TAG Heuer Offers a Glimpse Into The Future of Watchmaking with Its Monaco 24 Chronograph
Invoking the electrifying spirit of the world’s most arduous sports car race, TAG Heuer continues to push the boundaries of watchmaking with its Monaco Twenty Four Concept Chronograph. Introduced today at BaselWorld, this provocative timepiece features the same state-of-the-art engineering as the powerful GT cars that take to the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. Additionally, the Monaco boasts a shock protection system invented by TAG Heuer that is the first of its kind, underscoring the brand’s passion for revolutionizing the way timekeeping works and looks.
The Monaco Twenty Four Concept Chronograph’s race car-inspired functionality is found in every aspect of the piece’s design, most notably in the energy manifold that houses the Calibre 36 movement. Comparable to a GT car’s cockpit cage, this proprietary steel-tube structure safeguards the mechanism, ensuring that the watch can better withstand shock.
The movement gains additional protection from a shock-absorbing composite filter material that comprises the manifold’s arms. Used in the racing and aerospace industry, this material insulates the Calibre 36 movement by directing vibrations into the composite filter, which absorbs and dissipates their energy. Unlike a conventional timepiece’s Incabloc system, which protects the mechanism only from external shocks, TAG Heuer’s revolutionary Advanced Dynamic Absorber insulates the movement entirely. The Monaco Twenty Four Concept Chronograph is able to withstand an impact of 24,000 G, the equivalent of a 65-foot fall, compared with the industry standard of 2,000 – 5,000 G, or a three-foot fall. These additional safeguards ensure the Monaco and its components will remain unscathed whether the wearer is skydiving from 15,000 feet or attending a very enthusiastic business meeting.
Another definitive attribute of the chronograph is its annular oscillating weight. Unlike conventional watch weights, the Monaco’s is made out industrial-grade tungsten, a rare metallic element that is extremely hard and infusible. The heaviness of the tungsten – and ultimately the oscillating weight – allows the chronograph to be more fully wound, resulting in more accurate timekeeping. Such attention to detail epitomizes TAG Heuer’s passion for perfecting even the tiniest increment of time.
The Monaco Twenty Four Concept Chronograph features the same iconic square dial as the original Monaco Automatic Chronograph, but advances its look with a black PVD-coated case and an oversized “24″ at the 12 o’clock position. Additionally, the 40.5 mm piece bears a two-part dial: The upper part is embellished with a blue and an orange stripe, the same design found on Grand Prix champion and TAG Heuer ambassador Jo Siffert’s racing suit from the 1960s. The lower portion of the dial boasts two semi sub-counters at 3 and 9 o’clock – the first part of the hand at 3 o’clock displays zero to 15 minutes and then triggers the hand at 9 o’clock to count 15 to 30 minutes.
Other features of the timepiece include: scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and caseback, anti-reflective double-sided treatment and water resistance to 100 meters. It is featured on a blue alligator strap with orange stitching.
The History of Le Mans
Hosted every second week of June, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s most famous sports car race held near Le Mans, France. Known as The Grand Prix of Endurance, the 86-year-old race runs on a circuit of closed public roads designed to test a car’s and driver’s ability to withstand a day of intense driving. Le Mans was immortalized in the 1971 film of the same name starring Hollywood legend and TAG Heuer ambassador Steve McQueen.
The History of the Monaco
The Monaco’s introduction in 1969 marked a radical departure from the conventional codes of watch design and engineering. Prior to the Monaco’s debut, watchmakers had been unable to create perfect water-resistant square or barrel-type cases, forcing them to produce only circular dials. TAG Heuer’s patented water-proofing system allowed for a break from the standard, rounded case, and the creation of the Monaco’s iconic square dial. Housed within the watch’s distinctive case is the Calibre 11 movement, the first-ever self-winding automatic chronograph with micro rotor. This mechanism provides wearers with precision timing comparable to the standards of professional chronometer instruments.
TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer, the leader in prestigious sports watches and chronographs since 1860, is one of the largest and fastest growing luxury Swiss watch Brands. The Swiss watch making legend draws upon its active engagement in the world of sports to create the most accurate measuring instruments and sports watches in the world. TAG Heuer is today the first watchmaker ever to master luxurious Chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th and 1/1,000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as official timekeeper to within 1/10,000th of a second for the legendary Indy 500, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim ever higher, as reflected in its partnerships with Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in Formula 1 and its two aces: Fernando Alonso, youngest ever and already two times Formula 1 world champion, and Lewis Hamilton, the GP2 world champion in 2006. With two times Formula 1 world vice-champion and Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen, with No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods and WTA No. 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova, three times world Champcar champion Sebastien Bourdais, promising talent Bruno Senna as well as Hollywood and Bollywood icons Leonardo DiCaprio and Shah Rukh Khan, TAG Heuer more than ever epitomizes Sport and Glamour !
