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Introduced in 1964 the Carrera is one of the watches that most defines TAG Heuer’s brand identity, and Heuer’s before that — the first models featured clean, symmetrical dial designs and angular lugs that have continued to influence the brand’s watches through the decades. Now, TAG has brought that first model back as a reissue with modern updates, including the in-house Heuer 02 automatic chronograph movement.
In 1964, the Carrera came in silver (2447S) and black (2447N) versions, and it’s specifically the former that the brand has revived and simply named the Carrera Silver Limited Edition. Some brands have recently aimed for near one-to-one recreations of historical models right down to size (like Zenith’s A384 Revival) and even movement (like Omega’s recent Speedmaster with its 321 movement), but the Carrera has a few notable concessions to modernity.
Three millimeters wider than the 36mm original, at 39mm, the new Carrera Silver is water-resistant to 100m and topped with sapphire crystal with the same raised shape as the 1964 model’s plexiglass. Instead of the manually wound Valjoux 72 movement, inside is the modern automatic Heuer 02, which has been used in many hyper-modern Carrera watches as well as some other vintage rereleases. The Heuer 02 has a slightly different hand layout than the Valjoux 72, but that shouldn’t bother too many people, and it offers a healthy power reserve of 80 hours. It also features a column wheel and vertical clutch which many enthusiasts appreciate for its smooth (superior) chronograph articulation — and it’s all visible through an exhibition case back.
The impetus for releasing this vintage tribute now is the 160th anniversary of the brand (formerly known as just Heuer), founded in 1860. Beginning what TAG promises to be “a year of tributes and celebrations,” the Carrera “2447S” reissue shows that any historical model is fair game as a way to generally celebrate the brand’s history — and with an extensive back catalog of notable models, fans can expect a lot more to follow.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Silver Limited Edition will be limited to 1,860 examples for a price of $6,450 each with worldwide availability expected in June 2020.
