"The Chase for the Carrera": TAG Heuer's new short-movie!
Lights, camera, action! That’s right, TAG Heuer have switched out horology for Hollywood! Well kind of. You may have seen that TAG recently released an action-comedy short film called “The Chase for Carrera” to celebrate the Carrera’s 60th anniversary. And I must say, it really is Hollywood Blockbuster quality. It’s no surprise that the movie is so captivating when it’s starring Ryan Gosling & Vanessa Bayer, as well as being produced by action movie legend David Leitch, best known for the John Wick franchise, bullet train, & fight club (one of my faves, but we won’t talk about that), who actually plays himself as the director. The storyline follows Ryan enduring a high-speed car chase as he tries to escape ‘The prop master’ (Vanessa) while she attempts to retrieve the Tag Heuer Carrera from his wrist. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the 5 minutes I spent watching this mini-movie and loved the movie within a movie format. The humour was spot on from the 2 co-stars, it’s said that Ryan and Vanessa actually improvised quite a few of their lines together which makes sense as they have said in the past that they work great together. Why Ryan Gosling you may ask, well aside from him being a very sought after actor right now he is also a TAG Heuer ambassador. The incredible race sequence of course plays homage to the spirit and origin of the Carrera.
The Carrera was named after and inspired by the Carrera Panamericana race. The race was started in 1950 as a high-speed 3000km race across Mexico and lasted for 5 days. The race was renowned for being very dangerous, with the speeds of the racers averaging at 150km/h, so in 1954 the Carrera Panamericana race was cancelled. Inspired by the thrill and danger of the race Jack Heuer created the Carrera watch in 1963.
If you have a keen eye you may have noticed that there were a few fun easter eggs in the short film which pay tribute to the rich 60 year history of the Carrera. Why don’t you go watch the video again and see how many you can spot? Done? Okay well let's go through them.
Jacqueline Evans de Lopez
In the first 5 seconds you can see an elderly lady wearing white glasses. This lady is a representation of the legend Jacqueline Evans de Lopez who was a racing driver and the only women to ever complete the Carrera Panamericana race 5 years in a row.
Door 63
At 0:19 a there’s a door with the number 63 on it. This is a nod to the year 1963 when the Carrera was first released.
Hotel Leonarda
Mainly in the first half of the video when Ryan is in the film set, there is a fake hotel set which is called the “Leonarda”. This is a tribute to Jack Heuer’s long-time wife who is named Leonarda. Not only is it the Carrera’s 60th anniversary this year but it is also Jack and Leonarda’s. Perfect timing ;)
Jack Heuer
At around the 3:00 mark when Ryan is passing through what looks like a gangster movie set, there is a man wearing glasses who is spitting image of a young Jack Heuer. Coincidence? I think not.
Tag Heuer boxes
In the same scene as the young Jack Heuer look-a-like a stack of Tag Heuer boxes can be seen in the background. This is a little acknowledgement to the fact that TAG Heuer is always thinking outside of the box, especially with their marketing campaigns.
Porsche
Throughout the race scenes Ryan is driving a very nice red Porsche. If you’re a fan of the Carrera collection you would know that TAG have released a few Porsche x TAG Heuer Carrera’s in their time to celebrate the strong partnership the two brands have which is why a stunning Porsche is featured in the film.
Race posters
At 4:35 you can see large posters in the background of the film set. These are vintage posters of the Carrera Panamericana race.
Although the short film is incredibly cool, let's move on to the main event. The watch. Ryan Gosling is wearing the 39mm TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph. The Carrera is said to symbolise the confidence and daring nature of race drivers and it sure has a natural coolness about it. The watch features a bold blue dial and tachymeter scale which is all covered by a sapphire crystal dome. The case is stainless steel which pairs perfectly with the blue on the dial and the blue leather strap. This watch houses the Calibre TH20-00 which can be seen through the transparent caseback. Retailing at £5,600 this watch is in the mid-price range for a Carrera. Ryan’s co-star Vanessa can also be seen wearing a Carrera but hers is the 36mm TAG Heuer Carrera Date which features a stunning bright pink dial and retails at £2,750.
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And CUT! That's a wrap for today. In conclusion the Carrera has had a very successful 60 years indeed and I am a massive fan of this fun creative direction that TAG are going in. I hope you've enjoyed the blog and make sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you get notified when a new blog is uploaded!