TAG Heuer announces its return to water sports with the new Carrera Skipper. A particularly remarkable reappearance since it has been 40 years since this model disappeared from the catalog. Launched in 1968, the Skipper had equipped professional and amateur sailors in different versions before withdrawing from the waters in 1983. We find it today ready to take to the open sea, faithful to its roots but reinterpreted in a contemporary way.
The Heuer Skipper watch launched in 1968 shone on the waterways until 1983. The new TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper respects the aesthetic codes of this historic piece, equipped with a countdown function. © DR
The launch of this new TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper will rekindle many memories in the minds of brand connoisseurs, but will also animate debates among collectors. A Carrera, really? Yes, replies the Swiss house: “Although later versions of the Skipper used the case of the Autavia, the very first examples numbering around 300 were based on the Carrera chronograph”. It is also to recall this historical affiliation that the designers of this 2023 vintage of the Skipper emphasize its proximity to the Carrera Glassbox unveiled last March in Geneva during the Watches show.
TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper watch. Steel case. Diameter 39mm. Circular brushed blue dial. Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment. Automatic movement caliber TH20-06. Chronograph and regatta countdown functions. Water resistance 100m. Blue fabric strap with double safety push-piece folding clasp. €6,850. © DR
A simple glance at the new TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper is enough to detect the absence of a bezel. A cleverly studied technical detail that meets a specific objective. Thanks to the glass that extends to the periphery of the dial with curved edges, the Skipper is intended to be readable in all circumstances. “Such a degree of legibility is particularly important during the crucial pre-departure period, before the cannon fire sounds,” says TAG Heuer, where the circumstances of the creation of the first Skipper are discussed. “Even if the 21st century version is technically very modern, it owes its unique look to the original model born of Jack Heuer’s involvement in the most historic sailing race in the world, the America’s Cup”, recalls one within the manufacture.
The bezel-less construction method of the new TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper can be clearly seen in this photo, as well as the triangle-shaped markers positioned every five minutes around the curved flange. © DR
During the 20th edition of the America’s Cup in 1967, Heuer was official partner of the Intrepid, the 12m IR commissioned by the New York Yacht Club to defend the trophy against Dame Pattie, the challenger from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. Assuring the timing of the American sailboat, Heuer installed on board the Intrepid a set of portable chronometers and provided its crew with Aquastar wristwatches. “These featured an ingenious countdown timer consisting of a red and white disc that rotated behind a series of five apertures,” TAG Heuer recalls. The defender having won the America’s Cup by four victories to zero, Jack Heuer decided to celebrate this triumph by creating the Skipper chronograph. This was equipped with an additional counter intended to punctuate the 15 minutes preceding the start of a regatta over three five-minute segments. Each of these segments sported a different color: bright orange alerting the crew that there were only five minutes left before the cannon fired. If the light blue echoed the unusual color of the deck of the boat, the green evoked certain elements present on board (sheets, awnings, etc.). It is therefore not surprising to see the new Skipper cultivate this chromatic palette. Its circular brushed dial features the distinctive Carrera blue initially inspired by the sea. This hue is paired with high-contrast counters, Intrepid Teal blue for the 12-hour sub-dial, while the 15-minute countdown timer for the regatta has segments in the three hues Intrepid Teal, Lagoon Green and Regatta Orange.
With strong water sports connotations, this TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper vintage 2023 points the way to a future collection of models that will accompany TAG Heuer’s return to the world of sailing. © DR
Technical enthusiasts will note the presence inside the 39 mm diameter steel case of an automatic movement, the caliber TH20-06. Finally, good news for brand loyalists and Skipper aficionados, it will serve as the flagship for a whole fleet of other models that will accompany TAG Heuer’s great return to the world of nautical competitions and yachting.
