TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport & Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport
While other brands focus on making sports watches more formal, the Chaux-de-Fonds-based watchmaker is going big with these bold reinterpretations of its 2016 series.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
One of the most beautiful things about the watch industry is diversity. More specifically, there is a timepiece for everyone. This keeps us journalists humble because as soon as you do something so foolish as declare, “2024: The Year Watches Got Small,” some big, audacious timepiece will come along and mess up your think piece.
A prime example is TAG Heuer’s 2024 Carrera Extreme Sport collection, which comprises six references, goes big not in terms of size (we’re talking 49.7mm lug-to-lug and a thickness of 5.1mm) and ambition.
Released today, this sextet includes four chronographs and two chronograph tourbillons, each channeling the brand’s legendary ties to racing, the evolution of motorsport, and its use of cutting-edge materials and design.
Come with us now to explore what makes these new editions stand apart.
Wearing Layers
While I’ve visited the wind tunnels used to analyze airflow over a car’s body so its designers and engineers can make minute adjustments that will lessen the vehicle’s drag force by milliseconds, I would like to offer a theory about automotive design:
Although racing teams will tell you that the look of a car is wholly driven by science, I also believe looks also play a part in a team’s success. After all, if you have a hot car, you’re going to have more confidence.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Extreme Sport has got swagger galore, thanks in large part to all six watches rocking a skeletonized dial. This intricate display has been updated from earlier editions of the Extreme Sport and includes loads of lume to improve legibility.
If you want a watch that entertains as much as it ups your wrist game, the cutaways allow the wearer to look deep into the carriage of the brand’s TH20-00 movement, which boasts an impressive 80-hour power reserve. Plus, adding depth to the dial, the movement’s openworked date disc is layered to resemble the insides of a high-powered engine, only strengthening the Heuer Carrera Extreme Sport collection’s connection to auto sports.
Engineered For Speed
Layers are also important to the case construction, which consists of one container and two barrels on the side, allowing for a seamless blending of materials such as gold, titanium, ceramic, and forged carbon. TAG Heuer approaches these elements like a precious metal to ensure that every watch feels as luxurious as it looks.
Take, for example, the sandblasted ceramic detailing on the chronograph. Of course, ceramic, titanium, and carbon are great for reducing a watch’s weight on the wrist, but the texture is also an invitation to touch.
The collection is also heavily influenced by innovation in automotive sports. Hence, the case utilizes a hollowed structure with a sandblasted finish to boost durability while also projecting a feeling of dynamism. Then, to further amplify the revved-up theme, a new integrated rubber strap, inspired by the air intake systems of racing cars, enhances the wearability of the Heuer Carrera Extreme Sport.
So, while there is no getting around the fact that these are big watches, this generation of Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport models has seen reductions in diameter (now 44mm), lug-to-lug length (now 49.7mm), and thickness (now 15.1mm) to improve the ergonomics overall.
The 2024 collection consists of four distinct chronograph models, each representing a unique blend of color and material innovation.
Three of these editions sport a fine-brushed and sandblasted grade-2 titanium case with a ceramic bezel and come in either blue (CHF 8,000), orange (CHF 8,000), or black (CHF 8,200) colorways with matching integrated rubber straps.
The fourth model (CHF 12,000) also has a ceramic bezel, grade-2 titanium case construction, and a black integrated rubber strap, but it is further elevated by its 18K 5N solid rose gold barrels and gold lugs.
Tourbo Charged
Created to address the effects of gravity on pocket watches to improve their precision, today, tourbillons are still a fun (if often considered an unnecessary) complication. That is because modern-day wristwatches don’t have the same orientation issues as a pocket watch due to the wearer (and thus the wrist) being almost always in motion.
So, while we don’t need tourbillons, we’re happy they exist.
Available in two colorways – black (CHF 25,500) and 18K 5N rose gold (CHF 32,000) – the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport provides a fresh take on the tourbillon thanks to its advanced TH20-09 in-house calibre, an evolution of the Heuer 02, which utilizes a vertical clutch, column wheel, and a new shield-shaped rotor for an edgy aesthetic.
This mechanism also offers a bidirectional automatic rewinding system and a 65-hour power reserve, backed by a five-year extended warranty, showcasing TAG Heuer’s commitment to superior craftsmanship and reliability.
Finally, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport and Chronograph Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport are now also available as a connected watch face.
Pricing & Availability
Available now, the new Carrera Extreme Sport collection is priced between CHF 8,000 and CHF 32,000.
For more information, check out the TAG Heuer website.