Isn’t it intriguing when a thoroughly modern-looking watch reveals a distinct ’90s vibe upon closer inspection? For some reason, that, along with a touch of Porsche Design, is what I perceive from the integrated lug structure and the extravagant use of notches, numbers, and graduations on this new replica TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph X Porsche 963 watch.
Don’t misunderstand me; if you prefer to see this new reference CBU2010.FT6267 as a completely modern piece, it certainly qualifies as such. TAG Heuer’s open-worked dials, a trend that started with the Heuer-01 in 2015 (reviewed here), have clearly resonated with both new and returning customers of the LVMH-owned brand. This style has been featured on many contemporary replica TAG Heuer watches since then. Given that “Techniques d’Avant Garde” has long been part of the company’s name and engineering approach, this is not surprising. However, often there isn’t much to see beyond some plates and an open-worked date disc. To view chronograph movement components through the watch face, you would need to invest in something like an Opus Chronograph, which costs about 50% more.
Let’s start by examining the dial of the replica TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph X Porsche 963 watch. This is no ordinary dial; it is a “tubular skeleton dial with NAC finishing.” Some might argue that it is over-engineered, while others will find its design and execution spectacular. The subdials offer a combination of features not seen elsewhere. TAG Heuer describes them as “shimmery” (they resemble aventurine to us, though they are not officially specified as such), with four blocks of Super-LumiNova on the chronograph hours and minutes counters at 9 and 3 o’clock, respectively.
These features are more focused on aesthetics than on maximum functionality and performance: the markers for the individual hours and minutes in the subdials are not lumed, so real-world, low-light legibility is not improved by a full array of glow-in-the-dark elements. To be fair, illuminating everything would have resulted in an overwhelming number of little notches everywhere—which, as a lume enthusiast, I would have preferred. A lumed backdrop for the date disc to complement the blocky Super-LumiNova hour markers is a very nice touch, as are the large, well-sized hands—well done on all those details.
I cannot overlook this detail: “The positioning of the red indexes at 04:00 PM on the dial symbolizes the excitement and adrenaline associated with the countdown to a race start, capturing the essence of competitive racing within the watch’s design language.” While that little red detail arguably looks very cool, it is so arbitrary and unnecessary that it stands out, perhaps not in the best way, even in this competitive segment of “attention-grabbing luxury chronographs.” Lastly, would it be too picky to mention that the index refers to both 04:00 PM and AM?
