Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer has partnered with the leading destination for all things watches and horology, Hodinkee, for their third collaboration, recently unveiling the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee.
Previous collaborations with TAG Heuer included the Carrera Skipper and Carrera Dato, which paid homage to the history of TAG Heuer. However, Hodinkee did not set out to reproduce the original, but rather progress it. And it has been exactly the same with the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer x Hodinkee, which has been designed as a revival of the iconic Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer, which was produced by Heuer for the sporting goods retailer from the 1950s right through to the 1970s.
This is a thoroughly modern Carrera that has been updated for today with the design ethos of one of Hodinkee’s favourite and most notable vintage Heuer references. They have been careful to keep with the colour codes and bezel aesthetic from the 1968 model so as embrace the modern spirit of TAG Heuer.
The Seafarer is a legendary watch which evokes images of the sea, sand and sun and brings to mind the name Abercrombie & Fitch and the new Seafarer × Hodinkee is a modern and robust interpretation of the Seafarer and comes in a fine-brushed polished steel 42mm Carrera “Glassbox” case. The domed sapphire crystal lens is significantly more durable and clearer which is an important factor when out on the water and is water resistant to 100 metres (328 feet) and comes fitted with a black textured rubber strap, making it durable for life at sea.
The new watch colours stay true to the original so that the black opaline dial is accented by shades of both sky and royal blue across the Regatta and Tide subdials. The Carrera is a bezel-less case and so the watch has maintained the original’s aesthetic by moving the bezel inside the rehaut in a matching black opaline. Fitted with TAG Heuer’s automatic TH20-13 in-house Tide Indicator Chronograph Caliber, the timepiece has a power reserve of 80 hours.
The Seafarer logo has been relocated to the sub-register at 6, leveraging a Carrera font inspired by the late reference’s characterful blocky type. And so as to remain consistent with all models of the heritage Seafarer, the usual date window from the Carreras has been removed.
Heritage Director at TAG Heuer, Nicholas Biebuyck commented:
“The story of the Seafarer captures so much that makes watchmaking exciting: technical innovation, design, collaboration, and a chance to understand how business was conducted in the mid-20th century. America was the key market during the period and thanks to the friendship between Walter Haynes, President of Abercrombie & Fitch, and the Heuer family, not only did this great innovation come into the world, but it helped Heuer build its incredible reputation for timekeeping excellence in a region that would become vital to its future. Given that it was a US retailer who launched the Seafarer originally, it made perfect sense to debut this piece with our great friends at Hodinkee for our limited edition together.”
While Jeff Hilliard, Sr. Director of Limited Editions at Hodinkee added:
“TAG Heuer is one of Hodinkee’s first partners, and we don’t take that lightly. For our third Limited Edition collaboration with them, we wanted to do something special. But when we asked them to bring back the tide complication, we figured it was a longshot, since we knew there would be significant research and development that was involved. To our surprise, they agreed to the concept, and we are super excited to bring a piece of TAG Heuer’s incredible history back to the forefront using the incredible glassbox chronograph.”
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee is limited to 968 pieces (in celebration of 1968) and will retail for £6,950 ($7,950) with 125 pieces being sold by Hodinkee in the Hodinkee Shop, whilst the remaining pieces will be available through TAG Heuer at boutiques and retailers worldwide. To join the waiting list for this iconic timepiece please visit: www.tagheuer.com.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man On The Ground, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of TAG Heuer
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