It wouldn’t be an unfounded opinion to say that vintage reissues have become a bit stale after a decade of non-stop re-releases. Sure, vintage watches are fantastic, and new watches with vintage looks? Debatably even better. So when perfect fake TAG Heuer CA released the Carrera Chronograph Glassbox at last year’s Watches and Wonders, it had a raucous reception. It’s heavily inspired by Heuer references from the ‘60s, but still modernised enough to be considered an original design in its own right. Now, for Watches and Wonders 24, the reference 7753 SN has become the muse of the cheap replica TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox Panda.
The case
The Heuer reference 7753 SN was first released in 1970, but its DNA is thoroughly rooted in the 1960s. Part-for-part, it shares very little with the new 1:1 fake TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox Panda, but the spirit is definitely there under a contemporary guise. Although the stainless steel case has been upsized to 39mm for a compromise between vintage and modern styles, the silhouette is definitely still reminiscent of those 1960s TAG Heuer Carreras replica for sale. Its angular, clipped lugs look fantastic with a high polish on the front surfaces and brushing along the sides, sharpening the edges. The lug-to-lug length is 46mm, which should ensure a comfortable fit on most wrists. The pushers have been made a little bit more sturdy with thick stems and shoulders, and the whole copy watch is capable of swimming with a water resistance of 100m.
On the wrist, the luxury replica TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox Panda perfectly executes that hybrid look of contemporary and vintage flavours. No vintage watch could look so precisely laid-out, and yet it doesn’t look like it was entirely concieved recently either. It looks as though it has existed for decades—already a crowd favourite that will never be out of style.
The dial
It has to be nearly impossible for a company like aaa quality fake TAG Heuer CA, which is renowned for its chronographs, to produce a bad panda dial. The look is just as established at this point as a black-dialled diver, and this Swiss movement copy TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox is a particularly nice example. The tone of the silver is blazing, exploring different shades of grey as the finishing sends light scattered across it. The black sub-dials are decorated with subtle rings, and then fortified by bezels with their printed markings.
The movement
Powering the high quality replica TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox Panda is the Heuer 02 (TH20-00) movement, which has seen quite a lot of use since its introduction in 2016 and spec upgrade in 2023. The in-house calibre is an automatic chronograph, now with bi-directional winding, a 4Hz beat rate, and a whopping 80 hours of power reserve. It’s a column-wheel chronograph, giving the pushers their satisfying click feel, and it’s been given a fresh, industrial-looking finish with Côtes de Genève and a shield-shaped winding rotor. It’s not overly bulky like some modular automatic chronographs either, allowing the top super clone watch’s total height to come in at 13.87mm tall.