Behind every iconic watch there’s a timeless story. Welcome to A Matter of Time, a podcast by TAG Heuer. Hosted by Nicholas Biebuyck, Heritage Director at TAG Heuer, we dig into our archives to bring you untold stories of our watches and how they have influenced sport and popular culture through time. In the first season, we explore the enduring legacy of the TAG Heuer Carrera. Hop into this time machine and discover how everything is simply A Matter of Time.

Season 1: The TAG Heuer Carrera |

In our first series, we uncover the history and heritage of the iconic TAG Heuer Carrera. But before we get to the collection, we’re taking you all the way back to the 1950s. To the pre-Carrera years and the story of the legendary race that inspired the Carrera. Join your host Nicholas Biebuyck, Heritage Director at TAG Heuer, as he takes you back in time on A Matter of Time.

Image: Heuer Carrera, Reference 3336

Show notes:

0:35 The Pre-Carrera references: 2444, 3336, 2447

1:28 Carrera Panamericana: the legendary race that inspired the collection

2:54 Porsche x TAG Heuer shared history with Carrera Panamericana

3:50 Heuer history: timekeeping and stopwatches

4:03 Increased demand for watches after World War 2

4:20 Military watches that inspired performant wristwatches

5:02 1950s references inspired by modern designs of the time

6:02 1959 - The year Jack Heuer joined the business

Season 1: The TAG Heuer Carrera |

In this episode, we revisit Jack Heuer’s eureka moment at the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race in Florida, March 1962. Find out how a conversation with the parents of racing drivers Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez inspired one of the most iconic watch collections ever created.

Image: Heuer Carrera, Reference 2447 S

Show notes:

0:50 Jack Heuer attends 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida - March 1962

2:29 First mention of the Carrera from the Rodriguez family

3:23 Registering the ‘Carrera’ name

3:45 1963: Arrival of the Carrera references 2447 and 3647

4:30 Enduring features of all Carrera collections

5:00 Unique features of early models

6:14 Late-1960s: ‘Panda’ and ‘Reverse Panda’

Season 1: The TAG Heuer Carrera |

Meet the first Carrera with a date complication, and discover how Jack Heuer harnessed the power of advertising to unveil the timepiece to the world.

Image: Heuer Carrera, Reference 3147 N (Dato)

Show notes:

0:35 Date complication added to Carrera watches

1:00 1965: Jack Heuer and the Mad Men of Madison Avenue

1:57 Production flaw leading to iconic asymmetric design

2:32 Heuer x logos on dial: a surprising success

3:41 3147 second series logos: Carroll Shelby & the Jordanian Air Force

4:18 How the logo dials were created

5:24 Success of the chronograph novelty

Season 1: The TAG Heuer Carrera |

In this episode, we meet the dynamic duo behind the automatic chronograph movement. Join Jake Heuer on his journey towards innovation in 1969.

Image: Heuer Carrera, Reference 1153 N

Show notes:

0:27 March 1969: Jack Heuer & the dream team behind the first automatic chronograph movement

1:25 Other watchmakers race to develop the chronograph

1:39 Mid-1960s: drop in sales and exports intensify the need for innovation

2:01 Heuer: aviation and motorsport

3:19 The misunderstood 1163 Chronomatic Carrera

4:40 1970s: addition of silver dial and future changes

Season 1: The TAG Heuer Carrera |

This time, we explore how the relationship between Heuer and motorsport was forged in the 1970s. A surprising deal with Ferrari placed Heuer at the center of the racing world and catapulted the gold 1158 CHN Carrera into a symbol of success.

Image: Heuer Carrera, Reference 1158 CHN

Show notes:

0:45 Tough time for Ferrari calls for better timekeeping

2:07 Heuer Centigraph: standard timekeeper for motorsport

2:25 Jack Heuer makes contact with Ferrari

3:22 Ferrari deal variations

4:08 1158 CHN Carrera: a gift for the Ferrari drivers

5:13 Heuer solidifies long-lasting relationship with motorsport

Season 1: The TAG Heuer Carrera |

In this episode, we travel back to a challenging time for the company, which led to the departure of Jack Heuer from the family business. And the creation of TAG Heuer. A decade later, the strong desire to strengthen the brand identity was finalized by the return of both the Carrera and Jack in 1996 at the Monza Grand Prix.

Image: TAG Heuer Carrera, Reference CS3110

Show notes:

0:29 Arrival of quartz watches puts pressure for Swiss watchmakers

1:14 Financial pressures and departure of Jack Heuer from the company

2:13 The birth of TAG Heuer

3:16 Monza Grand Prix 1996: the return of the Carrera

3:40 2447 Carrera makeover

4:29 1996: Jack Heuer returns

Season 1: The TAG Heuer Carrera |

Discover TAG Heuer’s journey from an accessible watchmaker in the 1990s to a high-end brand under LVMH in the early 2000s. At the center stood the Carrera and the Monaco V4 - TAG Heuer’s pillars of innovation and luxury.

Image: TAG Heuer Carrera, Reference CAR2C10.FC6323

Show notes:

0:35 Late-2000s: Carrera as the foundation for new technologies

1:15 From accessible to luxury with LVMH

1:41 Monaco V4 and new Carrera watches

2:35 High frequency chronograph

3:07 Unique magnetic pinions

4:15 Carerra: the archetypal chronograph