Keeping the racing spirit alive, TAG Heuer has released a new limited-edition Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963
Le Mans is one of the most famous motorsports events in the world. It’s arguably one of the toughest and something many racers aspire to compete in and win. 24 hours of racing non-stop to see who can go the fastest and the furthest, a test of both mental and physical endurance for the racers, and a test of the car’s mechanical prowess – not to mention the skills and ability of the teams that run it. For those that win, they get their names etched into motorsport history with some of the greats. The likes of F1 champions, Fernando Alonso and Nico Hülkenberg have won it, and so has racing royalty, people such as Johnny Herbert, Martin Brundle, Jacky Ickx, and Bruce McLaren to name a few. And when it comes to manufacturers, no other has won it more than Porsche – 19 times in fact!
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963 is a nod to both TAG Heuers association with Porsche, which they have had since Jack Heuer designed the Carrera and named it after the same race Porsche named their cars after – the Carrera Panamericana, as well as the Porsche 963 Le Mans race car. The Porsche 963 is the pinnacle of Porsche’s engineering expertise, based on a Multimatic* chassis derived from the LMP2 category – a second edition Le Mans Prototype developed and designed to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Inspired by the car, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963 is limited to 963 pieces worldwide, just one of the many subtle nods to the car. The tubular shapes of the skeletonised dial are reminiscent of Porsche’s racing car chassis which is minimalistic in design, the red hands are typically racing-inspired and on the outer dial track at 4 o’clock, the red indexes symbolises the excitement and adrenaline in the countdown to the start of the race. In person, it gives off those typical race car vibes, and what you would expect from a race-inspired chronograph like the Carrera.
The bezel is made from forged carbon rather than ceramic, another way TAG Heuer has worked the racecar theming to the watch, mirroring the lightweight design of the car and in the bezel itself, a luminescent Porsche logo. On the side of the case, the Porsche logo is seen in 3D positive relief on the brushed steel case.
The 44mm case is 15mm thick and 49.7mm lug-to-lug, which is typical of the Carrera Chronograph Sport collection, and all the design cues of the Carrera are there, from the pump style chronograph pushers to the lug taper design TAG Heuer employs which angle down allowing the molded strap to hug the wrist. Whilst it’s a larger watch, it fits comfortably and wears very similar to previous Carrera’s I’ve owned and worn.
This wearability is primarily due to the rubber strap TAG Heuer equips the Carrera with, and on this new version, TAG Heuer takes this further by adding the new on-the-fly micro adjustable push button folding clasp on the rubber strap, which can also be cut to the perfect size and comfort of the wearer.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963 utilises the newer Caliber TH20-00 chronograph movement. This is the same movement that is found in the Glassbox Carrera, but in this piece, TAG Heuer has infused the movement with more tributes to the 963 Porsche. The rotor is inspired by the steering wheel of the car in black DLC, and at the top, the red column wheel pairs perfectly with the vertical clutch, eliminating excessive wear and tear and ensuring a smooth, delay-free action when starting and stopping the chronograph. The single barrel delivers 80 hours of power reserve, or approximately 3.3 times the length of Le Mans.
Initial Thoughts
Initially, when first handling the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Porsche 963, it brought back memories of my Carrera Chronograph Sport Heuer01 from 2018 which was the first of the ‘new breed’ of Heuer moements. The styling and shape of the case felt familiar as did the look on the wrist. However, this watch packs a lot more punch than my old Carrera – shows how far the brand has come in the last 5-6 years. Everything from all the Porsche-inspired elements on the watch, the way the dial has been skeletonised with the tube-like design, all the way to the new TH20-00 movement powering the watch. So while it may look familiar, it’s nothing like those that came before it.
Some may say that 44mm may be too big, but this is a piece you’ll need to try on to see for yourself to see. I’ve always maintained that the spec sheet isn’t a great indication when it comes to this style of Carrera as they tend to wear much better. See my review of the 60th Anniversary Autavia Flyback Chronograph to see what I mean. However, in saying this, the beauty of the TAG Heuer Carrera collection is, there is a watch sized for most wrists and tastes, so while some people want a sub-40mm piece, there are plenty of guys (and girls too for that matter) that like a bigger watch. So I’d encourage you to go in-store and try it on if this piques your interest.
Reference: CBU2010.FT6267
Specification:
- Size: 44mm / 15mm thick / 49.7mm lug to lug
- Case Material: Steel brushed and polished case with black PVD fine grained hollowed side & “PORSCHE” logo, Black forged carbon tachymeter scale with “PORSCHE” logo in Super-LumiNova®
- Case back: Circular brushed, polished steel screwed sapphire caseback, with special engraving: “LIMITED EDITION” & “XXX/963”
- Dial: “Tubular” skeleton dial with NAC finishing, Super-LumiNova®, black shimmery subdials at 3, 6 & 9 o’clock with open date window at 6, lit with blue light Super-LumiNova®
- Crystal: Beveled, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Water resistance:100m / 10bar
- Movement: In-house Calibre TH20-00 Automatic chronograph movement
- Power reserve: 80 Hours
- Strap: Black integrated rubber strap, with “963” engraved on a fine brushed, polished steel central link. Fine brushed, polished steel folding clasp with double safety push-buttons and micro-adjust
