Making its official debut at Baselworld 2018 is the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02, which combines the looks of the brand’s hit sports chronograph with an in-house calibre, the Heuer 02.

Found only in the retro Autavia chronograph until this launch, the Heuer 02 movement is one that took a long time to reach the market. The movement was first announced in 2014 as the CH80 inside a Carrera, ostensibly as a complement to (or perhaps replacing) the Heuer 01 (then known as the cal. 1887). Though made in-house by TAG Heuer, the Heuer 01 is based on the Seiko cal. 6S37, which TAG Heuer had licensed.

The Heuer 02, on the other hand, is entirely in-house, having been developed and built at TAG Heuer’s pricey facility at Chevenez. It is also the base movement for TAG Heuer’s radically affordable chronograph with tourbillon, the Carrera Heuer-02T.

Now that the Carrera Heuer 01 is firmly established as one of TAG Heuer’s bestsellers, the Heuer 02 makes its return in a big way, in a similar guise naturally.

The Carrera Heuer 02 sticks to the same look that made its cousin a success: an open-worked dial with elements that give it a mechanical feel. But because the movement has a “Compax” layout for the registers – at three, six and nine – the new Carrera tacks more closely to vintage Heuer watches, which have the same chronograph counter configuration.

The case continues to be modular, meaning each component, from lugs to pushers, is interchangeable, giving rise to 13 different variants off the block from the top of the line in 18k red gold and ceramic, to the entry-level model in steel. The Carrera Heuer 02 is 43mm in diameter, save for the GMT version that’s 45mm.

The Heuer 02 movement inside is self-winding with an 75-hour power reserve (longer than the 50 hours of the Heuer 01), and is equipped with both a vertical clutch and column wheel. It’s also finished in TAG Heuer’s signature style, with touches like a black-coated rotor and column wheel painted red.

Price and availability 

Prices have yet to be announced, but they start at US$5350 or S$7450 for the base model in steel.