2024 TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche 963 (CBU2010.FT6267)

[Aquagraph]

Mspeedster

That maybe true, but you totally missed my point.

Back in the early-mid 2000s, when the first Monaco Gulf was created, there was nothing like it. Nevertheless, the look was instantly recognizable by anyone familiar with the movie Le Mans and the Monaco watch. That first one didn't have "Gulf", or "Porsche" or "McQueen", written on it, yet the presence of all 3 could be felt when looking at the watch. I remember when the watch was released, that's how I felt. And it wasn't just me, since the design is still here almost 20 years later.

That was my point, it didn't need words on the watch telling me what it was. This skeleton does, otherwise nobody would know it's a Porsche 963 collab watch. Even with the words, I'm not convinced.

Well, I disagree, but I've never seen the movie. But for argument's sake let's just say this is the perfect collab, I mean I can barely think of anything else that fits the criteria and I can think of a million other watches which are just like this 963. Basically a standard watch with a badged dial or some minor detail. Mind you thinking about it, the Aston Martin Carrera did take influence from the cars with the hexagon webbed dials. But then again I wouldn't have known it was an Aston Martin detail if they hadn't shown it alongside a photo of an Aston air vent...

Blue and orange, I agree, is instantly recognizable to anyone 'who knows'. When McLaren have a 'Gulf' paint job you know what it is without needing to see 'Gulf' on the car, but that is just a fortunate and unusual colour combination. I wouldn't think Gulf if I saw a blue and red stripe together. What about my Senna watch, nothing about that says Senna to me other than the fact that it says Senna on it. Two red stripes look cool, but basically meaningless. The only Senna watch that springs to mind as really hitting the mark would be the tourbillon with the coloured helmet on the back (the yellow and black one) or the Link with yellow, green and blue on it. In fact yellow and green should be the calling card for Senna watches, since that again is a colour combo which immediately shouts Brazil to me, and by extension 'Senna'.

But I bet TAG Heuer would tell us that Senna watches with red on them sell better than yellow ones.... which is why most of them are red highlighted.

 

[Albert-AMG]

Jim Dollares

But, is it really enough to own any Porsche or would you need to have a 963 in the garage for this watch to make sense?

Yes, of course! To make sense of the purchase of my Calibre 1887 300 SLR, I first had to spend a few tens of millions of Euros to have a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR in the garage!


It was expensive to buy this watch!

 

[bpsmith]

But you have owned, and still own, Mercedes so it does make sense for you to own such a watch as your properly invested in the brand. It’s got that extra special element to it. That’s my point really @Albert-AMG.

Doesn’t harm that it’s a great looking watch too.

 

[Aquagraph]

I think it's fine Albert, I wouldn't own a Porsche watch though, cos I never had a Porsche. But I really love that Orange Lave Carrera... so that's maybe where I might break the rule. But it would absolutely make me a 'poser'.

 

[Aquagraph]

Well that's what Jim inferred when we tried it on in Oxford Street.

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2024/03/feature-coco-meet-up-london-2023.html

 

[bpsmith]

Aquagraph

Well that's what Jim inferred when we tried it on in Oxford Street.

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2024/03/feature-coco-meet-up-london-2023.html

Such a great looking watch. The best one for me too.

 

[dtf]

This is the one I regret not buying:


Sadly I don’t have the car either.

 

[Aquagraph]

They should have made more of that one I think...

 

[Jim Dollares]

Aquagraph

Well that's what Jim inferred when we tried it on in Oxford Street.

https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2024/03/feature-coco-meet-up-london-2023.html

Total fake ass poser if you wear this without owning a proper Porsche

 

[Jim Dollares]

dtf

Sadly I don’t have the car either.

Very sad life indeed

 

[Albert-AMG]

bpsmith

But you have owned, and still own, Mercedes so it does make sense for you to own such a watch as your properly invested in the brand. It’s got that extra special element to it. That’s my point really @Albert-AMG.

Doesn’t harm that it’s a great looking watch too.

I was just following Jim's joke

Of course it is a plus -when we talk about car editions- to have a car of that brand, but I also think that it is enough to have sympathy for that car brand (or car model) to consider purchasing a watch that we like, in the same way that we can buy editions dedicated to certain racing drivers (Senna, Hunt, Fangio) because we have sympathy for them.

Possibly if the watch is dedicated to a car brand in general, the watch is more suitable for users of that car brand, but if it is dedicated to a specific model (and even more so if it is a racing car), it is more suitable for everyone. For example, I would hardly buy a BMW edition, but I would not rule out a BMW M1 edition (I mean the 1978 M1)... in the same way, maybe many buyers of the Calibre 1887 300 SLR do not have a Mercedes-Benz in the garage

Porsche is my second favourite car brand after Mercedes-Benz, and -without having any Porsche in the garage- I wouldn't mind having a TAG Heuer Carrera 963 or one of the other recent Porsche editions like the Chronosprint or the RS. It is also true that I would not be attracted to a Cayenne or Macan editions ... but what I certainly would not buy is a Tesla edition

 

[bpsmith]

I totally agree with everything you’ve said there @Albert-AMG.

I am not saying you can’t buy one if not a Porsche owner. What I mean is that it has an extra special appeal if you’re a fan of the car brand, maybe own one as well, plus obviously like the watch.

I think that sort of draw to something you like the look of, could easily switch you. The same could be applied to proper Le-Mans fans for similar reason.

Personally, I think it’s a cool watch. I am just not in the market for something of that price in general, as my self imposed natural limit is rather lower.

If I was to spend that much at some future point, I have a list of others which would trump it. Ultimately, had I been a Porsche owning Le Mans super fan with the inclination to spend that amount, then this piece would have shot up my priority list.

 

[Hubert]

Here's mine!

Before fitting the bracelet.

After fitting the bracelet.

 

[Aquagraph]

Very cool, congrats Hubert!

 

[Mspeedster]

Hubert

Here's mine!

Before fitting the bracelet.

After fitting the bracelet.

Congrats @Hubert! Looks even better in the outside shot.

 

[Mspeedster]

Albert-AMG

Probably the only link with a Porsche 963 is the '963' engraving on the strap, but I like this watch anyway



In any case it has a touch of motorsport in its design . As for the inspiration of the dial in a tubular chassis... it would be more similar to that of a 917

perhaps 917 would have been a better name for this watch, since the subdials are also more reminiscent of the instrumentation of a 917

than the digital screens of a 963, more similar to a Connected than to a Carrera skeleton

Yes, the 917 and other vintage Porsche racecars used a tubular chassis, but not so on the modern racers like the 963. The marketing actually says the sub-dials are supposed to be like the headlights.


Which again is wrong for the 963.


But they do mimic the pattern on some Porsche road cars, like the 911. Which I think is cool.


But coming back to the 917, that's actually one of my pet peeves. I think TAG is missing an opportunity by not leveraging the Porsche partnership for the Monaco.

As I've said many times before, I'd love to see a Monaco x Porsche 917 x Gulf watch. If they used the tubular skeleton design on a Gulf Monaco Skeleton x Porsche 917, it would make a lot more sense. I get why TAG wants to focus on the Porsche 963, as it's the Le Mans racer that they currently sponsor. But there's still room for the Monaco IMHO.

 

[Mspeedster]

Aquagraph

Well, I disagree, but I've never seen the movie. But for argument's sake let's just say this is the perfect collab, I mean I can barely think of anything else that fits the criteria and I can think of a million other watches which are just like this 963. Basically a standard watch with a badged dial or some minor detail. Mind you thinking about it, the Aston Martin Carrera did take influence from the cars with the hexagon webbed dials. But then again I wouldn't have known it was an Aston Martin detail if they hadn't shown it alongside a photo of an Aston air vent...

Blue and orange, I agree, is instantly recognizable to anyone 'who knows'. When McLaren have a 'Gulf' paint job you know what it is without needing to see 'Gulf' on the car, but that is just a fortunate and unusual colour combination. I wouldn't think Gulf if I saw a blue and red stripe together. What about my Senna watch, nothing about that says Senna to me other than the fact that it says Senna on it. Two red stripes look cool, but basically meaningless. The only Senna watch that springs to mind as really hitting the mark would be the tourbillon with the coloured helmet on the back (the yellow and black one) or the Link with yellow, green and blue on it. In fact yellow and green should be the calling card for Senna watches, since that again is a colour combo which immediately shouts Brazil to me, and by extension 'Senna'.

But I bet TAG Heuer would tell us that Senna watches with red on them sell better than yellow ones.... which is why most of them are red highlighted.

If you've not seen the movie and are only thinking about the race car livery, then yeah you might not make the connection. However, the first Monaco Gulf wasn't based on the Gulf Porsche 917's blue & orange colors, it was based on Steve's character Michael Delaney's white racing suit. In which the Heuer & Firestone patches are red & white, and the Gulf orange stripe also can look closer to red depending on the lighting. So for me, being a fan of the movie since childhood, I immediately got it.



Regarding the Aston Martin & Senna collabs, I agree with you. That's also why I've never bought one.

However, I do feel that TAG got it right with the Blue Porsche Carrera RS2.7 watch. It's the best one for me in terms of blending Porsche DNA into a TAG Heuer watch. Second best, in terms of Porsche-ness, is the Chronosprint 911, but TAG ruined it for me by changing the Carrera logo from the Porsche script font to TAG's font at the 11th hour.

 

[Jim Dollares]

Hubert

Here's mine!

Before fitting the bracelet.

After fitting the bracelet.

Congratulations sir

Which Porsche models will you be driving while wearing yours?

 

[Jim Dollares]

Huberto, is the rubber 'cut to fit' like the Aquaracers?

 

[Aquagraph]

Mspeedster

Yes, the 917 and other vintage Porsche racecars used a tubular chassis, but not so on the modern racers like the 963. The marketing actually says the sub-dials are supposed to be like the headlights.


Which again is wrong for the 963.


But they do mimic the pattern on some Porsche road cars, like the 911. Which I think is cool.


But coming back to the 917, that's actually one of my pet peeves. I think TAG is missing an opportunity by not leveraging the Porsche partnership for the Monaco.

As I've said many times before, I'd love to see a Monaco x Porsche 917 x Gulf watch. If they used the tubular skeleton design on a Gulf Monaco Skeleton x Porsche 917, it would make a lot more sense. I get why TAG wants to focus on the Porsche 963, as it's the Le Mans racer that they currently sponsor. But there's still room for the Monaco IMHO.

It all seems like this was designed as a 'Porsche' watch then, but not necessarily a '963' watch.