TAG Heuer is widely known today for its racing-inspired chronographs. But before the sport’s heyday in the 1960s, the brand was dabbling in another sport altogether. Debuting in the late ‘50s, the Yacht Timer was a regatta stopwatch you could wear on your wrist and it was made for timing sailing races. Early iterations were colorful, unique, and a bit strange, especially by today’s standards. Now, the Swiss watchmaker has teamed up with a brand that knows a thing or two about color to bring the Yacht Timer aesthetic to the modern-day Carrera watch.
East Coast prep-wear icon Rowing Blazers helped TAG Heuer bring a unique colorway to the Carrera chronograph, with each subdial in a different color — red, green, and blue, presented in an old-school cross-hatch pattern. As for the dial of the watch, it remains white to highlight the totalizers, with a solid light blue chapter ring around the outside to seal it all in. For fans of the vintage Yacht Timers, you may be wondering where the yellow comes into play. Well, the design team, which also includes watch graphics specialist Bamford and renowned vintage watch expert Eric Wind, chose to throw the color onto the second hand. Likewise, the red minute and hour hands are given a yellow-like hue for the center lume. Housed in the typical Carrera 42mm stainless steel case, it’s all powered by the in-house Heuer 02 automatic chronograph movement. The watch comes with a stainless steel bracelet and a red, white, & blue NATO strap.
This remarkable project was inspired by Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson’s very own vintage Yacht Timer, which he acquired from Wind. Unlike a traditional chronograph stopwatch, a regatta timer counts down, and in five-minute increments.
Limited to just 99 pieces, the TAG Heuer x Rowing Blazers x Bamford Carrera Chronograph is available from Rowing Blazers’ website for $8,900.
