A TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph Review

TAG Heuer has, once again, released an absolute beauty of a watch: the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph. Quite a mouthful, but a beautiful watch. This motorsport-inspired watch is made in collaboration with Porsche, built around the concept of speed. This is not the first time a watch company has partnered up with automotive brands, but when the partner is the supreme brand of Porsche, it’s news that simply can’t be ignored.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the watch, what TAG Heuer has put inside and whether or not you should consider picking this watch.

Initial thoughts

Based on the TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph, which was launched in July 2020, the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph is the firstborn watch of the Tag Heuer/Porsche partnership.

First of all, you might notice the colors, that have been chosen to match the colors of the Porsche Motorsports’ racing colors. Red, black and white, with an asphalt grey dial, will look at home next to a Porsche 911. From there it’s up to you to choose either a steel bracelet or a leather strap.

As the watch is a chronograph, it’s built for use in the pits on the racetrack. The watch numerals, minute and hour hands have also been coated with white Super-LumiNova, that will light up in the dark, which will be helpful both in Le Mans as well as at night at home, depending on whether you’re working with one of the pit crews at Le Mans.

The colors and bezel

Looking at the watch head-on, you will first off be looking at a beautiful watch face and bezel. The Porsche name has been placed on the bezel in bright red colors to match the indent on the crown. The crown is unprotected, and the lugs are shortened to avoid it digging into your wrist. Even though the crown is unprotected, the watch is still water-resistant to 100 meters of depth.

The face

The watch face is made up of the gritty asphalt grey background with three registers. The one at 6 o’clock is for the small seconds and date, and the other two (at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock) are for the chronograph functions. The hands of the chronograph registers are detailed with a bright red tip, and so are the inner counters. Another nice touch is the numerals, which are the same font as the dashboard counters in a Porsche sports car.

The case back

When you turn the watch over, you will be looking at a sapphire crystal case back that reveals the Heuer 02 movement, TAG Heuer’s chronograph movement. The watch is automatic (self-winding) with a power reserve of 80 hours, so you can leave it at home for up to 3 and some days without having to worry about it stopping. Another cool feature of the partnership is the rotor, which has been modeled to look like the steering wheel of a Porsche 911. A subtle yet amazing little feature that tells us that TAG Heuer and Porsche have paid incredible attention to detail in the design phase.

Carrera Sport vs Carrera Porsche

Since this TAG Heuer and Porsche watch is a close descendant of the Carrera Sport Chronograph, why not take a look at how the two differentiate. Aside from the name.

First of all, they’re both chronographs, which means they both function as a stopwatch. This is pretty appropriate since they’re both based on concepts of sports and speed. The Carrera Sport collection does come in a few different colors, none of them the same as the Porsche model. Even though the Sport collection is filled with beautiful details, the Porsche watch is a bit more customized, as TAG Heuer has been able to implement the Porsche Motorsports’ color scheme and name. This makes it feel a bit more unique.

Both watches have roughly the same face build – 3 registers for chronograph use and a smaller one at 6 o’clock for small seconds and the date. One noticeable difference though is that the Carrera Porsche has numerals, whereas the Sport collection doesn’t. The pushers look roughly the same, though the colors are different.

In regards to the insides (the movement), the specifications are the same. Both are built with the Heuer 02 Chronograph caliber, an 80-hour power reserve, a 28,800 vph frequency, and 33 jewels.

When we’re talking price, the Sport collection goes for between $5,750 and $6,550 in comparison to the Porsche watch at $5,850 and $6,050.

All in all, the difference is in the look and the price. Are you a Porsche fan, or do you want something more subtle? It all comes down to your preference.

In-depth specifications

Basics

Brand and model: Tag Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph

Reference number: CBN2A1F.FC6492 (strap), CBN2A1F.BA0643 (bracelet)

Case: 44mm stainless steel

Bezel: Black Ceramic

Dial: Grey dial with asphalt texture. 30-min counter at 3 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock, small seconds, and date at 6 o’clock.

Luminous: Super-LumiNova

Water Resistance: 100 meters

Strap/Bracelet: Black leather strap or stainless steel bracelet

Movement

Caliber: Heuer 02 Automatic

Diameter: 32mm

Backup power reserve: 80 hours

Frequency: 28,800 vph

Winding: Automatic

Jewels: 33

Price

This astonishing watch can be purchased for $5,850/€5,550 with the leather strap or for $6,050/€5,700 with the steel bracelet. It’s not a limited edition watch.

A quick recap

The watch hasn’t been on the market for long, so it will be interesting to see if the Carrera Porsche Chronograph will be the new go-to watch of this type. This non-limited edition piece will be priced at $5,850 (leather strap) and $6,050 (steel bracelet), a bit less than the forerunner non-Porsche Carrera Sport Chronograph – but no doubt a worthy contestant.

Themed around racing and speed, the watch has been made in the Porsche Motorsport color scheme (red, black, and white) with an asphalt grey dial to match the racetrack.

Should you get it?

Well, if you’re into racing, Porsche, and quality watches, it’s could be a suitable buy for you.

This article has been provided by guest-writer Ryan from Watch for Tomorrow.

Featured image from tagheuer.com