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Did an Unexpected Brand Just Make the Year’s Coolest Moonphase Watch?

TAG Heuer retrofitted the Carrera Date with a Space Age moonphase complication.

Close-up of a silver wristwatch case with a brushed metal finish and a polished bezel. The watch face features a detailed dial with the word "ASTRONOMER" visible, and the crown has a distinctive logo with a shield-like design. The watch strap appears to be made of leather.TAG Heuer
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By Brad Lanphear

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It’s a simple idea, but completely unexpected.

Remove the date window from the Carrera Date, a simplified version of the iconic chronograph, and replace it with a moonphase complication. The result is more stunning than anyone outside the brand could have expected.

Three TAG Heuer Carrera wristwatches are displayed against a gradient background transitioning from blue to black with an orange and white light streak. The left watch has a silver and rose gold dial with a two-tone metal bracelet. The center watch features a silver dial with black subdials and a matching silver metal bracelet. The right watch has a dark dial with glowing blue numerals and hands, paired with a black leather strap. Each watch displays the TAG Heuer logo and the word "CARRERA" on the dial.
The Carrera Astronomer debuts with three references. The two-tone and mint-green are limited editions.
TAG Heuer

I couldn’t have pictured the result before seeing it, but the Carerra Astronomer is one of the most inspired and beautiful moonphase watches in years.

Moonphase complications tend to be shoehorned into excessively complex dials next to perpetual calendars and chronograph totalizers, or diluted into abstract minimalism with little texture or depth.

Back view of a TAG Heuer watch with a stainless steel case and a black strap. The case back features an intricate engraving of a satellite dish and celestial elements, including stars and a sunburst pattern. The outer rim of the case back is engraved with text including "SWISS MADE SINCE 1860," "100 METERS," "TAG HEUER," and "CARRERA." The watch crown is visible at the top.
The caseback is decorated with a telescope graphic.
Photo by Brad Lanphear for Gear Patrol

Tag Heuer split the difference with an ornate moonphase dial that shirks the traditional 19th-century blueprint for a 1960s Space Age-inspired design. The moonphase dial consists of off-center concentric circles and continues the pattern with its placement on the dial.

The radial brushed dial plate ends at a sunken minutes track encircling the Arabic numeral hour markers, which are printed on the mint green reference and applied on the other two.

TAG Heuer Carrera wristwatch with a silver and gray dial featuring luminescent green hour markers and hands, a moon phase indicator, and a black leather strap. The watch has a polished stainless steel case and a crown at the 12 o'clock position.
One references has mint green detailing on the dial and comes on a grey leather strap with a folding clasp.
Photo by Brad Lanphear for Gear Patrol

The Carrera Astronomer debuts with three references, but only the steel and black one is in regular production. The two-tone reference with rose gold accents and the version with mint green dial details and a grey leather strap are limited to 500 pieces each.

A moonage daydream

The Carrera Astronomer’s moonphase complication is unusual in the best way.

Rather than the traditional decorated disc revolving under a crescent-shaped window, it has a tiered lunar chart indicated by a compass-like rotating arrow.

Silver TAG Heuer Carrera wristwatch with a black leather strap, featuring a detailed dial with luminescent hands and markers, a small sub-dial, and a polished stainless steel case.
The Crerra Astronomer’s dial has incredible depth with a tiered moonphase dial, sunken minutes track, and curved chapter ring.
Photo by Brad Lanphear for Gear Patrol

According to a press release, the Carrera Astronomer is “Inspired by TAG Heuer’s role in John Glenn’s historic Friendship 7 mission in 1962.” The moonphase dial evokes the Space Age artwork that dominated the 1960s.

The outer portion of the lunar chart depicts the moon’s waxing and waning, seen in contrasted mint green and black above. The inner portion of the chart tracks the 29.5-day lunar cycle, while the lower portion describes the cycle in colloquial terms from “New” to “Full.”

TAG Heuer Carrera wristwatch with a silver dial, turquoise luminescent hour markers and hands, and a subdial featuring moon phase indicators. The watch has a stainless steel case and a black leather strap.
The Carrera Astronomer has a 39mm steel case.
Photo by Brad Lanphear for Gear Patrol

A rotating two-sided arrow, which sits below the chart, indicates the lunar cycle. The chart is arranged so that one arrow tracks the upper portion while the opposite arrow tracks the lower portion, swapping places with each new moon.

On the mint green reference that I field tested, the colored details on the hour markers, hands and moonphase dial are coated in lume, but the bright color appears to glow even in broad daylight.

Three unique references

Three references are available in the Carrera Astronomer, with the standout being the gray and mint green version pictured above. It is the only one that comes on a leather strap with a steel folding clasp.

TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer wristwatch with a silver and rose gold dial, featuring rose gold hour markers and hands. The watch has a stainless steel and rose gold bracelet, a moon phase indicator, and a polished stainless steel case with a crown on the right side. The background is a gradient blue.
The two-tone reference is steel with rose gold accents.
TAG Heuer

It is one of two limited editions, the other being the two-tone design with rose gold detailing on the dial and bracelet. The sunken chapter ring, applied indices, hands, Astronomer logo and center links on the bracelet are made of 18-karat rose gold.

The only regular-production Carrera Astronomer is also the simplest design. It has a steel case and a seven-link bracelet—another ode to the 1960s—and the dial is monotone with a black-and-white moonphase, steel-applied hour markers and a black minutes track.

Silver TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer wristwatch with a polished metal bracelet, featuring a detailed dial with black and silver accents, Arabic numerals, and multiple subdials including a moon phase indicator, set against an orange background.
The all-steel Carrera Astronomer with black dial details is the only regular production model.
TAG Heuer

The Carrera Astronomer looks like a vintage watch that never was. The original Heuer Carrera became iconic as a racing chronograph in the 1960s, but never looked anything like this.

The entire concept, from dial to bracelet, is faithful to the era when NASA had god-like influence over American culture, including watch design. It is the most interesting new design TAG Heuer has produced in years and, for my money, the coolest moonphase of 2025.

Availability and price

The TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer will be available in October 2025 from TAG Heuer for $4,800 on a steel bracelet, $4,600 on a leather strap with a steel folding clasp and $7,250 for the steel and rose gold version.

The mint green and gray reference and the steel and rose gold reference are limited editions of 500 pieces each.

Silver TAG Heuer Carrera wristwatch with a grey leather strap, featuring a sunburst silver dial with turquoise accents on the hour markers and hands. The watch has a central subdial displaying moon phases and a date indicator, with the TAG Heuer logo and "CARRERA" text below the 12 o'clock position. The case is polished stainless steel with a crown on the right side.TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer

Specs

Case Size 39mm
Movement TAG Heuer caliber 7 automatic moonphase
Water Resistance 100m
About the Author: Brad Lanphear is an associate editor at Gear Patrol covering watches and style. Before joining the publication, he previously wrote for Heddels and Men’s Health. Now, he’s on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.

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