In 1964, a visionary young Swiss watchmaker, Jack Heuer, great-grandfather of Edouard Heuer who founded the company bearing his name in 1860, launched the first Heuer Carrera in tribute to the “Carrera Panamericana Mexico Road Race”, thereby setting the seal on the TAG Heuer brand’s legendary association with the world of racing circuits. In 2006, the Grand Carrera collection caused a sensation by offering a contemporary high-end evolution of this legendary series, inspired by GT coupé cars and the brand’s unrivalled heritage in the automobile world. Supporting and illustrating this prestigious quest for performance, two new models are being presented this year: the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1 Vintage, a limited edition equipped with a mechanical hand-wound movement and celebrating the origins of this extraordinary adventure; and the Grand Carrera Calibre 17 RS2, a sophisticated concentrated blend of high technology that clearly heralds future developments within the range.
In order to provide an environment worthy of this bold match between past and future, TAG Heuer marks its launch by unveiling an exhibition area, the TAG Heuer 360 museum, an historical and avant-garde gallery dedicated to the glory of its exceptional heritage. Inaugurated in La Chaux-de-Fonds on January 30th 2008, during a ceremony attended by Lewis Hamilton and many other personalities, this location offers visitors a unique audiovisual experience. Distinguished both by its architectural concept and by its circular scenography, it exhibits 150 years of a watchmaking saga dedicated to mastering infinitely small times. Visitors will discover the technological and aesthetic innovations applied to sports timekeeping as well as to wristwatches, and which have represented major milestones in the history of Swiss watchmaking.
From the oscillating pinion (1886), the key component of the chronometer, to Calibre S (2005), the only electro-mechanical chronograph movement displaying hundredths of a second and equipped with a retrograde perpetual calendar; from the Time of Trip (1911), the first sports car dashboard chronograph, to the Grand Carrera (2007); from the Micrograph (1916) the first mechanical stopwatches accurate to within 1/100th of a second, to Calibre 360, the only mechanical wrist-worn chronograph measuring and displaying that same time degree of accuracy; from Calibre 11 (1916), the first automatic chronograph with a micro-rotor, to the Monaco V4 Concept watch (2004), the first driving-belt mechanism: the chronicles of TAG Heuer are filled with landmark records and technological feats, confirming that history is definitely still in the making. Embodied by such legendary heroes as Steve McQueen, Ayrton Senna, Juan-Manuel Fangio, by today’s Formula 1 racing champions Kimi Raïkkönen and Lewis Hamilton, as well as by golfer Tiger Woods, the legend lives on..
