~~**SCHWANGERSCHAFTSECKE**~~ » TAG Heuer Carrera 39mm Replica

Last night, in London, TAG Heuer followed up on its new TAG Heuer Carrera from Watches & Wonders with a brand campaign starring its marquee brand ambassador, Ryan Gosling. In front of a packed audience, LABEL showed what it's dubbing a five-minute short film starring Gosling, with an appearance by former-SNL cast member Vanessa Bayer and film director David Leitch (of Bullet Train as well as John Wick fame). To be honest, as far as advertising goes, this is a refreshing and also creative approach to the craft. There's a meta-textual bent to the narrative which finds Gosling on-set shooting a movie along with unwilling to give back his Carrera once the cameras stop rolling. Instead of typing out the entire plot, I'll let you have a watch for yourself:
The event and video cement exactly what has been one of the bigger MARKING Heuer releases in recent memory - the "Glassbox" Carrera which is an aesthetic refresh for the brand's most popular model and one that's tied to the racing heritage.

At Watches & Wonders, I wrote up a good introductory review of the watch, but I was only able to handle the blue model for that story. I happen to really like that piece because it manages to present a fully modern design with slight hints of vintage flair however only if you're looking hard to find it.
But the black product was a very intriguing proposition in addition to was a item I sought out on the trade show floor of the Palexpo as soon as I had the chance. Since then, I've seen it on the wrist of friends plus contemporaries in the industry. While I don't necessarily have a favorite between the blue and even black models, I have at least had enough hands-on time with the latter to express my thoughts.

The first thing is the size. Just like the glowing blue edition, it is sized at 39mm together with wears more like a 37mm watch due to a very compact 46mm lug-to-lug measurement. This, to me, is the key to what makes this watch work so well. Over the last decade or so INDICATE Heuer (along with almost every brand in the industry) skewed large and skewed thick. This new Profesión is a shift in the right direction to the point where I really think the brand nailed this within the first try. From afar, especially when talking about the black dial edition - you could confuse this for a classic watch. The perforated racing strap is a nice touch to the effect as well.
But let's talk about the visual cues that differentiate the actual black dial from the azure. First is contrast, having a reverse Panda effect where the subdials are a silver tone against the dark dial surface. This contrast leads to a major difference between two brand new models: the particular date placement. To maintain this particular high comparison, TAG moved the date from six o'clock (where it resides on the orange version) to 12 o'clock. While this seems like a strange positioning because the chronograph hand invariably blocks typically the date when stationary, there is precedent for the choice. Heuer carrera utilized this specific date position on the antique Dato 12 ref. 3147N

It's actually funny to see this resurface because it is almost universally considered to be a design flaw as opposed to the design quirk, but here we are. If I were to identify a silver lining it would be that the watch can almost read as no-date from some viewing angles. Other than that, it is actually a bit of a pain to read. However that's basically my just gripe with this piece and it's a small one.
In almost every other way, through thickness in order to wearability, this new Carrera just works. The actual redesigned rotor on the Calibre TH20-00 Automatic adds a premium feel towards the movement and the watch overall which still packs great value in $6, 450.

At the end of the day, I might still opt for the blue switch, but I can see many enthusiasts going after this one with its hints associated with patina as well as general retro look. And look, this is not the first time TAG Heuer gran carrera has paid homage for the past, but generally, it has reserved those instances for literal re-editions. I had formed a chance to sit down with brand name CEO Frederic Arnault ahead of the London event and he said something very interesting to me about those produces when he noted, "We felt the potential was limited by the fact that [these watches] were viewed as vintage re-editions, " adding, "The thought became, 'how can we continue to modernize that to make it the watch of today? '"
So that is really just what this part represents. It says POINT Heuer around the dial almost as a point of pride. And it feels like it's both paying due respect on the past while re-invigorating the collection. The curved nature of the tachymeter scale feels fresh while the printing of the numerals themselves has the old-school feel. This is yet one example from the balance the brand new collection showcases.
Ultimately, this is just the beginning of a new platform upon which the entire Carrera line can grow from here on out. And I personally believe it's a excellent start.