It's the biggest, baddest and most drooled-after partnership with an automotive brand. Not just any brand. This is the world leader of sports cars we're talking about, a massive reference on highways, racetracks, rallyes, all championships included (except Formula 1). So TAG Heuer and Porsche have just struck a deal which takes the shape of watches...well, just the one so far, the first one to bear the official name Porsche with no small print. For there have been other watches associated with Porsche Motorsport and some affiliated racing teams. And of course, the Porsche Design brand is still in the picture. But when it comes to the stand-alone Porsche badge, there you have it : it's a TAG.
TAG Heuer's Carrera as born in 1963, a tribute to the Carrera Panamericana, the kind of open-road rallye you just couldn't imagine today, which zoomed through Mexico at daredevil speeds. Porsche started using the Carrera monicker around 1955 for their race-ready coupés. It later became synonymous with every generation of 911, all of which have gone to become absolute best sellers in their category. And so it finally happened on 2021. The two Carreras met at long last in the shape of the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche.
TAG Heuer started with the chassis of the 2020 Carrera Sport, and then proceeded to add a certain number of special attributes. They share the 44 mm case with sharp lugs, the engraved ceramic bezel, the pushers with lacquered inserts, the 3,6,9 subdial layout and the in-house Heuer 02 movement. But there are details aplenty that make the Porsche version stand out, all of which take their cue from the brand's design language. First off, and that's maybe the most visible part, the indices are not of the SLN-filled baton kind, but applied arabic numerals from Porsche's rounded font type.
The (very conspicuous) dial has a granular, gray texture, like the asphalt of a racetrack. Its roughness comes in contrast with the rest of the generally polished surfaces, like the bezel's. Its black ceramic surface is engraved with a red Porsche marking, instead of the Tachymeter on the regular Carrera versions. The leather strap is made of two strips of black leather, stitched in the same manner as a racing seat's in a 911. The bracelet version uses the same steel links as the non-Porsche Carrera. And on the movement side, the rotor is shaped like a steering wheel.
Taking a look at the price makes for a nice surprise. The non-limited Carrera Porsche is marginally more expensive than the Carrera Sport, by a handful of hundred Euros. TAG Heuer could have floored it and made donuts with our wallets, but they kindly stayed in the slow lane. So they get to keep their license.
