Watches 0 to 100 in one timepiece

The Heuer Carrera and the Porsche 911 were born in the same year. 1963. The collection and the car changed the game in their respective industries. The genre-defining Heuer Carrera breathed new life into horological design, inspiring an unforgettable generation of timepieces. First unveiled to the public on 12 September 1963 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, the Porsche 911 transformed the way we viewed sports cars forever. It’s not often that two legends share the same birthday. That’s why, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the TAG Heuer Carrera and the Porsche 911, we bring you an exhilarating timepiece that perfectly captures the enduring legacies of the watch and the car. Meet the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche.

To draw a parallel between the watch and the Porsche 911, we’ve created a one-of-a-kind movement that’s inspired by the acceleration time of the iconic sports car. The very first Porsche 911 took 9.1 seconds to go from 0 to 100km/h. ‘Our new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche is based on the iconic Heuer 02 movement, with a special twist inspired by the Porsche 911,’ explains Carole Kasapi, Movements Director at TAG Heuer. ‘Just as the car went from 0 to 100km/h in just 9.1 seconds, so does our second hand. It takes exactly 9.1 seconds to cover the red portion of the dial and recreate that feeling of exhilaration evoked by the acceleration time of the first Porsche 911.’ Even the word ‘Chronosprint’ in the timepiece’s name is inspired by this notion of speed and acceleration. The Chronosprint movement, TH20-08, features all of the TH20-00 improvements, inspiring a unique chronograph that pays tribute to a car that broke convention.

“The idea behind the Chronosprint was to build a product that creates a seamless parallel between the looks of a car and our movement.” – Carole Kasapi, Movements Director at TAG Heuer

The whole look of the 42mm timepiece is inspired by car dashboards from the seventies. At the time, the portion around 50 km/h was frequently highlighted on the speedometer, marking the appropriate speed for urban areas. The red portion on the 9 o’clock subdial is a reference to the highest RPM range on a car’s dashboard. The outer flanges also offer three scales — quarter of a second, half a second and one second — allowing you to measure time more precisely.  The domed sapphire glass elevates the glassbox design, a signature feature of the new TAG Heuer Carrera collection. 

“At the start of timing, the seconds hand runs more quickly through the zone between 0 to 10 seconds. For these first 10 seconds, the display is ‘zoomed in’ to precisely see and measure quarters of a second. Between 10 and 15 seconds, it displays with a precision of half a second, after which it returns to the usual display of a full second measure. This visually keeps it in line with the speed. It starts very fast and later slows down to complete a full 1 minute.” – Carole Kasapi, Movements Director at TAG Heuer

You’ll get to choose between two versions of this timepiece. One made from steel and the other with an 18K 5N rose gold case. On the caseback, both pieces come with an oscillating mass that takes inspiration from the Porsche steering wheel. The two timepieces are graced with a double glassbox construction, with a sapphire glassbox front glass and a sapphire glassbox caseback. A first for a TAG Heuer timepiece. As the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche is an homage to the first Porsche 911, the strap features the original 911 logo.

There you have it. Another scintillating piece of wrist candy to add to the Carrera collection. If you’d like to find out more about the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche, visit here.