Grand Prix de l'Horlogerie de GenèveBest watch of the year: TAG Heuer Carrera 1887
The TAG HEUER CARRERA 1887 CHRONOGRAPH has been named the 2010 Swiss Watch of the Year in the Grand Prix de l'Horlogerie de Genève’s prestigious “La Petite Aiguille” (“Small Hand”) category. The Grand Prix de l'Horlogerie de Genève is the Swiss watch industry’s most prestigious award competition. The prize of “La Petite Aiguille” rewards the best watch of the year whose price is under 5,000 Swiss francs ($5,166USD). The victory marks the sixth time in 10 years that TAG Heuer has been singled out for its engineering and design prowess.
“This is great victory for TAG Heuer, and for our Honorary Chairman Jack Heuer,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, TAG Heuer President and CEO. “Jack is the creative genius behind so many of our icons, among them the Monaco, the Silverstone and, of course the Carrera. He designed the first Carrera in 1964 and has overseen every new generation since. This new version celebrates that legacy. It’s a “Grand Classique” re-invented for TAG Heuer’s 150th Anniversary, faithful to the original in design and spirit, but with a radical new “engine” — the Calibre 1887 — which turns it into a 3rd Millennium chronograph in terms of size, quality, performance and accuracy.”
A masterpiece of modern engineering
The TAG Heuer Carrera 1887 chronograph was developed, produced and assembled in TAG Heuer’s state-of-the-art facility in Switzerland and was developed from intellectual property elements acquired from Seiko Instruments Inc (SII). Its star component is the Calibre 1887 mechanical chronograph movement. Vibrating 28,800 times per hour, the Calibre 1887’s 39-jewel movement is made of 320 components and has a 50-hour power reserve. Its blue column wheel, Swiss balance spring with micro-blazed finishing, and TAG Heuer oscillating weight are visible through the sapphire crystal caseback. The tachymeter scale on the satin-polished bezel identifies its motor-racing heritage, and the high-end finish and optimized proportions of the silver and black dial distinguish it instantly as a grand classic in the Carrera tradition.
“The TAG Heuer Carrera 1887 Chronograph epitomizes TAG Heuer’s pre-eminence in mechanical movement and case manufacturing,” said Jack Heuer. “We spent 3 years engineering and developing the movement in a “all-under-one-roof” workshop equipped with avant-garde Swiss machines and robots capable of stamping, milling and finishing with to-the-micron precision. This state-of-the-art engineering allows for the production of a true “Manufacture” movement at a very competitive cost — a perfect embodiment of TAG Heuer’s famous “fair cost/fair price” philosophy.”