It marks the complete circle of a name that inspired two iconic products now brought together in a collaboration so apt that it feels like it was almost pre-destined. In 2021, however, the name Carrera has been reunited with another legend of motorsports in Porsche whose 911 car was born in the same year as the Heuer chronograph. There were the two Carrera 160 Years Limited Edition references that echoed the pure form of historical racing chronographs, while Jack Heuer celebrated his 88th birthday with a reissue of his favourite gold chronograph, plus there was an entirely new collection of Carrera sports watches that were unashamedly modern in their design. Last year we saw a wide range of interpretations of that original Carrera design language. There have been countless executions of the Carrera design DNA, still maintaining allegiance to its original look with its sharp case and lug lines, while meeting the contemporary market with improved movement technology and new case materials. Today, the Carrera is still a pillar of the TAG Heuer brand and continues its close ties with motorsports thanks to its relationship with Red Bull Racing. 2447, and featured the same clean design that had made it so popular more than three decades earlier when it kickstarted the next chapter in the history of the racing chronograph. It was inspired by the very first watch to feature Carrera on the dial, the ref. In 1985, Heuer was sold to Techniques d’Avant Garde (which we now know as TAG), and a little more than a decade after it had been scrubbed from the catalogues, the Carrera was relaunched in 1996. Jack Heuer had to sell the company in 1982 when he stepped down from running its operations and, in 1984, the Carrera collection was discontinued. The Heuer Carrera saw dozens of different expressions through the ’70s, before the impact of the quartz technology took its toll and the Heuer brand began to suffer. This was one of the first-ever automatic Swiss chronograph movements and marked the beginning of the golden era of the Heuer Carrera in the 1970s. This generation was updated with the original Valjoux movements replaced with the all new, and soon to be legendary, Calibre 11. This first design was produced until 1970, in a range of different dial layouts, colours and case materials, before it was superseded by the next upgrades. The clean and uncluttered dial was housed in a 36mm steel case that featured the distinctive sharply faceted lugs, applied markers and slightly stepped sub-dials. Its design was purely focused on the gentleman drivers of the day, with legibility and functionality the key ingredients. 2447 just a year after he took the helm of the organisation. Inspired by the stories of the race, and looking to create a watch that would meet the high-octane demands of motorsports, Jack Heuer launched the Heuer Carrera ref. Jack Heuer was the the great grandson of the founder of the company, which at that point was well known for producing sports timers, dashboard clocks and, increasingly, wristworn chronographs. Tales of this high-speed, daring and thoroughly challenging event stuck in the mind of Jack Heuer, who assumed leadership of the Heuer watch brand in 1962. With speeds this high, however, the Carrera Panamericana was deemed too dangerous to organise again with more than two dozen people losing their lives over the race’s five-year lifespan. By 1954, the race was attracting professional motorsports drivers, which was reflected in the final 356km stage of that year’s race being won at an average speed of 222kmph. Held for five consecutive years, this was an open road border-to-border race in Mexico covering more than 3500km with minimal safety precautions in place. The Heuer Carrera chronograph was launched in 1963, but the real story begins even earlier in 1950 when the Carrera Panamericana car race first ran.
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