Familiar to many yachting enthusiasts, The Intrepid — a 12-metre class racing yacht — is the stuff of legend, famous for winning the America’s Cup in 1967 and again in 1970. While the famous vessel — now restored and enjoying its retirement at the docks of Newport, Rhode Island — is famous for its racing heritage, it also has a special place in the hearts of watch lovers; the hue of its gorgeous light blue deck is replicated on the face of one of the greatest yachting watches of all time, the Heuer Skipper ref. 7754.

While this 1968-born watch has seen a special limited-edition collaboration back in 2017, TAG Heuer has given fans a third chance at owning this excellent piece in the form of the 2023 TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper (Ref: CBS2213.FN6002). Updated with the redesigned Carrera chronograph crystal and sloped dial (which made an appearance at this year’s Watches & Wonders in Geneva), the new Skipper shares its design with the standard version, albeit with a modern features and a few styling differences.

Instead of the internal tachymeter readout on the sloped ends of the dial, the Skipper variant drops the Carrera’s numerals entirely in favour of conventional baton markers, sticking to yachting watch tradition. There’s also vintage typography on display along with the classic Skipper colour scheme replicated in the dial’s deep blue sunray finish, as well as the recognisable tri-colour green, orange, and ‘Intrepid blue’ finish on the three o’clock subdial. You’ll find orange accents above each marker, along with an orange chronograph hand, and orange-painted tips for the hour and minute hands. The watch comes in a low-profile fabric strap, featuring a folding clasp.

Considerably lean at 13.9 mm in thickness and 39 mm in diameter, the Skipper seems quite wearable and even features a yachting-friendly 100 metres of water resistance. On the rear, an exhibition caseback highlights the automatic TAG Heuer calibre TH20-06, which offers 80 hours of power reserve.
Without being a straight-up remake, the new Skipper crafts an identity of its own, bringing up the 55-year-old original’s essence but in a fresh, Carrera Glassbox package; perhaps discerning itself as one of the most appealing Heuer releases in an already-exciting year for the brand.