TAG Heuer Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph — The Art of Precision Timing

Key Highlights

• First TAG Heuer Carrera to feature a split-seconds (rattrapante) chronograph complication.
• 42 mm grade-5 titanium case with glassbox sapphire crystal and sapphire caseback.
• Calibre TH81-01 automatic split-seconds movement running at 5 Hz with up to 65 hours of power reserve.
• Translucent sapphire glass dial with anthracite flange revealing the movement beneath.
• Black rubber strap with textile embossing, red stitching and titanium folding clasp.

Unveiled at LVMH Watch Week in Milan on 19 January 2026, the TAG Heuer Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph is the first rattrapante in the Carrera family and links the collection’s motorsport roots with TAG Heuer’s Avant-Garde Horlogerie.

Created in 1963 by Jack Heuer as a clear, functional driver’s watch, the Carrera has always prioritised legibility and proportion; the new Split-Seconds Chronograph keeps those principles in a 42 mm grade-5 titanium glassbox configuration focused on precise timing.

A New Generation Carrera Case

The Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph builds on the 2023 glassbox redesign with a 42 mm grade-5 titanium case measuring 48.6 mm lug-to-lug, 15.17 mm thick and 22 mm between the lugs. Peaked lugs, alternating finishes, elongated chronograph pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock and a split-seconds pusher at 9 o’clock create a layout tailored to the rattrapante.

The bevelled, domed sapphire glassbox crystal flows into the mid-case and opens the view of the dial and flange, while a sapphire glassbox caseback mirrors this construction and reveals the calibre TH81-01. The architecture gives the impression of the movement suspended within the case, with water resistance rated at 30 metres.

Calibre TH81-01: Split-Seconds at 5 Hz

Inside is the automatic Calibre TH81-01, developed with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier and evolved from the TH81-00 used in the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph. Operating at 5 Hz, it offers about 65 hours of power reserve with the chronograph disengaged and around 55 hours in function, while the split-seconds mechanism lets you read intermediate times as the central chronograph hand continues its sweep.

More than 350 components form a movement crafted largely in grade-5 titanium and finished by hand, with hand-bevelled bridges, black-polished screws and an engraved chequered-flag motif nodding to the racing theme. A tachymeter scale on the curved flange follows the glassbox profile, helping reduce parallax and reinforcing the Carrera’s role as a timing instrument.

Transparency, Depth and Function

The dial emphasises transparency while remaining easy to read. A translucent sapphire glass main dial sits over an anthracite translucent acrylic glass flange, exposing selected areas of the movement, with three translucent sapphire sub-dials for the minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock, hour chronograph counter at 9 o’clock and running seconds at 6 o’clock.

Rhodium-plated applied indexes and open-worked hour and minute hands feature white Super-LumiNova, while a white lacquered central chronograph hand and red lacquered open-worked split-seconds hand clearly separate the timing indications. The rhodium-plated TAG Heuer shield at 12 o’clock with “CARRERA” and “SWISS MADE” inscriptions anchors the design.

On the Wrist

The Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph reference CDD2180.FT8120 is paired with a black rubber strap featuring textile embossing and red stitching, secured by a titanium folding clasp with double safety push-buttons. The light titanium construction, ergonomic case and rubber strap make this glassbox rattrapante a daily-wearable take on high-end chronograph watchmaking for collectors who value both performance and comfort.

Why it matters

The TAG Heuer Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph introduces the rattrapante complication to one of the brand’s most emblematic lines, consolidating TAG Heuer’s historic expertise in timing instruments. By pairing a high-frequency, hand-finished movement with a lightweight titanium glassbox architecture, it shows how traditional Swiss savoir-faire can be expressed in a contemporary language that resonates with today’s collectors.

For collectors in the Gulf who follow high-complication launches and TAG Heuer novelties, the model offers a focused take on the split-seconds chronograph within a familiar Carrera silhouette.