Staying The Course

The enduring epoch of the Carrera collection that headlines TAG Heuer’s 160th festivities had always been a highly deliberate and calculated affair

- Alvin Wong

It is not one Carrera, but many types of Carreras, that are thrust into the forefront of TAG Heuer’s 160th-anniversary celebrations. From fresh iterations like the energetic Carrera Sports Chronograph and its dressier cousin, the Carrera Chronograph, to a heartfelt homage limited edition Carrera in yellow gold with panda dial that pays tribute to Jack Heuer, the man who created the collection, a strong case has certainly been posited for the Carrera being at the centre of such an important milestone. “The Carrera expresses the very essence of TAG Heuer,” says Guy Bove, the brand’s product director. He adds that the collection’s spirit and evolution, driven by constant innovation, exactly mirrors that of TAG Heuer’s own journey.

It is an interesting perspective. The Carrera was introduced only in 1963, at a time when TAG Heuer’s history had moved much farther along its timeline. Certainly, at an era of early Beatlemania and burgeoning technological upheavals, the Heuer brand, as it was known then, must have been a very different company then, compared to the one founded by Edouard Heuer in 1890.

So where does one place the Carrera in the great scheme of TAG Heuer’s legacy? The answer can be found in the watch’s conception, masterminded by Edouard’s great-grandson, Jack Heuer. Then, as an adventurous scion to the family business, Jack exhibited a mix of adherence to tradition, wide-eyed ambition and an unflinchingly systematic approach to design to help create the Carrera collection - in a way that, in hindsight, was a microcosmic exemplification of the TAG Heuer story.