerals on the dial'. Later that year TAG Heuer also released the 'Drive Timer' in red and black with those same markings and a black leather/rubber strap, which I tried on in a Goldsmiths on Oxford Street and very reluctantly handed back before I left.

For a long time I really wanted to pick up the red/black Drive Timer but it was always going to be too similar to the original Heuer 01 I already owned. This blue bezelled Red Bull was different enough to warrant consideration and made it onto my wants list for quite a long time... but then the opportunity for a Calibre16 titanium Carrera with a carbon dial and these same numerals presented itself and ultimately it was too good a deal to turn down. After that the Red Bull Carrera kind of fell off of my radar, until now...

One of the things I really love about visiting the TAG Heuer Outlet at Bicester Village is that you never know what you are going to find. Even on this visit, despite having recently been updated on the general stock, I came across the really cool Harrods Limited Edition Autavias which I didn't know they had in. And while yes it could be argued that a lot of the stock is what's 'left over' and thus not always the most desirable pieces... in fact there's plenty of good stuff there too that's just come to the end of its natural life cycle.

Such is the current situation with the Heuer 01 Carreras, there's plenty to choose from including special editions like this Red Bull and also Manchester United (three varieties of those if you are a follower), not to mention models with gold lugs and bezels and solid dial versions too. 43 and 45 mm models are available and of course the discounts ease the 'pain' of wearing last season's watches! Besides, where else can you buy a brand new TAG Heuer F1 Kirium or Kirium quartz chronograph with a two year warranty?

The Red Bull Carrera came in two configurations, either on a bracelet or on a leather/rubber strap, however they were not the same watch; the bracelet version is a CAR2A1K while the leather version is a CAR2A1N. Looking at photographs of the two, it's easy to see that while this one was entirely fabricated from stainless steel the CAR2A1N has a black PVD titanium case - as to whether the bracelet and strap are interchangeable I'm not sure, but the strap version has different (black) end links so I would have my doubts. 

I've always been rather anti 45mm Heuer 01 Carreras on bracelets, but I think time may have softened my stance. Previously I always found the 'step' from lug to bracelet too severe (something the strap works with, rather than against) but today I barely noticed it - perhaps I was too busy staring at the shiny blue ceramic bezel, the cool skeleton dial and always winning white lumed Arabic numerals?

Like all 45mm Carreras you will need a fairly sizeable wrist to carry this off (for reference my wrist is somewhere slightly north of 7.1/2") and if you are on the fence I would definitely take the strap as it definitely wears easier than the bracelet. That said, this felt just fine on me and if I'd had £2500 burning a hole in my pocket I might have felt inclined to take it home. Sadly I came home with a couple of new straps instead, but you know... maybe next time.

I know the skeleton dial Carreras are not everyone's cup of tea and that's fine, but I do find it slightly bizarre that people criticise them for being illegible. I've never had a problem reading mine and to me the hour and minute hands stick out a mile in these (admittedly not my best work) photos. And while this stainless steel version is surely heavier than the titanium alternative, again I didn't really notice the difference. It's certainly apparent you're wearing it but it's definitely no 'Aquagraph' in the weight department.

All in all then, despite reaching the end of it's cycle, the Red Bull Carrera Heuer 01 still has a lot to recommend it and I still really love that TAG Heuer refrained from putting anything on the dial to mark it out as a 'Red Bull' watch (if only they'd taken the same approach with their Manchester United watches...). It really doesn't need it, those in the know will spot it a mile off and to anyone else it's just a really nice looking watch with a cool blue ceramic bezel.

Currently this is in stock at the Bicester Village store reduced from £4950 down to £2500, if you are in the market please call the store on (01869) 249008 to check availability and/or arrange a UK delivery. I didn't notice the leather strap version in the store, but if you are interested they may be able to help you. It's always worth asking; someone enquired about the awesome looking but impossible to find WAY208C Aquaracer the other day and they managed to find one in Germany... if you don't ask, you don't get!