Script TAG Heuer Carrera History

Hello everyone,

Discover the history of the TAG Heuer Carrera collection created in 1963 as a “as an original
racing chronograph”, a resolutely assertive statement of elegant design, striking luxury and
high performance. More than anything, TAG Heuer Carrera exemplifies our resolute focus on
mental strength and drive.

[A motorsport-inspired chronograph with a sporty and contemporary feel]

The story of this iconic timepiece began in 1963, the year Jack Heuer created the first TAG
Heuer Carrera, named after a mythical race.

• In 1958, Jack Heuer officially joins Ed. Heuer & Co. S.A. as the fourth-generation leader
of the family business. From amateur racing clubs to the prestigious Ferrari Formula 1
team, Jack Heuer made his company become a reference in the world of motorsports.
• The TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph was released in 1963. The name of Carrera comes
from a conversation Jack Heuer had during the 12-Hours of Sebring and is a tribute to
the mythical Carrera Panamericana, a notoriously dangerous car race that ran across
Mexico in the 1950s.
• Jack Heuer about this race: “I first heard about the Carrera from Pedro Rodriguez at
the Twelve Hours of Sebring, where I was the Official Timekeeper. He and his brother
Ricardo were two of the fastest, smartest, and bravest endurance drivers of all time.
To hear them talk of the Carrera Panamericana race, which our brand’s longtime friend
Juan-Manuel Fangio had won in 1953, but which had been stopped in 1955 after a
number of fatalities, made my imagination soar. Just the sound of the name itself –
elegant, dynamic, easily pronounced in all languages, and charged with emotion. I
knew then that my new chronograph was the perfect tribute to this legend.”

[The success of the automatic chronograph]

At the time of its launch, the groundbreaking TAG Heuer Carrera revolutionized traditional
watchmaking thanks to Jack’s intensive study of industrial design. His team made the case
more water-resistant than all predecessors.
He modernized the flange, on which he printed first the chronometer scale, then pulsimeter,
tachymeter and decimal scales. The real breakthrough, however, was the uncluttered, three-
dimensionality of the dial, with two or three sub-counters effortlessly easy to read at a
glance.
• As for its design process, from the very beginning, the original Heuer Carrera was
designed as a chronograph. This was a disruptive decision, as the general practice was
first to launch a new model as a classical 3-hand watch, and then, if sales were
successful, to reproduce it as a chronograph.
• In the sixties, the top-secret project to invent a self-winding chronograph, entitled
“Project 99,” led to the launch of Calibre 11, equipping 3 models in 1969. One of those
was a Heuer Carrera.
• Furthermore, in the 1970s, TAG Heuer was the official timekeeper for the Ferrari
Formula 1 team. Jack Heuer himself gave every pilot on the team a special full golden
TAG Heuer Carrera with his blood type engraved on the back case.
• In 2010, TAG Heuer launched the Calibre 1887 our first fully in-house movement.
• In 2015, the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 was released with a movement based on the
Calibre 1887. For the first time in the history of TAG Heuer, the brand introduced a new
and bold skeleton design.

[An iconic chronograph]

Each TAG Heuer Carrera timepiece exudes a masterful blend of elegance and performance,
all with a single objective in mind: make the most of your time. Note that it was created at
the same period than the other legendary chronographs such as the Daytona by Rolex, the
Speedmaster by Omega or the Zenith El Primero.

• Classic and contemporary, the TAG Heuer Carrera DNA is based on a refined, more
elegant, and more legible design. Inspired by the world of motor racing, the
chronograph breaks with traditional watchmaking codes.
• It is the first chronograph specially designed for professional drivers, while at the same
time being ideally suited to occasional sports driving or everyday use.
• The chronograph features iconic curved lugs and offers optimal reading comfort
whatever the conditions thanks the dial design and the markers and hands
proportions.
• Other key features of the TAG Heuer Carrera include the elegantly designed dial and
the polished and satin-finished steel case.
• Designed for those who crave speed on and off the racetrack, the TAG Heuer Carrera is
also water-resistant to 100 meters. It blends high precision and comfort with its
chronograph and bracelet equipped with a folding clasp.
[Timeless classic and perfect copilot]

Elegantly designed, the TAG Heuer Carrera coalesces improved ergonomics and legibility to
be your perfect companion in all circumstances.

Thank you for your attention and see you soon.