Monthly Archives for June 2024

Super Clone TAG Heuer Carrera Caliber 36 Flyback Chronographs

It’s 1963, and motor racing is a popular pastime worldwide, including in America. The American muscle car companies and well-known European car manufacturers are all competing for dominance on the track. As they do today, these races serve as testing grounds for the latest engines, tires, chassis, and overall race car designs.

In this context, Jack Heuer, the honorary chairman of the now replica TAG Heuer company, made one of the boldest moves in the Swiss watch industry. Driven by a passion for the sport and their finely crafted mechanical chronographs, under Jack’s leadership, Heuer became the first watch company to be the official timekeeper for various racing circuits. In a brilliant business strategy, Heuer chronographs also adorned the wrists of many leading drivers.

Famous names like Jo Siffert, Jacky Ickx, Niki Lauda, and many others not only wore Heuer watches but also displayed Heuer signs on their race suits. Heuer’s dominance in time measurement on the racetrack was so significant that when Steve McQueen filmed Le Mans, he emulated Jo Siffert with a similar Heuer sign on his suit and the now-famous Heuer Monaco on his wrist.

One of the original chronographs to gain mainstream popularity from Heuer at that time was the fake Carrera, named and conceived by Jack himself. The name was inspired by a grueling race across Central and North America: the Carrera Panamericana Mexico race. Since then, the Carrera has remained one of the most popular chronographs in the Heuer catalog. Various iterations have since existed with different movements and features, yet it has always stayed true to its origins with excellent proportions, legible dials, and precise movements. It is a watch line that perfectly evokes its design purpose: being in a fast-moving automobile. Last year, I reviewed my Grand Carrera Calibre 36 RS Caliper here on aBlogToWatch.com.

Fast forward 50 years, and replica TAG Heuer Carrera continues to impress with two new releases of the same Calibre 36 version, now with a flyback feature. There are two primary models. First, the “Racing” version in super-light, grade 2 titanium, sandblasted and treated with black titanium carbide. The dial is anthracite colored with a sun-ray pattern and markers for 60 minutes at five-minute increments, giving the watch the feel of the handheld chronographs the brand is famous for. At the center, there are two sub-dials: one for the running seconds at 9 o’clock and the other for the 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock. Red accents on the tips of the counter hands and around the bezel for the tachymeter’s cardinal markers complete the sporty look.

The second model (reference CAR2B11.BA0799) also features the flyback addition to the Calibre 36 but comes in stainless steel with a silver finish, reminiscent of the old Heuer stopwatches. The white dial includes the same anthracite sun-ray pattern but only for the inner part of the dial that houses the sub-dials. Instead of the race-inspired perforated leather strap, this model includes an option for a steel bracelet with a TAG Heuer deployment clasp.

The case back of both watches features a sapphire crystal showcasing the Zenith El-Primero-based Calibre 36 high-beat movement with the custom flyback addition. This new feature allows the chronograph to be reset and immediately restarted on the fly. This is particularly useful for quickly measuring laps around the track or any periodic activity.

Replica TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 36 Racing Watch Review

Since the early 1960s, the Carrera has been a cornerstone model for Heuer, and later for replica TAG Heuer. Designed as a lifestyle racing watch, the Carrera has remained one of the most significant timepiece families of the 20th century, both as a collectible and for its influence on watch design for over 50 years. Today, I am examining a rather distinctive version of the Carrera that stands out at the higher end of the collection. This is the replica TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 36 Racing watch, and this article marks the third time we’ve covered it.

The Replica Carrera Calibre 36 Racing made its debut at Baselworld 2013. It was introduced as part of a series of watches equipped with the Calibre 36 movement, and the “Racing” aspect of the name reflects its unique color scheme, strap, and titanium case construction. Interestingly, if you look at our previous articles, you’ll see that during the design and production phases, TAG Heuer realized the hands were too short. The model I’m reviewing has the correct hand size, but early images showed it with hands that were too short. It baffles me why designers continue to produce watches with short hands. Fortunately, brands like replica TAG Heuer catch these issues before production, but many others do not.

Besides the titanium case, what sets the Calibre 36 Racing watch apart from most other Carrera models is the movement. In recent years, TAG Heuer has been positioning the Carrera as a more upscale collection, leading to an increase in the average price. Along with this trend, there has been a remarkable diversity of movements available in the Carrera line. As of 2014, there are at least five different chronograph movements available in the Carrera, including in-house movements by TAG Heuer (like the Calibre 1887 and 1969) and those sourced externally.

The Calibre 36 is not made by TAG Heuer itself but comes from the larger LVMH group that owns Clone TAG Heuer. The Calibre 36 is essentially another name for the “El Primero” movement. Produced by Zenith and used in timepieces by both Zenith and its sister companies, the El Primero is a modern marvel of mechanical watchmaking, with an interesting backstory.

Others have recounted the story in more detail, but the basics are straightforward. During the quartz crisis, Zenith nearly shut down and was sold. The new management ordered the destruction of many tools and plans for movements, including those for the newly developed El Primero. The El Primero was intended to be a groundbreaking movement, but due to the shift to quartz watches, it seemed obsolete. No one at the time would have believed that a few decades later, these high-performance mechanical movements would be valued in luxury watches.

The person tasked with destroying the El Primero plans did not do so and secretly saved everything. He later revealed what he had preserved, much to everyone’s relief. Later, brands like Rolex used the El Primero in their Daytona watches for many years (including much of the 1990s). Today, the El Primero remains a benchmark for high-end, high-performance mechanical chronograph movements. Given that TAG Heuer and Zenith are both part of the LVMH Group, it makes sense for them to share movements. This is why a re-branded Zenith movement is found inside a replica TAG Heuer Carrera.

Replica TAG Heuer Debuts Carrera Year Of The Tiger Limited-Edition Watch

As China continues to grow and develop as one of the world’s largest and most lucrative luxury markets, the celebration of Chinese New Year has become a pivotal tradition for the watch industry. Every year, brands from all corners of the industry design unique takes on existing models to honor the animals of the classical Chinese zodiac, creating vibrant and distinctive releases with a distinctly Eastern flair. As 2022 rings in the Year of the Tiger, replica TAG Heuer has unveiled its first release of the year with a suitably feline theme. The new replica TAG Heuer Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition reimagines the recently unveiled three-hand Carrera with a striking and intricate new dial design, adding a fierce new energy to the cleanly restrained platform.

The replica TAG Heuer Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition shares its 41mm stainless steel case with the standard Carrera Day-Date, carrying on its sleek contemporary interpretation of the classic angular Carrera form. The narrow sloping polished bezel gives the design a modern, dial-forward stance, while the broad polished case side chamfer and signature angular beveled lugs keep the Carrera family resemblance strong. Replica TAG Heuer embellishes this familiar formula with an 18K 5N rose gold signed crown, introducing a two-tone punch to the look without overwhelming the rest of the case with color. The Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition’s other unique visual calling card is emblazoned across the sapphire display caseback. In honor of the Year of the Tiger, the brand adds a stylized rendition of a tiger in slate blue, snarling and ready to pounce. Like the standard model, this new limited edition variant offers a respectable 100 meters of water resistance.

Replica TAG Heuer truly sets the Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition apart from its stablemates with its eye-catching dial finishing. The 18K 5N rose gold baton hands and matching indices should be familiar to fans of the brand, but the surface underneath these traditional elements is wild and layered. The brand cleverly integrates the tiger motif into this simple dial with a cutout approach, combining a deep slate blue horizontally brushed main surface with recessed elements in an almost asphalt-like textured black. Beyond creating a cleverly inverted tiger stripe pattern, this cutout dial concept deftly shows off replica TAG Heuer’s dial finishing capability. Although this dramatic tiger-stripe colorway is decidedly not for all tastes, the craftsmanship and creativity on display are undeniably impressive. Given the intricate finishing and harmonious colors of the rest of the dial, however, the 3 o’clock day-date window stands out with its white wheels and markedly disrupts the flow of the overall design.

Like its standard production counterpart, the super clone TAG Heuer Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition is powered by the ETA-based Calibre 5 automatic movement. The Calibre 5 is the backbone of replica TAG Heuer’s modern three-hand collection but is beginning to show its age somewhat with a below-average 38-hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate. The Calibre 5 is handsomely finished, however, with perlage across the bridges and a signed rotor topped with Côtes de Genève. Replica TAG Heuer completes the Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition with a deep midnight blue calf leather strap featuring dramatic rose gold-tone contrast stitching.

With one of the brand’s cleverest and most dynamic uses of the Chinese New Year theme to date, the replica TAG Heuer Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition offers a wild and playful alternative to the clean and upscale standard Carrera. Only 300 examples of the replica TAG Heuer Carrera Year of the Tiger Limited Edition will be made, and the watch is available now through the brand’s online sales platform at an MSRP of $3,750. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.

Super Clone TAG Heuer Unveils Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited-Edition Watch

Replica TAG Heuer, with the possible exception of motorsports, perhaps no other sport has as deep a connection with the modern luxury watch industry as professional tennis. Brands from across the industry have forged relationships with high-profile tennis stars for decades, and top-ranked Japanese player Naomi Osaka is no exception. As her partnership with TAG Heuer enters its second year in 2022, the brand has announced a special limited edition model designed in collaboration with Osaka herself. The new Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition shines a new light on the recently redesigned 36mm Aquaracer series, pairing robust capability with a softer, more verdant take on the brand’s cornerstone dive watch.

Measuring in at a compact 36mm, the stainless steel case of the Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition builds on the smaller of the two standard Aquaracer models. Although the overall form may be lighter and less aggressive than its 43mm sibling, this case shares many of the hallmarks of the modern Aquaracer series, including the angular chamfered case sides, pronounced crown guards, and the line’s signature 12-sided rotating dive bezel. Here, this familiar bezel receives a clean engraved black ceramic insert, with a dive scale in high-contrast white. The Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition really begins to set itself apart with its engraved solid caseback, however, where TAG Heuer adds Naomi Osaka’s personal flower logo on a guilloche background (the brand was unable to provide an image of this caseback before press time). Like the rest of the series, the Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition offers a dive-ready 300 meters of water resistance.

For the dial of the Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition, TAG Heuer drapes its familiar angular take on dive watch cues in a delicate seafoam green tone. This unorthodox surface is eye-catchingly dynamic in initial images, with a sinuous raised wave texture accentuated by a bright sunburst finish. The dial text and applied indices appear to float over this undulating surface in images thanks to a clear top layer. The brand complements this pale green surface with more vibrant lime green plots on the outer chapter ring, and adds an extra layer of visual drama to the design by replacing the Aquaracer’s trademark applied octagonal indices with eight brilliant cut diamonds. The 6 o’clock date window and round cyclops magnifier will likely be divisive elements among enthusiasts, as while they make useful information more easily legible on a smaller dial space, they arguably disrupt the flow of the dial design.

Inside the Fake TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition beats the Sellita SW200-1 based Calibre 5 automatic movement. The Calibre 5 has been a staple of TAG Heuer’s lineup for years, and while it remains durable and easy to service, this powerplant is beginning to show signs of age in terms of performance. TAG Heuer rates its power reserve at a below-average 38 hours at a 28,800 bph beat rate. To complete the package, TAG Heuer equips the Replica Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition with a textured curved-end rubber strap in deep grass green.

In addition to the visual appeal, the Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Naomi Osaka Limited Edition boasts a unique blend of aesthetics and functionality. This limited edition stands out not only for its vibrant design but also for the legacy it represents, merging TAG Heuer’s horological heritage with the dynamism of a modern sports icon.

Furthermore, this collaboration with Naomi Osaka highlights TAG Heuer’s commitment to supporting and celebrating athletic excellence. The watch is not just a timekeeping instrument but also a symbol of Osaka’s inspiring journey and achievements, encapsulating her strength, grace, and style in a meticulously crafted timepiece.