TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 automatic

TAG Heuer’s new Carrera Calibre 5 “diver” will go on sale in a matter of weeks, and it looks like you have just stumbled upon a fine back-to-school present for your kid! Just keep in mind that, with its nicely sculpted 39-mm case rated for not very impressive depths of just 100 meters, the Calibre 5 is not a real diving tool. With such a poultry WR rating one might rarely use it for anything more adventurous than swimming and, maybe, some basic snorkeling.

However, thanks to the relatively low profile (the case is just 12.1 millimeters thick,) you (or your son) can easily wear it daily without the risk of drawing too much attention to a steel hamburger on your wrist.

Tag Heuer’s “Caliber 5” movement is just an ordinary (AFAIK, it is not a COSC-certified chronometer) ETA 2824-2 industry workhorse with some minor decoration.

Although considered slightly inferior to the ETA 2892-A2 ebauche (the older caliber had some issues with its winding system,) the movement is nevertheless widely used by numerous brands to power their “entry-level” offerings.

Even scanning through this particular site, you may notice that the ETA 2824-2 caliber powers a great number of modern watches, starting with the affordable Archimede Pilot T Titanium modestly priced at €375 and going up to Oris Rectangular Bob Dylan Edition, which is about three times more expensive.

The secret of success is obvious: the movement is reliable and incredibly cheap when bought in great numbers.

Well, back to our watch.

Although sporting the same general design of the Carrera family (including the easily recognizable Clous de Paris dial decoration pattern, polished baton hands with luminous substance, and twelve applied hour markers instead of Arabic or Roman numerals,) the dial also features a date display window layout that was inspired by IWC Pilot Double Chronograph TOP GUN.

Frankly, I do not understand why on Earth TAG Heuer’s designers had to employ such a concept on this particular watch. Or, as a matter of fact, on any watch.

Perhaps, IWC needed this kind of feat to somehow balance the chronograph’s busy dial. Fighting fire with fire, so to speak. It seems that TAG Heuer’s folks achieved quite the opposite.

However, all things considered, this is a nice watch and it will surely be a hit if the price is right.

If you like it, you should get it: it will serve you or your son for years without major problems. All you have to do is to service it regularly and not abuse it too much. It is not a tool, after all.

Photos: TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 specification