During its five-year sojourn, however, the alluringly dangerous race attracted F1, Rally and NASCAR drivers from all over the world as well as European and American manufacturers. It drew close to two million spectators, was marked by a shocking 27 fatal- ities, and inspired two of Mexico’s greatest racing drivers, brothers Pedro and Ricardo RodrÍguez, for whom Mexico’s Grand Prix circuit, the Autódromo Hermanos RodrÍguez, was named.

When Jack Heuer met the RodrÍguez brothers at Twelve Hours of Sebring in Florida in 1962, they regaled him with tales of the short-lived Carrera Panamericana, which in turn inspired him to create a wristwatch reflecting the spirit of that legendary race. One year later, Heuer debuted what would be- come a legend in its own right, the eponymous Heuer Carrera Chronograph. Of the name, Jack said, “I loved not only its sexy sound but also its multiple meanings, which include road, race, course and career. All very much Heuer territory.”

For 60 years, the Carrera Chronograph set the standard for chronograph design. This year TAG Heuer celebrates this genre-defining timepiece by releasing the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary. A faithful reinterpretation of the highly coveted Carrera 2447 SN of the late 1960s, this new version features a silver, sun-ray-brushed dial and a silver flange with a 60-second/minute scale as well as three contrasting black subdials, a configuration known as a panda dial. The subdial at 3 o’clock is a minute chronograph counter; the one at 6 o’clock is a permanent second indicator; and the one at 9 o’clock is an hour chronograph counter. All three have silver hands and markings. A masterpiece in legibility, the dial is complete with rhodi- um-plated, faceted, polished hour and minute hands, a black lacquered central hand and the Heuer logo, also in black.