For LVMH Watch Week in Miami, TAG Heuer still clearly has their foot to the floor when it comes to the quality of their new releases, showing that the energy and momentum that has turned them into such a force in the last few years is still present in 2024. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Dato is a case in point.

The original Dato is one of the many standout oddballs in TAG Heuer’s storied past — first born in 1968, only five years after the Carrera itself was debuted. This 1968 reference saw the date window placed at nine, balanced by a single 45-minute chronograph register at three. It was an unusual and striking layout for a chronograph, and over the years, the Carrera 45 Dato, as it’s known, became something of a cult hit. The unusual design, paired with the Carrera’s famed legibility, makes it an easy watch to like. The Dato returned to popular consciousness in 2021, when Hodinkee released a limited edition inspired by the original.

If that reissue looked to the past, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Dato released today is all about the future. Based on last year’s new Carrera design, this 39mm model is inspired by the 1968 Carrera 45 Dato, it shares the stark dial, single chronograph register and date-at-nine design. It’s a deceptively simple design, especially as it’s a chronograph — a complication typically associated with complexity and busyness. There’s a good amount of blank dial space on this design, and thanks to the design of this 39mm Carrera, it’s on show like never before. So to avoid it looking sparse, the teal green has been given a dynamic circular brushed finish, giving the watch a vibrant versatility that once again amplifies just how good this new Carrera platform is. Of course, the use of green is not coincidental either; it’s a nod to the racing green that is so prevalent in motorsports.

For the movement, it should come as no real surprise that TAG Heuer has opted for the updated version of the Heuer 02, the TH20-09, and the strap is black alligator with a folding buckle.

In recent years TAG Heuer has done an exceptional job of blending old and new, and this well-sized, striking new take on the Carrera Chronpgraph Dato proves the point.