The Skipper is a cult watch. Produced in 1968 to celebrate the victory of Intrepid in the 1967 America’s Cup. This regatta chronograph with Yacht-Timer function has carved out a very special place for itself in the eyes of vintage enthusiasts, not least because of its distinctive colors, modelled on the deck of the famous boat that now resides in the docks of Newport, Rhode Island. More than half a century after its creation and 40 years after its disappearance from the catalog, TAG Heuer marks its comeback in water sports with the new Carrera Skipper !
For the record, Jack Heuerthe last member of the Heuer family to have headed the Manufacture, and the man responsible for the legendary Carrera and Monaco watches, had been approached by Abercrombie & Fitch to produce white-label watches for their New York stores. This is how the Solunar, Seafarer and Mareographe models came into being, creating a great friendship between the two. Thanks to this relationship, Heuer became America’s Cup timekeeper and supplied portable stopwatches (as well as Aquastar watches, for the record) to the crew of the Intreprid, a 12-meter American yacht defending the colors of the New York Yacht Club against the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s Dame Pattie. It’s easy to understand why Jack Heuer played such an important role, and why the Intrepid won the race in four races to nil!
Many enthusiasts are familiar with the Autavia case versions of the Skipper, which are very 1970s-style tonneau cases. However, the very first series of this watch, reference 7754, was produced with Autavia cases. Carrera cases and only 300 copies. This also earned her the nickname “Skipperera”. ! While the original, ultra-rare watch, which sold for almost 100,000 euros at auction, measured 35mm in diameter, this new version is 39mm in diameter. A logical choice given the current Carrera range, and in keeping with the glass-box chronographs presented at Watches & Wonders 2023. In short, it’s better than the 42mm offered on many chronographs sharing this case in the Carrera collection.
The absence of a bezel allows the watch to offer a large aperture for improve legibility on curved edges of the dial, an effect extrapolated by the glass itself. For the occasion, TAG Heuer fitted its latest automatic movementthe TH20-06 calibre offering 80 hours of power reserveThe hands are set against a circular-brushed blue dial with high-contrast sub-dials. The one at 3 o’clock is dedicated to the regatta counterA 15-minute totalizer separates the three colored segments (“Lagoon Green”, “Intrepid Teal” and “Regatta Orange”), while the one at 9 o’clock is a 12-hour totalizer. And if you missed it, the small second is discreetly placed at 6 o’clock to give it a bi-compax look, even though it has 3 counters! The whole thing comes on a blue fabric strap mounted on a brushed steel folding clasp. This superb re-edition is priced at €6,850 in the permanent collection.
To find out more, visit the TAG Heuer website.
FEATURES – TAG HEUER CARRERA SKIPPER
Case : stainless steel – brushed and polished finish – 39mm wide x 46mm long x 13.9mm thick – domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating – transparent back – 10 ATM (100 meters) water resistance
Dial : circular-brushed blue background – curved blue flange with minute scale – applied hour-markers – tricompax display (regatta counter at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 6 o’clock and 12-hour totalizer at 9 o’clock) – white SuperLumiNova on hour-markers and hands
Movement mechanical self-winding – TAG Heuer TH20-06 calibre – hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph – frequency of 28,800A/h (4Hz) – 80-hour power reserve
Straps : blue fabric with tone-on-tone stitching – 20mm wide at lugs – steel double push-button folding clasp
Informations : reference CBS2213.FN6002 – in permanent collection – available on the TAG Heuer website and from authorized retailers – 2-year warranty – price €6,850 incl. VAT
