WBN201A.BA0640
Way back in 2015 TAG Heuer (then under the control of the legendary Jean Claude Biver) announced a new cleaner and 'wider' logo for the brand. At the time some people loved it and some people hated the loss of the classic 'arrow' logo which had been with us since the 1985 takeover, but now six years down the line its kind of water under the bridge. What is surprising though is that even now you can still buy a brand new TAG Heuer watch with the old logo on the dial. Indeed, just a quick look at the TAG Heuer website reveals 8 different Formula 1 models (out of 35 available) still wearing the old logo and there is also at least one Aquaracer still on the site wearing the old badge too.
(Does that not seem weird to anyone else? I was once told that everything made after 2015 would have been made with the new logo and so every dial that still carried the old logo must have been manufactured prior to that. I guess the dials could have been made in bulk at the start of the line, but it seems a bit odd to think that six years down the line there's still a mixture of logos available. I mean, I know that back in the 1980s watches left the factory with a mixture of Heuer and TAG Heuer branding on the crowns, dials, clasp and backplates, but back then it was a case of using old stock to survive.)
The Carrera still has the odd floater in the line-up too, but it's heading in the right direction and last week saw a further rejuvenation of the slightly tired range with the introduction of a selection of new Calibre 5 pieces all of course now wearing the updated TAG Heuer shield.
WBN2110.BA0639
Now to be perfectly honest, I've never really paid all that much attention to the three handed Carreras. I have tried one or two on at Bicester Village and found them pleasant enough, but for the most part they are just not exciting enough for me to even consider parting ways with the necessary coin to own one. These really are the epitome of what Americans would call 'mall watches'; they aren't really for 'watch enthusiasts' as such, but more aimed at the 'general public' who want a nice watch that's expensive, but not too expensive... a good all rounder that can be worn casually or formally for just about any occasion.
And there's nothing wrong with that. After all I'm sure TAG Heuer would struggle to survive if they relied solely on the kind of customer willing to part with £5000 for a Heuer 02 powered Monaco or Carrera, and that's not to deride the product either: I think these new Carreras look quite smart, particularly the blue dial variant, and I'm looking forward to trying one on in the very near future. But I can't imagine a scenario where I would consider parting with £2000+ to own one... and judging by the scores that came back from the C.O.C.O. Council on these I think they are of much the same mind.
WBN2011.FC6484
The new Carreras are available in three sizes:
WBN2110.BA0639: 39mm Date Only / Black Dial - £2250
WBN2113.BA0639: 39mm Date Only / Black Dial c/w Gold Accents - £2400
WBN2112.BA0639: 39mm Date Only / Blue Dial - £2250
WBN2111.BA0639: 39mm Date Only / Silver Dial - £2250
WBN2010.BA0640: 41mm Day-Date / Black Dial - £2400
WBN2013.BA0640: 41mm Day-Date / Black Dial c/w Gold Accents - £2600
WBN2012.BA0640: 41mm Day-Date / Blue Dial - £2400
WBN2011.FC6484: 41mm Day-Date / Silver Dial - £2400
WBN201A.BA0640: 41mm Date & GMT / Blue Dial - £2650
WBN2410.BA0621: 29mm Date Only / Mother of Pearl Dial - £1900
WBN2412.BA0621: 29mm Date Only / Mother of Pearl & Diamonds Dial - £2700
WBN2411.BA0621: 29mm Date Only / Blue Dial - £1900
WBN2413.BA0621: 29mm Date Only / Blue Dial with Diamonds - £2700
WBN201A.BA0640
The model which caught my eye was of course the new Twin Time (or GMT) with it's lovely blue dial and red accented GMT hand. I didn't notice immediately (actually until someone pointed it out) but the GMT ring now has its 'midnight' point at the 6 position rather then the 12, which seems a little bit odd. Then again I suppose at midday the pointer will be pointing to the '12' position which does actually make sense... I guess it also makes sense that the daytime is represented in the top half of the dial and the night at the bottom, it just looks a little strange seeing the '24' at the '6' position.
The Twin Time also features its date window at the 6 position, which gives it a nicely balanced dial and this is something which is shared on the 39mm (date only) models. The 41mm day/date models continue with their windows in the conventional place, which I must admit does leave them looking a little cluttered in comparison.
I'm pretty sure if I was going to buy any of these it would be the Twin Time, but solely because it looks a little more exciting than the others (I have zero use for a GMT watch). And really, looking at the range they've released they couldn't have chosen a blander selection of dial colours, could they? Yes the blue looks quite nice, but on the whole these colours have been chosen because they won't 'scare' anyone away and because they are perfect for 'any' occasion. Like I said, these are watches for the regular Joe not the hardened watch enthusiast and while that doesn't preclude a true enthusiast from a taking a liking to them, aside from a nice 'azurage' effect on some of the dials (concentric circles rather than a radial graining) there isn't really much to tickle the cognoscentis undercarriage.
It will certainly be interesting to see these in the stores and see how they compare with the pictures*. In the meantime it's time to welcome the considered opinions of the esteemed Council, take it away fellas...
(* The photographs in this post were kindly supplied by C.O.C.O. member Adam (Abrod520) who visited a local boutique and managed to take some snaps - thanks Adam!)
Given the large number of new watches that have been made available all at once it seemed slightly OTT to score them all right now, however the council will get the chance to score every watch released this year in December leading up to the end of year review traditionally posted on Christmas Eve. For now I simply asked them to score the 39mm watches as a whole, the 41mm watches as a whole and the GMT separately. I think it's fair to say that the results were largely predictable.
39mm Carrera Date Watches: 6.2 / 10
41mm Carrera Day/Date Watches: 5.5 / 10
41mm Carrera Twin Time Watch: 6.4 / 10
"They're nice, sunburst effect on the silver and blue and azurage on the black & black/gold. They have a nice pop to them under varied lighting conditions. The white date disc on the blue model gives it a sportier feel than the more elegant black date disc on the black dial. Still, I wouldn't be able to pick them out from the old ones unless they were side by side. The pick for me as I figured would be the GMT, though I don't care for "caller" GMTs with fixed bezels. No jump hour here, it's still the Calibre 7. And oddly enough, the hour track is inverted - with 12 midnight appearing at 6 o'clock ::confused2:: - though I think this was intentional so that it'd function as sort of a day/night indicator as well. Overall, it's a 5/10 watch - right up the middle."
"Much like when Porsche introduces a new 911, it's hard for the non enthusiast to spot the differences on this new Carrera 3 Hander line up. But also like the Porsche, the design is timeless and classy, so it doesn't matter. I prefer the 39mm size, but from a styling perspective, both the 39mm & 41mm look great. They both sport very clean lines and are everything a Carrera should be. However the GMT model doesn't work for me. Its busier design is a distraction and the lack of dial colour choices is also a minus."
"The thinness of the bezels is a good improvement. I also like the colour of the blue dial model and the GMT, but these are not compelling enough for me to purchase any of them. Overall, I'd give them a 7."
"Overall, neat and tidy. Nothing to be too negative about but nothing to jump up and down about either. Silver face will please a number of people around the C11 traps, and I think that is probably the pick of the bunch."
"Tag Carrera 39mm Watches. I would score them 7 out of 10. I love the dials and for some reason I quite like the position of the date at the 6 marker. Also feel the watch works better at 39mm. Tag Carrera 41mm Day Date Watches. I would give these 6 out of 10. I like some of the dials like the 39mm ones but to my eye they just seem a bit too big. That said, i do like the day date complication on these. It's just not too exciting to me. Tag Carrera 41mm GMT Twin Time watch. I Would give this 7 out of 10 also. Aesthetically, I like it and I like the GMT complication. Would prefer it at 39mm but for some reason it works for me."
"I honestly don't see anything to get excited about here. They're reasonably attractive, fairly bog standard watches erroneously wearing the "Carrera" name, and these new models looks pretty similar to what we've seen before. 41mm is too big for a slim bezel 3 hander in my opinion, but given the popularity of Rolex's OP and DJ 41, I'm clearly in the minority. I don't see the need for a display case back with this movement either. The blue dial WBN2012 is the pick of the bunch for me, but honestly, if I wanted a 3 hand Carrera I'd go for the 36mm "ladies" model."
"The 39mm gets a 7 for me, 41mm scores 5.0 - I really don't like the look or placement of the day/date. If it were vertical at o'clock position I'd score it higher. GMT gets a solid 8, the layout looks pretty balanced to me, colours are nice and I bet that sunburst is sweet in real life. Overall I like the update to the hands and indices. This appears to be priced in the Bell and Ross BR-V293 range and I think its a compelling competitor. Overall I like the new updates and would recommend this to someone looking for a dressier daily sport watch. The case design is very comfortable. Comparative to a Black Bay or Explorer in comfort and wearability."
"Very slight changes there… but still a nice watch anyway. For me it’s a 7 for the blue GMT and the silver dial with brown leather strap (I prefer the strap vs the bracelet) and a 6 for the rest of the versions."
"I don't know the difference between the new Carrera and the old one. I looked at the actual watch a little, but I couldn't tell the difference. The lugs on these watches have been shortened, the bracelets have been made thinner and better fitted to the wrist. For the GMT, the flange is upside down, unlike the usual GMT watch. I'm not sure if this is easy to use?"
"Always like the non chronograph Carrera. Not so convinced about the movement though (although i am not expecting in house for this but it is welcome if they want to upgrade calibre 5 or 6 or 7 to the highest grade)."
"The silver one is probably the nicest. Will check them our at AD at some point but not in a hurry. I like the Solunar vibe of the GMT but the rest of it is meh. A white date wheel seems like a weird choice when the grey dials get a cool grey wheel with white print. That midnight blue sunburst is so boring. My blue ‘90s 2000 is more contemporary than this. Are the cases fully polished? I wonder what the lugs look like in profile. I really like my 39mm Carrera which is from the previous generation. On photos it mostly seems bland but in the metal it’s quite beautiful, an understated sort of beauty. So can’t go wrong with any of these I reckon. Average score of 7, bonus points for the greys and silver."
"Beautiful classic design with some important improvements to the precursors (case shape, hands and indices). If the Cal. 5 really deserves a sapphire caseback could be discussed."
And finally...
"I think the new Carreras are an upgrade in many ways, although some design choices will hold me back from trading up. I like the combination of polished and brushed surfaces, very handsome. The new cases is even slimmer than the previous one, well done. I'm still not a fan of the new lugs. I tried the elegant Carrera chronograph at my AD. Head on it's stunning but from an angle they're just not Carrera lugs. They look a bit stumpy, although I might get used to that over time.
The hands and hour markers are no improvement. Retro Autavia hands on an elegant Carrera seem a mismatch, they're also quite fat. I love how the light catches the polished sides of the hour markers on my Carrera. The new hour markers seem to have too much going on, it's distracting. Why increase the lug width on the 39mm from 19 to 20,5(!)mm? This has huge implications on wrist presence. It's a lot of bracelet.
I'm happy they deleted 'Calibre 5' on the dial but instead they increased the font size of Carrera and Automatic. I wonder why we still need to print automatic anyway, it's quite obvious and it's not like anyone will be able to read it off your wrist, despite the huge font size. The typewriter font is also pretty outdated. I'd be happy with no print at all.
Date window at 6 is fine, certainly when the date wheel matches the dial. The white wheel on the blue dials is an eyesore. I prefer the concentric dial to the sunburst. The grey and silver aren't bad but the gold is my favourite from these.
I like the Solunar inspired tension ring of the Twin Time (not GMT). I read a lot of positive things on the forum about the blue dial but the reason is beyond me. I figure they collected 5 of the most boring blues they could find and went with the most boring one of those. This blue is pitched towards the Tissot buyer who wants to splurge. So many great colours in the 90s F1, 2000 series etc. Let's have some exciting colours please."
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