HANDS-ON: The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph says it’s time to re-awaken your inner petrol head
Surely this is a marriage made in motorsport heaven? Your inner petrolhead might be increasingly dormant at a time where there’s an increasing emphasis on soulless electric cars and less of the freedom and speed that motor racing traditionally symbolises. If so, consider this watch your re-awakening. To paraphrase TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault, TAG Heuer and Porsche share an attitude with both brands in constant pursuit of high performance. Certainly the connection between TAG Heuer and the German masters of speed, is a strong one – just think of Steve McQueen wearing a Heuer Monaco while racing a Porsche 917 in the film LeMans. The name Carrera, of course, is also deeply associated with both brands. It originated from the gruelling road race the Carrera Panamericana and served as the inspiration for Porsche’s most powerful engine following a famous win in 1954. In 1963, however, the name was also adopted by Jack Heuer when he launched the speed-infused Carrera chronograph. Today, at long last, the two brands are officially united with this new racing-inspired watch, the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph. First Impressions The design of the new 44mm TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph has clear vintage inspiration, but…
The post HANDS-ON: The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph says it’s time to re-awaken your inner petrol head appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
When you observe the collective offerings across conglomerate brands, many of the watches you find are familiar takes on the same old formats and profiles. This has opened some room for micro-brands to rise and introduce watches with more striking aesthetics – bringing refreshing and distinct timepieces to market that often deliver incredible value for the consumer. One such up-and-coming brand, CODE41, are quickly making a name for themselves by making complex case designs with heavily re-worked and regulated movements at highly accessible price points. Now they’ve released a new chronograph in two head-turning variations: the CODE41 NB24 Chronograph Creator Edition. According to CODE41: “The NB24 encapsulates the story of our ambassador Nigel Bailly and his dream of taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. When this young paraplegic driver shared with us his passion and determination in 2017, we were immediately drawn in and decided to accompany him in his adventure. After three years of relentless work, Nigel will take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2021, thus proving that nothing is impossible.” The case(s) The CODE41 NB24 Chronograph Creator Edition is available in two case materials: grade 5 titanium and a high…
I know its summer in Australia, but here in the United States it’s the bleak mid winter – so we really needed this heat from Zenith. Since we published our hands-on review of the watch, our readers have made it pretty clear what the nickname of the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 Brown Gradient Dial should be: the “cappuccino”. Zenith claims they were the first company to produce smoked gradient dials. All I know is it’s a smokin’ hot dial and watch. The heritage trend has been all the rage these last few years with multiple re-issues that dig into the archives of a brand – but not all are created equal. Making watches is very detail driven and sometimes attempts to dig up classics of the past can get lost in translation when fabricated in the modern era. But this is an example of a true winner. Zenith has meticulously worked to bring us a 1:1 revival of their legendary trio of chronographs from 1969. Aside from the sapphire crystals and the SuperLuminova® in the hands and markers, everything is exactly the same as the originals. The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385 Brown Gradient Dial retains its 37mm case diameter, which…
Maybe you love the smell of neoprene in the morning. You explore the ocean’s depths on such a regular basis that your Facebook friends barely recognise you without your mask on. But chances are that if you own a diving watch, it’s rarely (if ever) used for the purpose for which it was intended. And as for that helium release valve? Well, that’s guaranteed to stay redundant for the rest of its watertight days. That’s totally OK, too. A diving watch isn’t just a good option for aquatic types familiar with the discomfort of shoehorning themselves into a damp wetsuit for their second dive of the day. That’s because a diver is a true all-rounder of a timepiece that offers durability, luminosity and, would you believe it, even water-resistance. But the diving bezel – the outer ring of metal or ceramic marked with numbers to measure how long you’re underwater – has plenty of real-world applications, too, that don’t involve getting your feet wet. 1. Cooking perfect pasta As the Italian film director Federico Fellini said: “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” It’s hard to argue with that, too. Unless, of course, you overcook the pasta. Committing that…
Sharp design mixed with a distinct British aesthetic is a winning combination that has earned Farer a solid following among knowing enthusiasts. The brand was established back in 2015 when they made a proper mark on the microbrand scene with their colourful Universal series. Now they’re back with the Farer Exmoor field watch with its crisp olive-green design that’s a breath of fresh air in a category of mostly monochrome tool watches. Farer has built a reputation as a small brand with an emphasis on vintage inspiration, often slim of design with fresh colours and bags of personality to spice things up and take them to another level. What distinguishes Farer from the microbrand pack is a British sartorial take on the simple, mechanical wristwatches we love, from dress watches to chronographs, infused with a quality that belies the price point. In particular, their use of colour consistently excites. In their quiet way Farer may have set new standards for accessible watchmaking with a twist, like British tailoring for the wrist (Farer, you may use that rhyming slogan for a small fee!). Structurally, the olive green dial Exmoor is the archetypal field watch. It’s a great example of a solid…
Things are back in full swing at Time+Tide HQ this year, but the Coronavirus pandemic isn’t done with the watch industry yet. This week we got the announcement that Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) would go ahead this year, in a “phygital” format, which sounds like an unpleasant medical condition, but is actually a term fresh out of a marketing dictionary for a blend of “physical” and “digital” experience. That means Watches & Wonders in 2021 will take the form of a virtual show online for the 38 participating brands in the second week of April, before taking material form in Shanghai a few days later, featuring a reduced 15 brands. This is something of a middle ground, that strikes the right balance between a purely online week of launches and the potentially risky in-person events that we all miss so much. But my preference would be for a much more fun sounding “digical” event, that brings to mind an online calendar application, or perhaps a digital calorie counter. Regardless of what we call the event, it does raise the question: will we see a new collection launch from Rolex, a little over six months after the brand updated their…
We can all debate what are the best daily wearers, but if the term is based on robustness and reliability there is arguably nothing better than a G-Shock. The Full Metal series elevates the offering from resin cases and straps, to a full stainless-steel build – even titanium in the more premium editions. So far we have seen stainless-steel versions in steel, gold-plated, black, black grid, and aged black tones, but this year we have the most bold and colourful version yet: the G-Shock Full Metal “Rich Red”. While the ion plating of the watch is billed as “Rich Red”, to my eyes it actually has a slight purplish hue to it. In fact, if it were aged in the same manner as the aged IP version in black it would remind me of the patinated Rolex GMT Master bezels that turned from red into bright fuchsia. At any rate, the case is 43.2mm in diameter, 49.6mm lug-to-lug, and 12.9mm thick with a water resistance of 200 metres. It’s a good size and highly robust like the other Full Metal watches we have seen before. The backlit digital display is home to a wealth of information and complications which include…
To paraphrase TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault, Porsche and TAG Heuer share an attitude: both brands are in constant pursuit of high performance. TAG Heuer sees this alliance as a natural step after decades of friendship that we can visibly trace. All petrolheads appreciate the connection TAG has with motorsports, all the way back to Steve McQueen wearing a Heuer Monaco while racing a Porsche 917 in the film LeMans with a flat 12 engine wailing behind his back. As you will see in our video, the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph embodies this high-octane spirit and passion for speed. The name Carrera first came from the gruelling road race the Carrera Panamericana and served as the inspiration for Porsche’s most powerful engine following a famous win in 1954. In 1963, Jack Heuer launched the speed-infused Carrera chronograph, creating the parallel run of racing machines and wristwear that are formally united in this new chronograph that’s vintage-inspired but with a sharp, contemporary twist. The design of the new 44mm TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph oozes motorsports, the engine being the tough Carrera 02 calibre with its 60-hour power reserve resting behind a black rotor in the shape of a Porsche…
I will be perfectly honest, ever since starting to write about watches, my sincere wish has been to meet up with the Time+Tide team at Basel, SIHH or even some far-flung Far Eastern destination. But then, KER-CLUNK! It was as if a giant hand pulled down a large POWER OFF handle, the lights dimmed and it all went eerily quiet. COVID-19 signalled the temporary end of watch fairs. Yet thanks to the determination of Jean-Christophe Babin at Bulgari and various other horological powerhouses that pulled together Geneva Watch Days, things didn’t end as glumly as they might have. The GWD sent a signal to the world that we might be looking at a new future of watch fairs that are up close and personal (well, as close and personal as you can get with a mask on ). Now Watches and Wonders have announced their 2021 dates and it’s “phygital”! Yes, Watches and Wonders, the extravagantly monikered version of SIHH, is now back according to the press release (phygital is a cross between physical and digital, apparently). Five main brands are on board for the 2021 Watches & Wonders Geneva digital show: Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Chopard, and Chanel. They…
Editor’s note: It only debuted 12 months ago, but the Hublot Big Bang Integral collection has already established itself as a mainstay within the brand’s lineup. Launched with variants in King Gold, titanium and black ceramic, the bracelet is so cleanly designed with its artful blend of polished and brushed surfaces highlighting its razor-sharp facets, that it almost feels like the Big Bang was designed with this specific idea in mind. Now, Hublot has presented the extension of the collection with the all new Hublot Big Bang Integral Ceramic in three fresh new colours. So let’s take a look back at Andrew’s initial thoughts from LVMH Week 2020 on why a bracelet can make such a difference, and why it will be a big part of Hublot’s future. OK, let’s dispense with any hype and get down to it. Sixty per cent of watches are sold on a bracelet and this is a fact that Hublot are finally set to take advantage of with the Hublot Big Bang Integral, a new collection, freshly launched at the LVMH fair in Dubai in early January. But first, if we’ve set a tone of #realtalk, let’s address a glaring contradiction. Doesn’t the very…