Tested For You: The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph Special Edition

Earlier this month, TAG Heuer and Porsche made waves with the announcement of their comprehensive partnership. And though much ink was spilled covering the historical relationship between the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based watchmaker and the Stuttgart-based carmaker, few have managed to take an in-depth look at the timepieces announced during the partnership’s launch.
 

Shortly before the launch, Watchonista was sent two samples from TAG Heuer's Carrera Porsche Chronograph collection. These Porsche-themed models are based on the brand’s Carrera Sport Chronograph collection. Let’s take them for a spin!

Watchonista and TAG Heuer are no strangers to a racetrack. We’ve been everywhere from Pikes Peak to Indy together. So it sparked my curiosity when I learned of this new partnership. Luckily, thanks to TAG Heuer, we were able to get some time in the metal over these past few weeks.

Porsche and TAG Heuer share a very similar design ethos and share a rich history of iconic design within their respective DNAs. For nearly a century, Porsche has followed a design philosophy to "reduce the form right down to the essentials." For TAG Heuer, the brand has been intrinsically linked to the racetrack from almost the start.
 

For the new Carrera Porsche Chronograph, there's seems to be a push-pull between these two philosophies. For TAG Heuer's part, it has integrated motorsports into the piece with an "asphalt" textured dial and a rich calf leather strap that's as soft and supple as a driving glove. Porsche, on the other hand, lent its iconic font to the ceramic bezel and its official red (officially PMS 201 on the Pantone scale) for accents throughout the watch.

A few weeks removed from its launch, Porsche fans and watch enthusiasts have developed a sort of love/hate relationship with the new Carrera Porsche Chronograph. Some feel that TAG Heuer should have released a watch more reminiscent of, say, a ref. 3647 Carrera produced by then-Heuer in the 1960s. The thin 36mm ref. 3647 Carrera was powered by a Valjoux 92 movement and has gone on to achieve vintage fame, along with some awe-inspiring auction results.
 

Of course, if we’re to revisit our conversation on design philosophy, TAG Heuer has always prided itself on its avant-garde design. And to me, nothing says avant-garde quite like an asphalt dial and strap made to mimic a racing glove and Porsche interior.
 

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Carrera Porsche Chronograph is likely the first of many TAG Heuer x Porsche collaboration pieces. So perhaps down the road, we will see both brands continue to push the envelope of design while maintaining the elegance for which both brands are renowned.