TAG Heuer presents motorsport for the wrist – „Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1“
With the „Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1“, limited to 30 pieces, the LVMH brand TAG Heuer shows its avant-garde side and is once again inspired by motorsport.
This also applies to manufacturing methods. For example, TAG Heuer used selective laser melting (SLM) for the square titanium case with honeycomb-shaped gold inlays of the new „Monaco Split“ chronograph. This process is frequently used in the aerospace, medical technology, and automotive industries to manufacture precision components with complex geometries.
SLM is a purely additive process, comparable to 3D printing. It begins with a layer of metal powder – for example, aluminum, steel, or, in this case, Grade 5 titanium – which is then irradiated with a high-powered laser. This melts parts of the powder, controlled by a 3D CAD model.
TAG Heuer LAB, the company's innovation department, adapted SLM for watchmaking, enabling the distinctive three-dimensional shape of the 39-millimeter case, which is water-resistant to 3 bar and reminiscent of the aerodynamic lines and air intakes of modern hypercars.
„Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1“ by TAG Heuer – a complex shell for a complex interior
Achieving the complex shape of this case is extremely time-consuming. A specialized engineer needs about ten times as long to program the tools as for other cases of the "Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph" model, and production takes five times as long.
Inside is the most complex chronograph movement in the TAG Heuer range: the automatic caliber TH81-00, a high-frequency movement that equips the „Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1“ with a 65-hour power reserve and the functions of hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and rattrapante.
The performance of the precision movement within can be read on the openworked sapphire crystal dial, which offers a view of the intricate mechanism. It features a gold chronograph hand, gold hour and minute hands, gold hour markers, and sapphire crystal on both the front and back, secured by four visible screws. The split-seconds pusher at 9 o'clock is crafted from solid yellow gold and is reminiscent of the original left-side crown of the TAG Heuer "Monaco".
The „Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1“ is worn on a black rubber strap with Alcantara inserts.
(RRP 150,000 CHF)
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