The new Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph is a manifesto of haute horlogerie in execution and materials, while adopting a complication that is not so widespread but familiar in watchmaking. Rather, not only the technical execution, but also the workmanship and materials are Hyper Horology.
The price is a logical consequence; the two models will be produced in very limited quantities at a price of 135,000 euros. We hope that this case design will soon give life to a new version of the Monaco, Replica Watch will accompany the classic variant.
Carrera Chronograph Skipper in rose gold
The new generation of the Carrera dominated the last edition of the fair and the new generation Skipper is one of the most popular models. The close connection with the Heuer models, with the 1968 Skipper in particular, from which it takes the original color combination on the Regatta counter, is evident.
The expressive power of the dial lies in the brilliant arrangement of two counters, which are highlighted compared to the third, inside which the continuous seconds flow, hidden compared to the other two. The designers have managed to combine many very different colors in a harmonious and recognizable whole, which now also includes the option of rose gold for the case.
Rose gold generally works well when combined with sunburst blue but risks making the aesthetics garish if other colors are added. Not in this case, where the golden 39 mm size helps to further enrich the Skipper compared to the steel version without making its style excessive.
The double-curved dial is a further distinctive element: the surface is concave at the height of the applied indexes; it has a conspicuous edge at the top and then reverses its curvature and becomes convex on the outside, on which the rehaut is positioned, enhanced by the “glass box” crystal.
The new Carrera Chronograph Skipper in rose gold mounts the same caliber as the steel version; in this case, perhaps a little more could have been dared, by mounting a gold oscillating weight.
However, this is not a process of pure replacement; the inertia changes and the intervention would perhaps have required a revision of the caliber design. The watch has a price of €21,150 and can be purchased exclusively online on the official TAG Heuer website.
Carrera Chronograph Panda
Last in decreasing order (of price and positioning), the new Carrera Chronograph Panda in steel is the panda variant of the reference with three counters and a black background. Compared to the Reverse Panda model, in our opinion, the designers have thought of diversifying the offer.
The watch does not change from a technical point of view compared to the classic 39 mm Carrera chronograph, but the Panda model features a bracelet instead of the Rally Strap and the continuous seconds counter is, as on the Skipper, hidden to give the perception of a bi-compax chronograph.
The color choice is not limited to the two counters; the tachometric scale is black like the counters. Arranged on the convex part below the “glass box” glass, it is also immediately readable.
From this point of view, the choice of the steel bracelet offers a valuable aesthetic continuity. It ideally continues the silver treatment of the dial and transforms the watch into a two-tone chronograph, with small contrasting red hands and the central chrono hand whose end has a red portion of the same length as that provided on the two counters. The price of the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Panda is €6,550. For more information, visit the official TAG Heuer website.