When TAG Heuer released its Carrera 160 Years Montreal Limited Edition earlier this week, it seemed like something of a quirky sibling of the silver dial Carrera 160 Years. While the silver-dial variant (which we got to see at LVMH Dubai Watch Week) added a couple of millimeters to the original 2447S case, it is very largely a faithful re-edition in terms of design. Just a little less adherent to sticking close to the original, but still in this same vein is this week’s big release, the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight in blue. Other than some changes to the bezel, crown guard, and indices shape, this modern Tudor doesn’t stray from the old Marine Nationale “Blue Snowflake” pieces of the 1960s and 1970s.

But then you have the TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Montreal, which namedrops the famous Montreal from the 1970s while sidestepping its most recognizable feature: the case. Sure, creating an all-new, highly niche, cushion-shaped chronograph case for one limited edition is a lot to ask, but we are discussing this for the sake of fun. It makes for an interesting vintage-inspired watch that, unlike the silver-dial model or the Tudor, isn’t an authentic re-edition of any one piece.

Is the entire point of watches like these to stay as authentic as possible to the vintage model or do you prefer some experimentation?