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Two Legends, One Timepiece: TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Special Edition
By Sarah Jayne Potter | 5 minute read
Two legendary luxury brands with a phenomenal history in motorsports join forces this season in the newly launched TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph Special Edition. TAG Heuer and Porsche have crossed paths for many years throughout their histories, and a cornerstone of the resulting partnership happened when both were inspired by one of the famous sporting events in motorsport history.
Ferdinand Porsche’s son, Ferdinand Anton Ernst or “Ferry”, joined his father’s engineering office in 1931 at the age of 22 and founded the car brand that bears the family name in 1948. Within a few years, the Porsche name would be associated with race track success all around the world – including a class win in the Carrera Panamericana race of 1954. In honour of its successful participation, Porsche calls its most powerful engine ‘Carrera’.
Edouard Heuer’s great-grandson Jack led his family’s company for decades. In 1963, he created the first Heuer Carrera chronograph, designed to let drivers tell the time at a glance in the heat of action. This ground-breaking timepiece and Porsche’s most powerful Carrera engine united Porsche and Heuer – for the first time – in the spirit of the ‘Carrera’ (or ‘race’), which embodied ambition, speed and technical excellence.
TAG Heuer and Porsche have common history and values, of course, but more importantly, we share an attitude. Like Porsche, we are disruptors at heart, always in pursuit of high performance. With this alliance, TAG Heuer and Porsche finally come together officially after decades of close encounters and will create unmatched experiences and products for customers and fans that are passionate about both our brands and what we stand for. FRÉDÉRIC ARNAULT CEO OF TAG HEUER
Throughout the decades, the brands became intertwined. TAG Heuer, as a founding partner of the Formula E championship, helped raise the profile of thrilling single-seater races in electric cars. Porsche created its own Formula E team with TAG Heuer as title and timing partner in 2019, marking a starting point for an even more powerful and far-reaching collaboration. And in 2021, that “beautiful friendship” has become a holistic official brand partnership, celebrated by a special-edition timepiece that proclaims proudly, “It was worth the wait!”.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph is an exquisite example of coordination, cooperation and collaboration. Based on TAG Heuer’s Carrera Sport Chronograph design, with its distinctive tachymeter scale engraved on the bezel, it introduces a number of features inspired by Porsche’s design essence. A compelling union of two icons of performance, quality, and innovation, this chronograph is a seamless blend of the Porsche and TAG Heuer universes, reflecting the excellence of both names without diluting the essence of either.
Porsche’s engraved inscription is visible on the bezel and the unmistakable font is also used for the indexes. The Porsche colours of red, black, and grey – which also recall historic Heuer models – are incorporated throughout the watch, and on clear display through the transparent cristal case back is the oscillating mass, which has been redesigned in affectionate tribute to Porsche’s celebrated steering wheel. It is printed with “Porsche” and “TAG Heuer”. The dial’s asphalt effect, created especially for this watch, perfectly expresses a passion for the road, while Arabic numerals suggest the numbers on the dashboard of fine Porsche sportscars.
This ground-breaking timepiece is presented either on a soft strap in luxurious calf leather and innovative stitching that echoes the Porsche interior or on an interlocking bracelet reflecting streamlined racing design. At the heart of this stunning timepiece is the in-house Calibre Heuer 02 manufacture movement with an impressive 80-hour power reserve. The chronograph mechanism’s vertical clutch and column wheel demonstrate the brands’ unflinching demand for absolute precision.
Finally, the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph is a Special Edition watch and is delivered in bespoke packaging with colours and a style consistent with the remarkable watch inside. The black watch box features the logos of TAG Heuer and Porsche in white. Inside the box is a perfectly-sized black travel pouch with an unmistakably Porsche red interior.
Along with the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph, 2021 will feature a rich portfolio of joint projects that reflect TAG Heuer’s and Porsche’s shared commitment to speed and precision sports.
We spoke to our buyer, Elizabeth Millward on her thoughts on this launch.
The timepiece’s themselves are part of the Carrera collection for TAG Heuer, which was a main focus for the brand in 2020. What sets these new piece’s apart from the rest in the range?
The name Carrera has been associated with both TAG Heuer and Porsche since the early 60’s, to see them join forces in this collaboration is incredibly exciting and sets these special editions apart from anything else in the Carrera collection.
Let’s focus on the design, what makes these timepiece’s special in your opinion?
The Porsche colours of red, black and grey are incorporated throughout the watch and the ‘Porsche’ name is engraved on the black ceramic tachymeter bezel, on a 44mm case. The models feature Arabic numerals in the unmistakable Porsche font, the strap is embossed black calf leather with the stitching echoing the Porsche interior. Both models are powered by the in-house Heuer 02 automatic chronograph movement, giving the added benefit of an 80- hour power reserve, with a re-designed oscillating mass, as a tribute to Porsche’s celebrated steering wheel.
If you were to recommend these special editions to a particular audience, what type of audience would you say they are most suited to?
The obvious choice for the Porsche Fan, Porsche Customer or Porsche Collector, but a fantastic looking watch for any motorsport enthusiast.Will we see more TAG Heuer collaborations in the coming months? What can we expect from this Swiss brand?
Yes, it is a very exciting year ahead for TAG Heuer, watch this space over the coming months.
