The original Carrera Calibre 18 (Calibre 1887 Prototype)

[Calibre11]

Today we know the Calibre 18 as the SW300/ Dubois Depraz module combination offered in the Link and of course the Carrera Telemeter. But regular readers will know a small piece of trivia- Calibre 18 was the original name of the Calibre 1887.

Here's a photo I took in 2010 at the launch of the 1887,



But we've never seen a Calibre 18 version of the Carrera 1887- until now


This is an early prototype- note the "Calibre 18" at 6 o'clock. Compare this to the V1 Carrera 1887, also never released


I love seeing these prototypes- gives a real understanding of how designs change during development.

So there you have it- the OG Carrera Calibre 18.

 

[Hubert]

Very interesting David; thanks for posting. IMHO, the 'Automatic Chronograph' label would have looked better on the lower subdial and the Calibre 18 on the left sub-dial or underneath:
TH-shield
CARRERA
Calibre 18

 

[Calibre11]

Here's another Carrera 1887 we never saw- 43mm Power Reserve.

At a late stage, the Carrera 1887 was going to have a Blue central hand and dial detailing

 

[Hubert]

Wow, I'm so glad they decided to scrap this design.

 

[GhostyDog]

Thanks for posting, a nice bit of insight to the design process

 

[elbeik]

I think the blue markings is a nice change from the almost standard red.

 

[dsio]

Its a lot of names this calibre has had its its life now!

 

[gophishin]

This is a pretty classy looking piece, and the type of thing that I (personally) think would garner Tag some success. BUT, I just don't see why they need to put the "automatic chronograph" and "calibre 18" on the dial. Without those aspects, it's fairly true to the original intentions of the Carrera, being clean, legible, uncluttered, etc. Put the "Calibre 18" text on the caseback or not at all.

 

[TagJunkie1999]

Hello guys,

recently I bought a Tag Carrera 1887 43mm with PowerReserve. Reference CAR2010

It was from a friend of mine, working as a watchmaker too. He got it through his instructor who worked at Tag Heuer as a watch maker in the past.

Can somebody tell me if this is a rare bird?
Maybe a value or something else?
I wont want to sell it, but it would be interesting for myself.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Aquagraph]

Hubert

Wow, I'm so glad they decided to scrap this design.

Oh dear.