The New and Awesome TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Chronograph in Gold

The buzz surrounding TAG Heuer’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of the iconic Carrera chronograph was hard to miss this year. The brand marked this significant milestone by introducing several timepieces to the collection, much to the delight of enthusiasts. Earlier in the year, we were happy to unveil the Carrera Glassbox references and the 60th Anniversary Edition Panda. Now, it’s time to introduce the captivating gold version, a timepiece that embodies the cherished features of the Carrera Glassbox while exuding style with its yellow gold case and dial.

While some may question the suitability of gold for a sports watch, it’s worth remembering that winners receive gold medals. Jack Heuer designed the Carrera for race car drivers, and he had a tradition of gifting gold-cased Carreras to the fastest individuals on Earth, including Ferrari drivers and the remarkable Ronnie Peterson, a Swedish racing legend. In 1972, Jack Heuer presented Ronnie Peterson with the 18k gold Carrera ref. 1158 CHN model featuring a champagne dial and two black registers. I encourage you to explore Ronnie Peterson’s story online and watch the 2017 documentary “SuperSwede”. Ronnie’s life was tragically cut short after a Monza crash, but his legacy remains extraordinary. Also, look up the enthralling – particularly for chronograph fans – story of Peterson’s Carrera. Spoiler alert: in 2016, the TAG Heuer Museum acquired Peterson’s Carrera for a noteworthy $230,000, and there were faithful re-editions after – I leave you to search.

Now, let’s dive into the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph’s golden first impressions. The latest timepiece is showcased in a 39mm diameter brushed and polished 18K 3N gold case with a 13.9mm thickness. It boasts solid gold chronograph push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock and a gold crown at 3 o’clock. These elements seem thoughtfully designed for user-friendly operation, emphasising functionality and ease of use. The fine-brushed and polished finish contributes to the overall cohesive aesthetic, while the gold caseback with sapphire crystal adds to the pleasant weight and feel of the timepiece.

This new Carrera edition features a uniquely shaped domed “glassbox” sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating, ingeniously engineered by TAG Heuer to replicate the appearance of the plastic crystals used in Carreras during the 1960s and 1970s. This design element, also seen in the Carrera Glassbox references released earlier this year, adds a cool touch that resonates. The crystal exhibits a graceful curve that extends over the dial’s edge and seamlessly merges into the case, creating a cool, fluid motion aesthetic. This shaped crystal also adds to the high-performance character of the watch as it allows one to read the tachymetric scale, printed on the outer dial’s edge, literally from any angle.

TAG Heuer launches the gold Carrera Chronograph with a vertically brushed yellow gold-plated reverse panda dial, keeping the colour scheme of the above-mentioned Peterson’s Carrera ref. 1158 accurate. We find the black azuré counters for the chronograph minutes at 3 o’clock and for the hour chronograph at 9 o’clock, with the permanent second indicator at 6; the latter comes with a small, incorporated framed aperture, showing the white date disc. There’s a double index at 12 o’clock, and all indices are faceted, with a black line running down the middle; the black is also repeated on the chronograph central seconds hand and the hand for running seconds. The hour and minute hands are gold-plated and filled with Super-LumiNova; the sub-counters’ hands are gold-plated, too. The tiny lume dots mark the hours on a yellow gold-plated flange with the minute track, which borders the tachymeter scale. Enhanced by the domed crystal, the multi-layered effect created by the dial is truly captivating.

Turn the watch over and find the nicely decorated movement featuring Geneva stripes on display. This gold reference has the calibre TH20-00, an updated Heuer 02 movement. This automatic calibre offers a bi-directional winding, which powers up the mainspring faster and works for better precision characteristics. The TH20-00 is good for up to 80 hours of non-stop running when fully wound.

The watch is offered on a black perforated calfskin strap, closed with the yellow gold pin buckle. TAG Heuer has priced it at CHF 21,000. It’s also worth noting it enters the collection not as a limited edition but as a permanently available model.

For more information, please visit www.tagheuer.com.