For Watches & Wonders 2025 Tag Heuer have revamped their core collection of Carrera Day-Date models. However, alongside the standard Day-Date models they’ve slipped in the Tag Heuer Carrera Date Twin-Time. This new watch is currently the only GMT model in the entire Carrera line, paying tribute to heritage Carrera GMTs with retro details on the dial while also embracing the sleek, modern updates to the collection. I’ve been able to get hands-on with the watch to really get to know this reintroduced complication.
My first impression on opening the box that contains the watch is that it is much, much darker than the press images I’ve seen of the piece. The press images present it with a much more vibrant tone but in front of me, it’s a deeper tone with an almost dark blue shade to it. The dial colour is officially teal and both the colour I see here and in the press images fit that description so it’s not as if Tag Heuer are being deceptive – their photography studio conditions simply aren’t a match to the dreary British morning on which I’m reviewing the watch.
It’s just the case that if you really want the brighter shade of teal then you had best make sure to keep the watch in direct sunlight all the time where the sunray brushing helps to pick up on the colour much more. I should also say that my description of the colour being darker is not in itself a criticism. I actually quite like the dark tone – it reminds me of the iridescent patches you find on mallards or teal ducks.
Focusing on the broader dial, it’s a really nice GMT display. The centre of the display is very clean with applied Arabic numerals for the 12-hour scale around which is a minute and seconds track in a stylised railway track design that adds a bit of retro flavour to the piece. Outside of that is the titular Twin-Time display, the 24-hour scale that’s pointed at by the red-tipped GMT hand in order to show two time zones simultaneously. It’s split between teal and silver-white to differentiate between the day and night.
The red-tipped GMT hand is actually another retro element because it mirrors the red tip on heritage Carrera GMT models. Though here it’s been given a new style that Tag Heuer describe as a tweezer hand, inspired by a watchmaker’s tools. It makes it stand out nicely from the rest of the handset.
On the wrist, the Tag Heuer Carrera Date Twin-Time is very comfortable. The stainless steel case measures 41mm x 12.57mm with a lug-to-lug of 47.5mm, which is the same as the rest of the new Carrera Day-Date collection. Compared to the recent popularity of sub-40mm dimensions it’s a little on the large side. But that leans into the sporty history of the Carrera collection, it is inspired by motorsport after all and while it might be one of Tag Heuer’s dressiest collections (especially with the removal of the Autavia from the modern range), it’s not a dress watch.
Undoing the double folding clasp and taking off the watch lets you admire the movement through the exhibition sapphire caseback. It’s the Calibre TH31-03, co-developed by AMT specially for Tag Heuer with hours, minutes, seconds, GMT-hand and date. It’s automatic with an 80-hour power reserve and it also comes with a 5-year warranty. In terms of finishing, it’s the same high standard we’ve come to expect from Tag Heuer with Geneva stripes and a skeletonised rotor with vertical brushing.
I think 2025 is a really exciting year for Tag Heuer with their increased involvement in Formula 1 as well as recent economic findings from Morgan Stanley suggesting they’re one of the few brands who have remained pretty stable during an uncertain time. That’s particularly impressive as Tag Heuer are right in the mid-range luxury bracket that has been most struggling. Speaking of mid-range luxury prices, the Carrera Date Twin-Time priced at £4,250. I don’t think this watch will have as much of a following as the Glassbox when it was revived but it deserves a lot of fans for its sleek blending of modern and retro elements.
Price and Specs:
More details at Tag Heuer.
