He didn't waste any time doing it and the doing is all his. Fifteen months after taking over the presidency of TAG Heuer, Jean-Claude Biver is already reaping what he sowed: a brand new chronograph line called the Carrera Heuer 01. It is one of the fastest-developed products in contemporary watchmaking, thanks to one of Mr. Biver's secrets. Indeed, the man works fast and has everyone keeping up with the pace. Yet the Heuer 01 is neither botched nor carelessly designed, on the contrary. It is a whole new concept within the TAG Heuer bloodline.
First and foremost, the Heuer 01 looks like no other Carrera before it. It is meaner and not leaner. The 45 mm case is completely black, all twelve parts of it. And that is probably what best defines this new creation : modularity. Lugs, bezel, caseband, caseback, pushers, flange, every single one of these components has a life of its own. It can therefore be made in a different colour, material or shape. The Heuer 01 can be bent to almost any desire the marketing, design or technical department at TAG Heuer have.
The first version to see the light of day is black, all black with red markings. This colour choice is dominant on the whole Carrera Heuer 01. Only the deep grey of the movement visible though the numerous openings on the skeletonised dial seem to change from that red and black theme. Also, with a large crown, a large bezel, large indices and big hands, the Heuer 01 is not built for the fainthearted.
The same goes for the movement. It is the eponymous Heuer 01 caliber, although it is no actual novelty. Its underpinnings are those of the calibre 1887, TAG Heuer's in-house self-winding chronograph. But taking its cue from the watch's case, it has been altered beyond recognition. The date disc is skeletonised. The column-wheel is painted red and that changes its looks altogether. The rotor is not a half-disc like it used to be. It is a wheel with a full rim, heavier on its lower half to drive the winding system. Its spokes are wide and skeletonised too.
New leadership, new era, new design, the TAG Heuer Carrera 01 is nevertheless a TAG Heuer. By name, it relates to the brand's identity born in the 1980s, when it changed from just Heuer. Yet it also relates to that original bloodline. As for the 01 name, it is the sign that it is meant to be the first chapter of a new story. By price, which will remain under the 5,000 Swiss franc mark, it defines the brand's territory and what an attractive one that is!
