Table of Contents
Introduction
The new Tag Heuer watches unveiled at Watches and Wonders confirm the brand’s growth and the relevance of the chronograph complication in its history.
The latest Carrera, unveiled last year to celebrate its 60th anniversary, received positive feedback from the watch community and the media press, and Tag Heuer is now expanding its product offering.
Also, the once-exclusive Only Watch split-second chronograph makes it into production, as foreseen, and preserves almost everything we loved about the one-off model.
The Monaco Split-seconds chronograph
Let’s start with the halo product, the Split-second chronograph, bringing Tag Heuer back to the cradle of ultra-refined chronograph making.
The watch mimics the original timepiece except for the “texturized” titanium case, which has been replaced by a more popular Grade 5 titanium alloy.
Given TAG Heuer’s extensive expertise in sports timekeeping with mechanical watches and digital technologies, the brand’s chronograph-making heritage needs no introduction.
For proof positive, please look at the Monaco Sixty-Nine, which we reviewed in the past. It combines a mechanical module with a digital Micro-timer.
Case and dial
According to the specs sheet, the watch weighs 85 grams, proving that the brand engineered a complicated watch with Haute Horlogerie craftsmanship, welcoming lightweight materials, and pure innovation.
TAG Heuer is innovative at its core; we’ll cite the Monaco 24 collection, for instance, but it has now set a new standard in execution and style, which is attractive and faithful to the Heuer Monaco spirit from 1969, too.
The squared case measures 41 mm and is quintessentially Monaco from any angle. It is 15.2 mm thick, but the ultra-light build makes it more slender than expected. The two vintage-style counters, silver or black, depending on which option you choose, pay homage to the 1969 Monaco. Please note that Monaco turns 55 this year.
The case is edgy, with alternate polished and brushed surfaces. It makes for a Monaco 2.0, and we hope it foresees an avant-garde yet more accessible new collection.
It exudes performance and motorsport and adopts skeletonization to enhance chronography. The dial is sapphire glass, which houses the minute ring on the outer section and the Chrono counters in the middle. It offers a straight view of the movement, with twin titanium-made bridges in between. The case back is also a layer of sapphire glass.
The double X-shaped bridge
Their tone changes according to the model. One comes in two shades of blue, vaguely resembling the Gulf model. The other is black-DLC-treated, equipping the Racing Red option in an equally treated DLC case.
The X-shaped cross bars pay homage to mid-engined sports cars. As the photo below shows, the bridges surround the two chronograph counters: RATTRAPANTE on the left and CHRONOGRAPH on the right. The two counters are, therefore, recessed, while the outer minute ring is on a raised surface.
Such an aesthetic and functional displacement provides additional depth, invites the viewer on a journey from the outside to the inside of the watch, and simplifies the reading.
The tech-savvy approach includes traditional decoration, such as lacquering. The crown and hands of the chronograph counters, the minute chapter, and the hour and minute hands’ tips are lacquered.
The caliber TH81-00
TAG Heuer partnered with Vaucheur Manufacture to engineer the titanium-made TH81-00 calibre. Vaucher is a haute horlogerie movement manufacturer whose majority stakes are owned by the family that owns Parmigiani Fleurier.
The Swiss brand could not rely on a better partner for such a project, made to TAG Heuer’s specifications (its base is a high frequency 5 Hertz movement). It runs for 65 hours as a time-only timepiece and 55 when the chronograph action comes in.
Prices of the new TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph
The new Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph is a manifesto of haute horlogerie, adopting a complication that is not widely used but is familiar in watchmaking. Nonetheless, the technical execution is brilliant, and the timepiece belongs to Hyper Horology.
Consequently, the retail price is 135,000 euros, as both models will be produced in limited quantities.
Carrera Chronograph Skipper in rose gold
The new generation Carrera spoke volumes during the 2023 W&W edition, and the Skipper promotes the collection. Its close connection with the Heuer models, especially the 1968 forerunner, has amplified its success.
Look at how brilliantly the two counters are arranged. The third measures the running seconds and is set apart at six. The designers combined so many different colours into a harmonious combination and welcomed a stunning rose gold option.
Rose gold works well when paired with sunray blue but might make the overall style too busy when additional colours are added. That’s not the case, and the lovely 39 mm-sized case makes for a premium Skipper yet not too shiny.
Another distinctive design cue is the double-curved dial. The surface is concave, where baton indexes apply. It ends with an edge and turns convex on the outer part, where the “glass box” sapphire crystal further enhances the minute ring.
The new Carrera Chronograph Skipper in rose gold houses the same calibre as its steel sibling. We’d go for a gold oscillating mass on a gold watch.
However, you can’t simply swap them; it would require a design revision. The watch costs €21,150 and can be purchased exclusively on the official TAG Heuer website.
Carrera Chronograph Panda
Lastly, a new Carrera Chronograph Panda in steel adds to the range. The Panda edition comes with two superimposed counters and a silver dial. Compared to the Reverse Panda model, designers aimed to provide a different option on the same layout.
Nothing has changed from a technical perspective, but the Panda model comes standard with a bracelet instead of the Rally Strap, and the running seconds counter is hidden, like on the Skipper, to let the watch mimic a bi-compax chronograph.
Also, the black tachymetric scale matches the counters and is highlighted by the “glass box” sapphire crystal.
From this point of view, the steel bracelet adds to the seamless case-to-bracelet design. It is a two-tone chronograph, with the excellent addition of small contrasting red hands and a central chrono whose end tip is also red. The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Panda costs €6,550. For more information, visit the official TAG Heuer website.
(Photo credit: TAG Heuer)
Giovanni Di Biase @Horbiter®
