Tag Jack Heuer 80th VS Zenith El Primero Striking 10th

[pontioz]

Παρ'ότι λατρεύω τη Zenith και υποκλίνομαι στον Primero μου αρέσει περισσότερο το Heuer γιατί είναι πιο λιτό και είναι χωρίς το Tag...

[DragonAce]

You see, Jack Heuer designed his 80th birthday watch himself, and he is also responsible for the conception of the classic Heuer chronos for 40+ years ago, so, we brought along an early 1960s Heuer Carrera (reference 2447N) to see how they look side by side.  Obviously, the biggest difference between the two Carreras is the diameter - roughly a 5mm variance.  But, you can see the hands, hour markers, and shield are very much the same, not to mention the case design.
What is also interesting is just how nice the 1/5 second scale is on both of these watches - placed expertly on the rehaut (the Carrera was the first watch with this trait - traditionally they were placed on the dial itself).  Withh the 60s 2447N you have a nice white contrast against a black dial, and with the 80th birthday watch, a clean grey again a bright silver.

So, comparing a Jack Heuer design of 2012 against a Jack Heuer design of the early 1960s, you see that the man still knows how to make a good chronograph, half a century later.

[DragonAce]

One watch we were really excited to see was the Jack Heuer 80th Birthday Carrera from TAG Heuer, that was announced publicly the week before Basel World began.  Often times, a watch that looks good in pictures doesn't always translate into a handsome piece in the metal - luckily that is not the case with the Jack Heuer Carrera. This thing rocks.

Sized at a nice 41mm, this special Carrera was designed by Jack Heuer himself, which is why it looks as if it could've been made 40+ years ago, and perhaps the reason why it stands out from the rest of the Carrera bunch.

What makes this one special is the dual register layout (all Cal 1887's are tri-register), the bright red accents for the "Heuer" shield (notice it's not TAG Heuer on this one), the seconds hand, and the lining of the strap.  Jack designed the strap so that the wearer could actually see the red lining without taking the watch off, right through the perforation (or "speed holes" as Mr. Simpson would call them).  The dial is an incredibly bright silver with a sunray effect.  The bezel is polished nicely and the tachymeter is on a super slick dark grey flange, and has the number "80" in bright red signifying the importance of this watch.  The registers feature a nice "azurage" or ridging that gives them a lot of depth and a really pleasing contrast against the smooth dial.  It really is worth expanding the picture above and paying close attention to the details of this dial - it is rather well done.

Production of the Jack Heuer 80th Birthday Carrera will be limited to 3000 pieces worldwide, and the caseback will bear Jack's signature, the Heuer coat of Arms, and each piece's number out of the run.  The price, when it hits stores in the coming months, will be $4900.