WatchesApr 04, 2023
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TAG Heuer Introduces Pink Lab-Grown Diamonds at Watches & Wonders
More lab-grown diamond offerings and lots of new Carreras for the timepiece’s 60th anniversary debuted in Geneva.
TAG Heuer released two new Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde timepieces featuring lab-grown diamonds at Watches and Wonders 2023. This one is its first foray into colored lab-grown diamonds.
Geneva—Colorful dials, new movements, and more lab-grown diamonds were some of the updates to TAG Heuer’s popular Carrera series of timepieces.
Introduced in 1963, the TAG Heuer Carrera marks its 60th anniversary this year with two new models, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph and the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon, each with a unique “glassbox” effect.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph comes in two color variants. Pictured is what the watchmaker calls its “reverse panda” style, an allusion to past Heuer Carreras with contrasting black dials and silver or white cases and subdials.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph is equipped with a 39 mm stainless steel case. A sapphire crystal encapsulating the dial is similar to the domed hesalite crystals used on the Heuer Carrera watches of the 1970s, but now running over the tachymeter scale on the dial’s edge for a seamless feel.
This feature is both an aesthetic choice and a functional one, allowing for the tachymeter to be read from more angles, the watchmaker said.
One model has a blue dial and blue calfskin leather strap, while the other is what TAG Heuer calls “reverse panda,” a nickname for black dial watches with white or silver subdials. Some of the brand’s most important Heuer Carrera watches from the 1960s had reverse panda dials.
This black dial edition has a black perforated calfskin leather strap.
A close-up of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph blue dial version shows the “glassbox” effect of the dome-like sapphire crystal that covers the dial and tachymeter, extending to the case’s edge.
Each is powered by the new in-house automatic chronograph caliber TH20-00 movement, an update of the Heuer 02, which is visible through the crystal case back.
Previous versions charged the movement’s mainspring when the rotor moved in a counterclockwise direction, but the new movement has an oscillating weight that allows for bidirectional winding.
This equates to faster and more reliable winding, improved precision, and ensures the watch runs closer to its 80-hour maximum power reserve, the watchmaker explained.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon differs from the Carrera Chronograph with its tourbillon cage visible at the 6 o’clock aperture.
Created more than 200 years ago, a tourbillon remains one of watchmaking’s most complex movements, TAG Heuer noted, as its continuously rotating cage surrounds the escapement to counteract gravity’s influence on the mechanical movement.
The timepiece is powered by in-house tourbillon movement TH20-09. It also boasts a chronograph function and 65-hour power reserve.
Like the TH20-00 movement, the TH20-09 offers bidirectional winding.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon has a stainless steel 42 mm case; blue dial with high-contrast, silver-ringed subdials; blue calfskin leather strap; and sapphire case back showcasing the movement.
Like the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph, the domed sapphire crystal covering the dial extends over the dial edge and onto the case, creating a “glassbox” effect.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 42’s orange ombre detailing on the dial is an ode to speed and racing.
Not to be confused with the aforementioned new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 42 has similar features but an entirely different look.
A distinctive orange gradient accents the dial, available in black with black calfskin strap or blue with blue calfskin strap. Both models have 42 mm diameter polished steel cases.
Powered by the Calibre Heuer 02 automatic movement, the dials showcase a minute chronograph counter subdial at 3 o’clock, hour chronograph counter subdial at 9 o’clock, and second indicator at 6 o’clock.
Ergonomic chronograph pump pushers are positioned at the 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock positions.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36 in three of its four new dial colors.
A new slimmer version of the Carrera Date watch with redesigned crown and bracelet makes it more comfortable, the watchmaker said.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36 has a 36 mm stainless steel case and is available in four dial colors: deep blue, pastel green, warm silver, and bright pink.
It streamlined silhouette is 2 mm thinner than its predecessor, making it lower profile. The crown sits closer to the case edge and the three-link bracelet is more tapered to the round case.
Powered by the new Calibre 7 Automatic movement, it features a 56-hour power reserve, compared to the Calibre 5 Automatic, which has a 38-hour power reserve. The Calibre 7 offers a date window at 6 o’clock.
TAG Heuer’s flashiest 2023 novelties come courtesy of lab-grown diamonds.
Last year, the watchmaker unveiled the Carrera Plasma timepiece, which featured diamonds grown via the chemical-vapor deposition process to create a unique polycrystalline diamond dial and a diamond crown.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma ups the drama with unique trapezoid-shaped lab-grown diamonds adorning the matte black sandblasted anodized aluminum case, bezel, and bracelet.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde Chronograph Tourbillon
The 44 mm case features 48 diamonds weighing a total of 4.3 carats, the bezel 26 diamonds weighing a total of 1.9 carats, and the bracelet 34 weighing a total of 1.9 carats.
Like its predecessor, the crown is set with a single 2.5-carat diamond and the dial features polycrystalline diamond plates weighing a cumulative 4.9 carats.
The Carrera Plasma is powered by the Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon Nanograph. The tourbillon can be viewed at the 6 o’clock subdial.
The watch will be available in September.
TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde with white and pink lab-grown diamonds
Expanding its lab-grown diamond repertoire, TAG Heuer threw pink lab-growns into the mix with the new Carrera Plasma 36 mm timepiece, marking the first time the watchmaker has utilized colored lab-grown diamonds.
This Carrera Plasma has a polycrystalline diamond dial and diamond hour markers like last year’s model, but this time the diamond crown is a pink diamond.
Another pink diamond accents the dial. The stainless steel 36 mm case is on a black leather strap.
Moving away from all the new and updated Carrera timepieces is the Aquaracer Professional 200, available in two color variants, both with 18-karat gold cases and bezels.
There are two new 18-karat gold versions of the Aquaracer Professional 200. Pictured is the blue and yellow gold variant.
The rose gold edition has a black dial with bronze-tinted gray center, while the yellow gold version has a blue dial. The dials have applied, golden-edged hour markers with SuperLumiNova for low-light visibility.
Powered by the new Calibre TH31-00 with 80-hour power reserve, these watches are intended for hardiness and sport despite their luxurious gold materials. The sapphire case back is edged in titanium and rubber straps complete the sporty feel.
There are also mixed metal additions to the Aquaracer Professional 200 timepiece, available in two color ways and two case sizes.
Finally, the Aquaracer collection gets its first bi-color model with the introduction of four stainless steel and 18-karat gold models in both 40 mm and 30 mm sizes.
These versions of the Aquaracer Professional 200 feature a blue dial with yellow gold bezel and crown and stainless steel case; and black and gray dial with rose gold bezel and crown and stainless steel case.
The hours are accented with diamonds.
The 40 mm versions are powered by the Calibre 5 Automatic movement, while the 30 mm editions are powered by the Calibre 9 Automatic movement.
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