When the watch brand Heuer adopted the famous name ‘TAG’, it was as a result of Mansour Ojjeh – the supplier of turbo engines for McLaren throughout the 1980s – acquiring the company. As a result of this historic ‘coming together’, no other horological brand can claim stronger ties with McLaren than TAG Heuer, and as such it is fitting that if any watchmaker should produce a McLaren themed timepiece, it should undoubtedly be Swiss giant TAG Heuer.
The wristwatch in question is based upon the McLaren MP4-12C supercar (see above), and was designed to act as an accompaniment to this high-performance vehicle when it was unveiled some years ago. We’ve chosen to feature this watch in our latest article because it boasts a carbon-fibre dial (double-treated to resist reflection and scratching) that mirrors the framework of the McLaren itself. As you may remember from one of our previous posts, carbon-fibre is enjoying a strong period of popularity as a luxury watch material at present, so we thought there could be no better time to showcase this very special limited edition.
The iconic colour that represented McLaren in late 1960s Formula One was orange, and this hue can be found on the MP4-12C Carrera in several places, including the dial and the stitching on the strap. This consideration sits well alongside the aforementioned carbon-fibre, meaning that this member of the TAG Heuer Carrera range has more than just a fleeting association with McLaren racing cars. The dial also conforms to an innovative design, with a central sapphire window that allows you to view two date wheels and the semi-perpetual calendar wheel, and this unique aesthetic actually harks all the way back to the appearance of the dashboard on the McLaren MP4-12C car itself.
These strongly linked visual themes continue with the large orange ‘0’ at the 12 o’clock position – a reference to the original rev counter on the McLaren – and also the numerals on the dial. Even the chronographic pushers and the crown have been finely detailed to echo the McLaren MP4-12C, with a new logo and elements that suggest the aesthetics of tyres and pistons. You may have noticed that the black leather strap of the timepiece uses the same patterning as the seats of the McLaren MP4-12C too, but this watch is far more than just 
well-balanced visually, as it also excels in terms of engineering.
As you might expect from a supercar-themed timepiece, the mechanism is hugely impressive, to say the least. The movement is a TAG Heuer Calibre 49 Dubois-Depraz 4900, a painstakingly honed automatic bi-directional winding instrument that offers a ‘Flyback’ function (of interest to track drivers, who appreciate the swift chronograph reset), a 44 hour power reserve and a 100 metre water resistance – among other things – and every vibration of this movement (28,800 per hour) can be viewed through an exhibition window on the rear of the grade 2 titanium sandblasted case.
As you can see, this TAG Heuer Carrera MP4-12C Skeleton Chronograph watch is not simply a Carrera with a McLaren logo imposed upon it; it is a genuinely bespoke watch, and it also numbers among the most elusive TAG Heuer watches of all. That’s why we’re so pleased to be able to bring it to you here at Banks Lyon, where it retails for £7,700, or 36 monthly payments of £171.11 alongside a 20% deposit. If you’d like any further information about this hugely desirable wristwatch, we welcome you to get in touch with our professional staff team today. Call us now on 01524 38 48 58 or email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to assist you.
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