The Carrera Panamericana Lives On in TAG Heuer’s Latest Collection

The spirit of the Carrera Panamericana lives on in 2026, shaping TAG Heuer’s latest Carrera collection and honoring its racing and sailing roots.

Like a surge of adrenaline, the Carrera Panamericana drew participants and spectators alike with its grueling race across Mexico’s treacherous terrain for decades.

First held in 1950, the race is also called The Mexican Road Race and is a border-to-border sedan rally held annually in Mexico, similar in spirit to Italy’s Mille Miglia and Targa Florio. It became a battleground for top European and American manufacturers like Porsche, Ferrari, Lancia, and Mercedes, all eager to show off their engineering, with support from the Mexican government to promote business and tourism.

Jack Heuer, who at the time was responsible for recording lap times and finish orders as the event’s timekeeper, was inspired to design the Carrera chronograph and later partnered TAG Heuer with the race in 1991. Building on that connection to racing, Jack, who is also the great-grandson of TAG Heuer’s founder and CEO in the 1960s, designed the original Carrera chronograph in 1963 for professional race car drivers. He focused on clean, highly legible dials and an uncluttered layout that made it easy to read at high speeds.

By the 1970s, the Carrera gained popularity with Jack gifting solid gold models to Formula 1 drivers like Ronnie Peterson, each engraved to mark their victories. Eventually, the Carrera line has evolved steadily since its first re-edition, with the latest presentation at the seventh LVMH Watch Week in Milan. This year also marks 166 years of TAG Heuer’s watchmaking history.

“For 2026, we are already planning significant novelties and exceptional pieces across all our Maisons,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the LVMH Watch Division and CEO of Bvlgari. TAG Heuer stood alongside Bvlgari Horlogerie, Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta, L’Epée 1839, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., and ZENITH to present their latest creations which include the Carrera Seafarer, Carrera Chronograph, and Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph.

The Chronograph features a curved glassbox crystal and a three-dimensional dial, while the Split-Seconds showcases a lightweight titanium case and a movement visible through a sapphire back, revealing the hand-finished craft inside. Alongside the two is the Seafarer, which, while not built for racetracks, pays tribute to the brand’s sailing heritage, featuring a seven-row steel bracelet inspired by classic Carrera designs and comes with a beige sports strap that evokes traditional boat rigging.

As the Carrera line continues to grow, Jack Heuer said it on his 88th birthday: “Time never stops, why should we?”