TAG Heuer and Hiroshi Fujiwara Return with Carrera Fragment
TAG Heuer has just revealed its third outing with Hiroshi Fujiwara, the Japanese streetwear designer who founded fashion label Fragment Design (and is a vintage watch collector himself). The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x fragment is based on the watchmaker’s signature “Glassbox” chronograph powered by the TH20 movement. While it retains the same case and movement, the Fragment edition bears Mr Fujiwara’s familiar minimalist aesthetic, with the dial having undergone a monochromatic makeover that frees it of both colour and most of its numerals. Initial thoughts The new edition is the best of the three Fragment editions since it combines an excellent base in the form of the Carrera “Glassbox” with Mr Fujiwara’s aesthetic sensibility. I like the “Glassbox” design (though I wish it was slimmer), and equally appreciate the Fragment style, so the two together are an appealing combination. I was a fan of the original Carrera Fragment, though less so of the second instalment, an Autavia that was too chunky and not monochromatic enough. Unlike the first Carrera that had a vintage feel, the new edition is distinctly modern and all the better for it. I think vintage reissues, particularly for chronographs of the vintage Carrera era, are overdone, so the contemporary style is a big plus. At CHF8,150, this is priced close to the standard Carrera “Glassbox”, but definitely a more appealing proposition with the minimalist design. Monochromatic minimalism As with t...