The TAG Heuer Carrera Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana tributes a legendary, cursed racing car
Borna Bošnjak- The latest TAG Heuer x Porsche collab pays homage to the race that gave the watch and the car its name – the Carrera Panamericana.
- With a glassbox crystal and 42mm steel case, the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana commands sizeable wrist presence.
- It’s limited to 255 pieces, and priced at CHF 35,000.
It was just a matter of time before TAG Heuer released another motorsport-inspired, collaborative edition with the hottest car brand around. The new Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana tributes more than just the gruelling race that gave the Carrera its name, as it specifically references the legendary Porsche 550 Spyder as its inspiration. Though the original Carrera Panamericana’s final running happened in 1954, it has since been revived, with somewhat loose eligibility rules, but under much safer, official backing and closed road stages. All that sounds like pretty good inspiration for a watch – and it is.
A legendary racing car with a curse
2024 marks 70 years since Porsche’s success at the Carrera Panamericana. 1954 saw the gorgeous 550 Spyders come home with a one-two in the under-1500cc category, third and fourth overall, only behind the mighty Lampredi V12-powered Ferrari 375s. During the 1950s, the Porsche 550 went from strength to strength, amassing multiple class wins at Le Mans and an overall win at the 1956 Targa Florio.
Despite its impressive racing pedigree, the car is also remembered for less savoury reasons, as both James Dean and Tom Pittman meeting their untimely deaths while behind the wheel of a 550 Spyder. The former even became known as the “Little Bastard”, sparking the rumours of a curse following Dean’s wreck being stripped for parts, and the subsequent cars they were installed in getting involved in multiple incidents.
The new watch
The TAG Heuer Porsche Panamericana (as I’ll be referring to it from now on) draws on the Porsche inspiration with the brand name emblazoned in the domed scale under the crystal – similar to what we first saw with last year’s Chronosprint models. The rest of the dial follows in the footsteps of the Carrera Chronograph Porsche 963, though with more pronounced bevelling on the bridges with more flowing lines to accommodate that large tourbillon aperture at 6 o’clock. These openings supposedly evoke the look of the 550 Spyder’s rims, though to be honest, I wouldn’t have made the connection myself. A subtle hint that I do appreciate, however, is the inclusion of yellow highlights that evoke the livery of Hans Herrmann’s 550 number 55 from the ’54 running of the race, and the eventual class winner.
An inscription on the 9 o’clock side of the case reads “Spyder”, and the polished silver finish of the steel case, along with the dial, once again take inspiration from the car, this time from its aluminium bodywork that made it the lightweight sensation that it was. With a 42mm diameter and 15.1mm thickness, however, the watch is sure to sit quite tall – something its muse famously did not struggle with, running beneath a lowered railway boom gate during the 1954 Mille Miglia with Herrmann behind the wheel.
The thickness is somewhat excused given the complicated nature of the watch. The TH20-09 that powers the Carrera Porsche Panamericana is not only a tourbillon, but also an automatic chronograph, and is an evolution of TAG Heuer’s Heuer 02T movement. It sports column wheel actuation, a 4Hz beat rate, 65-hour power reserve, and the aforementioned one-minute tourbillon. Decoration is minimal as we’ve come to expect from TAG Heuer’s TH20 line of movements, though as has become tradition with the Porsche co-branded watches, the oscillating weight takes the shape of a Porsche steering wheel.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana pricing and availability
The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana is a limited edition of 255 pieces. Price: CHF 35,000, A$53,300
| Brand | TAG Heuer |
| Model | Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana |
| Reference | CBS5012.FC6571 |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) x 15.1mm (T) x 49.7mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Box-domed sapphire front, sapphire back |
| Dial | Silver, open |
| Strap | Black calfskin leather, steel folding clasp |
| Movement | TH20-09, modified Heuer 02T, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 65 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, chronograph, tourbillon |
| Availability | 255 pieces |
| Price | CHF 35,000 A$53,300 |