Earlier this year, it was announced that Frédéric Arnault — son of LVMH founder Bernard Arnault — would vacate his position as CEO of TAG Heuer in order to take up a new job as the top dog at LVMH Watches Division. Replacing him in the C-suite at TAG Heuer would be Julian Tornare, previously CEO of Zenith and an old hand at the watches game. Both men had left a significant imprint on their respective companies — Arnault by widening TAG’s reach through celebrity brand ambassadors and by taking the beloved Carrera collection in a distinctly modern direction; and Tornare by embracing Zenith’s heritage, releasing beautiful vintage reissues while simultaneously developing new models using the maison’s signature El Primero movement family.
Rolex and Tudor Just Released a Crop of Awesome New Watches
New GMT models, platinum dress watches, cool divers…it’s all here!
Product cycles in the watch business are relatively long, however — meaning we won’t see the fruits of either man’s labor in their new positions for a few years. For 2024’s edition of Watches & Wonders, TAG Heuer released a crop of new pieces that were developed under Arnault’s leadership, including a split-seconds version of the Monaco; a panda-dial take on the “Glassbox” Carrera; a Skipper in solid 5N gold; and fresh versions of the Carrera Date in 36mm. Joining the handsome, blue-green Carrera Chronograph Dato and TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma Diamant D’avant Garde from LVMH Watch Week, these new pieces represent a wide swath of horological territory, both with respect to pricing as well as use case. Let’s take a closer look at each piece…
Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph
Diameter: 41mm
Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre TH81-00 automatic
Water Resistance: 30m
Functionality: Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronograph
For the past few years, TAG Heuer’s line of “Plasma D’Avant Garde” watches have functioned as the hero pieces for each trade show, from LVMH Watch Week to Watches & Wonders. At W&W Geneva 2024, however, these high-end, diamond-studded novelties were set aside in favor of the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, which combines TAG’s expertise in complicated chronograph movements with the Monaco’s distinctly 1970s profile. For the uninitiated, the Monaco, with its rectangular case, served as the launch platform for Heuer’s groundbreaking Calibre 11 — one of the world’s first automatic chronograph movements — in 1969. Worn by Steve McQueen in 1971’s Le Mans, it took on its own legend, and though retired from the brand’s catalog in the 1980s, was subsequently reintroduced in 1998.
Since then, the Monaco collection has seen myriad references come and go — but none so complicated as the new Split-Seconds. Housed in a 41mm Grade 5 titanium case, it retains the Monaco’s famous rectangular shape, but adds split-seconds capability via a very special movement, the new Calibre TH81-00. Developed with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, a Swiss movement specialist, it is the brand’s lightest-ever automatic chronograph mechanism. A sapphire crystal and caseback offer clear views of the mechanical wizardly on offer, while a choice of blue or red accents — (the red version’s case is also black DLC-coated) — should satisfy a wide swathe of potential customers. And if you’re wondering why the famous left-hand crown has been moved to the right side of the case: A third, rattrapante pusher — which is used to control the second central chronograph, or “split seconds” hand — has taken up residence on the left case flank. Using all three pushers, the wearer can time successive events in series while keeping track of both.
This is not TAG Heuer’s typical, sub-$10,000 fare, mind you: The Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph, in either iteration, will set you back a cool $138,000. But considering its incredible movement, space age-case, iconic design, and mind-bogglingly complicated operation, the asking price doesn’t seem so outrageous.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre TH20-00 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Functionality: Triple-register, 12-hour chronograph
Ever since its debut in 1963, the Heuer Carrera has captured the imagination of automotive enthusiasts everywhere. Hand-wound and measuring a comfortable 36mm, it quickly caught on with professional drivers, and though it was eclipsed in popularity at various points over the decades by other collections, it remains an integral part of the TAG Heuer story. In 2023, TAG launched the Carrera “Glassbox,” a redesigned, automatic version of its famous racing chronograph with a domed sapphire crystal and curved inner flange that drastically increases legibility. In keeping the case size to 39mm, TAG modernized a classic for contemporary tastes without making it unwearable.
In time for Watches & Wonders 2024, TAG added a riff on the popular “panda” look via the new reference CBS2216.BA0041. Based upon the vintage reference 7753 SN, it boasts a brushed, silver sunray dial with two black “azuré” subdials, an outer black tachymeter flange, and red-accented totalizer and central-seconds hands. (A third running seconds display is present above 6 o’clock and combined with the dial’s date window, but isn’t given the “panda” treatment.) A clean, highly legible look given a fresh twist via a strategic pop of color, it’s also notable for its steel bracelet — the first such bracelet in the still-relatively new Glassbox collection. Inside the watch, the Calibre TH20-00 maintains an 80-hour power reserve.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper
Diameter: 39mm
Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre TH20-06 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
Functionality: 15-minute countdown timer; 12-hour chronograph; gold case
The Heuer 02-based “Glassbox” Carrera models have proven the perfect housing for riffs upon other classic Heuer designs. One such watch — the Skipper — bears some introduction: In 1967, Heuer provided stopwatches and other timing equipment to the team helming the Intrepid, which beat the Australian defenders in that year’s America’s Cup. In honor of the team’s victory, Heuer adopted the vessel’s color scheme into a special yachting chronograph which it called the Skipper, releasing it in 1968. This watch (ref. 7754), with its unique, tri-color 15-minute countdown timer at 3 o’clock and running seconds display at 9 o’clock, was produced in a run of just 300-400 pieces. Other Skipper references would follow, including modern tribute models created with HODINKEE and Revolution/The Rake.
In 2023, TAG Heuer released a new Skipper reference, CBS2213.FN6002, in its Glassbox collection. Housed in the Carrera’s new 39mm stainless steel case, it included the ref. 7754’s famous tri-color 15-minute countdown timer, but added a 12-hour totalizer at 9 o’clock and moved the running seconds counter down to 6 o’clock. (Powered by the Heuer TH20-06, it also includes a date function.) Fans of the über-rare 7754 and its successors could finally access the Skipper’s unique aesthetics for well under $10,000 — but this year, TAG Heuer upped the ante somewhat. Now, you can get yourself a TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper in a solid 18K 5N rose gold case, which pairs the Skipper’s utilitarian complication with a more luxurious housing. (And ironically, at $21,500, it’s still a significant bargain compared to recent hammer prices for ref. 7754 examples.) Regardless of whether you skipper a yacht with one strapped to your wrist, it’s classy, cool, and colorful — the recipe for the perfect summer watch, if ever there was one.
TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36
Diameter: 36mm
Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre 07 automatic
Water Resistance: 50m
Functionality: Precious metal and diamond components; date window
Released during Frédéric Arnault’s time at TAG Heuer’s helm, the 36mm version of the time-and-date Carrera — itself a collection extension of the brand’s famed chronograph — has benefitted from several campaigns starring none other than Ryan Gosling and Alexandra Daddario. Its straightforward looks, perfect size, colorful dial options, and strong build quality are available at relatively accessible prices, making them the perfect entry point into the TAG collection, and to the wider watch world, more generally. This year, TAG opted to dress up the Carrera Date 36 somewhat, offering versions in precious metals with and without diamonds. (Marketed in a largely unisex manner, they fit in well during a time in which more and more men are becoming comfortable wearing smaller, diamond-studded pieces.)
First up is a new reference WBN2350.BD0000, a two-tone model with a steel case topped by a 18K 5N rose gold bezel, gold crown, and matching, two-tone bracelet. Its copper-toned dial features matching, applied indices and a date window above 6 o’clock, while its 1/5th-seconds track is present on the rehaut, tying it to the Carrera Chronograph collection. The WBN231C.BA0001, meanwhile, is all steel — but its mother-of-pearl dial is outfitted with 18K 5N rose gold-plated indices and hands, and its rehaut is set with 76 diamonds. Lastly, the reference WBN2351.BD0000 gives you the best of both worlds: a two-tone, steel and 18K 5N rose gold case and bracelet paired to a mother-of-pearl dial with gold-plated hands, a diamond-set rehaut, and diamond-set indices. Powered by the Heuer Calibre 07 automatic movement with 56 hours of power reserve, each of these contemporary takes on the classic Carrera racing watch comes in at well under $10,000 — a bargain in today’s blingy horological world, to be sure.
More Like This
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
