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.
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
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
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.