Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer’s third collaboration with Hodinkee, the online wristwatch magazine, has resulted in the launch of the limited-edition TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee.
Hodinkee’s previous collaborations with TAG Heuer – the Carrera Skipper and Carrera Dato – were homages to the Swiss company’s history.
With each of those collaborations, Hodinkee didn’t set out to reproduce the original, but rather to move it forward.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer x Hodinkee is no different, designed as a revival of the iconic Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer, which Heuer produced for the sporting goods retailer from the 1950s to the 1970s.
This is a thoroughly modern Carrera, but updated for today’s adventures with the design ethos of one of Hodinkee’s favourite and most notable vintage Heuer references. Maintaining the colour codes and bezel aesthetic from the 1968 model, this collaboration thoroughly embraces the modern spirit of TAG Heuer.
The Seafarer is a legendary watch with its roots in the mid-20th century and is a reference that is reminiscent of a playful and sun-soaked era in watchmaking – one in which watches were being put to the test, worn hard and often designed and used for specific pursuits. The Seafarer evokes images of the sea, the sand, and the sun and brings to mind the name Abercrombie & Fitch.
Robust And Exciting
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee is a modern, robust, and exciting interpretation of a favourite Seafarer reference.
The Hodinkee Limited Edition now resides in the 42mm Carrera ‘Glassbox’ case. The domed sapphire crystal allows for the profile of a vintage plexiglass crystal while being significantly more durable and clearer – both critical factors while out on the water.
True to the colour codes of the original, the black opaline dial is accented by shades of both sky and royal blue across the Regatta and Tide subdials. As the Carrera is a bezel-less case, the watch has maintained the original’s aesthetic by moving the bezel inside the rehaut in a matching black opaline.
Looking a bit closer, the Seafarer logo was relocated to the sub-register at six, leveraging a Carrera font inspired by the late reference’s characterful blocky type. The brands kept the feeling of the original Reference 2446C Seafarer but made a conscious decision to look to the future of TAG Heuer with the present-day TAG Heuer and Carrera logos at 12 o’clock.
The usual date window from the Carreras you see today was also removed, and the watch is fitted to a black textured rubber strap, making it fit for life at sea. This watch is truly the embodiment of everything to love about TAG Heuer – past and present.
“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,” said Nicholas Biebuyck, Heritage Director at TAG Heuer.
“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.”
Jeff Hilliard, Senior 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 long shot, 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.”
For more information, please visit www.tagheuer.com.