The Fiery New TAG Heuer Carrera Red Dial Limited Edition

Last year TAG Heuer surprised us with a very handsome and trendy green special edition of one of its most iconic models in the current line-up. The dial of TAG Heuer Carrera Green Special Edition had a unique tone, following the green trend on foot, yet with a bit of a twist. This year we again see a lot of green, however also some new colours being thrown in the mix, which is a very nice development. Recently we’ve seen TAG Heuer introduce us to a purple dial Monaco and this time around it is again the Carrera’s turn to change faces. Going from green to crimson, this is the TAG Heuer Carrera Red Dial Limited Edition.

Named after the border-to-border Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico, the Carrera was the first motorsports-oriented chronograph by Heuer. Even though the race ran in the first half of the 1950s before being cancelled due to several lethal accidents, the Heuer Carrera wouldn’t be introduced until 1963. Prior to that, Heuer produced the 404, which had a clear and very legible bicompax chronograph dial. Design-wise, it is the precursor to the now iconic look of the Carrera. The Heuer Carrera was the brainchild of Jack Heuer, as an answer to the growing demand for motorsports-inspired chronographs. In a stroke of marketing genius, he named the collection “Carrera” instead of giving it a somewhat meaningless code as identification. This paved the way for many other iconic names, such as the Monaco.

While the outlook of the Carrera might have changed a bit with this new dial, overall it retains the rather classically proportioned 39mm wide steel case. The height of the watch is about 14mm, it will feel right at home on pretty much any wrist. In terms of design, this generation of Carrera comes rather close to the original Heuer Carrera chronograph watches from the early 1960s. The case is fully polished, with a thin bezel embracing a boxed-shaped sapphire crystal, a straight caseband and the trademark faceted Carrera style lugs. Simple pump-style pushers start, stop and reset the chronograph and flank the Heuer-signed knurled crown.

Where TAG Heuer went for an on-trend and very beautiful teal-green dial last year, this new limited edition goes down the crimson-red path. The fiery red sunray-brushed dial pops against the polished steel case. This generation of Carrera Chronograph captures the design of the earlier models and presents it in a surprisingly classic yet fresh-looking dial. Details like the polished and rhodium-plated hands and applied indices give the Carrera Chronograph a bit of sparkle, while the beige-coloured Super-LumiNova elements give off a more vintage feeling. The small seconds are indicated at 9 o’clock, with the chronograph 30-minute and 12-hour counters positioned at 3 and 6 o’clock respectively.

Turning the watch over reveals the in-house Heuer 02 movement. This modern movement has an integrated construction with a column wheel and vertical clutch. It can be found in multiple higher-end chronographs from TAG Heuer and is here topped with a black-coated rotor featuring crimson accents. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph, the Heuer 02 movement provides a more than decent 80 hours of running time. This no-date movement indicates the hours, minutes, and small seconds, combined with 12-hour and 30-minute counters for the chronograph. The transparent caseback mentions the watch is “ONE OF 600” and a “Limited Edition”.

The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Red Dial Limited Edition is produced in a run of 600 pieces only, a hundred more than the aforementioned Green Special Edition from last year. The watch comes on the same black alligator leather strap with a polished folding buckle. It is exclusively available from TAG Heuer boutiques and e-commerce platforms and is priced at EUR 6,400, CHF 6,600, USD 6,750 or GBP 5,600.

For more information, please visit TAGHeuer.com