Career, Career and a half. More precisely 2.7. Just half a century ago, on October 5, 1972, Porsche presented the Carrera RS 2.7 at the Paris Motor Show. Designed for racing and rallying, the Carrera RS was the first Porsche 911 dedicated to motorsport and was nicknamed the Carrera. It was this name that also struck Jack Hoyer’s imagination when he first heard about the legendary car race that is the Carrera Panamericana. Surprisingly, it took until 2021 to see the two Carreras converge, and TAG Heuer and Porsche hit the road together.
To mark this iconic half-century celebration of the legendary racing car, the Swiss watch brand unveiled the two-color TAG Heuer Carrera × Porsche Chronograph in Paris, a marriage of the 1972 sports car and the 1963 chronograph. Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 “At that time, he was the leader of Porsche, says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. The anniversary of this iconic sports car is a great opportunity for us to launch a joint watch with our loyal partner TAG Heuer. We share the same philosophy and the same love for exceptional products that combine innovation and tradition.”
“The Carrera name and spirit are incredibly meaningful and symbolic for both TAG Heuer and Porsche, explains Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer. For the 50th anniversary of the first Porsche 911 Carrera, the legendary RS 2.7, we wanted to create a tribute watch that would convey all the character and power of this revolutionary sports car through our own TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph.
The Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 hit the market at the end of the first generation of the 911. At the time, it was the fastest German-made car of its time and the most powerful 911 model available on the road. Lightweight and aerodynamic, it was also the world’s first road-going sports car to feature front and rear spoilers (soon to be known as the ‘ducktail’). They provided better driving stability and a higher top speed. Front and rear wheel widths were different to increase cornering speed and improve braking. Homologated for the road, the RS 2.7 also allowed its owners to compete in races.
The Heuer Carrera Chronograph, on the other hand, is designed to guarantee perfect timekeeping and legibility under high-speed racing conditions while remaining elegant enough for gentleman drivers. The Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 was produced in a palette of 27 vibrant colors reminiscent of the 1970s. Two of these were selected for TAG Heuer tribute watches: red and blue. These colors highlighted some of the car’s unique features: the five-spoke wheels, the Carrera and Porsche logos on the body panels and the famous continuous line on the side of the car. In contrast, the rest of the body was bright white.
Consequently, the same two-tone aesthetic has been applied to the limited edition watches unveiled for this fiftieth anniversary. They are based on the TAG Heuer Carrera 42mm chronograph with its elegant tricompax layout, minute and hour counters at 3 and 9 o’clock, and a perpetual seconds and date window at 6 o’clock. On board is the production Caliber Heuer 02 with an exceptional 80-hour power reserve. Visible through the sapphire crystal, the customized oscillating weight represents Porsche’s three-spoke steering wheel and bears the two partners’ logos side by side.
The Blue Edition is limited to 500 examples and is priced at €7,450. Its dial is smooth white opaline, with an azure border for the two sub-counters. There are also blue lacquered central and chronograph hands, blue lacquered buttons and a shield logo on the crown, as well as blue markings on the Caliber Heuer oscillating weight. The distinctive color band and Carrera logo are prominent on the dial, bezel, case side and bracelet. For this special edition, the watch features a cloth sports strap bearing the Porsche logo and Carrera inscriptions, as well as an elegant steel bracelet with ergonomic H-shaped links.
The Red Edition, even more limited, is produced in just 250 examples and is priced at €22,300. Its case is in 18K rose gold, and the crown, pushers and screw-down caseback are in sapphire crystal. His white ensemble is framed by a circular Indian red stripe. It includes applied hands, a perpetual seconds counter, and hour and minute hands, all in rose gold. There are subtle touches of red on the chronograph and seconds hands, the sub-counter inscriptions and the seconds scale on the flange.
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Source: Le Figaro
