CBK221F.FC6479
So this was an interesting release; we on the Calibre11 forum knew it was coming (though not exactly when) but unusually there were no 'teaser' videos on TAG Heuer's Instagram and then come Tuesday morning someone posted a photo of their new watch two hours before it was 'officially' released. Most peculiar...
Anyway, here is the 2021 TAG Heuer Carrera Green Heuer 02 Chronograph. Which is an odd title given that it has a 'Heuer' badge on the quite obviously 'teal' rather than 'green' dial. I did think it was slightly strange that TAG Heuer were releasing another green watch pretty much straight after the Monaco, but in actual fact the colours are pretty different in tone and execution.
Speaking as a non-purist, I quite like it. But to be honest, I think it's the colour I like rather than the actual watch. Beloved of the Calibre 11 forum the heritage Carreras may be, but it's definitely not one for me and that's fine - the world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things after all.
TAG Heuer have used teal before (though not that often), pretty much exclusively on Aquaracers if I remember correctly. It has a 'colour of the sea' vibe, which makes it the perfect dial colour for holiday-destination-dive-watch-special-editions... quite what it has to do with a racing chronograph I'm not too sure, but does everything have to have a 'story', can't it just look nice?
(Incidentally, on this point I see 'A Blog to Watch' mention the British Racing Green of TAG Heuer's former partner 'Aston Martin' and I have to say I think that's more than a bit of a stretch!)
I think it's quite cool that TAG Heuer are giving us new takes on the Heritage Carrera line and for once I don't hate the creamy fauxtina (though I could still happily live without it). I'm sure some 'Heueristas' will be horrified because it's not 'authentic' or some such... nonsense, but that's simple to resolve; just 'find/photoshop' a picture of Jack Heuer wearing a teal tie, driving a teal car or drinking from a teal mug and everything will be forgiven. :)
Don't expect an 'On the Wrist' follow-up post on this one, with only 500 pieces available I expect this to be sold out within days. But, then... will it? We've literally just had a green Monaco and as far as I know the silver dial 160th Anniversary Carrera is still available a year after release. Is it different enough to tempt the 'Ice King' owners to put their hands in their pockets for a second time? Because surely that is this watch's target market...
I'm not at all sure, but this 'limited edition' hype thing seems to be working well for TAG Heuer of late, so we'll see. The CBK221F is priced at £5500 (£200 more than the silver dial version, incidentally) and is available on the UK website now; however I'm already hearing that in some other countries it's showing as 'out of stock'...
This one is bound to divide the 'old school conservationists' in the C.O.C.O. Council, so let's turn it over to them now...
"The Teal (Green) Carrera... It's nice but it's missing something. The strap needs corresponding stitching maybe and I'm not sure about the aged effect lume. Still a nice looking watch just not as excited by this for some reason so i would have to give it maybe a 7 out of 10. Its nice but just not for me this one."
"The green Monaco's dial was amazing, this one does nothing for me. Colour is subjective, some probably love it, but I don't like this green/teal at all. 4/10."
"I love it, a fun watch with a striking dial. No more no less. 8/10."
"Not a fan...this has nothing on the Ice King. Happy for anyone that buys it but not my cup of tea. As I've said before I'm over the Green/Teal dials. 3/10, harsh I know."
"6/10 for me, I love the colour and the "marketing" pics make it look very good for me, however the above photo doesn't do it for me. I'd like to see it on a different strap as well. Perhaps more photos or in the flesh and my score would go up, I do like the colour."
"I like it, but not as much as the Silver and Montreal, and I also don't like the choice of strap."
"8/10. Really like it. In many ways this is the perfect colour for me, but I don't think it's quite as special or as good an all-rounder as the silver 160th. This is not an everyday watch IMO. If I could justify having yet another Carrera and could get it below RRP, then I certainly would. But it's not going to be replacing the silver. So why have I only given it 8 out of 10? Loses a mark for having vintage-coloured lume - would have preferred without. And another mark simply for being another Carrera that gets in the way of and delays what most of us want to see - a panda dial."
"39mm, glassbox = meh! Colour = meh! Score = 5/10."
"I think it's a beautiful colour, and personally I think the 'vintage' lume works nicely with the color. I don't personally love the way the polished chrono hands disappear against the dial, but I know not everyone cares that much about quick readability of the chrono. At least you'll be able to read the time easily. I won't be hunting this one down myself but I'd give it an 8/10."
"Mmm, it’s different, I feel reflections may dull the look, it has vintage lume, just not exciting me, although since not much is that might be lockdown blues. Really need to see it in the flesh. 6/10."
"Due to the fact that I always ask TH to be different,( which they have done with colour) and the glass box Carrera is so popular I would have to give this a 8/10. Again 39mm is too small for my wrists so it leaves me out but a 25 year ago me would say yes, yes , yes."
"Teal is my favourite colour. So I give 8/10. I saw the real one, and it was a beautiful dial."
"In my opinion Tag gets everything right on case design and proportions on the 39mm glassbox contributing to a big part of the score. Minuses for strap and colour. Having one myself, I find it a tad too dressy and shiny. The addition of a coloured stitch and matte finish would be more fitting. A rally type strap or bracelet would have been more fitting and made it a solid 8. The colour, although it looks great and I can appreciate changing things up, is polarizing and looses points for that."
"8/10. I let this one sink in I for a couple hours. Some thoughts: 500 pieces will make it more accessible, and this is one piece that I like better in renders than the actual photos as the green looks brighter with the renders. Real life conditions in daylight might really make this one stand out, similar to the Blue Dreamer dial. Great looking Carrera but hoping panda/reverse pandas are coming soon as I'm getting a bit of Carrera-fatigue."
"Now that I’ve seen a lot of pictures, I give it a 9/10! This actually reminds me of the Carrera Silver 160. Everything nice and great about the Carrera Silver 160 is in here except the teal colour (obviously) and the homage. So I think it will be a big hit to those who feel the Silver is a bit “plain” but wants a watch with a fun-vibe and modern flare. The beauty of the vintage-design Carrera is that it’s still probably the cleanest and clearest 3-register chronograph out there. TAG Heuer is a master in sunburst metallic dials so I’m guessing a red, blue and or yellow version will be rolled out in the foreseeable future."
FURTHER READING:
THE CBK221F.FC6479 ON THE TAG HEUER WEBSITE:
No comments:
Post a Comment