TAG Heuer and Porsche’s Newest Collab Is a Tribute to a 1970s Legend
On October 5, 1972, at the Paris Motor Show, Porsche unveiled a new sports car: the 911 Carrera RS 2.7. Built for racing and rallying, the Carrera RS was the first Porsche 911 specifically designed for motorsports competition and the first to carry the Carrera name. The moniker was a reference to the Carrera Panamericana, a notorious 1950s road race, and the same one that had inspired Jack Heuer when he created the TAG Heuer Carrera a decade earlier. This synergy – and a shared history of fine-tuned performance – is at the heart of TAG Heuer’s fourth and latest collaboration with Porsche, the new limited-edition TAG Heuer Carrera x Porsche RS 2.7.
Among the last variations of the first generation 911, the 1973 911 RS 2.7 was the fastest German production car of the time, as well as the most powerful street-legal 911 on the market. Among its many groundbreaking features were spoilers at the front and rear (the latter would come to be known as the “duck tail,”) which helped the Carrera RS achieve higher speeds while firmly gripping the road. The wheels themselves were of different widths in front and rear, a distinction that contributed to phenomenal cornering and vastly improved braking. Gracing countless bedroom walls in the decades since and haunting the dreams of car enthusiasts around the world, the RS would quickly become a legend among legends. Now considered a “holy grail” model among Porsche aficionados, well-maintained examples now approach seven figures at auction.
As a race car designed for everyday use, the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 had more in common with TAG Heuer’s Carrera than just its name. Both were finely tuned machines from legendary brands that were just as suited to life in the pit lane as a day out in the city. This synergy was the driving force that led TAG Heuer and Porsche to dedicate the fourth instalment of their ongoing collaboration to this pair of icons on the eve of the Porsche 911 Carrera’s 50th anniversary.
“The name and spirit of the Carrera are incredibly meaningful and emblematic for both TAG Heuer and Porsche. So, for the 50th anniversary of the very first Porsche 911 Carrera, the iconic RS 2.7, we wanted to create a tribute watch that would express the character and power of this groundbreaking sports car within our own signature TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph,” says Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer. “The two timepieces we imagined together are sleek, assertive, memorable; they reflect their illustrious past while also projecting something even more exciting – what Porsche and TAG Heuer can now achieve together.”
As with past TAG Heuer x Porsche editions, the TAG Heuer Carrera x Porsche RS 2.7 is a celebration of the two brands’ shared history aimed squarely at watch-loving petrolheads. Available in two distinct versions based on the 42mm TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph, the watch pays tribute to the car in details big and small, from the Carrera logo splashed boldly across the dial, to the red and blue accents and two-tone livery inspired by the car’s dynamic original paint. The first edition, a stainless steel chronograph limited to 500 pieces, is outfitted in blue “azurage” accents, with an eye-catching Carrera logo stamped across the case and a matching two-tone woven strap. The second version pairs fiery Porsche red with a rose gold case and a luxurious red alligator leather strap and is limited to just 250 pieces.
While every new TAG Heuer release is bound to stir the passions of collectors, this one, thanks to the iconic sports car that inspired it, is a cut above. Imbued with the look and feel of its namesake, TAG Heuer has achieved an exceptional feat with the new TAG Heuer Carrera x Porsche RS 2.7: it has created a watch worthy of sharing a legacy with one of the greatest sports cars of all time. (Steel, $9,600; Rose gold, $29,300)
Learn more about the TAG Heuer Carrera x Porsche RS 2.7 here.
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