The Tag Heuer Carrera Dato Limited Edition for HODINKEE

Jack Heuer was a watchmaker hitmaker; a bootstrapper who guided his family business to profitability after taking control in 1962, at the age of 30. The designs produced by Heuer during his first decade at the helm of the brand are now considered to be some of the greatest triumphs in the history of the chronograph. And if there is one collection that best exemplifies Heuer’s approach to watchmaking, it is the Carrera chronograph.

First launched in 1963, Carrera served as the building block for a new generation of Heuer wristwatches. His rapid success gave the company the financial basis for new experiences in design and engineering and, in 1965, Heuer continued with the inaugural Carrera with a date function. That watch was the referee. 3147; it was not only the first Carrera with a calendar complication, but it was also one of the first chronograph wristwatches to feature the now standard rotating date wheel.

Dubbed “Dato 45” for its combination of a 45-minute record at three o’clock and a date display, this new era chronograph featured the same clean, compact case profile as the conventional Carrera with a return to basic dialing. You must remember that this is not the first time that we have used the original Dato 45 for a collaborative limited edition with TAG Heuer: The 2017 Carrera Skipper Limited Edition for HODINKEE presented an almost identical single under-registration orientation. When working with our colleagues at TAG Heuer again, we wanted to bring back the watch that helped inspire one of our favorite projects, in the most authentic way possible.

Fifty-six years later, we think that Dato’s libertine aesthetic of the 1960s remains as charming as ever. Always and forever an exercise in design intelligibility, the new Carrera Dato features some minor updates to enhance this effect; we didn’t just want to reproduce the original watch with TAG Heuer, but also to take it forward.

You will find absolutely no fauxtine on the dial of the new Carrera Dato. Its brilliant black tone now purposefully extends to the chapter ring, enveloping the entire dial in a consistent and attractive darkness.

Yes – the Carrera Dato is the rare vintage watch where collectors welcome the blinking of a date window once a day with open arms. We went so far as to argue that the design of the second generation 3147N seen here represents the ne plus ultra of complicated minimalism in watchmaking. When people say that old watches look better than modern ones, this is the perfect example of why.

Think of it this way: if a conventional chronograph is trying to launch you into the novelty of measuring elapsed time, Carrera Dato is designed to help in your day-to-day life in the most practical way possible. Are you more likely to time something that is under 30 minutes away – like, say, a grilled steak – or are you going to accompany an entire 12-hour experience?

A catalyst for a new generation of internal watchmaking at TAG Heuer, the Caliber Heuer 02 is the biggest and most recent achievement of the brand’s chronograph. It was developed from the beginning in 2010 by TAG Heuer, whose aim was to combine all the technical specifications that could be desired in a 21st century chronograph in a single emblematic movement.

To recreate the unique layout of the original Dato dial, TAG Heuer removed the typical six and nine hour sub-dials from the Caliber Heuer 02 and developed a new date disc with a new font. Other than that, it starts with a fully integrated design that works on 33 jewels, at a stroke rate of 28,800 vph, with an impressive power reserve of up to 80 hours, all stored in a single barrel. The Caliber Heuer 02 uses a column wheel and a vertical clutch mechanism, a premium combination found in many of today’s best chronographs. Visible through a sapphire crystal display case, the Caliber Heuer 02 finish is simple yet attractive, with Côtes de Genève through the main plate and a blackened and open rotor that celebrates the brand’s recent 160th anniversary.

Our latest collaboration with TAG Heuer officially brings a favorite 1960s chronograph back to life, highlighting the company’s rich history and the full range of contemporary skills in the process. A limited edition of 250 numbered pieces priced at $ 7,250 each, the TAG Heuer Carrera Dato Limited Edition comes paired with a black crocodile leather strap with an implant clasp signed by Heuer. Half of the 250-piece run is available today with free worldwide delivery at the HODINKEE Store, and the rest will be available at TAG Heuer brand boutiques in the United States and Japan.