TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport Review

As the watch world is adjusting down to smaller case sizes with often minimalistic dials, I find my preference for larger more technical watches unquenched. Having started my watch collecting journey in the very early 2000s, my tastes are still cemented in the bigger is better mindset. Every time I think I'm getting used to smaller case size, I'll put on one of my personal 42 plus millimeter watches and feel right back at home.

Recently TAG Heuer came out with a new collection of Carrera Chronograph models called the Extreme Sport. Three things instantly caught my attention with these new Extreme Sport models, first being the expertly crafted skeleton dial. Next, besides the gold models, the watches were all crafted in high tech titanium, meaning the watches would be nice and lightweight. Finally the Extreme Sport watches were 44 mm in diameter. I feel unless a new watch release is hyper complicated, you're not going to see a case size north of 42 mm.



After doing an introductory article on the new Extreme Sport models I reached out to TAG Heuer and their PR agency Paul Wilmot to see if they could send us an Extreme Sport to review. Luckily they had the titanium DLC version available for review and sent it right over.

The first thing I noticed when the Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport arrived was just how lightweight it was. The watch weighed in at 115 grams on our scale, which isn't feather light, but for its larger size the watch is extremely lightweight. On wrist the watch really disappears and never becomes an annoyance.



The next thing I noticed were the satin and brushed finishes of the DLC treated titanium. The watch is such a rich black that it really resembles a black ceramic case, which if I didn't know any better I would have thought the watch was from a few feet away. Combined with the black rubber strap, the Extreme Sport really gives off a very stealth look.

Finally the last thing that stood out during my initial time with the watch was how well the skeletonized dial was executed. I had recently spent some with a TAG Heuer skeleton when we reviewed the Monaco Skeleton Chronograph a few months ago. Sure there are six figure skeleton watches that are just insane to view, but for under $10,000 TAG Heuer does an amazing job with their skeletons. The watch dial has a mixture of black and grey finishes that are both satin and polished and just all combine for a nicely executed dial.



We covered the history of TAG Heuer in-depth in our Monaco Skeleton Chronograph review and spoke at length about the history of the Carrera in our Carrera Chronograph Glassbox review. In case you don't have time to read through those reviews, basically HEUER was founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer and went on to build a strong history in chronographs and precision timing. In 1985 Heuer merged with Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) and became TAG Heuer. The Carrera has been an extremely popular watch for TAG Heuer especially in motorsports and gets its name from the Mexican Carrera Panamericana race first held in 1950. The Extreme Sport is just the newest evolution of the Carrera Chonograph line, merging high tech construction with a stunning skeleton dial while still honoring the heritage of the line.

Now that we've gone over my initial impressions of the Extreme Sport as well as a brief history of TAG Heuer and the Carrera collection, let's take a look at the technical specs of the watch. The Extreme Sport has a case diameter of 44 mm and a lug to lug of only 49.6 mm. The watch is 15.3 mm thick and weighs in at 115 grams. While 44 mm might suggest a large watch, the 49.6 mm lug to lug actually makes the watch wearable on smaller wrists. There is a slight flare to the rubber strap, so the true lug to lug might be a bit more inflated than the case measurements imply. I think this is why I found the watch fit my wrist well, even though I prefer an over 50 mm lug to lug.



The Extreme Sport has a slightly domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. The dome to the crystal is very subtle and doesn't cause any distortion of the dial. As mentioned earlier, the Extreme Sport really doesn't have a dial, just an exposed skeletonized movement. The hands on the watch are polished which go well with the satin DLC titanium case and greys and blacks of the exposed movement. The hour and minute hands are covered with Super-Luminova as are the 12 hour markers around the outside of the dial. The lume glows a brilliant green in low light conditions, while there isn't a ton of lumed area, there is enough to tell the time in the dark.

The large center seconds hand is used for the chronograph as are the subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock. The 30 minute totalizer is found at 3, while the 12 hour totalizer is found at 9. At 6 o'clock there is a running seconds subdial. Also displayed at 6 is the date "window", basically there is a date sized lighter part of the dial at 6 o'clock that acts as the date window. The entire date wheel is shown since the watch has a skeletonized dial, but there is no backing to the date except for at 6'oclock which signals the current date.



The only other dial elements found on the Extreme Sport is the Carrera text and TAG Heuer logo found at 12 o'clock and Swiss Made text found at 6 o'clock. While skeleton watches can make telling the time rather frustrating, the dial of the Extreme Sport has enough contrast to make time telling a breeze. Even the running seconds is nice and visible on the Extreme Sport, while on the Monaco Skeleton for example I didn't even see it had a running seconds hand at first due to the black hand of the running seconds blending in. Not so on the Extreme Sport, all dial elements and functions are highly visible on this watch.

Completing the dial area of the Extreme Sport is the satin DLC treated titanium bezel. True to its motorsports heritage, this captive bezel is engraved with a tachymeter scale in kilometers per hour. Just a quick refresher on how the tachymeter is used… basically you start a zeroed out chronograph the moment an object passes a starting point and stop the chronograph when the object reaches one kilometer of distance traveled. Where the chronograph seconds hand stops is the average speed that object is traveling over that distance. In the case of the Extreme sport, the speed can be measured between 60 kph and 400 kph.



As discussed previously, the case of the Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport is crafted out of black DLC treated titanium with brushed and satin areas. DLC stands for "Diamond Like Coating" and is applied to the titanium via a process called PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) where carbon atoms are added directly to the surface of the titanium in a vacuum chamber. This coating is extremely durable and lightweight and adds scratch resistance and the black look to the watch. DLC can still be chipped in extreme circumstances, but the Extreme Sport we had looked brand new even being a press sample that is handled often.

Turning the watch on its side does show the one area of the watch that is not black. The mid case on both sides shows a non-DLC coated grey titanium with a vent like design. This recessed design detail does a nice job of breaking up all the black found in the design of the watch. Also found on the right hand side of the watch are the chronograph pushers and large crown. The pushers and crown are all done in DLC titanium as well with the crown having a TAG Heuer logo on top of it.



The crown does not screw down and offers manual winding in the resting position. Pulling the crown up to position one allows you to set the date, which is extra satisfying since you can see the entire date wheel turning while setting the date. Pulling the crown out to position two allows you to set the time and also stops the running seconds at 6 o'clock for accurate time setting. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump in the minutes hand either. The crown has very large grooves cut in it, so there was never a problem with using the crown to wind or set the date and time.

The upper pusher starts the chronograph with a satisfying click that has zero play. This pusher also stops and restarts the chronograph like a traditional chronograph. The bottom pusher resets the chronograph when depressed if the chronograph has been stopped. The chronograph mechanism is precisely controlled by a vertical clutch and column wheel that can be viewed through the case back.



Flipping the watch over shows off the DLC treated titanium case back along with the sapphire crystal display back. Even though the Extreme Sport doesn't have a screw-down crown and features a display back, the watch is still rated for 100 meters of water resistance. While this isn't enough to go diving with, it's more than enough to go swimming with and even snorkeling with if you are so inclined.

Beneath the sapphire display back beats the in-house TAG Heuer TH20-00 automatic movement. The movement features a large skeletonized winding rotor in the style of the TAG Heuer logo. The movement features some nice finishing such as vertical striping as well. The TH20-00 beats away at 28,800 vph (4Hz) and on our timegrapher ran between 0 and -1 seconds a day in accuracy. This result puts the Extreme Sport amongst the most accurate watches we have tested.



The Extreme Sport came on a black rubber strap that was extremely comfortable as soon as I put it on. The watch has a unique lug design with a center section that would stop you from using aftermarket straps with the watch, so that should go into consideration if you like to swap OEM straps for something aftermarket. The lug width is 25 mm and the strap tapers down to 20 mm at the DLC treated titanium deployment clasp featuring the TAG Heuer logo.

The way the clasp works is that it does require you to cut the strap to fit your wrist. The Extreme Sport I received was cut slightly large for my wrist, but luckily the clasp does have a micro-adjustment slider built in. With the slider pulled all the way in, I was able to get the watch to pretty much fit my wrist the way I like it. If the watch was mine, I probably would have cut a tiny bit more strap off and have kept the micro-adjustment slider in the middle allowing me to both size up and down depending on the weather. Finally the clasp is kept closed with twin buttons that both need to be depressed to release the strap.



I didn't have the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport for a very long time, but was able to wear the watch out a few times and get used to it. Like I said earlier, the lug to lug is just under my preferred 50 mm plus length, but with the slight flair out of the rubber strap, I felt the watch fit my wrist well. The watch also sat squarely on my wrist and didn't favor either size, which just drives me nuts. Also being a rather wide strap, the watch never felt top heavy. Obviously being crafted out of titanium the watch wouldn't be top heavy either way, but the strap just made sure of that. At only 115 grams, the Extreme Sport never caused any wrist fatigue even on extended wears.

The weather has been cooling down a bit in Austin, but it was still 90 degrees and sunny the days I wore the Extreme Sport. Being the strap was just the slightest bit large for my wrist, I never had any issues with wrist swell. Even if I did, I could still move the micro-adjustment slider slightly to accommodate if needed. Nobody stopped me with questions about the watch while I wore it out, but having only worn it out a handful of times that isn't too much of a surprise. The two people I did show the watch to only had positive things to say about it though. I do feel with the all black look of the Extreme Sport, the watch really wouldn't get noticed too much while out. The skeleton might draw some looks, but I feel it would pretty much blend in. TAG Heuer does make much more colorful as well as gold versions of the Extreme Sport if having a watch that gets noticed is more important to you than stealth. I secretly wished they would have sent the super bright orange version, since I prefer watches that stand out personally.



With a retail price of $8,400 the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport offers a lot for the money. Starting with a case crafted out of lightweight and durable titanium made scratch resistant with DLC coating. The skeletonized dial is pulled off nicely and manages to still be legible while letting you look at the movement. You also get an in-house TAG Heuer automatic chronograph caliber and the heritage of both TAG Heuer and the Carrera line.

When looking at competitors, I think a great first option would be the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8. The Speedmaster and the Carrera both have long and storied histories with motorsports and are still receiving refreshed models up to today. The Dark Side of the Moon features a 44.25 mm black ceramic case with a partially skeletonized dial, with the rest of the dial resembling the surface of the moon. The watch even features a running seconds hand in the shape of a Saturn V rocket. Powering the Dark Side of the Moon is the in-house Omega caliber 3869 with 50 hours of power reserve as well as chronograph functions. The Omega only has half as much water resistance at 50 meters versus the 100 meters of the TAG Heuer. The Dark Side of the Moon does also retail for almost twice as much as the Extreme Sport at $14,300 as well.



NORQAIN also recently came out with a skeleton chronograph watch featuring a manufacture movement. The Independence Skeleton Chrono is 42 mm and crafted out of stainless steel. While the movement isn't crafted in-house by Norqain it is built in partnership with Manufacture AMT and features 62 hours of power reserve as well as a fly-back chronograph. The Independence Skeleton Chrono features the same 100 meters of water resistance as the TAG Heuer and costs a little less at $6,190. For the savings you aren't getting the legacy associated with TAG Heuer and the Carrera collection and also not an entirely in-house movement.

Another skeleton chronograph is the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Chronograph Skeleton which is 44 mm and crafted out of stainless steel. The watch only offers 20 meters of water resistance, far less than the Extreme Sport and does not feature an hour totalizer for the chronograph. The movement is considered a manufacture movement by Maurice Lacroix but is heavily based on the Valjoux 7750 movement with only 48 hours of power reserve. The Aikon Skeleton Chronograph also costs a bit more than the Extreme Sport at around $8,800.



Finally we have the Zenith DEFY 21 Chroma II which is also 44 mm and comes in a white ceramic case. The watch features the famous in-house El Primero automatic chronograph movement beating away at 36,000 vph. The Zenith has the same 100 meters of water resistance as the TAG Heuer but the movement only has a power reserve of 50 hours. The design of the DEFY 21 Chroma II might also be a bit polarizing for some. The Zenith carries a much higher retail price of $15,600 versus the $8,400 of the TAG Heuer as well.

Looking at these four watches you can see that the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport is a great value when comparing other skeleton chronographs, especially those with fully in-house movements like the Omega Speedmaster and Zenith DEFY. Even the Maurice Lacroix with a not fully original movement retails for more than the Extreme Sport. The NORQAIN does offer an interesting package, especially with the addition of a fly-back function to the chronograph. The NORQAIN does undercut the Extreme Sport in price, but the brand is still rather new and the movement wasn't built in-house.



So is the Extreme Sport for me? Honestly there isn't much I don't like about the watch on a personal level. The size is good and the watch is crafted out of titanium. I do like the all blacked out look of the watch and we own a few blacked out pieces in our personal collection. The skeleton dial is done very well and adds that little bit extra to the watch. The problem is that the orange version of the Extreme Sport exists, although I haven't seen the orange version in person, living in Austin where orange reigns supreme… I think I would personally go for the orange Extreme Sport over the blacked out Extreme Sport. This is just personal preference about color here, but I'm pretty much giving the Extreme Sport range in whole a huge personal thumbs up.

Naturally based on the previous paragraph I'd totally recommend the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport to anyone looking for a more aggressive larger size chronograph. The combination of size, in-house caliber and a skeleton dial just make for a very compelling package. Also with a retail price of $8,400, TAG Heuer has been rather aggressive with its pricing, making sure to undercut all major rivals when it comes to a watch with similar specs. I'm not really sure what else you could ask for besides a fly-back chronograph, but that's really splitting hairs and more of a complication reserved for much more expensive pieces.



Only a few years ago I would probably have shied away from recommending TAG Heuer having witnessed some rough years for the brand first hand. I'd say over the last three to four years TAG Heuer has really done a great job of rebuilding its image by releasing some just amazing timepieces. Coincidently LVMH, who owns TAG Heuer, has been really upping their presence in the watch world recently and TAG Heuer's upward move is probably related to this. LVMH has been doing some amazing work in higher end complications recently and obviously TAG Heuer's insane Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph was a byproduct of that. We're probably also seeing some of the things learned in the development of such complicated pieces filtering down to products like the Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport. It's truly a really exciting time for TAG Heuer and it seems every few months they release something new and interesting.

I'd really like to thank TAG Heuer for sending us this Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport to review. This is now the third watch we've received from TAG Heuer and personally it has been the most impressive of three great watches. We really can't wait to see what we get in next from TAG Heuer to review!



For more information about the Carrera Chronograph Extreme Sport please visit : TAG Heuer

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: CBU2080.FT6272

Retail Price: $8,400

Case Size: 44 mm

Lug to Lug: 49.6 mm

Thickness: 15.3 mm

Weight: 115 Grams

Case Material: DLC Titanium

Bezel: DLC Titanium

Strap: Black Rubber Strap with DLC Titanium Deployant Clasp

Movement: TAG Heuer TH20-00 In-House Automatic

Functions: Chronograph, Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date

Power Reserve: 80 Hours

Water Resistance: 100 Meters