Presented for the first time two years ago at Baselworld, the Carrera HEUER-01 is THE signature Chrono model from the TAG Heuer manufacture. In 2015, the watch formed the cornerstone of a burgeoning new collection, with a new design, a new HEUER-01 in-house calibre, and a new modular case design with 12 different elements enabling multiple combinations of materials and colours.

For this 2017 version, the sleek chronograph — the brand’s current best-seller — has been entirely produced using matt black ceramic. The case, bezel, lugs and case middle (all the parts exposed to friction) are made from black ceramic. This material offers unparalleled scratch-resistance. It presents a micro-blasted finish for a flawless deep black design. Technically, to guarantee perfect water resistance to 100 metres, steel is always present on all the functional parts of the watch (inner box section, screw-down case back, push-pieces etc.) to enable the gaskets (crystal gasket, case-back gaskets, push-piece gaskets and crown tube) to fulfil their function.

The watch is sleeker than ever, with a more contemporary look, and the ceramic bracelet with its H-shaped links and matt finishes is a pleasure to wear. In fact ceramic seems the perfect material for the watch industry. It is incredibly hard — yet soft to the touch — and highly scratch- resistant (a key quality in a watch). It keeps its original colour, fresh as the day it was made, and does not oxidise. It is hypoallergenic (also very important if you wear your watch for 10 to 12 hours a day) and is lighter than steel.

Having benefited from five years of continuous improvement and optimisation, the HEUER-01 calibre has attained a very high level of quality while its production costs have been carefully managed, making it the only 45 mm Manufacture-made Chronograph using this type of material available for between 5000 and 7000 CHF, depending on the version.

References
CAR2A91.BH0742	:	Ceramic bracelet
CAR2A91.FT6071	:	Rubber strap
Movement	:	TAG Heuer Calibre HEUER-01 Manufacture movement Automatic chronograph Visible, skeleton date disc with window at 3:30 Red column wheel, skeleton weight and chronograph bridge
Power reserve	:	50-hour
Case	:	Modular ceramic case with alternating finishes: Lugs in micro-blasted ceramic with brushed and sand-blasted titanium tips Micro-blasted black ceramic case middle Black ceramic bezel with grey tachymeter scale Sapphire case-back made from satin-finished steel, coated in satin-finished black titanium carbide
Diameter	:	45 mm
Crystal	:	Domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Chronograph push-buttons	:	Made from steel coated in black titanium carbide
Crown	:	Ridged crown in rubber and steel, coated with black titanium carbide
Dial	:	Skeleton dial made from black ceramic with 3 counters: Chronograph minute counter at 12 o'clock with black snailed ring Chronograph hour counter at 6 o'clock with black snailed ring Small second counter with black snailed ring at 9 o'clock
Markers	:	Satin-finished, polished, hand-applied indices with luminescent black markers
Upper bridge	:	Black, skeletonised, brushed movement upper bridge
Hands	:	Polished and sand-blasted hour and minute hands with luminescent black markers Black polished chronograph hands Black polished small second hand
Inscriptions	:	"CARRERA HEUER 01" and "CHRONOGRAPH" in grey letters, and "AUTOMATIC" inscribed on the dial Hand-applied TAG Heuer logo
Water-resistance	:	100 metres
Bracelet	:	H-shaped ceramic bracelet
Buckle	:	Folding buckle in steel, coated with black titanium carbide, with double push-piece safety mechanism