The September release will be of a 42mm lineup, not 40.

 

The Calibre 1969 was the first thing I thought of when I saw the new line up but the 1969 wears it so much better.

 

44mm - Carrera Sports Chronograph CH02 x 4
39mm - Heuer Carrera (Silver 160 / Montreal) CH02 x 2
42mm - September release ?? possibly CH02 also
+ 2 more LEs?

Is it the end of CH01 / (Calibre 1887 movement)?

 

Yes!

 

Noted and thanks sir @Mr_Orange My 2x 43mm TH Carreras uses the Calibre 1887 movement, something that I really like over the years. And the same reason not to get the CH01 since I feel they are the same anyway plus I don’t want a Hublot style skeleton dial in a Carrera..

But I’d only make a single exception for a TH Tourbillon

 

I have a 41mm and a 43mm 1887.

I have soft spot for the Tete de Vipere Tourbillion - my wallet doesn't though .

 

The Speedmaster as it is today is more or less exactly the same as it has been since 1968 - yet it doesn’t cost $285 anymore. Hell the price went up about $1,000 from 2013 to 2014 alone! For the exact same watch. Now you know I’m an Omega fan, but they should not be looked to in this matter!

A JH80 Carrera has a lower-grade ETA base movement with a DD chrono module. The new Carreras have an in-house-designed, integrated column wheel movement with something approaching twice the power reserve. So if you ask me, the JH80 was way overpriced for what it was, and the Heuer-02 range is a better value for money.

Yearly price hikes of 10% or more are unfortunately quite normal in the watch industry and I don’t love it either, but I’m perfectly happy looking to brands at lower price points if need be. For instance, the Mido I just picked up, or a microbrand. Or the Longines I suggested earlier...

 

Is it just me or Longines really did well in their pricing and design in recent years ?

 

I get all that, and don't really disagree. The way I feel is largely based on brand perception as much as facts. I still see Tag Heuer as positioned between microbrands, Longines, Tissot, etc. on the one hand and your Omegas and Rolexes on the other. I appreciate with the Heuer 02 there's less of a gap to the latter, but then there's Tudor with their in-house movements doing good things also and offering outstanding value.

Regarding Longines, I quite like the heritage chrono that looks a bit like a Camaro, but that's about it. I also quite like the look of the Yema chrono at 39mm, but I am not sure the microbrands are really on the same par as the established brands. That may be doing them a disservice, but case finishing is what usually lets them down.

 

Easy to keep prices down when you don't spend money on advertising. Outside of the 'watch world' does anyone have a clue who Longines are? If TAG Heuer didn't sponsor Red Bull and Manchester United they could probably make themselves more affordable, but do you see a Longines boutique in secondary towns?

 

This is largely a problem of TAG's own making. If they knew what they were doing, they could bridge that gap easily. Personally I think the Carrera does not deserve to be a value play, and as it's priced right now it actually is between Longines/Tissot and Omega or Rolex. It's been thrown around quite a bit here but I'll say it again - TAG should have two lines. The Aquaracers and Links and such should be on a lower price band, and a heritage-inspired line of Heuers using the Monaco, Autavia and Carrera names can be slightly more upmarket.

Unfortunately TAG is an absolute mess from a product positioning standpoint and this new Carrera lineup digs them deeper into that quagmire.

This is fairly true, yeah. Though I find as they update through new generations of their models, many of them start to get it right - Halios or Lorier for instance are highly regarded at this point. And that new Echo/Neutra chronograph looks like it'll be pretty nice too. Worth taking a look at IMO

 

Yeah they're a bit more successful with ladies' models I think.

 

But the Link bracelet will cost a lot more to make than a leather strap on a supposedly 'upmarket' Heuer. It's not as black and white as you would like it to be. Plus I suppose in your plan all the 'modern' Carreras are scrapped in favour of watches that look like they are 60 years old. Well, I'm guessing that TAG Heuer sell more 'hideous modern' Carreras than they do 'old peoples' Carreras. I'm sure David said ages ago that the 'awful' skeleton Carrera was a really big seller for the brand.

By all means split the brand into modern / vintage inspired pieces, but you can't split it by price point. Although I'm all for selling carbon Carreras cheap, I really don't think they will go for it.

 

I'm not sure if you haven't been reading what I've been saying about these Carreras, or are just needling me but- I think the Carrera could be a heritage line, while these watches could indeed be sold at a slightly lower price point with a different name. There's no reason these modern designs that you love have to be tied to the Carrera name. And even if they do, why couldn't these go a bit downmarket in price while maintaining a heritage line at a higher price point? It doesn't have to be either/or; it's not a zero-sum competition between heritage and modern lines. At least it isn't with TAG's competitors....

 

I'm starting to think this too. Tag Heuer / Heuer. Seiko / Grand Seiko. OK, not exactly equivalents, and not such a huge difference between the brands as Seiko has, but the same concept in terms of separating out the brands. Also offers a bit more of an upgrade path for those who might be outgrowing the modern trendy pieces.

 

It's a decent enough analogy - Grand Seiko did begin as Seiko's highest-end lineup (as the King Seiko) and was actually only in the last few years that they've been separated as a brand. The watchmaking was always different though.

I think this would be an excellent blueprint for TAG, and wouldn't be the first bit they took from Seiko (ayyyyy!) but I think maybe creating a higher-end workshop for a Heuer brand with price points between $5-10k or so would be a great way to go.

 

Regarding Breitling:
1. I would say the 2020 Carrera compares more directly with the 2020 Breitling Chronomat line.
2. Breitling changed the name of the Navitimer 8 line to "Aviator 8" during summer 2019.

 

the snake watch is cool. Especially with that little wheel!

 

to be fair to Grans Seiko I don’t think Heuer were ever up at that level of finish.