Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
TAG Heuer · Carrera
TAG Heuer Carrera 40 mm Salmon 18k
Reference 53450OR.70
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- TAG Heuer
- Collection
- Carrera
- Model
- TAG Heuer Carrera 40 mm Salmon 18k
- Reference number
- 53450OR.70
- Year / era
- 1998 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 8F — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1998 – 2006
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Jack Heuer
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
TAG Heuer Carrera 40 mm Salmon 18k sits within TAG Heuer's Carrera line, introduced in 1998. It carries the house codes established since 1860 — 18k yellow gold case, salmon dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
TAG Heuer
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1860
- Founder
- Edouard Heuer
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Carrera, Monaco, Aquaracer, Formula 1, Autavia, Connected
- Signature technologies
- Hand-applied guilloché dials · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- High-beat automatic · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- TAG Heuer Carrera 40 mm Salmon 18k (1998) · TAG Heuer Carrera 39 mm Green Stainless (1984) · TAG Heuer Carrera 40 mm Skeletonised Grade (2001) · TAG Heuer Carrera 37 mm Green Quartz (1984)
Brand history
TAG Heuer has spent more than 166 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Carrera, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Edouard Heuer established TAG Heuer in 1860, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every TAG Heuer calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1860
Edouard Heuer founds TAG Heuer in Switzerland.
1899
TAG Heuer earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces TAG Heuer to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
TAG Heuer enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
TAG Heuer continues to produce Carrera, Monaco, Aquaracer and other icons in limited numbers.