When I tried on the Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph, it gave me a sense of satisfaction that exceeded my initial expectations!

I was fortunate enough to be able to immediately review the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph, which was just announced at Watches & Wonders Geneva (W&WG) in 2023. This model is one of my personal favorites among the many new models from W&WG. Therefore, I approached this review with high expectations and full enthusiasm.

The outstanding interior and exterior packaging provided a level of satisfaction that exceeded expectations.

　The first reason I like the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph is its beautiful packaging. The raised glass box design seen in the 1960s is recreated with a sapphire crystal crystal. At first glance, it looks classic, but in fact, the crystal is scratch-resistant, and the absence of a bezel means the dial is visible through the wide opening, offering a great view. In place of a bezel, a cone-shaped faceplate ring is placed around the outer edge of the dial, with the three-dimensional hour marker indexes resting halfway on the faceplate ring. Since watches are usually viewed at an angle when worn, the three-dimensional nature of the indexes provides excellent visibility.

　One more thing I definitely want to mention is the presence of the gasket, which is the most noteworthy detail of the exterior of this new model. Even when looking directly at the crystal, there is no gasket visible around it. This can be said to be the biggest design evolution since the old Carrera. Carol Cazapi, currently TAG Heuer's movement director, stated this to our magazine at W&WG: "The crystal is supported by gaskets, not glued. It's made less visible though." Although her main job is to be in charge of movement design, she was involved in the planning of this new model, including the exterior.

　Water resistance is essential for the practicality of a watch. For everyday use without any inconvenience, a minimum of 5 atmospheres of water resistance is required. However, in reality, there are many situations where a watch is exposed to running water, such as when washing your hands or catching an unexpected downpour. In such cases, 10 atmospheres (100m) of water resistance is desirable. Of course, this impression model is water resistant to 100m, so it fully meets that requirement. However, even if it is practical enough, I personally find it annoying if I can see the white gasket around the outside of the crystal every time I check the time on this model. The good news is that this new model has improved this point of disappointment.

　As expected from Cazapi's involvement in the development, the movement used in this watch has also evolved. Instead of the Caliber Heuer 02 used in existing TAG Heuer Carrera chronographs, the watch employs the Caliber TH20-00, an improved version based on the Heuer 1. The most significant improvement is the change from unidirectional winding to bidirectional winding. Furthermore, the watch employs a reverser with a ceramic bearing. A drawback of ceramic bearings is the rattle they make when winding, but TAG Heuer claims that this reverser reduces the winding noise compared to existing unidirectional winding systems. After wearing the watch for about a week, I didn't notice the winding noise at all in my daily life. In fact, it was significantly quieter than the unidirectional ETA 7750 model I previously owned. In recent years, mechanisms have been developed, such as MPS's ActiVib, that absorb winding noise by incorporating rubber or other cushioning materials into ceramic bearings, so this evolution is certainly understandable and appreciated.

　So, what about the all-important accuracy of the evolved TH20-00? Checking the static accuracy using a rate meter, the average daily rate for the T24 with the chronograph not in operation is +1 second per day, and for the T48 it is +2 seconds per day, which is extremely good. With a power reserve of approximately 80 hours, it is clear that sufficient accuracy is achieved even when left unwound for 48 hours. With the chronograph in operation, the average daily rate for the T24 is -3.5 seconds per day, but even for the T48 it is -3 seconds per day, so although there is a negative trend, this is still within the acceptable range.

　When actually wearing the watch, the dynamic accuracy was +7 seconds after 24 hours and +11 seconds after 48 hours. While the error was larger than the static accuracy, it didn't cause any inconvenience in daily life. However, considering that it's an automatic watch, it's constantly being wound while being worn, so it was disappointing that the error after 48 hours was +11 seconds, which is +4 seconds wider than the +7 seconds after 24 hours.

　As a test, we measured the error after 24 and 48 hours with the chronograph still running. The results showed that the error after 24 hours was +5 seconds, and after 48 hours it was +10 seconds, which was roughly the same as when the chronograph was not running, or slightly better. Why does accuracy become more stable when the chronograph is kept running while wearing the watch?

　In reality, it will be impossible to truly understand the winding efficiency compared to the evolved TH20-00 unidirectional winding system, or the durability of the ceramic bearings, until I experiment over several months with a wider variety of arm movements and swing strengths in various situations. However, after wearing it for about a week, I felt that the precision of the movement inside was practically sufficient compared to the packaging of the exterior design, and that the comfort and visibility for everyday wear, and above all, the design and three-dimensional beauty of the dial seen through the glass box, gave me a level of satisfaction that exceeded my initial expectations.