As part of the brand’s 2023 Watches & Wonders novelties, TAG Heuer has released an all new date version of its cornerstone Carrera model in 36mm. Here, color is the name of the game with a blindingly pink hue leading the charge. Aimed squarely at the unisex market, the new 36mm Carreras have mass appeal thanks not only to eye-catching colors, but safe styling that’s sometimes in short supply among the brand’s more adventurous offerings. Additionally, a redesigned case reduces the Carrera Date’s silhouette by a full 2mm. When it comes to case thickness, even shaving off a single millimeter is a feat, so the new 10mm models are a welcome change. Just as the thickness has been reduced, so too has the lug-to-lug which now drops in just shy of 42mm. What appear to be some pretty stubby endlinks combine with a new taper shape that TAG claims makes the TAG Heuer Carrera Date more svelte than ever before. We’re inclined to believe it, as the new 36mm models check many of the boxes that make watches of this size eminently wearable.
Inside, the Calibre 7 represents an upgrade from the last-gen Calibre 5, stretching the TAG Heuer Carrera Date power reserve by a full 18 hours. Now lasting 56 hours, the Calibre 7 places the eponymous date function at the 6 o’clock spot, a favorite among symmetrists. Although many would prefer a color-matched datewheel, we’re not complaining about the frame window – a detail far too many brands exclude. Fans of exhibition casebacks are in luck, as the branded, milled rotor is fully visible on the watch’s reverse side. Most noticeable, of course, are the unconventional dial colors. At launch, three of the four (silver, blue, and green) are expected to be available, with the striking pink dial coming one month after launch, in May 2023. Why the delay? TAG doesn’t say, but we think it TAG Heuer Carrera Date might have something to do with building anticipation. It’s the only version to feature silver dial markers and hands – a strange choice given the collection’s otherwise all-steel construction. Regardless, the 18K 5N rose gold-plated dial elements do look admittedly sharp, particularly on TAG’s deep signature blue and pale pastel green dial variants. Truly odd, however, is the starkly gray second hand on the silver-dial reference, whose finish matches neither the case, dial, indices, nor the other hands.
