Introducing The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph Special Edition

TAG Heuer and Porsche have announced a new partnership this morning that begins, fittingly enough, with a special edition Porsche Carrera chronograph. The two brands enjoy a deep heritage, with histories that often ran parallel to one another, particularly in the ‘70s and ‘80s. From TAG funding the development of a bespoke V6 turbo F1 engine from Porsche (Hans Mezger) for use by McLaren in their MP4/2 and MP4/3, to more recently with their sponsorship of the Porsche Formula E team. Each brand has represented significant advancements in their respective fields and the pairing feels natural, if not outright expected. Oh, and when guys like Jo Siffert and Steve McQueen (and these days, Patrick Dempsey), are rocking your watches and driving your cars, you’ve got something going on.

During the announcement of the partnership, TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault was joined by Porsche board member Detlev von Platen to introduce the new Porsche Carrera Chronograph watch, explaining that the watch is simply the first step. If I were a betting man I’d say we’re in store for more heritage designs in the near future. Until then, we have the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph Special Edition. 

The new Carrera Porsche Chronograph brings back the Arabic numerals around the dial similar to what we saw in caliber 16 models not long ago. Here, they mark off each 5 minutes around the dial in an effort to invoke the dashboard vibe (though the 992 generation moves to a largely digital layout, save for a single analog tachometer front and center). The applied numerals are laid over an ‘asphalt’ textured dial, which is the most unique element of the new watch thanks to its large grain texture.

The dial receives minute and hour totalizers at 3 and 9 o’clock, with a smaller running seconds sub dial at 6 o’clock. A date aperture spills into the dial at the southern end of the seconds register. The timing registers get red accents matching the tip of the timing seconds hand, and providing a dramatic contrast to the azurage black base of the sub dials. Simple branding appears at 12 o’clock, rounding out the dial with a sense of balance, and while there is a lot going on here, there’s some strong feng shui happening to keep it approachable at a glance. 

The steel case measures 44mm in diameter, and we’d expect a thickness measurement north of 14mm if past examples are anything to go by. Inside you’ll find TAG Heuer’s caliber 04 automatic chronograph, which is visible through the exhibition caseback. The lugs feature a mix of polished and brushed bevels that look to tuck neatly into the case which should keep lug to lug in reasonable territory for a watch of this size. A black ceramic bezel gets a white inlaid tachymeter and a red Porsche logo between 12 and 2 o’clock. 

Overall the watch seems to fall just onto the tasteful side of watch/car brand collabs, and with the promise of more to come it’s a partnership we’ll be keeping an eye on. The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph Special Edition is available to order now directly from TAG Heuer, priced from $5,850 on the stitched leather strap, and $6,050 on steel bracelet. More from TAG Heuer.