Introducing the TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition

2020 marks the 160th anniversary of TAG Heuer/Heuer, and to honor the anniversary TAG Heuer is planning a year of celebratory tributes to the brand. Kicking things off is a watch that is sure to have a lot of watch nerds drooling — introducing the TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition.

TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition

• Case Material: Stainless steel with engraved case back with viewing window
• Dial: Silver
• Dimensions: 39mm
• Crystal: Sapphire crystal with double AR
• Water Resistance: 100 meters
• Crown: Screw down
• Movement: Automatic Calibre Heuer 02 Manufacture movement
• Strap/bracelet: Black alligator with deployant
• Price: $TBA
• Expected Release: June 2020

Without a doubt, TAG Heuer’s most iconic watch is the Carrera, introduced back in 1963 when the brand was known simply as Heuer. The brainchild of Jack Heuer, the Carrera was named after the Carrera Panamericana, a treacherous road race and a fitting source of inspiration for one of the most famous racing chronographs ever produced. What makes the Carrera especially great is the purity of its aesthetic — it was, and remains today,  a perfectly proportioned, no-frills timer with legibility at the forefront.

One of the best-known early Carreras is the 2447S. This beloved variant features a spartan silver dial (hence the “S”), three registers, and is powered by the venerable Valjoux 72 caliber (our own Mark McArthur-Christie wrote about this watch here). This is the source of inspiration for the new TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition.

While the original was 36mm, the re-edition has been upsized to a perfectly reasonable 39m, and it appears to be the same case from the TAG Heuer x fragment design edition put out in late 2018. It retains the familiar case geometry that makes the Carrera such a joy on the wrist.

The dial is sunburst silver, with three registers at 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00. There’s a “Heuer Carrera” badge underneath 12:00 — no “TAG” — a nod to the pre-TAG era when the first Carrera was produced.

Other than the case being upsized, there are a few other concessions to modernity. The first is, ironically, the inclusion of vintage lume. Vintage lume is a case-by-case thing for me — it can either work, or it can be a total eyesore, especially if overdone. That said, I don’t mind it here. There’s not that much lume on this watch to begin with, so the “fauxtina” paint doesn’t overpower the dial. Furthermore, the creamy tone looks good against the sunburst silver.

The second concession is the repositioning of the registers, which is a consequence of the caliber. Powering the watch is TAG Heuer’s Calibre Heuer 02 manufacture movement, produced in-house at their Chevenez manufacture. This is a robust, modern movement with an 80-hour power reserve, a column wheel and vertical clutch, and a beat rate of 28,8000 bph.

The TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition will be produced in 1860 units, a nod to the year of Heuer’s birth. It will be offered on a black alligator strap with a deployant clasp, and it will come with what the brand describes as “special packaging.” Pricing is slated to be $6,450, which is more or less in line with past Calibre Heuer 02-powered heritage chronographs. TAG Heuer