What resulted was a chronograph with plain baton markers that gave only the most necessary bits of information - clean, uncluttered, undeniably attractive. Heuer's obsession with legibility led to a dial design that was simpler to read than the Omega Speedmaster or the Rolex Daytona (released the same year as the Carrera). In designing the Carrera in 1963, Jack Heuer created something that was entirely his, and is without question the chronograph that is most associated with the brand today. The Autavia was purpose-built for racers and pilots, and attracted the attention of Formula 1 racers and devotees such as Jochen Rindt and Steve McQueen. In its place he launched the line of Autavia wrist chronographs, the first line of chronographs produced by Heuer to be named, rather than simply numbered.
He had first tried his hand with the Autavia, which at the time of his succession was a stopwatch with a virtually illegible dial. Jack Heuer, a longtime racing aficionado, saw an opportunity to revitalize - or at the very least, to reexamine - the company’s already-successful line of chronographs. Starting in 1911, when the sport of automobile racing was still in its infancy, the company produced dashboard clocks for cars, boats, and even airplanes. The Heuer name was not unknown in motor racing and aviation circles. His chosen path? Moving into a line of technical instruments for use in sporting and transportation applications. But in 1962, the responsibility of running the company fell on his shoulders, and he found himself faced with the daunting task of safeguarding his ancestor’s legacy while at the same time forging his own. He had already played a role in the design of some timepieces, starting with the Solunar in the late 1940s. In 1962, Jack Heuer inherited the company that his great-grandfather had founded in Saint-Imier nearly a century before. If you are unsure about going down the vintage route but still desire a classically styled watch with some added modern accouterments, this TAG Carrera should be in your sights. T his particular example remains in excellent, virtually NOS condition throughout, and comes complete with its inner box and hangtags. Although slightly larger than its forefathers, this piece retains the traditional Carrera case shape as a modernized interpretation of the classic. While first generation Carreras were manually-wound, this modern iteration is finished in steel and features TAG's Calibre 8 automatic-winding GMT movement, a sapphire display caseback, a luminous sunburst grey dial with applied indices and a matching handset, and a double-date in the 12:00 position. Jack wanted a watch that was stylish and functional - a watch that gives you everything you need and nothing you don’t. The Carrera was one of Jack Heuer’s most passionate projects, and his design ethos for this watch can be summed up in one word: legibility.
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