It feels comfortable and solid on the wrist, is handsome yet unobtrusive. It’s also a watch built for the everyday. This Carrera is a classical beauty, and the day-date doesn’t detract in the slightest. They cop a lot of flak when they’re done in a haphazard, last-minute manner, but that is most definitely not the situation here, where the supremely practical calendar info is king, standing out from the matt black dial in a good way.

Honestly, I really like this sort of execution of dates. What’s new, though, is the day-date apertures: large, legible and neatly framed. But the heritage is there in the dial - the simple baton markers and matchstick hands aren’t too far off those of the earliest Carreras. The Carrera look is still there, of course, notably in the 41mm steel case, with those proud lugs and polished bezel. This is the spirit with which the Carrera Calibre 5 Day-Date shines. It’s evolved into something more, a shorthand for sports pedigree and precision.

But for a long time the TAG Heuer Carrera has been about more than just sports timers. It’s easy to think of the Carrera as purely a collection of chronographs, as that complication is where its roots and, indeed, heart lies.

But it’s precisely this steadfast design and supreme versatility that makes this watch such a winner … On the surface there’s nothing flashy or fancy about this watch. The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Day-Date is a perfect example of this. In fact, I find myself more and more drawn to simple, pure designs that just work.

I/trending 31423 The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 Day-Date is a near-perfect daily wearer Time+TideĮditor’s note: The longer I spend around watches, the less I find myself in bells and whistles (Patek alarms and Jaquet Droz excepted).

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