During its 50-year life, the TAG Heuer Carrera has taken various forms and incorporated numerous technical innovations to reach the icon status it holds today. Quintessentially avant-garde, it carries the brand’s DNA, from the minimalist version of the 1960s to the more recent mechanical and connected models. A touchstone of the brand since 1963, the TAG Heuer Carrera is bringing new heat for its 55th anniversary. This special edition of the timepiece has too many details to track down, but we put together four of our favorite bits.

Key Specs
Size: 43mm and 45mm
Case: Steel or black PVD-covered steel sapphire case-back
Caliber: Heuer 02 Automatic Chronograph
Power Reserve: 75 Hours
Water Resistance: 100m

The Skeleton Dial with Sapphire Case-Back

The manufacture movement is housed in a 43mm modular case with a tachymeter bezel and a skeleton dial. The skeleton dial with sapphire case-back is a characteristic of the more recent TAG Heuer Carrera models and allows the wearer — or the admirer — to take a peek at the stunning movement within. The Carrera is the perfect sporty watch if that sport is motoring or simply a Sunday drive — the Carrera exudes its legacy while still holding onto its avant-garde roots.

A New Motor for the Carrera

Developed and produced by TAG Heuer, it integrates 168 components including a column wheel and a vertical coupling-clutch, signatures of Haute Horlogerie. Modern and accurate, this mechanical movement keeps a 75-hour power-reserve stocked in a single barrel. This high-end mechanism can be seen through its skeleton dial, doubled with a sapphire back case. The 3-6-9 dial configuration is a return to the 1963 original disposition. Minutes and hours of the chronograph at 3 and 9 o’clock, small seconds positioned at 6 o’clock, to which an aperture date is added at 4:30.

The Important Details All Align

Punctuated with luminescent baton hands and indexes, the skeleton dial and modular case are water-resistant to 100 meters and available in several variations — steel, carbon, ceramic or gold. A total of 13 new models are available, including a GMT along with a range of straps and bracelets in rubber, leather, metal or ceramic with a deployable buckle.

Memorable Reading Material

To celebrate the anniversary of the Heuer Carrera, TAG Heuer has published a special edition book entitled Ahead of Its Time. Recounting the highlights of this storied collection and the models that have sealed its legendary status, the book goes into the often-pioneering Heuer Carrera chronograph and how it became the icon it is today. But the only way to snap up this bound gem is with one of the new Carreras.