Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer and iconic motoring firm Porsche have embarked upon a new partnership, resulting in the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph.
gentleThey may be very different in scale, but watches and cars both rely on precision engineering — and thus it’s not too surprising to discover that Edouard Heuer and Ferdinand Porsche have a fair amount in common. Heuer was a pioneer of designing and manufacturing chronographs — that is to say, watches with built-in stopwatch functions — while Porsche’s eponymous car company has been a force in motorsport for decades.
Now, the two firms which still bear their founders’ names have come together in a partnership, launching a new timepiece as their first joint venture: the £4,850 TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph.
Heuer has been involved in motorsport for many years, and had been making dashboard chronographs for cars, boats and planes since the early years of the 20th century. Edouard Heuer’s great grandson, Jack, led his family‘s company for decades, with the first Heuer Carrera (meaning ‘race’) chronograph being created in 1963 — designed to let drivers tell the time at a glance in the heat of the action.
Porsche have also used the ‘Carrera’ name for decades. One of the company’s racing cars claimed victory in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana — a hair-raising race held at the time on public roads in Mexico — leading the manufacturer to produce a commemorative ‘Carrera’ edition of its 356 model. Ever since then, Porsche’s most powerful cars have always worn the ‘Carrera’ badge.
Given that a Carrera has been associated with TAG Heuer and Porsche for so many decades, it must have been the obvious choice for the first product the teams have created together. This company describe the new chronograph watch as one that ‘fuses both the Porsche and TAG Heuer aesthetic’, with Porsche’s engraved inscription on the bezel and instantly recognisable font for the indexes.
The red black and grey of the design are Porsche colours, which also hark back to vintage Heuer models, while it’s available with a leather strap or a bracelet. There’s a cool, sporty look to the watch which lends itself perfectly to professional and amateur driving, as well as day-to-day life. And there’s even a special little touch at the back: the TAG Heur transparent back through which you can see the mechanism has been re-designed to incorporate a Porsche steering wheel.
‘TAG Heuer and Porsche have common history and values, of course, but more importantly, we share an attitude,’ says TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault.
‘Like Porsche, we are disruptors at heart, always in pursuit of high performance. With this alliance, TAG Heuer and Porsche finally come together officially after decades of close encounters and will create unmatched experiences and products for customers and fans that are passionate about both our brands and what we stand for.’
