Initially posted that novel of mine to the wrong thread…
I had the opportunity to check out all (relevant) Carrera chrono novelties today in their boutique in Lyon. What can I say? I’m seeing much clearer now between the 39mm, 42mm (and 44mm) sizes.
39mm is just too damn small for me - especially when it’s a round watch with short L2L, like the latest Carreras are (I don’t have problems wearing 37mm or 38mm vintage watches, though - if they have a somehow beefier case shape). I do realize now that this was one of the biggest obstacles that kept me from falling for the 60s Panda (in addition to the hands mismatch)…
For me, the 42 Elegant is the pick of the litter when it comes to almost universal sizing. I feel that TH really did a great job with that case shape. Plus: the latest models with the orange and red accents are a step in the right direction since on the original four colors the dial could appear just a bit too empty & borderline boring. But the two new ones don’t sway me for good since I’m currently a bit bored of black and blue watches and would prefer almost any other color. I’ll remain on the lookout for (ideally) a new multicolored variant, as long as it’s not panda or orca (I really got that covered). I think my wet dream would be a silver dial with blue subdials and orange accents 😉
Finally, the 44mm is probably great for those who specifically search a bigger, bolder & sportier watch. I haven’t tried it on, but it could imagine that it also wears visually smaller than its dimensions suggest.
Two negative notes, though:
- Price increase incoming on the 01-Apr-2023. Prices of the 42mm Elegant will go up to where the two 42mm novelties already are. Monaco Cal.11 will be close to (basically at) 8k EUR.
- TH seems to have a QC problem: the black & orange/red Elegant had a date wheel that was absolutely not centered in the date window. It got better when you made it “click” for a bit, but then the other issue became apparent, i.e., that the date change occurred well, well after midnight.