Tag Heuer’s long presence in motorsport—and in whole families of watches designed to track time—is pretty well-known. The OG of them all is the Carrera, a chronograph watch that, when it launched in the mid 1960s, symbolised stripped-back modernist design. That racy original spirit lives on now in other watches in the Carrera collection, not least in the new three- and four-hand designs launched last week. But theres nothing retro about them.
The watches include a day-date, a simple three-hand date, and a GMT (that the brand refers to as Twin-Time). What unites them all across 13 iterations and four dial colours (black, blue, white, and silver) is a super-simple display echoing the new Carrera Chronographs launched last year.
But this is not merely an exercise in reductive design. The new Carreras have a glossy feel about them—with much polishing of the 316L stainless steel—and a newly created case with refined lugs that, in line with current trends elsewhere, steps away from all-beefy, all-day tool watches. For Tag Heuer, these Carreras define a new aesthetic that bridges the gap between the functional and the elegant.
As well as a 41mm case, the Carrera Date comes in the sweet-spot size of 39mm. At a time when we are finally going out again, the watches are conceived to multitask from work to a night out with ease. In Los Angeles last week, to underline the new mien of the Carrera, the launch of the new watches at a lavish house party in the hills was also an opportunity to celebrate Tag Heuer’s new ambassador—no slouch he in the rugged-yet-sophisticated department—Ryan Gosling.
TAG Heuer Carrera Twin-Time Automatic Watch 41mm
TAG Heuer Carrera Automatic Watch 41 mm
TAG Heuer Carrera Date Automatic Watch 39mm
Nick Sullivan is Creative Director at Esquire, where he served as Fashion Director from 2004 until 2019. Prior to that, he relocated from London with his young family to Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. He has styled and art directed countless fashion and cover stories for both Esquire and Big Black Book (which he helped found in 2006) in exotic,uncomfortable, and occasionally unfeasibly cold locations. He also writes extensively about men’s style, accessories, and watches. He describes his style as elegantly disheveled.
