The Carrera moniker is significant to both watchmaker TAG Heuer and automaker Porsche. Each brand has named a line of their respective products after the exciting yet dangerous Carrera Panamericana rally that took place in Mexico during the first part of the 1950s. The 3,000km event was discontinued in 1954 due to safety concerns, but was revived in 1988 and continues to this day. 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the Porsche 550 Spyder’s victories at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana, where it claimed first and second in the under 1500cc sports car class and third and fourth in the race overall. Right on time for the upcoming 2024 Carrera Panamericana is the debut of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana watch, which draws design cues from that winning Porsche 550 Spyder and is limited to 255 pieces.
At first glance, we can immediately see that the watch’s silver, black, and yellow palette is borrowed from the vintage Porsche 550’s livery. The watch sports a 42mm stainless steel case (49.7mm lug-to-lug and 15.1mm thick), topped with the domed sapphire “Glassbox” crystal shape that was prevalent in the 1970s and enthusiastically revived and reworked by TAG Heuer in recent years. True to form, the crystal drapes over the edge to cover the 60-minute scale black flange. There are alternating brushed and polished surfaces across the case and the side is home to an engraved “Spyder” logo in original 1950s Porsche font. There’s a lot more branding too. From the split-up “Carrera Panamericana” text on the dial, to the customary TAG Heuer shield under 12 o’clock to the “Porsche” inscription on the flange, all the players are represented on this commemorative watch.
The dial is where TAG Heuer really pulls from the Carrera Panamericana-racing Porsche 550 Spyder’s details. The skeletonized surface is shaped to look like the wheels of the car, while the shimmer of the dial plate is executed to mimic the bodywork. The grained-finished black details represent the road asphalt and the trio of yellow lacquered hands — one at the center, one on the chronograph minute counter at 3 o’clock, and one on the chronograph hour counter at 9 o’clock — are a similar shade to the number 55 stickers splashed across the sides and front of the race car. The dozen lume plots adjacent to the faceted and polished rhodium-plated applied indexes are yellow too. Taking up the 6 o’clock position is, of course, the tourbillon.
Powering the watch is the in-house COSC-certified Caliber TH20-09 tourbillon movement, with 65 hours of power reserve and a frequency rate of 28,800 beats per hour. While parts of the the snail-brushed movement plate and tourbillon escapement are visible from the dial-side, a better view of the caliber is provided through the sapphire caseback. Like all TAG Heuer x Porsche watches, this new-for-2024 Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon includes a steering wheel-inspired rotor. On the bottom of the caseback is the watch’s individual number out of the 255-piece run. Why 255? According to TAG Heuer, it’s a “nod to the number 55, which decorated the Porsche 550 Spyder during its victorious run in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana.”
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana watch is fitted with a black perforated calfskin leather strap, with a yellow lining underneath that’s also visible from the sides and top. Attached to the strap is a brushed and polished decorated stainless steel folding clasp with double safety push-buttons,
While I think this is a pretty cool-looking and sporty automotive-inspired watch, it’s too overbranded — much like a race car — for my taste. However, I suppose that’s to be expected, given that it’s a three-way collaboration. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana watch will retail for CHF 35,000, which is almost half the price of an entry-level Porsche. As is tradition, Porsche (along with TAG Heuer) will present a one-off Carrera Panamericana Special during the upcoming event. For more information about the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana watch, please visit the brand’s website.
