Fangio's Carrera ? ? ? Posted By: Jeff Stein Date: 11/1/04 02:13 GMT

I spotted this print ad for the new Carrera earlier today, and thought that it was kind of interesting.

The caption of the ad, at the bottom left, is "Fangio and His Carrera Tachymeter Chronograph".

Wanting to explore this Fangio / Carrera connection, I went to the TAG-Heuer website, where I found the following description of Fangio, as the "Ambassador" of the new Carrera:

What are TAG Heuer ambassadors made of? Forget the usual clichés - grit, self-possession, determination and so on - the qualities that makes these people extraordinary cannot be satisfactorily translated into dictionary terms. It's not that these qualities are indescribable. It's just that the description pales compared to the performance.

The Argentinian Juan-Emanuel Fangio, five times Formula 1 world champion, competed in every type of motor racing event and holds the all time record for the number of championship titles. This particularly gifted and daring driver arrived in Europe in 1948 and just one year later had won seven Grands Prix at the wheel of a Maserati ! In 1953 he drove a Lancia to victory in the Carrera Panamericana, an exhausting marathon for both cars and drivers. Extending over more than 3000 km. in Mexico, the race was a perfect fit with the wild frontiers of the new continent.

As a tribute to this epic race and the great Argentinian champion, TAG Heuer launched the "Carrera", in 1964. It quickly became the brand's flagship model. With its sporty look, its essentially functional nature and the understated elegance of its design, it remains a landmark in the company's history.

The new Carrera, powered by the Valjoux 7750 movement, will be available with either a black or silver dial.

So what do "we" think of this connection drawn between Fangio, the Carrera Panamericana road race,

Ok, I can accept the connection between Fangio and the Carrera Panamericana... I don't have a problem with that...

the original Carrera chronograph and this new chronograph?

To borrow a phrase I heard used (albeit less correctly) elsewhere lately...

Wrong name for the wrong watch with the wrong ambassador.

There has never been a 7750 based Carrera before. I don't feel it's a historically proper "Classic" watch watch either. If anything this watch seems to be a homage piece to the Speedmaster.

A more proper name for a large 7750 Based chronograph would be Pasadena:

I think there are plenty of other racing related names that could be tapped for a new watch from TAG-Heuer... Pasadena is the most obvious choice for this watch, but Riverside, Sebring, Laguna Seca, or any one of a number of other racing circuits (Mosport, Nurbergring, etc.) would have been better choices in my opinion. In fact you could pick a 1 mile long NASCAR circuit like Phoenix, Dover, Milwaukee, Nazareth, Pike's Peak, for example and the Tachy bezel can by used for converting lap times...

I remain hopeful that Heuer will resume production of the Pasadena in it's old case, so I hope they save Pasadena for that.

Do we "buy it"?

I might buy one some day, but not because of the Marketing, or some imagined Fangio connection, but rather because of it's own merits.

I am interested to see how our readers react to the new chronograph and the ad campaign.

Jeff

I like the watch. I'm not wowed by the marketing. Frankly I could do a better job. So could Jeff, and I suspect a number of others here in the forum.

-- Chuck