ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera Extreme Sports GMT Chrono & Lilac 36mm and 41mm Day/Date Carreras

 

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield 31st October 2025

A few weeks ago I stopped in at the Meadowhall boutique on the way to a concert in Sheffield, it's always nice to visit as the staff are great and there's a surprising amount of pieces in there that you don't find in AD's or most other TAG Heuer boutiques that I've been in! Sometimes things show up ages after you've forgotten they've come out and sometimes they surprise you with something that you only found out about a few days beforehand. One such example being the new Carrera Extreme Sports GMT in green and black pictured below.

I'm not gonna lie, this photograph makes it look way more legible than it really is - although to be fair, that could be partly because of the boutique lighting. And yeah I get that it doesn't even look that legible in this photo; in person it's a hot mess! But even so, I could probably live with that if the overall aesthetic was working, but sadly on this occasion it just doesn't. 

The green elements are surprisingly dark, which might suit some people who would prefer to avoid the 'Spritish' black/green combo found on the latest 42mm Aquaracers. 

Funny, I'd kind of forgotten about those new Aquaracers... which is hardly a good sign.

In fact the whole watch feels rather subdued, except for the huge shiny spaghetti of metal parts on the dial which shine bright like a diamond. 

Weird. 😑

I've seen the new Carrera Day/Dates in windows several times, but never been moved enough to try one on. As I was heading out the door I thought, you know... maybe I should, because after all I am the 'TAG Heuer Enthusiast' and you never know, I might try it on and be blown away.

Sadly, the watch looks just as uninspiring on my wrist as it did in the cabinet, and even a side by side comparison with an old model didn't actually help. I used to quite like the old model, and always thought that one day I might pick on up on the pre-owned market for a good price. To be honest the new watch does make the old watch look quite dated and dull, but that still didn't make it interesting for me. But at least now I know not to bother looking for an older model....

I don't know, something about it just SCREAMS mall watch, or perhaps even fashion watch... which is obviously way worse. And I don't think I've seen a single owner wrist-shot of one of these either... 

Last but not least, at 36mm this date/time only Carrera is way too small for my uber-manly wrist, but I thought I would try it on if only because I know my good friend Jimbo Dollare$ would love to see it on my hairy arm. After the rich pink 'Barbie' Carrera, this one is almost 'subtle' and definitely more feminine, but still wearable if you have the right size wrist. 

I still think these Carreras work better without the diamonds, honestly. I think the colours are enough on their own and work better with the polished steel indices, but you know, some people just love diamonds and who am I to argue with that?

In my opinion it would be good if TAG Heuer made them in both configurations, but on the other hand if you really want the lilac dial then I guess you have to stump up the extra £900 or whatever it is. You pays your money and you takes your choice, eh!