TAG Heuer's sports chronograph enters the haute horlogerie segment and brings back the split-seconds complication.
The split-seconds chronograph is one that allows two events to be measured simultaneously or an intermediate time to be recorded. In mechanical movements, it indicates a high degree of mechanical sophistication, given its complex construction. A mark the return of this complication in the catalogue TAG Heuer is the Split-Seconds version of the Monaco. Because, after its famous split-seconds chronographs intended for sports timekeeping in the 1960s, the split-seconds was then transferred to Heuer wristwatches through quartz technology in the 1980s. Now, it is once again the turn of mechanics. "This watch pays tribute to TAG Heuer's often neglected heritage in chronography, representing a technical feat of haute horlogerie that I was proud to unveil at Watches & Wonders 2024," said CEO Julien Tornare during the Geneva Show.
Far from the traditional canons of the time, TAG Heuer launched the Monaco in 1969, one of the first automatic chronographs ever produced. It was also the first chronograph with a square water-resistant case and the characteristic winding crown positioned on the left. To realise the Split-Seconds version, the Monaco was completely redesigned.
Monaco Split-Seconds: a redefined design
Red or blue are the two versions available of TAG Heuer's new split-seconds chronograph.
The new case architecture of TAG Heuer's Monaco Split-Seconds is modulated in a combination of grade 5 titanium (in the red racing version it has a black Pvd treatment), a material that allows its weight to be limited to just 85 grams, and sapphire crystal. The latter is used on the bezel that fastens the protective glass (also made of sapphire), on the back (made entirely of sapphire crystal) and on the dial, available in red or blue colour code and characterised by two bridges that cross each other like an X.
That it is a split-seconds chronograph is evident at first glance from the superimposed double chronograph seconds hand (red or blue, depending on the version) and for the third split-seconds button on the left side of the case.
The Monaco Split-Seconds movement was made with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier
The oscillating weight features a hand-painted red or blue gradient, a TAG Heuer design signature reserved for its most exclusive watches.
Monaco Split-Seconds planned the development of a new calibre, the automatic TH81-00, produced in collaboration with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. Made of titanium, it is one of the lightest automatic chronograph movements ever created by TAG Heuer.
Equipped with a column wheel and operating at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour, it appears from the shaped back, which leaves the impression of a floating oscillating mass. One of the most striking decorations is the chequered motif on the central bridge and on the balance bridge, with hand-crafted polished bevels, which refers to the brand's motor racing heritage. This watch is a TAG Heuer statement, ranking among the company's most expensive creations with a price tag of 135,000 euros.
