THE CARRERA REBORN
The iconic TAG Heuer carrera chronograph collection gets a redesign
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AS THE MAISON celebrates its 160th anniversary, the redesign of its iconic, original racing chronograph, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph collection gets a fresh racing look, plus a ‘turbocharged’ 80-hour power reserve.
Throughout its 160th anniversary year, the Swiss luxury watchmaker is introducing redesigned Carrera models that are powered by its in-house Calibre Heuer 02 movement.
Previously having released a couple of limited-edition timepieces: the Carrera 160 Years Silver, and Montreal Limited Edition, we take a look now at four new flagship models that join the brand’s evergreen collection, before another six watches that are to be revealed later.
The sporty chronographs presented here are refined and timeless, yet bold and striking. They embody the spirit of endurance. With shorter lugs for enhanced comfort, the 44 mm stainless-steel case features alternating polished and finebrushed finishes that make the watch appear sleeker and thinner. The improved integration of the glass and the slight bevel also improve its aesthetics.
The dial of the new TAG Heuer Carrera has a circular brushed finish and is available in deep blue with a matching ceramic bezel muted olive green with a stainless steel bezel or one of two black versions, each with a sleek, black ceramic bezel. The flange is bevelled and the indexes slant towards the centre of the dial, drawing the wearer’s eye to the time and allowing them to read at a glance. The three subdials are perfectly legible, as is the date window at 6 o’clock.
The hour counter at 9 o’clock now features the numerals 12, 4 and 8, offering a visual balance to the minute counter at 3 o’clock. The new H-shaped bracelet is thinner, making it slightly lighter and more ergonomic.
The standout piece to these sporty new models is the black and rose gold timepiece. The black ceramic bezel is filled with rosegold-coloured-lacquer ‒ a first for the luxury watchmaker, and the crown and push buttons are made from solid 18k rose gold. The oscillating weight of the movement, visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, is fashioned from black PVD-coated brass with rose gold printing. This timepiece is worn on a classic black leather strap.
“THE SPORTY CHRONOGRAPHS PRESENTED HERE ARE REFINED AND TIMELESS, YET BOLD AND STRIKING. THEY EMBODY THE SPIRIT OF ENDURANCE”
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was on his wrist. The hugely popular Seamaster Diver 300M was released in 1993. The Ultra Deep story began in 2005 with the release of the Planet Ocean.
SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN ULTRA DEEP PROFESSIONAL
Producing a professional divers’ watch is all in a day’s work for the Swiss brand, but to create a timepiece suitable for The Five Deeps Expedition required starting from scratch and taking risks. Pushing the limits of watchmaking, Omega succeeded in producing groundbreaking technology that was not only fit for purpose, but could also be adapted to diving watchmanufacturing in the future. Omega managed to limit the thickness of the timepiece to less than 28mm, without sacrificing its exceptional resistance. In order to ensure that the loads on the case stayed within admissible limits, the Ultra Deep was subjected to extensive finite element analysis simulations.
Limiting Factor’s titanium grade 5 pressure hull required development of a new advanced forging technique and an entirely weld-free construction.The bezel body, casebody, caseback and crown were machined cutoffs from the hull.These cutoffs bear the DNV-GL stamps, certifying the origin, characteristics and quality of the material.
The design of viewports is a critical step in the development of a submersible. The load bearing surface of the Limiting Factor’s viewports has been engineered to minimise pressure on the inside edges of the cone, where the stresses are highest. Similar to the viewport assembly on a submersible, the sapphire-tocase assembly on a full ocean depth watch is an area of concern.
To spread the stress distribution, Omega drew inspiration from this load bearing conical design and used Liquidmetal to ensure a firm yet flexible sapphire-to-casebody assembly.
This innovative patent-pending hot form bonding made it possible to avoid the use of polymer seals and to reduce the sapphire’s thickness.
Fully integrated into the titanium casebody, the lugs of the Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional are left open to lower the risk of exceeding material limitations at full ocean depth, as both the watch and the strap can be subjected to high traction loads. They are called “Manta” lugs due to their distinctive look.
The expedition’s logo is located at the center of the case-back inside concentric circles evoking the Multi Beam sonar technology. Relevant information including the words “tested 15,000m/49,212ft” are all laserengraved. Three Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep timepieces made the dive, with two attached to the submersible’s robotic arm and another a Lander.
Omega’s choice of strap material drew on the brand’s experience in space exploration. The combination of polyamide strap and Velcro closure is closely associated with the straps used during Apollo missions.
TRIED AND TESTED
All of the watches were pressure tested at Triton Sub’s facility in Barcelona with the attendance of a DNV-GL surveyor. The chosen maximum pressure is linked with tolerances required in the Mariana Trench, but to be extra sure and to comply with dive watch standards, Omega insisted on adding a 25% safety margin, which meant the watches had to perform perfectly at an astonishing 1500 bars / 15,000 meters.
Having passed the Triton tests and proven their worth at the deepest place on the planet, the Seamaster Ultra Deep watches were then subjected to the highest level of testing in the watch industry. Post-dive, all watches were put through the rigorous tests over 10 days set by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). Even after their extreme underwater journey, each watch achieved Master Chronometer certification.