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With a new movement and a refined case, we take out the new TAG Heuer Carrera Day Date for a spin to see how this new release stacks up for the watch that is so closely linked with motor sport.

So, I’m going to start this review by stealing a little from my TAG Heuer-loving co-worker, Mario. Why? Well, as they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, or “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, or “don’t reinvent the wheel”. In any case, Mario gave a great summation of this particular line of TAG Heuer Carreras in his write-up for them when they were released at Watches & Wonders this year.

The Backstory (From Mario)

By the early 2000s, Carrera chronographs were already well-established, but the newly LVMH-acquired TAG Heuer sought to create a watch that could display time as legibly and efficiently as its chronographs could record it. This vision materialised in the form of the Carrera three-hand timepieces, translating the timeless, functional design of the Carrera into a pure time-and-date model. These quickly became a staple of the modern TAG Heuer roster, as the clean lines of the Carrera three-hand collection became a go-to for many watch enthusiasts, new and old.

Over the years, the brand began to gradually evolve. In-house movements, new designs, and revolutionary innovations were introduced to TAG Heuer’s collections – except for the Carrera three-hand. Sure, they had the Twin-Time, which saw some success – and a movie tie-in with brand ambassador Ryan Gosling, but there was an inescapable feeling that the Carrera three-hand range was eventually going to be made technologically redundant. It wasn’t going to happen soon; the design was still so incredibly popular. But if TAG Heuer were too slow to act, it would risk having to phase out what is ostensibly a modern horological classic…

And, back to me. Thanks, Mario. So this year saw TAG Heuer release a brand new collection of Carrera three-hand pieces in the form of five new Day-Date models plus a GMT variant. They were possibly overshadowed by the Formula 1 Solargraph releases, understandably, as the focus for TAG Heuer this year is very much centred around the F1. However, sitting in the presentation room in the TAG Heuer booth at Watches & Wonders, there was some excitement around the new Carrera Day-Date collection, which has been overhauled with the 2025 watch buyer in mind.

First Impressions

One of the great things I like about the TAG Heuer Carrera collection is that there is actually a watch that will suit pretty much every taste and every wrist size. Everything from the smaller and more dainty women’s collection through to the bold Extreme Sport Chronographs. The TAG Heuer Carrera is one of those iconic collections that is able to be a chameleon in the watch world. And by that I mean, it can be many things to many people.

So when I first saw the new Carrera Day-Date collection, I wouldn’t say I was blown away by it, but I was more curious about how these new versions would stand out against the old models. Now, the TAG Heuer Carrera Day-Date is a good all-round, every-day watch. It is not too ostentatious and is a watch that can fly under the radar for people who don’t want to be too showy or are inclined to be a “look at me” type of person. The new range was very much this, but what TAG Heuer has done is it has given the new models a little bit more life with the colourways, a new bracelet that suits the watch quite well, and overall, designed a better product for today’s watch buyer.

Now, the specific watch that I’ve had on my wrist for the past week and a half is the more sporty of the bunch, a nice classic black dial with an orange second hand that pops, and of course, a racing-style black leather strap that is bolstered on the sides and underneath in turquoise blue. Out of all the collection, this model could potentially be one of the more understated ones thanks to its black textured dial and black leather strap. Yes, it does have the orange second hand and the pops of blue, but outside of this, it is a very subdued watch that is designed for the wearer and not for onlookers. And like most TAG Heuer Carreras I’ve tried on over the years, it’s a watch that you can slip onto your wrist and wear comfortably from day one, which I did.

RELATED READING: There Won’t Be Another Like TAG Heuer’s Carrera

The Design

The new TAG Heuer Carrera keeps those classic design elements that you’ve come to know and love in the Carrera collection. That iconic case shape, which is noticeable anywhere, including the tapered angular lugs, which are very iconic of the Carrera, means that these pieces still have similar aesthetics to the original. All those design elements are throwbacks to the Carrera from the 1960s, and in this piece, specifically, the perforated leather strap is emblematic of those. 

What I like about this specific Carrera is that it is a more understated watch, but those pops of colour that come through in the orange secondhand and those light blue/turquoise accents on the dial and on the leather strap just make this a little bit more fun than your traditional Carrera. TAG Heuer has done a good job on the dial – a black textured dial, which, in certain lights at certain angles, you can really see that texturing coming out. It’s hard to capture in photos, but it gives the dial a little bit more depth compared to, say, a sunray finish or a gloss black dial would. 

The day and date indication at the 3 o’clock position makes it easy to tell what day and date it is, (obviously!), but at a glance, and this is one of those design elements that you may or may not like, depending on your preferences. But I would say if you are looking at one of these pieces, then you’re probably a person who likes having a day and date function. Does it ruin the balance of the dial? That depends on your aesthetic preferences. It is not as balanced as, let’s say, the Glass Box Carrera Chronograph is, where you have the date at either six or 12 o’clock on the dial with no day. But again, this is a design aesthetic that is commonly used across many watches across many brands, and it is one that you’ll either gravitate to or you won’t. Personally, I’ve had a day-date twice on two different watches from two different brands, and it’s kind of nice to look down and check the day and the date – especially when you are on holidays and sometimes you have no idea what day it is when you are. Always a good sign you’re on a great vacation!

The strap design has a mix of both modern and vintage cues. The perforations on the strap give this piece that racing, sporty feel and are a bit of a throwback to those vintage Carrera models of the late 1960s. However, given the strap is bolstered with that turquoise blue, which is not really a vintage style colour, it just makes this a little bit more modern. Couple that with quick-change spring bars and the polished folding clasp, and you have a nice modern strap that has slight vintage vibes, but not too much.

One of the downsides, though, of the new Carreras or any three-handed Carrera, for that matter, is the lack of luminescence on the hands and indices. Yes, the hands are filled with Super-LumiNova, but the steel polished and applied indices are a Baton style and as a result, have small lume pips on the ends. It’s not a big deal if this is not a watch you’re going to be wearing at night or needing visibility in low light. It is something to note that if you want a pure sports watch that has functionality at night, then you won’t get it with the new TAG Heuer Carrera. 

How It Wears

I have said on many occasions that TAG Heuer’s are very easy-to-wear watches. I think this is in part because of the way the case is designed and the angle and taper of the lugs just aid in that wearability, no matter whether it is on a steel bracelet or a leather or rubber strap. I, at one point, had a TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph with the original Heuer 01 movement in it, and I still maintain to this day that it was probably one of the most comfortable watches I have owned. Like many pieces over the years is now long gone, off to a better home, but it’s OK because in this job I get to wear new TAG Heuer Carreras several times a year when they are released.

As these new Carrera’s are not overly large, with a case measuring 41mm x 47.5mm lug-to-lug x 12.57mm thick, they sit in that nice Goldilocks zone of not being too big or not too small. While they are not an overly slim watch from a case thickness perspective, you don’t really notice the thickness thanks to the case design itself. Interestingly, the new case is actually 0.5 mm longer and 0.2 mm thicker than its predecessor. This, however, is irrelevant as on the wrist it is not noticeable.

Having worn this piece for the better part of two weeks, it is one of those watches that once you put it on your wrist, you do kind of forget it’s there, but not in a bad way – it’s just easy and comfortable on a daily basis. This is the one thing I do like about TAG Heuer: they design watches for everyday wear and every day use.

Given the sporting nature of this watch, it is probably not a watch you wear dressed up an awful lot, but if you are like me and are in more casual attire the majority of the time, then the new Carrera date date could be a great choice of a daily watch for you. However, in saying that, it is a little understated and not too out there, so you could pair it with something more dressy should you feel the need. To show you, we had Champs take some photos on his wrist to compare dress styles. As you can see it still goes pretty well with a more formal look, and speaking of Champs, his wrist size is 16.5cm versus my size at 17.5cm, which you can see from the below, how the watch appears on both of our wrists two different looks.

The leather strap on this piece is probably not the most supple of straps I’ve tried on from the get-go, but it is nowhere near as stiff as others that I have had the pleasure of wearing in the past. Again, it seems it’s in that not too stiff, not too flimsy zone. Putting on this watch it fitted my wrist pretty well from the get-go and thanks to the way that TAG Heuer design their fold over clasps like this one, you can move it into position on the strap, exactly as you like, as it does not rely on any holes or settings thanks to the way the clasp bites down on the leather strap. The only downside of that would be is, if you’ve had it fitted to a smaller size and then you have to adjust it to a larger size, the clasp will leave an indentation in the leather strap. But leather bounces back, and I doubt this will be a very big issue for many people at all.

The Movement

With the new Carrera Day-Date comes a new movement. Gone is the old Calibre 5 Automatic movement, and it has now been replaced by the new TH31-02 Calibre. This is a movement that has been developed and manufactured in conjunction with AMT – the high-end arm of reputable movement-maker Sellita. This movement, like the TH31-00 in the Aquaracer collection released last year, is made exclusively for TAG Heuer. While the movement is not manufactured in-house, it was designed by TAG Heuer’s movement boffins, and what is common practice due to various reasons, like space and resourcing, the manufacturing is done off-site with a specialist manufacturer.

The benefit the new TH31-02 movement has over the old Calibre 5 is, it now has more than double the power reserve – increasing the Carrera Day Date’s supply from 38 hours to a more than respectable 80 hours. With the industry standard now sitting around the 70-hour mark, TAG Heuer has decided that their new benchmark will be 10 hours more. So kudos to TAG Heuer for this. It is just one of the new movements that TAG Heuer is working on, as alluded to when we spoke to TAG Heuer’s Movements Director, the award-winning movement designer, Carole Forestier-Kasapi, last year.

Final Thoughts

The TAG Heuer Carrera Day-Date is a solid release from the La Chaux-de-Fonds brand. After wearing the watch for a good amount of time, I can honestly say that these are decent value for money as well, with this piece in particular coming in just a tad over A$6,000. Not only this, but it is a versatile watch. I’ve said many times in the past, a versatile watch, for me anyway, is a great watch as it allows you to use it more often than not, and for those looking to purchase that one nice watch, the more versatile, the better.

The watch looks good on the wrist, kept time well – over the course of the week or so, it gained about 2 seconds per day, so well within reason, and it was comfortable. All these for me check the boxes of what a good daily-worn watch should be. Being picky, I’d still love to see more Super-LumiNova on the dial, and a screw-down crown would be good too for a watch that has a 100m water resistance rating. Yes, there are things that are subjective to all of us, like the use of colour, style, etc, but the one thing I can say is that this Carrera Day-Date felt like a watch I could just get about town in, and not have to worry about. It keeps those design cues we all associate with the TAG Heuer Carrera, some nice vintage nods like the strap design, but keeps it firmly in the 21st century thanks to the refined case and new movement. What more could you want?

Reference: WDA2110.FC6614

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 41mm case x 47.5mm lug-to-lug x 12.57mm thick
• Case Material: Brushed and polished stainless steel
• Dial: Black grained dial with light blue accents, day/date function and orange/red seconds hand and rhodium-plated applied indexes. Hour & Minute hands filled with Super-LumiNova
• Crystal: Dome sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment
• Movement: Automatic TH31-02 with day/date complication
• Power Reserve: 80h
• Water Resistance: 100m (10bar)
• Strap: Black/blue perforated leather strap with butterfly/folding clasp.

Australian RRP: A$6,050

Availability: Available now through TAG Heuer boutiques, retailers and online at TAGHeuer.com

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