The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Aston Martin

Last week, at the Geneva International Motor Show (where TAG also announced the Monaco Gulf Special Edition), Jean-Claude Biver (CEO of TAG Heuer and President of the LVMH Group Watches Division) and Andy Palmer (President and CEO of Aston Martin) announced that TAG Heuer has been chosen as Official Partner, Official Watch Partner and Official Connected Watch Partner of Aston Martin and Aston Martin Racing. That’s a mouthful… so let’s have a look at what interests us most: the new TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Aston Martin.

Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s Heuer, and later TAG Heuer, sponsored Ferrari and a host of individual drivers and they were first to do so. In fact, it almost looks like Jack Heuer invented sponsoring racing, race drivers and even an Italian sports car brand. Nowadays the collaborations and partnerships between a watch brand and a car brand, or even the entire F1 organization (Rolex teamed up with them), seems to be a proven concept. IWC collaborates with Mercedes AMG, Hublot teamed up with Ferrari, and last week we told you about Richard Mille teaming up with McLaren.

The good thing about all of this is that we get some cool cars to show to you, in between of all the watch-content, and there are special editions or limited editions being launched in honour of the new collaborations. So besides a host of partnerships and partnership activities, TAG Heuer launched two watches in honour of the new partnership(s). One of them is the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Aston Martin, and being a battery-powered quartz watch, we will not spend too many words on it. The other is the Carrera Heuer 01 Aston Martin and that’s something we certainly have a liking for, here at MONOCHROME.

TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 Aston Martin

The basis is the well-known Carrera Heuer 01, as we reviewed it (see here) three years ago (last year we also reviewed the full ceramic version.) A stainless steel case, measuring 45mm in diameter, with a sapphire crystal in the front (domed, bevelled edge, double anti-reflective treatment) and a sapphire pane in the black PVD coated case back. It’s water resistant to 100 meters and inside resides an in-house chronograph movement. All this means that this Carrera is a big and sporty chronograph that you do not have to remove from your wrist when you’re taking a shower or jumping into a swimming pool. You can easily wear it when doing sports, or anything else…. a great daily watch (or daily beater as we tend to call it.)

Now the ‘novelty’ about this version, is that it underlines the partnership with Aston Martin. Therefore the Aston Martin name is engraved in the black ceramic bezel, between the red TAG Heuer ‘shield’, at the 12 o’clock position, and the start of the tachymeter scale. The dial is skeletonised in a hexagonal pattern that is inspired on details of the new Aston Martin Vantage, and according to TAG Heuer this dial is exclusive for Aston Martin. The date is visible in an aperture between 3 and 4 o’clock, and the brand’s logo is positioned beside the date, between the dial’s center and the 3 o’clock marker.

Subdials for the 30-minute counter and 12-hour counter are at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, and the small second hand is positioned at 9 o’clock. Inside the small second subdial is the Aston Martin logo. The applied hour markers come with luminescent material, like the steel hour and minute hands. Hands for the subdials are without luminescent material, and the tip of the centre chronograph second hand is painted red.