If you’ve ever confused a 5-point spiciness scale at a Thai restaurant for a 10-point one, you know the pitfalls of assumption. As you sit there panting and praying for death because you thought a “5” drunken noodle was right in your Scoville wheelhouse, you’d surely think to yourself, “Next time, I’ll make sure to double-check before ordering.” So it is with TAG Heuer’s new Carrera Date women’s watches as they pertain to diamonds. Here, the question is not, “Would you like diamonds with that?” but rather, “How many?” While the introductory 36mm pieces announced in 2023 presented as fairly non-specific with steel cases and dial hues like deep blue or pale green, there’s no mistaking this year’s crop as women-oriented thanks to mother-of-pearl dials and diamonds by the dozen. Adding three new references to the 36mm sub-collection that debuted at last year’s Watches & Wonders event, the burgeoning batch of three-handers moves closer to the feminine side of the scales.

Aimed squarely at Switzerland’s notion of the archetypal female watch buyer, the new 36mm Carrera Dates focus heavily on materials. Starting with the copper-dialed version, TAG has introduced gold to its casing and bracelet construction. Utilizing 18K 5N rose gold paired with stainless steel, this variant is the most restrained of the three. Moving up the ladder, the white mother-of-pearl dialed sample actually loses the warmth provided by rose gold except upon the dial markers and hands. Opting for the cool look of an all-steel case and bracelet combo, this one brings a diamond-set flange to the party. Finally, the most audacious piece of the bunch brings it all together, retaining the diamond flange and M.O.P. dial, but adding eleven VS diamonds as hour markers and reintroducing the 5N rose-gold case and bracelet to match the face elements.

Inside all three pieces beats the Calibre 7 movement, a no-nonsense three-hander providing 56 hours of power reserve with a sensible and symmetrical date placement at 6 o’clock. Credit to TAG for throwing a bone to those who appreciate watchmaking’s technicalities by making the movement viewable via the exhibition caseback. Prized too is the watch’s thinness. At a minimum of 10.2mm, the Carrera Dates have a profile in proportion to their 41.6mm lug-to-lug dimensions. As it usually does, however, slimness comes at the expense of water resistance with a max depth rating of just 50 meters. While not a tool watch by most definitions, it still utilizes Super-LumiNova to aid in time-telling, helping ensure the Carrera Dates do not slide too far into dress watch territory.

Charitably, the new 36mm additions to the Carrera Date lineup fill a gap opened when TAG introduced the new size models last year. By adding options that are flashy and feminine, the brand has ensured it can capture buyers hunting for diminutively sized pieces that make use of luxury materials like diamonds and gold. But the bigger question remains: Is this what women watch-wearers actually want? If voices on “Watchtagram” and elsewhere are to be believed, the answer is no. Diamonds do not necessarily a women’s watch make. To that end, the 2023 introductory pieces were much closer to the mark. With more universal colors, they were infinitely more shareable than this year’s batch, and at an increasingly popular size. But if flash is your fashion, then these new models are for you.

Arriving June 2024, the new Carrera Date 36mm pieces start at 4,850 CHF. Learn more at the brand’s website.