If you are shopping for your first Swiss-made chronograph from a major brand, you would be doing yourself a great disservice if you didn’t check out the new Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph from TAG Heuer. This new watch comes with an accessible 41mm wide case, blue and black dials, and is powered by the ever reliable self-winding Calibre 16 chronograph movement.
Specifications
Brand: TAG Heuer
Model: Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph / CV201AP.FC6429 (black dial) , CV201AR.BA0715 (blue dial)
Dimensions: 41mm diameter
Case Material: Stainless steel
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire
Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre 16 self-winding chronograph
Frequency: 4Hz
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Strap/Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet or black leather strap
Price & Availability: $4,500 with bracelet, $4,350 with leather strap
Analysis
TAG Heuer wants to establish itself as the go-to brand for young, aspiring individuals ready to purchase their first high-end Swiss watch. To that end, the brand has been steadily updating its collections over the past few years. Last year, we saw them update their Link and Aquaracer collections with new models. They also introduced new models to their Carrera range in the form of the Carrera Heuer-01. This year’s new TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph is all about offering these young buyers more options.
Price and value aside, aesthetic is easily one of the important factors for such buyers and I think that the new Carrera Calibre 16 Chronographs are quite attractive. Making them available in blue and black is a good choice since these colors have proved to be very popular over the last few years. I like the design of the dial too, as it’s sporty and the various red markings and accents make it quite different from anything else in the market today. A point of contention would be the faux vintage lume. Of course, vintage-inspired pieces are all the rage these days, but the beige Super-LumiNova looks somewhat incongruous with the rest of the watch. I can’t help but wonder what the watch would look like with regular white Super-LumiNova. Still, I suppose there will be those who dig this look. Beauty, as they so often say, is in the eyes of the beholder.
Summary
Vintage-inspired watches continue to be popular and the new Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph watches are a rather tasteful attempt by TAG Heuer at capturing a slice of that market. Personally, I don’t have a problem with faux vintage lume, and I do find these new watches to be rather attractive. These should be a hit. The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph is priced at $4,500 with a stainless steel bracelet and $4,350 with a leather strap. tagheuer.com
