CBK221H.FC8317
As you probably know by now, in the normal course of events when TAG Heuer release a new watch I generally post a 'First Impressions' post based on whatever pictures and videos I can find followed by an 'On the Wrist' post later when I've had a chance to get hands on with the product. Of course with all these super limited editions of late it's not been possible to do this because they never make it to the boutiques. But thankfully on this occasion we can kill two birds with one silvery stone as our most recent journalistic recruit 'Charlie M (aka Imagwai)' has actually bought the latest Carrera Panda and as such is superbly placed to give us his 'First Impressions' & 'On the Wrist' all wrapped up in one splendid post...
I have to admit to being a bit nervous before writing this first impressions article for Rob. This is the watch that I’ve been saying Tag Heuer should make for several years now, and have probably bored the members of the TAG Heuer forum to death with this to the extent that they wish to beat me with a large stick of wood containing rusty nails. All I wanted was a vintage style panda Carrera - panda or a reverse panda would have done, two or three registers. But the configuration they have arrived at, with 3 black subdials was absolutely my first choice.
So did TAG Heuer nail it? Yes, I think so, and if proof were needed, I stayed up and had this in my shopping cart one minute before the 1am release time (I guessed the URL based on other models). But now I’m going to have to go through all the tiny details that in an ideal world would have been improvements – I hope writing them down doesn’t spoil my enjoyment of this fabulous watch too much!
At the top of that list has to be the lume. Whilst not a dealbreaker, I’m not exactly a fan of faux vintage lume, and both this and the 160th silver Carrera have opted for a beige shade which appears to have hints of salmon and orange. It’s not noticeable on the hour marker plots, but on the hands, it really makes me wish they’d opted for a more neutral cream as it clashes with the otherwise crisp and clean look of silver, black and white.
Second is the dial colour and effect, which is a silvery sunray, similar to the 160th. It’s a fabulous and expensive-looking dial, but of course the true vintage enthusiast in me wishes is was a milkier, creamier white like the original 2447 SN Carrera it aims to replicate.
My third (and final) criticism comes with the price and the fact that it’s a limited edition. As I write, it’s pretty much sold out, so arguably it was priced correctly. However, these have crept up by about £1000 from when the first Heuer02 glassboxes were released a couple of years back, and are approaching double the price of the Calibre 18 Telemeter circa 2017! The limited run of 600 made it a little stressful thinking I might miss out, but thankfully that proved not to be an issue in the end.
Things Tag definitely got right include the absence of a date window, the individual numbering on the case back, the red box and the black rally strap with Heuer-signed buckle (although I will mostly be wearing it with the Heuer deployant). The case is also a very close match for the original Carrera design and the size is perfect for a modern interpretation. I know some people say it’s too thick, and of course I would also like a millimetre or two shaved off, but a lot of the height comes from the glassbox crystal,
and let’s be honest, Tag were never realistically going to go to the hassle of putting in a manual-wind version of the Heuer 02 without the rotor.
I have removed the serial number as this is Charlie's watch
So, as you can I see, it would need a few tweaks to be a 100% perfect watch. But as I opined in my BB58 article, does such a watch ever exist? There are always going to be things you’d like to change, right? For me, I think it’s as close as Tag are ever going to get to my ideal modern Carrera, and I’m grateful to them for finally making it. In my head I like to think that my repeated forum and social media posts on this subject may have contributed towards persuading them. 😊
The original 2447 SN was a stunning looking watch at the time and still is today – the reason it’s such a collector’s piece isn’t just the rarity, but down to how right the design is. Finally we have something from Tag that recognises this. It joins a growing family of great 39mm glassbox Carreras. Of course I’d like to own them all, but if I could have just one, this is it (OK, or maybe the Blue Dreamer). Now they’ve finally made the design I wanted, I hope to enjoy it for many years to come.
Thanks Charlie, I'm so pleased you managed to secure one after you've been waiting so long, and thanks for sharing your thoughts about it with us: top man! I don't really have much to add to be honest, other than to note that the sale price of the CBK221H was £6100 and that it sold out on the TAG Heuer website in less than 24hours.
Oh, it's also worth mentioning that Charlie swapped the strap on his for a very similar looking one upon arrival, so the watch actually comes with a pin buckle, not a deployant clasp as shown in his photographs.
And so we turn to the COCO Council for their opinions.... some of whom also bought this watch, so bear that in mind when reading their comments!
(225 / 26 = 8.65 rounded up to 8.7)
A truly epic score for the final glasbox Carrera, which provisionally places it second in the COCO standings to the Silver 160th Carrera (by 0.1 of a point)... of course the December vote will decide the final outcome.
Has to be the clear favourite to win 'Watch of the Year'; it would be insane for a watch to score that many points and not claim the title to be honest... talk about shooting your bolt early!
6.5/10: "The sunburst silver dial is nice but the overly thick white hands on the subdials look cheap and overall it's a bit meh."
10/10: "Based on some of the early pics, I thought I might score it a 9 or 9.5. Since I believed TAG Heuer should've tried to replicate the original's egg shell dial. However, now that I have the watch on my wrist and can view the dial with my own eyes, it's an entirely different story. While the silver sunray dial used isn't the same as the 2447SN's, it's stunningly beautiful and a thing to behold. Pictures don't do it justice. For a vintage Heuer remake, this is as good as it gets. A perfect 10!"
9/10: "Great looking watch and best executed glass box so far."
7.5/10: "Overall its a lovely watch but slightly let down by a very small issue. Mainly, for me is the faux Patina lume. I can take it or ;eave it and done right, it can look good. However, here it's just too prominent and with the sub-dial hands being white it stands out even more now. Strangely, I don't mind the lumed dot markers. The silver dial is lovely and looks great with the black sub dials. The movement is top notch and can't fault that. Overall a very lovely and very special watch, I just wish they'd stop with this faux lume."
7/10: "It looks fine and 'What's the first rule of television? Give the people what they want.' I have always disliked the glass box all the way back to the Calibre 18 Telemeter and the price, at just short of $11k (Australian), is a joke but TAG Heuer have been inching their way towards Omegas prices for several years now."
9.5/10: "Points subtracted for the usual Glassbox shortcomings, bloated case, and softened lugs."
8/10: "Great looking watch but the 2447SN casts a long shadow. How can you ever top that? Very nice execution nonetheless. Not a 8.5 or even 9 because of glassbox flaws and the sunburst dial instead of the warm grey/white of the original."
7/10: "I went to the store today to see the watch. It makes a good impression, but compared to the 160 year anniversary one, I concluded that the panda dial should be reversed. Also, a more elaborate 60 year anniversary logo should be placed on the rotor visible from the back."
9/10: "That silver dial is so sexy. I wish the sub dial hands didn't look so bad though."
9/10: "How can I not score it highly? This is the watch I'm been waiting a long time for and hoping TH would release. The only reason it loses a mark is because of i) the price is too much on the high side; ii) limited edition making it stressful trying to get one; iii) the dial is gorgeous but would have preferred a slightly milkier/flat white dial; iv) all the usual shortcomings of the glassbox (thickness, movement, etc.) So not quite perfect, but as close as it's realistically likely to get."
7.5/10: "Unfortunately for me, it falls behind both the 'Ice King' & last years very impressive WoS Ltd Ed (which I'd rather spend my money on). Something missing visually & I think its the white hands."
9/10: "Well, love the way the face seems to subtly change hue in the differing light, not too sure about the glass, and the price!"
9.5/10: "Almost a perfect watch!"
10/10: "Same as the Silver 160th Carrera which is also a 10. This is probably one of the coolest Heuer Heritage re-edition for me (in the league of SMQ Monaco, Monza, Ice King, Heritage Autavias etc). I can’t see any fault in it other than its too beautiful."
10/10: "A great panda glassbox, and finally on a proper leather rally strap."
9.5/10: "Ok, great watch. Potential candidate for the best TAG Heuer watch of the 2020s. Nothing more to say. But just to say something: I particularly like the remake of the strap as well as the return of the individual numbers."
9/10: "Smashing release by TAG Heuer, well done."
10/10: "This time they listened to their hardcore fans and delivered. Still wish it was manual winding with thinner case profile but for now, it's perfect."
8/10: "I am certainly in the minority on this one when I say I am a tiny bit underwhelmed at face value, after it was built up in the chat in here. I am guessing this might be due to being new to TAG Heuer and not fully appreciating the historical significance as much as those who have been longstanding fans. In saying that, I can certainly recognise the beauty in it and the significance for others, so will still get a good score from me. I do really like the glass box style and was very taken by the red CBK221G from last year, which I gave an 8.5/10. On that basis, as I prefer the red, I will give this one an 8/10."
9/10: "Excellent presentation of a milestone anniversary. I do wish it were more eggshell white like the original (instead it resembles the SND more) but overall a fantastic addition to the heritage range."
8.5/10: "This watch is a wonderful start for TH this year! I work with an annual watch budget. (I have more expensive hobbies) This watch is really beautiful but I'll wait for other models. This Carrera makes too big a hole in my budget. And the year has just begun..."
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