Pre-Owned TAG Heuer by Analog Shift 1964 Carrera Re-edition AS04076

Why We Love It

The original Heuer Carrera ran from the 1960s to the 1980s, its look shifting slightly as trends changed, ultimately taking on the cushion case design and automatic movements of the late 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, after Heuer was bought by Technique Avant Garde (TAG), the Carrera line was discontinued. However, in the mid-1990s TAG Heuer realized that its classic designs still held value in the commercial market, and decided to re-release two watches: the square-cased Monaco and the Carrera. 

On the whole, the 1964 Carrera Re-Edition remained true to the look of its predecessor, featuring a 36mm case and a bold, open dial with recessed subsidiary registers and blue printed scales on the silver dial variant. While the 60s Carreras were powered by the Valjoux 72, the Re-Edition references used the Lemania Caliber 1873, most famously used in the Omega Speedmaster. 

This particular example, a Reference CS3112, dated to the mid 1990s and mixes things up a little bit by riffing on the original with a little extra flair. This watch features the excellent 36mm case, a 'Heuer' signed crown, and an absolutely gorgeous salmon dial with Tritium lume and a matching handset. 

The 1964 Carrera Re-Edition is important in that it set a precedent for TAG Heuer to reissue its most classic designs, thus continuing an appreciation for traditional horology. This old design, rather than languishing in the brand's archives, is exposed to a new generation of watch collectors. It's a testament to Jack Heuer's foresight that the Carrera remains popular and will continue to be for generations to come. 

Faithful re-edition or a vintage piece all on its own? This watch is both, and for that, extremely cool.

Dont miss this not commonly seen iteration!

The Heuer Story

In 1962, Jack Heuer inherited the company that his great-grandfather had founded in Saint-Imier nearly a century before.

He had already played a role in the design of some timepieces, starting with the Solunar in the late 1940s. But in 1962, the responsibility of running the company fell on his shoulders, and he found himself faced with the daunting task of safeguarding his ancestor’s legacy while at the same time forging his own. His chosen path? Moving into a line of technical instruments for use in sporting and transportation applications.

The Heuer name was not unknown in motor racing and aviation circles. Starting in 1911, when the sport of automobile racing was still in its infancy, the company produced dashboard clocks for cars, boats, and even airplanes. Jack Heuer, a longtime racing aficionado, saw an opportunity to revitalize—or at the very least reexamine—the company’s already-successful line of chronographs.

He had first tried his hand with the Autavia, which at the time of his succession was a stopwatch with a virtually illegible dial. In its place he launched the line of Autavia wrist chronographs, the first line of chronographs produced by Heuer to be named, not just numbered. The Autavia was purpose-built for racers and pilots, and attracted the attention of Formula 1 racers and devotees such as Jochen Rindt and Steve McQueen.

In designing the Carrera, Heuer created something that was entirely his, and is without question the chronograph that is most associated with the brand today. Heuer's obsession with legibility led to a dial design that was simpler to read than the Omega Speedmaster or the Rolex Daytona (released the same year as the Carrera). What resulted was a chronograph that gave only the most necessary bits of information, with plain baton markers: clean, uncluttered, undeniably attractive.  

The brand grew to become a powerhouse in chronographs in particular, and the list of famous designs from the 1960s and 1970s can’t be counted on two hands. Falling on hard times in the wake of the Quartz Crisis, Heuer was ultimately purchased by Technique Avant Garde (TAG) and subsequently Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey, who have brought the brand into the modern age.