The Tag Heuer Carrera Dato Limited Edition for HODINKEE

Jack Heuer was a horological hitmaker; a bootstrapper who guided his family business to profitability after taking over in 1962 at the age of 30. And if there is one collection that best illustrates Heuer’s approach to watchmaking, it is the Carrera chronograph.

First launched in 1963, the Carrera served as the basis for a new generation of Heuer wristwatches. Its rapid success gave the company the financial foundation for further design and engineering experiments, and in 1965 Heuer followed with the first Carrera with a date feature. This watch was the benchmark. 3147; Not only was it the first Carrera with a calendar complication, it was also one of the first chronograph wristwatches to feature the now standard rotating date wheel display.

Dubbed the “Dato 45” for its combination of a 45-minute elapsed register at three o’clock and a date display, this new-age chronograph featured the same clean, compact case profile as the conventional Carrera with a back to the dial sources. You might remember that this isn’t the first time we’ve taken advantage of the original Dato 45 for a collaborative limited edition with TAG Heuer: The 2017. Carrera Skipper Limited Edition for HODINKEE had an almost identical single sub-register orientation. Working again with our colleagues at TAG Heuer, we wanted to bring back the watch that helped inspire one of our all-time favorite projects, in the most authentic way possible.

Fifty-six years later, we think Dato’s cheeky ’60s aesthetic is still as charming as ever. Always and forever an exercise in intelligibility in design, the new Carrera Dato offers some minor updates to improve this effect; we didn’t just want to replicate the original watch with TAG Heuer, but also take it forward.

You will absolutely not find any wrong notes on the new Carrera Dato dial. Its glossy black tone now deliberately extends to the chapter ring, enveloping the entire dial in constant and compelling darkness.

Yes, the Carrera Dato is the rare vintage watch where collectors welcome the daily blinking of a date window with open arms. We would even go so far as to say that the second-gen 3147N design seen here represents the no longer ultra complicated minimalism in watchmaking. When people say vintage watches look better than their modern counterparts, this is the perfect example of why.

Think of it this way: If a conventional chronograph tries to introduce you to the novelty of measuring elapsed time, the Carrera Dato is designed to help you with your daily life in the most convenient way possible. Are you more likely to time something that lasts less than 30 minutes – like, say, grilling a steak – or will you be doing a full 12 hour experiment?

Catalyst for a new generation of in-house watchmaking at TAG Heuer, the Caliber Heuer 02 is the brand’s latest and greatest chronograph achievement. It was developed in the 2010s from scratch by TAG Heuer, whose aim was to combine all the technical specifications one could wish for in a 21st century chronograph into a single flagship movement.

To recreate the unique dial layout of the original Dato, TAG Heuer removed the typical six and nine o’clock sub-dials from Caliber Heuer 02 and developed an all-new date disc with a new font. Otherwise, it starts with a fully integrated design that operates in 33 jewels, at a beat rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour, with an impressive power reserve of up to 80 hours, all stored in a single barrel. The Caliber Heuer 02 uses both a column wheel and a vertical clutch mechanism, a high-end combination found in many current chronographs. Visible through a sapphire crystal display caseback, Caliber Heuer 02’s finish is simple yet attractive, with a coasts of Geneva through the main plate and a blackened and openwork rotor that commemorates the brand’s recent 160th anniversary.

Our latest collaboration with TAG Heuer officially brings a favorite 1960s chronograph to life, highlighting the company’s rich history and the full range of contemporary capabilities in the process. A limited edition of 250 numbered pieces priced at $ 7,250 each, the TAG Heuer Carrera Dato Limited Edition is associated with a black alligator leather strap with a folding clasp signed Heuer. Half of the 250-piece series is available today with free worldwide shipping from the HODINKEE store, and the remainder will be available at TAG Heuer brand stores in the US and Japan.