TAG Heuer Revives the Iconic Carrera Skipper
Honoring the Carrera’s 60th anniversary year, TAG Heuer continues their Carrera revivals by reintroducing a modern Carrera Skipper – a unique chronograph with playful charm.
Swiss sport watch manufacturer TAG Heuer is nearly a household name, widely known internationally for their mid-luxury and entry-level luxury timepieces. Their newest release is a modern revival and reinterpretation of an iconic design, the 1968 Heuer Carrera (Ref. 7754) nicknamed the “Skipperera.” The original 1960s reference drew inspiration from the Intrepid yacht, winner of the 1967 America’s Cup race, with the watch manufactured to resemble the yacht’s identity closely. Fused with the visual flare of the Ref. 7754 is the modern case design and construction of TAG Heuer’s new Carrera revival, the “Glassbox” watch line. Simply put, this is an addition to TAG Heuer’s existing Carrera revival model line, but with a Skipper dial.
This newest release capitalizes on the recent success of TAG’s “Glassbox” line, utilizing an identical case construction, pushers, lugs, sapphire case back, and water resistance rating. The 39 mm brushed stainless steel case and sharp beveled lugs are decidedly versatile and distinctive. Paired with the modern case construction is a highly domed, vintage inspired sapphire crystal, blending elements from TAG’s past and future. Compared to the original Skipper’s 35 mm case, this reinterpretation is more well suited to the modern watch market and the historical trend towards larger timepieces. The modern Skipper further introduces a chronograph layout with three sub dials compared to the original’s two sub dial layout.
TAG Heuer’s emblem rests at twelve o’clock, as does the traditional Carrera name. The Skipper branding is unconventionally located within the nine o’clock sub dial, a small but significant detail, demonstrating the model’s recognizable design despite the “hidden” branding. The deep ocean blue dial of the Carrera Skipper is finished with radial brushing, rounded out a set of a tri-color registers. Similar to the original, the modern reference’s three o’clock tricolor register is colored in green, teal, and orange while the nine o’clock register is fully teal, both registers with black details. The small-seconds register has been moved to the six o’clock position and does not have a colored background but instead uses orange and white markers for every five second increment. The dial also features six o’clock date window and a raised chapter ring, omitting the normal Glassbox’s tachymetre scale. Applied steel baton indexes are paired with baton hands, both accented with hints of bright orange. Rounding out the dial design is the large orange chonograph seconds hand, which will sweep the dial when the chronograph function is activated using the tall steel pushers located on the right side of the case. Compared to the original, this new dial design is busier and sportier yet still playful and bold.
Flipping the watch over reveals a sapphire exhibition case back displaying the automatic TH20-06 calibre. This in-house 4 Hertz (28,800 vibrations per hour) movement is rated for 80 hours of power reserve. The 13.90 mm thickness of the watch is manageable and fairly standard for mechanical chronographs of this size, especially those with sapphire case backs. The Carrera’s 46 mm lug-to-lug measurement allows the timepiece to be wearable by a variety of wrists.
The Complication
The Carrera Skipper contains several notable complications including a small seconds sub dial, standard date window, and a unique chronograph configuration. Functioning as a stopwatch, a chronograph is useful for timing events precisely using the pushers above and below the crown. The Skipper’s unique 15 minute chronograph timer is one of its defining characteristics, drawing from the storied yacht races that inspire the timepiece. Compared to the Glassbox’s 30-minute subdial, the Skipper’s functionality is less likely to be useful in practical scenarios but an important aspect of the original design from 1968. The nine o’clock sub dial is a fairly standard 12-hour chronograph register with a minute track with 15-minute increments. Finally, the date window at six o’clock is legible and provides symmetry to the dial design.
Our Commentary
Despite TAG Heuer’s muddy reputation amongst enthusiast circles and their mediocre-at-best sports catalog, the 60th anniversary Carrera revivals are undeniably well designed – the new Carrera Skipper is no exception. While retaining the 1968 original’s distinct and highly sought-after design and modernizing the case and dimensions, TAG Heuer has delivered a compelling sports chronograph package. The playful dial is thoughtfully bright and summery, yet the brushed case and beveled legs make the timepiece versatile enough to be worn in sport and professional environments.
However, at an asking price of nearly $7,000 USD, TAG Heuer leaves a lot to be desired, namely a higher water resistance rating, more luxurious strap offerings, and a chronometre certified movement. This current package would be easy to recommend at the $3,000 to $4,500 price segment and would be a worthy competitor to Tudor’s Black Bay offerings, but at the price of $6,750 USD, there are superior chronograph timepieces available from more prestigious maisons.
Unless your heart is set on the summery yacht-racing-inspired visual flare of the Carrera Skipper, we recommend considering alternative options due to the Carrera Skipper’s steep price tag.
