Some thoughts on an incoming.
In 1996, Tag Heuer issued what we’re told is perhaps the most faithful re-release of an archive watch by anyone, anywhere, in the guise of the “1964 Heuer Carrera Re-Edition,” reference CS3110 (white dial), CS3111 (black dial), CS3112 (salmon dial), all in steel, and the CS3140 (white dial) in yellow gold.
The MkI Carrera introduced in 1964 was a perfect 36-ish millimetres. It was clean, legible and comfortable. If anything, it was by the standards of the day on the large size for the average man who needed a wristwatch for environments in-and-around 1atm. And, a generation on, the mid-nineties still found the 36mm form factor to be entirely acceptable. It would be a braver fellow than me to offer a view as to why this has changed, but with the delightful cacaphony of today’s super-sized watches, where even the plain-jane explorer is up to 39mm, the Carrera’s still, small voice commands some attention from the wearer. None at all from anyone else.
And so it is that the 1996 re-edition Carrera is an interesting thing.
In 2017 it is now 21 years old, and has been out of production for 15 years. That’s getting into vintage territory itself. It didn’t sell in huge numbers (mine was bought new from a Tag Heuer AD in one of the UK’s largest cities, and the paperwork shows that it had to be special-ordered). Sure, the CS31xx is not the original Carrera 2447 – but it is a sufficiently faithful reproduction that they had to leave “Carrera” off the dial to offer some differentiation. The movement may not be original to the ’64 version – the Valjoux 72 was said-and-done by the mid nineties – but no-one is going to accuse the manual-wind Lemania 1873 of being unduly anachronistic in this watch.
What we’re left with, two decades after it’s re-edition, is a Heuer Carrera that embodies the spirit of the 1964 watch fairly completely, whilst having little or nothing to do with the watches that we might more typically think of as coming from the 1990s or 2000s (particularly from Tag Heuer). Let’s have a look:
Never knowingly modest in their branding, Tag Heuer called these re-edition watches classics. For once, the marketing spiel might be justified.
All pics mine. Many thanks to Dominic (dommorton) and Paul (walkerwek1958) for their help during my hunt for this watch
Last edited by JGJG; 9th October 2017 at 19:54.
I think that is a very nice looking watch (and leather case). Good choice. I have a 2447D with a white face and blue decimal ring. Can't see me ever letting it go. In the time I've had the Carrera, I've bought three Speedmasters and let them all go.
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Very nice, very interesting and thank you for sharing.
These are as handsome as it gets when it comes to Heuer or TAG. The design is timeless...
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Simply stunning and superb write up.
Many thanks for sharing
Pitch
^ those 2447Ds are beautiful, congrats! Given that you seem to have a bit of a carrera vs speedy thing going, do you feel a bit conflicted to see the lemania 1873 in the re-edition?Originally Posted by BillyCasper
Really pleased you found a good one and are chuffed with it.
Keep saying it, but they are brilliant watches.
Your pics are great too! Here's a boring and poor by comparison wrist shot of mine for the sake of solidarity
Last edited by dommorton; 9th October 2017 at 20:18.
I think it is more to do with me not being big on chronographs, so don't need to have too many in my collection. I think that the Heuer Carrera is the more attractive, so it's the one to keep.
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If you can pick one of these up for around £2k - £2.5k then you've had an absolute steal!
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Here is mine, currently on holiday with LVMH.
1964 Heuer Carrera Re-edition from 1999
Carrera - Original compared to the re-edition
Very nice write-up, CS3112 (salmon dial) says hello. I’m told this is the rarest model but not sure if that is truly the case.
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I’ve never seen one. Looks good to me!Very nice write-up, CS3112 (salmon dial) says hello. I’m told this is the rarest model but not sure if that is truly the case.
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That is lovely, particularly the black dial (personal preference for black dials). I'll have to keep an eye out, I wasn't familiar with this model until your excellent post.
I enjoyed reading this thread last night. In fact I sent JGJG a PM late last night in which I mentioned that I had spotted the same model for sale and was seriously considering it. He took the trouble to look at the example I had mentioned and pointed out several issues that I hadn't noticed.
I feel somewhat embarrassed that I hadn't noticed any of the issues, however I'd much rather feel embarrassed than out of pocket having bought a shoddy example of a classic watch.
^ like any watch, there are great ones, okay ones, and ones that won't be bothering the end of your bargepole... the search might take a little time, but it will be worth it :)
Bloody superb thread. Thank you.
Really miss mine, sold it for very little on here last year. Still have all the POS and display stand, and am always on the lookout for another to replace the mistake I made in selling it. Anyone fancy moving one on please let me know. I've had a WTB up for ages!!!
This is a lovely design. Very clean, well balanced, subtle and beautifully finished.
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I've thought about one of these so long I don't think I can justify buying one anymore! They've lovely things.
"A man of little significance"
Agreed. Really enjoyed reading it, and it's one of the ones that got me searching for examples for sale online.
Great review and write-up, and the pictures capture the classic timeless-ness of the watch.
Perhaps one to put on my ever-increasing "list"!
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I'd certainly have a guess at it being the rarest - I've never seen it before anywhere!Very nice write-up, CS3112 (salmon dial) says hello. I’m told this is the rarest model but not sure if that is truly the case.
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Manages to pull off a classic look despite being an unusual colour...
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That is a lovely watch, thanks for sharing. One for the future list methinks
I have had the pleasure of owning one of the copper faced models for close to 20 years. I agree that they are almost a classic in their own right today.
However, I have recently purchased a 3547s, and have found that there are a number of subtle differences between the watches that are not evident from pictures on the internet or my recollection of handling similar watches for a short period of time.
>The lugs are slightly longer and fatter on the outer facet.
>The handset is longer and thinner and the dial print is smaller, which has the effect of enlarging the dial. It makes the sub dials appear both larger and further apart, although of course this is partially because of the lack of the outer decimal track on my watch (although refer to the 2447d comparison pics above which has a similar effect)
>The older watch is a touch thinner
I would unquestionably recommend a reissue as a good purchase, but IMO the original is a slightly superior design in the details. Well done jack - years ahead of its' time.
edit to add... my biggest annoyance with the re-issue is the decimal scale inside the minute track. It is useful (probably more so than a tachymeter), but it can be quite confusing to read the minutes due to the slightly smaller hands
Last edited by carryondentist; 10th October 2017 at 11:48.
Much nicer image than my poor attempt. Also, note the useI have had the pleasure of owning one of the copper faced models for close to 20 years. I agree that they are almost a classic in their own right today.
However, I have recently purchased a 3547s, and have found that there are a number of subtle differences between the watches that are not evident from pictures on the internet or my recollection of handling similar watches for a short period of time.
>The lugs are slightly longer and fatter on the outer facet.
>The handset is longer and thinner and the dial print is smaller, which has the effect of enlarging the dial. It makes the sub dials appear both larger and further apart, although of course this is partially because of the lack of the outer decimal track on my watch (although refer to the 2447d comparison pics above which has a similar effect)
>The older watch is a touch thinner
I would unquestionably recommend a reissue as a good purchase, but IMO the original is a slightly superior design in the details. Well done jack - years ahead of its' time.
edit to add... my biggest annoyance with the re-issue is the decimal scale inside the minute track. It is useful (probably more so than a tachymeter), but it can be quite confusing to read the minutes due to the slightly smaller hands
of copper rather than salmon describing the dial colour which sounds way better.
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Such a classic design - and I've been looking for one for a few months now. As mentioned earlier in the thread they;re tricky to source - especially if you're looking for reasonably priced and also in the right condition.
Serendipity would have it that I found one today I'm discussing with the vendor - will post if anything comes to fruition!
Good luck. I thought I'd spotted a good one. However it looked to have a few issues.
Last edited by seabiscuit; 10th October 2017 at 13:27.
Watch porn and informative - this is exactly what I joined the form to read. Many thanks!
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This review is pretty complete ...
https://www.calibre11.com/heuer-carr...64-re-edition/
This is absolutely lovely. I had never heard of this model before. Definitely added to my want list!
There is a cheap black dial one on eBay. Note I have no idea on the quality of the watch or any connection to the seller.
It was previously listed and got no bids.
If it's the one I'm thinking of the watch looks in good condition overall but the hour and minute hands can barely be seen against the black dial, like they've lost all colour and lume. I wonder if it has suffered water damage at some point?
If you look at photos of the black face model the hands often seem to blend into the dial, I think it is just the angle of the light and the lack of reflection .... as in other photos the hands are very visible. You can even see that on the photos above.
That listing has poor photos which is probably why no one is bidding.
Montello. You could be right. Anyhow I've asked the seller if he can confirm that there are no issues with the hands. Shame there's no box and papers but then it's priced accordingly, I suppose.
^ the golden rule of eBay watch buying: if it's out of focus, it's out of focus for a reason.
I'd be asking for more photos. Looks like some lume damage to hands.
Looks very cheap at that price... Too good to be true?!?
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I'm seeing that too, esp on the minute hand. And the pictures do not accord with the aficionado-styled write up. Many more questions than answers there.
Probably, yes.
That one has blanked twice at £1625. Looks like it will sell this time round.
At that price you can get a service and still be reasonably happy.
Great post and thread. Many of the vintage Heuers are, IMHO, beautiful watches and this '64 Re-Edition is equally stunning. I have a CS3111 inbound and will post pictures once delivered.
Blimey lots of us will have them. We should have a sub-forum
Great to hear (especially if this thread gave you a nudge!)
Looking forward to seeing some pics :)
As promised a quick shot of the recently arrived CS3111. Unfortunately it's persisting down in rural Gloucestershire right now so better shots will have to wait. A simply stunning watch with a beautiful dial.
Very nice, where did you find it?
I bought it from a private seller in Germany via Chrono24. When buying pre-owned I always try to buy the best condition example I can find with all boxes/paperwork etc. This was the nicest I could find and after a request for additional photos I submitted a bid that was accepted. A truly beautiful watch.
This is a classy watch that I'd love to have
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If they made it dual register, I'd buy it in a heart beat.
Having said that, very handsome watch OP.
I doubt they will ever make another 36mm chronograph until the current fashion for huge gongs fades.
Agreed. 36/37mm chronos are a dying breed - probably contributing towards the lasting appeal of these re-editions!
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I’d love to see the black one in the flesh to see how legible it is compared to the silver one.
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