What are some of the most memorable highlights from 1963? The civil rights march organized by Martin Luther King on th day he gave his historic “I have a dream” speech; the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas; Brigitte Bardot’s La Madrague song and Serge Gainsbourg’s La Javanaise blaring out on French-language radio stations… Watchmaking history will remember the birth of the now famous Carrera. This chronograph was the first model designed by Jack Heuer, the then CEO of the watch company.
Inspired by Racing
A devotee of clean, modern lines, a discerning aesthete as well as a great admirer of the work of Charles Eames, Le Corbusier, Eero Saarinen and Oscar Niemeyer, Jack Heuer was above all determined to create a chronograph combining aesthetic restraint with technical efficiency, along with at-a-glance readability. An ideal companion in the heat of the moment, especially when driving a car. The moniker he chose owed nothing to chance, as the chronograph was named after the Carrera Panamericana, the most demanding and dangerous endurance rally in the world at the time. “It was at Sebring, however (…) that I first heard the Spanish word carrera”, says Jack Heuer in his autobiographical book The Times of my Life. “I loved not only its sexy sound but also its multiple meanings, which include road, race, course and career. All very much Heuer territory!” A ‘territory’ distilled into a timelessly elegant chrono with a shock-resistant case and a visibly large dial thanks to the thinness of the bezel.
In 1969, the collection shifted into high gear with the Carrera Chronomatic Calibre 11, one of the world’s first automatic chronographs. TAG Heuer negotiated this technical shift perfectly and at full speed. Witness the list of the illustrious racing drivers who have adopted the Carrera across successive generations: Joe Siffert, Jackie Ickx, Clay Regazzoni, Mario Andretti, Jody Scheckter and, more recently, David Coulthard, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton as well as Alain Prost.
Elegance on the track
In six decades, Carrera has remained part of the circuit. On the eve of its 60th anniversary, TAG Heuer has every intention of continuing its legacy. The latest additions to this great family include a Carrera Red Dial in a 600-piece limited edition with a 39mm steel case framing a crimson red dial and powered by the high-precision automatic movement called Calibre Heuer 2. Another version brings another style, with a Carrera in a chic, all yellow-gold livery. Its look is reminiscent of Reference 1158 CHN, the first yellow gold Carrera model launched in 1970 and known to be Jack Heuer's favorite. With its 42mm case topped by a thin bezel as well as its deep black dial featuring two yellow gold counters, this Carrera is the epitome of sophistication. It also flaunts a key trump card in the form of confidently asserted classicism, a guarantee of timelessness – today and hopefully for a long time to come.
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