29 February 2016
It was a rumour just two years ago during Baselworld: TAG Heuer was preparing a Tourbillon for under 15'000 CHF! Was it really possible to combine the rules, and prices, of the sport watches with those of Haute Horlogerie? Two years later the watch is there. It's a real Tourbillon. And a chronograph, and a chronometer.
But let's listen to the La-Chaux-de-Fonds based house:
“Just six months after the release of the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01, the backbone of a new collection of elegant and contemporary manufacture chronographs,
comes the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-02T, a COSC-certified automatic chronograph combined with a titanium and carbon flying tourbillon.
A symbol of the accessible luxury so dear to TAG Heuer, this model forms part of a new concept now being created: affordable Haute Horlogerie. This watch symbolises technology, exemplary quality, performance, manufacture expertise, and the perfect mastery of industrial processes and manufacturing costs which have made it the only COSC
automatic chronograph with Tourbillon produced by the Swiss watch industry for under 15,000 CHF. The Black Phantom version is available priced at 19,900 CHF,
part of a limited edition of 250 numbered pieces.
It was developed directly from the DNA of the CH-80 chronograph, used as a basis to interpret two of traditional watchmaking’s most famous complications: the chronograph
(one of TAG Heuer’s key strengths), and the aesthetically-pleasing tourbillon.
At 4 Hz, and 28,800 vibrations/hour, the main technical challenge was to house a single barrel, the chronograph functions, the automatic winding mechanism and the flying tourbillon within a diameter of 32 mm, whilst ensuring the counters were well spaced to give it
a modern, balanced look.
An industrial framework was developed to optimise assembly in TAG Heuer’s workshops at its Chevenez site. It houses a lightweight tourbillon hand-crafted by 4 watchmakers, inspired by the Monaco V4’s tourbillon, which has central sections made from titanium and a carbon top section. This tourbillon offers a power reserve in excess of 65 hours.
All the fitting, assembly and adjustment work is performed by hand. The main components are manufactured in the workshops of the TAG Heuer Manufacture. At the heart of
the tourbillon, the balance spring is produced by the brand’s Swiss partner, Atokalpa.
Each watch must undergo a protocol involving a total of 21 days of testing. Each movement is certified by the independent testing body, Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), which guarantees that the chronometer meets the highest accuracy standards when worn.
The movement is housed in the latest generation case. Made from grade 5 titanium, lightweight and more shock-resistant, it uses a different form of construction, with 12 modular components. This design opens up a huge range of possibilities, with an infinite combination of materials, colours, treatments and finishes. This assembly is complemented by a black alligator strap sewn onto rubber, ensuring it boasts TAG Heuer’s signature refined yet sporty look. Waterproof to 100 metres.”
A watch we are certainly impatient to discover at Baselworld 2016!
Technical details
- References
CAR5A8Y.FC6377 (non-limited edition)
CAR5A8Z.FC6377 (Black Phantom – limited edition of 250 numbered pieces)
- Case
Diameter 45 mm.
Made from grade 5 titanium, with 12 modular components (lugs, case middle, bezel, case back, crown and its moulding, push-buttons, gasket between the middle and the bezel and sapphire crystals)
Black titanium bezel bearing the tachymeter scale
Steel crown overmoulded with rubber
- Movement
TAG Heuer Calibre HEUER-02T, Manufacture movement
Black skeleton bridges
Automatic chronograph combined with a COSC-certified Tourbillon
Black column wheel, new skeleton weight and chronograph bridges
Carbon and titanium tourbillon cage
Power reserve in excess of 65 hours
- Dial
Black skeleton with 2 counters:
Chronograph minute counter at 3 o’clock
Chronograph hour counter at 9 o’clock
Polished and satin-finished baton indexes
Polished and satin-finished hands with SuperLuminova™ details
- Water-resistance
100 metres
- Strap
Matte black alligator sewn onto black rubber with matching stitching
Deployant buckle with safety push-buttons