Tap the image to enlarge

TAG Heuer Carrera 39mm Stainless Steel

Name: TAG Heuer Carrera 39mm Stainless Steel
Brand: TAG Heuer
SKU: WAR211A-1
Price: 1750 GBP
Availability: InStock

Ref. WAR211A-1

Among our 14 TAG Heuer watchesThis watch£1,750

Premium

See more premium options

Stepping up in TAG Heuer's range

The Carrera name goes back to 1963 and the brutal Carrera Panamericana road race, but this three-hand iteration strips away the chronograph heritage entirely to ask a different question: what does the Carrera become when it just tells the time. The answer is a clean sports-dress watch with angular lugs, a framed date at three, and a black dial whose outer track carries an azurage texture — a fine concentric pattern that gives the surface movement without adding colour, and reads differently under direct light than under an overcast sky. At 39mm it sits inside the cuff without negotiation, and at 12.27mm it does so without the bracelet riding proud of a shirt sleeve, which is not guaranteed at this depth rating. The Calibre 5 inside is built on either an ETA 2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1 base — an architecture that watchmakers know well, service readily, and which runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 38-hour reserve. It is not an exotic movement, but it is exactly the right one for a watch meant to be worn without thought and kept running without fuss.

Reference: WAR211A-1
Brand: TAG Heuer
Collection: Carrera
Case size: 39mm
Case thickness: 12.27mm
Lug width: 19mm
Case material: Stainless steel
Case shape: Round
Dial: Black
Crystal: Sapphire
Movement: Automatic
Calibre: ETA 2824
Functions: Date
Water resistance: 100m
Bracelet / strap: Stainless steel bracelet
Strap colour: Silver
Clasp: Deployant clasp
Lume: Super-LumiNova
Condition: Pre-owned
Retailer: Mappin & Webb

Additional specifications

Lug-to-lug: 47mm
Power reserve: 38 hours
Origin: Swiss made

Learn more about TAG Heuer

Edouard Heuer founded his workshop in Saint-Imier in 1860 at the age of twenty, and the company he built became the definitive maker of things that measure short intervals.

The patents came early and mattered. The oscillating pinion of 1887 remains in use in mechanical chronographs today — an elegantly simple way of engaging the chronograph train that most manufacturers still prefer to the column wheel alternative. The Mikrograph of 1916 measured to a hundredth of a second, decades ahead of anything comparable.

Heuer's association with motorsport ran deeper than sponsorship. It supplied dashboard timers to rally and racing teams for decades, and the wrist chronographs of the 1960s were named accordingly: Carrera, for the Carrera Panamericana; Monaco, for the Grand Prix; Autavia, from automobile and aviation. The Monaco of 1969 — square, water-resistant, and worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans — housed the Calibre 11, one of the first automatic chronograph movements.

The quartz crisis hit hard. TAG, the Techniques d'Avant Garde group, bought the company in 1985, giving the current name. LVMH acquired it in 1999.

The modern house has pursued high-frequency timing seriously, producing concept movements measuring to a thousandth and a five-thousandth of a second, alongside the volume Carrera, Aquaracer, and Formula 1 lines.

1860: Edouard Heuer founds the company in Saint-Imier.
1887: The oscillating pinion is patented, still used today.
1963: The Carrera launches, named for the Carrera Panamericana.
1969: The square Monaco debuts with an automatic chronograph calibre.
1985: The TAG group acquires Heuer.
1999: LVMH acquires TAG Heuer.

All TAG Heuer watches

Also in 5 collections

This watch appears in the TAG Heuer Carrera range (6), Stainless Steel Watches (3,382), Back in Stock (2,749), Automatic Watches (1,742) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (318).

What the specifications mean

A mechanical watch for everyday wear.

Strengths

100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
39mm suits most wrists
Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
Luminous hands and markers for low light
Sits in the lower half of TAG Heuer's range as we list it

Worth knowing

38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off

Best forSwimmingEveryday wear

TAG Heuer Carrera alternatives

Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.

Carrera 39mm Stainless Steel compared with 2 alternatives from other brands
Specification	This watchCarrera 39mm Stainless SteelWAR211A-1	Raymond WeilFreelancer 42mm Automatic Mens Watch2780-ST-52001	RadoTrue Round Automatic 40mm Ceramic and Titanium R27057102R27057102
Price	£1,750	£1,695	£1,550
Case size	39mm	42mm	40mm
Water resistance	100m	100m	50m
Movement	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Strap	Stainless steel bracelet	Stainless steel bracelet	Ceramic bracelet
Power reserve	38 hours	38 hours	80 hours
	This watch	Wears larger	Rated shallower

Your new watch

Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch

Can I swim with it?

Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.

Will the glass scratch?

Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.

Does it need a battery?

No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.

How long does it run for when it's not worn?

About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.

What size strap does it take?

19mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.

Will it fit my wrist?

Lug-to-lug is 47mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.

Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.

Is it a men's or women's watch?

Listed as men's, though at 39mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.

Cheapest place to buy

Mappin & Webb at £1,750, pre-owned. No UK retailer we track lists this reference new.

Is this available new?

Not from the UK retailers we track. This reference is listed as pre-owned only, at £1,750 from Mappin & Webb. A pre-owned watch has been worn, and is normally sold under the retailer’s own warranty rather than the manufacturer’s.