Introducing: A New TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition — Let’s Call This Nautical Chrono “Seafarer II”

The colorful 1950s are back in the shape of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition “Seafarer II.” With its deep blue dial, fresh turquoise accents on the minute counter, and lively yellow touches, it refreshingly presents itself with an unmistakable nautical touch. This novelty harks back to a 1950s Heuer chronograph, the Seafarer tide-indication watch made for the historic American sporting label Abercrombie & Fitch. The spirit of the Carrera Skipper is also strong within this 500-piece LE, which we will nickname “Seafarer II” because its “birth name,” Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition, doesn’t tell you anything about this history-inspired seagoing sports watch.

In 2023, TAG Heuer introduced the Carrera Skipper (CBS2213.FN6002 / €7,150), a watch based on the ultra-rare 1968 Heuer Carrera Skipper ref. 7754. That modern interpretation followed the design cues of a 125-piece LE from 2017. And that watch, a TAG Heuer and Hodinkee collaboration, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the sailboat Intrepid winning the prestigious America’s Cup. Interestingly, in the current catalog, you will find the 42mm Carrera Chronograph Seafarer × Hodinkee (CBS2014.FT6293 / €8,400). That’s an LE inspired by the Heuer Seafarer ref. 2446C from 1968. It shows fresh blue accents on the sub-dials and shares many design details with the latest nautical Carrera LE. Possibly not to get too in the way of the collaboration watch, TAG Heuer decided not to use the Seafarer name. But that doesn’t mean we can’t give the related saltwater watch an appropriate nickname.

The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition “Seafarer II”

Just as racing yachts get bigger and bigger, so do nautically inspired watches. The first Skipper came in the 35mm original Carrera case, while the 2017 version featured a 39mm case, as did the 2023 edition. The 2025 Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition (CBN201N.FC6620 / €7,350) presents itself in a 42mm brushed and polished stainless steel case with a polished steel bezel. The “Seafarer II” is no “Glassbox” model. Rather, it’s an iteration of the more mainstream Carrera Chronograph. We had the opportunity to go hands-on with another limited edition of that watch, the Carrera Chronograph European LE, and it had a 42mm diameter, a 48.2mm lug-to-lug, and a 14.5mm profile.

A 42mm case diameter is contemporary, meaning it’s on the large side of the watch spectrum. It’s a familiar size for many and, therefore, commercially speaking, a good one. But the contemporary size might collide with the retro dial from a purist’s point of view. On the other hand, it allows a target audience that likes watches on the bigger side to wear a bright and colorful iteration since the standard versions of the 42mm Carrera Chronograph are much plainer.

Fresh turquoise and signal yellow

For starters, the new Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition “Seafarer II” has a deep blue opaline blue. That dial is bordered by a white flange with a blue 60-second/minute scale. There are also three sub-dials. The one at 3 o’clock is a turquoise-blue and silver counter with a lacquered yellow hand indicating up to 30 elapsed minutes. At 9 o’clock, a yellow hand turns inside an azurage-finished silver sub-dial, counting up to 12 hours for the chronograph. The running seconds hand sits at 6 o’clock and sweeps over the date window. There are rhodium-plated, applied, polished, and faceted indexes on the dial, and the matching hour and minute hands are filled with Super-LumiNova.

The yellow central hand counting the chronograph’s seconds is not just an eye-catching element; it also connects functionally to the other yellow chronograph hands. This is logical and functionally correct. However, nowadays, brands quite often don’t pay attention to these instrumental details, so kudos to TAG Heuer.

Strap and movement

The new Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition “Seafarer II” comes on a perforated blue calfskin strap with contrasting light blue stitching. It closes with a brushed and polished steel folding clasp with a double-security pushbutton showing the TAG Heuer shield.

Inside the 100m-water-resistant case beats the automatic TH20-00 movement. This is an upgraded version of the Heuer 02, a column-wheel chronograph caliber that powers many other Carrera Chronographs. It runs at a frequency of 28,800vph, features 33 jewels, and holds a power reserve of 80 hours. You can take a look at the movement through the screw-in case back’s sapphire display. There, you’ll see the shield-shaped bidirectional winding rotor and the Geneva stripes on the bridges. There’s also an engraving telling you which of the 500 watches is in your possession.

If you think the 39mm Skipper is too small, the 3mm-larger “Seafarer II” might be the nautical chronograph for you. Do you think the retro-inspired dial works with the contemporary proportions? Please let us know in the comments.

PS: In case you’re wondering why TAG Heuer took pictures of the new Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition on the wrist of a guy in a classic Porsche 911, he must be on his way to the marina.