Sixty years ago, Porsche presented the first Porsche 911 model, then known as the Porsche 901. The agile car, with its unmistakable silhouette, could accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 9.1 seconds and quickly became a status symbol. In the same year, 1963, TAG Heuer also launched a model that still defines the brand today: the Carrera. Taking inspiration from the famous Carrera Panamericana race on Mexico’s roads, TAG Heuer launched a timepiece characterised by its legibile design, that left out any potentially distracting elements.
Porsche and TAG Heuer are now celebrating their shared anniversary with the release of a new chronograph, which marks a new moment in their ongoing collaboration first established in 2021. The Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche combines speed and precision, and comes in either a steel or rose-gold case. The timepiece features the manufacture’s new TH20-08 movement as well as an innovative sapphire crystal construction.
The Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche is available in two versions: a sporty steel case, or an elegant alternative made of 18-carat 5N rose gold. The crown and the pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock are made of the same material. In both versions, the brushed and polished case measures 42 mm in diameter and 14.9 mm in height. The timepiece remains water-resistant to a depth of 100 metres.
Inspired by timepieces from the 1970s with domed hesalite to protect the dial, the Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche is equipped with a domed double ‘glassbox’. With this innovative design, the sapphire crystal elegantly extends over the dial, allowing the tachymeter scale to merge seamlessly into the case. With this watch, the wearer can not only admire the dial but also the movement, which can be observed at work through the sapphire crystal caseback.
Matching the colour of the case, the dials with their ‘TAG Heuer’ and ‘CARRERA SWISS’ imprints display two varying colour schemes. While the steel edition’s dial and flange with a 60-second/minute scale shine in silver, the gold edition’s dial and flange shimmer in beige.
The indices on both versions are faceted and spell out the time using either steel or rose-gold accordingly. Notably, the rhodium-plated faceted hour and minute hands take inspiration from the shape of the hands on a car dashboard. Additionally, the hands benefit from a white Super-LumiNova coating for improved legibility. The editions’ hands only differ when it comes to the central hand. While the steel edition’s central hand is also rhodium-plated, the gold edition’s shines brightly thanks to its polished rose-gold plating.
The splashes of red on the subdials are pretty striking. Both versions have a 60-second counter at 6 o’clock, a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, and a 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock, and the latter two subdial counters are adorned with an azuré finish. The eye-catching red lacquered hands, reminiscent of those on a dashboard, make it easy to swiftly read the time on the counters. Only the hands of the minute and hour counters of the gold Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche remain in rose-gold.
Visually, the 60-second counter is based on the dashboard of Porsche models from the 1970s, where a red marker at 50 km/h colour-coded the maximum speed in cities. The two new TAG Heuer editions echo this by colouring the area between the 50th and 55th second in red. Another reference to sports cars is present on the subdial counter at 9 o’clock, with a red line marking 6.8 hours. This specific number refers to the limit of 6,800 revolutions for car engines, as anything above that could cause damage to the engine.
In addition, the first 20 minutes of the minute scale are marked in red. This means that the marking ends exactly at 9 on the flange’s tachymeter scale, in an aesthetic reference to the 9.1 seconds that the first Porsche 901 needed to accelerate. Finally, the altitude ring features the imprinted Porsche logo and ‘Chronosprint’ lettering.
Porsche and TAG Heuer are celebrating their anniversary with a new automatic movement, the TH20-08 calibre, which is a reinterpretation of the TH20 calibre that was first presented at this year’s Watches and Wonders. The movement of the Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche is designed to measure short time intervals with high precision, and alludes to the short acceleration time of the Porsche 901.
To measure time in such brief intervals, the central hand accelerates to the sixtieth second before slowing down again and starting anew. For this purpose, the movement is equipped with two snail-shaped wheels that slow down the central hand. These unusual wheels were manufactured using the LiGA process, which is normally used in the production of microsystems – so-called MEMS. Another homage to Porsche and an aesthetic highlight is the rotor. It is shaped like the iconic car’s three-spoked steering wheel and can be admired through the caseback.
Those who opt for the sporty steel version will receive the timepiece with a black calfskin strap with a brushed, polished steel folding clasp and double safety push-buttons. The elegant gold version on the other hand, comes with a brown calfskin strap with a brushed and polished 18-carat 5N rose-gold-plated pin buckle. In addition, both straps are embossed with ‘911’ and bear the TAG Heuer emblem on the buckle.
Due to their material, the two editions differ in price. The steel version is available for CHF 9,000, while the gold version costs CHF 23,000. To mark the anniversary, the buyer will receive their timepiece in a box specially designed for the occasion with gold and steel elements and joint branding of both Porsche and TAG Heuer.
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