The Silverstone Circuit is a famous English racing track. In 1974, the renowned watchmaker TAG Heuer, which is very familiar with racing sport field, introduced the original Silverstone Chronograph to pay its tribute to the Silverstone. To mark its 150th anniversary in 2010, the company has decided to release the re-edition of the vintage Silverstone Chronograph. Building on the well-known cushion cut-shaped case, a shape chosen to present the Silverstone Circuit, the new Silverstone watch is almost identical to its predecessor in external design.
As with the square shaped case, it reminds me of an “older” TAG Heuer watch – the original Monaco, which played a key role to inspire the brand’s patented water-proofing system. Both the original Monaco and Silverstone were powered by the revolutionary movement – the Chronomatic Calibre 11, the world’s first automatic chronograph movement with micro motor.
It is an updated version of the Calibre 11, with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module on top of it, that sports the new Silverstone watch. We can see the movement clearly through the sapphire caseback of the watch, finely decorated and crafted. So it is not a simple re-release as the watch has been updated and modernized to meet the demands of a new age. However, as I mentioned the design has been carried on, TAG Heuer actually did a lot to make it faithful to the original.
The exterior design is certainly reminiscent of the times, which was popular in the 1970s. The model embraces a throwback to the brand’s original logo presented on the dial. The dial in the “suede brown” or “PAN AM blue”, is well-timed for the era, featuring two silver counters at 3 and 9 o’clock. You can get the date with a rectangle window located at 6:00. The hands are luminescent-treated. The watch is known for a crown on the left side of the case, and two chronograph pushers on the right side of the case. Adjusting the watch to the wrist is a perforated alligator leather strap in brown or blue. The new TAG Heuer Silverstone is a limited and numbered edition of 1,500 pieces for each color, and release is due early in 2010.
