Introducing: The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna — In Honor Of A Formula 1 Icon Who Passed Away 30 Years Ago
Ayrton Senna da Silva (1960–1994) was much more than a brilliant Brazilian racing driver. He was a unique talent with a particular character and an inspiration to many. This year marks the 30th anniversary of his tragic death following a crash at the Imola circuit. Later this month, the six-episode Netflix series Senna will come out. For all you petrolheads/watch freaks out there, yes, the series will show the Senna S/el Chronograph S25.706C, and no, there is no word of a rerelease/reinterpretation of that ana-digi two-tone icon. Instead, TAG Heuer is releasing the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna in a limited run of 500 pieces.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna (CBU5081.FT6274) is not merely a prelude to the upcoming Netflix series Senna. It’s also a precursor to more F1-related watches because LVMH has become the official partner of Formula 1, and the partnership will take effect next season. You better get ready to see a lot of TAG Heuer watches on and around the race track. For now, we get this tourbillon-equipped chronograph with Senna branding and a Brazilian colorway in a limited run of 500 pieces. That’s quite a generous number for a limited edition like this. The retail price of €37,300 is also somewhat generous since you get a complicated tourbillon chronograph for your money.
Would Aytron Senna wear the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna?
Ayrton Senna made the steel and gold-plated S/el Chronograph on a brown leather strap famous worldwide. With its organic shapes, the analog-digital watch was a daring and cutting-edge design at the time. Would the late racing driver wear the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna? Well, he started as a brand ambassador in 1988, and when he became world champion that year and again in 1989 and 1991, he represented TAG Heuer. In other words, he got paid to wear a TAG, so he would have strapped it on if he were given the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna. But because he was a racing driver, I suspect he wouldn’t have minded.
F1 drivers always want the best stuff available. And they constantly develop and improve the cars they’re in. No matter how cool the two-tone S/el Chronograph S25.706C is, the watch is evolutionary inferior to the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna.
Two types of titanium with some forged carbon as well
The 44 × 15.1mm brushed and sandblasted Grade 2 titanium case of the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna has a 49.7mm lug-to-lug length and a forged carbon bezel showing the “S” and “SENNA” logos in yellow. The crown and pushers are executed in brushed Grade 5 titanium, and the watch’s 100m-water-resistant case has a Grade 2 titanium and sapphire crystal case back showing a Senna illustration. The watch comes on a blue curved-end rubber strap with a brushed and sandblasted Grade 2 titanium folding clasp with double safety push-buttons and the TAG Heuer shield. Spec-wise, this is quite an improvement over the S/el.
The new watch’s aesthetics are very different from those of the vintage one, but they share exuberance. The bright colorway, material choices, angular lines of the case and strap, and the open-worked dial showing the automatic caliber TH20-09 below and its spinning tourbillon at 6 o’clock are exuberant above all else. Most racing drivers believe that a car will be fast if it looks fast. I bet they look at watches in the way they perceive improvements to the car. If it looks like an updated version built with state-of-the-art material, it will be better than the previous version, and they will give it a go.
Not in the show
Don’t look for the new watch in the upcoming series Senna, though. The show, starring Gabriel Leone as Ayrton Senna, delves deep into Senna’s personal life and sees him relocate from sunny Brazil to drizzly England to get his career off to a flying start, for instance. Also, expect to experience the relentless rivalry with Alain Prost, and brace yourself for the tragic race in Imola. Just don’t expect to see the new watch. The Senna S/el Chronograph S25.706C will be in the series, though, so that’s something to look forward to if you’re a petrolhead and a watch fan.
The third tourbillon in a row
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon × Senna is the third Senna tourbillon. In 2018 and 2019, the brand released two chronograph tourbillons dedicated to Ayrton Senna. What do you think of the new watch? Do you think its contemporary style and tourbillon movement is a fitting tribute, or do you believe a more retro-themed watch or a reissue/reinterpretation of the Senna S/el Chronograph would have been better? In case you’d prefer a new Senna S/EL Link Chronograph, what would you pay for it? Please let me know in the comments, and also tell me if you’re looking forward to watching the upcoming Netflix series.
