TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph
The TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph is packed with cutting-edge technology and features a myriad of different materials. It looks very different from its forebears but serves to reinforce the company’s reputation for making Swiss, avant-garde timepieces.
In 1962, Jack Heuer attended the 12 Hours Race at Sebring in Florida. He chatted to the parents of the Rodriguez brothers, two talented racing drivers who were particularly young, just 19 and 21 years of age. The concerned parents expressed their relief their young sons could not participate in the Carrera Panamericana Mexico, reputedly the most dangerous race at the time, held in their home nation.
Something clicked in Jack’s mind. He loved the word ‘Carrera’, he reportedly said it sounded “sexy”. On returning to Switzerland, Jack registered the name ‘Heuer Carrera’ and in so doing wrote the first chapter of a story that has since become a best seller.
Peerless legibility is a trait common to all Carrera models. Initially, the Heuer Carrera was a chronograph but, thereafter, the line was extended to include three-handers and GMT models. While I adore the period styling of the Heuer Carrera 2447S and several other models from the 1960s, I believe the finest examples of the Carrera have actually been released in the last couple of years.
In 2020, the Swiss avant-garde brand revisited the Carrera chronograph, upgrading numerous elements. Last year, the luxury marque updated the three-hand models. In both cases, the design team at TAG Heuer, led by Guy Bove, the firm’s Creative Director, expended much time and effort refining the appearance of each reference. The juxtaposing of satin-brushed and polished surfaces, a new design for the hands and indexes and a slimmer, ergonomically optimised bracelet were just some of the improvements. The latest versions of the Carrera chronograph also feature the Calibre Heuer 02, a superb self-winding movement featuring a column wheel and vertical coupling.
The Swiss marque often presents its logo with the strapline ‘Swiss avant-garde since 1860’ and the company’s latest creation, the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph, is without doubt, very avant-garde. Allow me to explain.
The dial
This may be a new TAG Heuer model, but the brand has not abandoned the existing design language en-masse. The hour and minute hands uphold the styling first seen on the current Carrera Chronograph, updated in 2020. They are rhodium-plated and presented in a matte black lacquer finish and lined with white SLN. Likewise, the elaborate indexes are rhodium-plated, feature the brand’s eye-catching stepped design and have a rectangular strip of SLN positioned between the index and the nearby minute track. So far, so Carrera. However, look again and you see the indexes are white gold and set with lab-grown diamonds.
I must confess prior to seeing the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph I knew little about lab-grown diamonds, but with my interest suitably piqued, I made some enquires with Mr Google. Lab-grown diamonds share the same physical and chemical properties as natural diamonds. By employing cutting-edge technology, a lab can replicate the natural processes that create the diamonds found in the ground. There are two forms of lab-grown diamonds, High Pressure and High Temperature (HPHT) Synthetic Diamond and Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) Synthetic Diamond. TAG Heuer has elected to use the latter variety.
According to Edouard Mignon, Chief Innovation Officer, TAG Heuer & LVMH Watches & Jewellery Division, “Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technology, which we refer to as ‘Diamant d’Avant-Garde’ at TAG Heuer, enables us to explore the versatility of carbon in the form of lab-grown diamonds – to create a stunning timepiece where diamonds are used in very unique shapes and textures. Lab-grown diamonds allow us to innovate and experiment with this exceptional material, and this opens up a new realm of possibilities for designers, watchmakers and engineers.”
It is impossible to discern the difference between lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds merely with the naked eye. Therefore, diamond traders often use a spectrometer device to ascertain whether a diamond is natural, HPHT grown, CVD grown or merely a synthetic spinel. Certainly, when I recently viewed the Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph at Watches & Wonders 2022, the lab-grown diamonds gracing the dial and case looked natural to my untrained eyes. What is interesting with this technology is that lab-grown diamonds can be produced in different shapes with specific physical properties, something I have no doubt the brand will explore further in years to come.
The dial is rhodium-plated brass but covered with a polycrystalline diamond plate (3.9 ct) that has a wonderfully textured, seemingly porous epidermis. Interestingly, the diamond plate is grown as one component.
As previously mentioned, this watch is equipped with a tourbillon. The escapement and regulating organ are housed within a cage which is driven by the fourth wheel. The cage rotates 360° every minute, negating the adverse influence of gravity on the regulating organ. Beyond the chronometric prowess of the Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph, the wearer is indulged with a fascinating animated performance of various components moving in synchrony.
The TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph is, without question, a complex creation, however, consistent with Jack Heuer’s design philosophy, the dial proves eminently simple to read.
The case
With the case, once again, the Swiss firm serves up another portion of avant-garde deliciousness. The 44mm case is presented in black sandblasted anodised aluminium, a lightweight material seldom used for watch housings. The lugs and caseband are again set with lab-grown diamonds, this time 48 in number (4.2 ct in total). The arrangement of the stones and their size seems a tad random and shuns convention but the overall appearance looks incredible.
The crown is made from a lab-grown diamond (2.5 ct in total). The pushbuttons are sandblasted, while the capstan-like covers are made from ADLC-treated steel. TAG Heuer has selected black ceramic for the bezel, encompassing polished and satin-finished surfaces, equipped it with a tachymeter scale. Throughout the composition, the high-end watch firm has not been afraid to combine several high-tech materials and the result proves cohesive and pleasing to the eye.
Front of house, the sapphire crystal is domed, while to the rear, the caseback also subscribes to the ubiquitous stealthy colour scheme and affords sight of the self-winding movement.
The movement
The TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph features a self-winding movement, a column wheel chronograph and, as its name implies, a tourbillon. The bridges are adorned with an eye-catching checkered pattern, once again, setting aside convention.
Most mechanical watches feature an alloy hairspring made of iron, nickel and chromium. However, a few years ago, some watch companies looked at silicon (silicium in French) as an alternative. This latter material is temperature stable, friction-free, not liable to corrosion, smooth and has good elasticity. Moreover, silicon can be used to make other components such as escape wheels and anchors. Unfortunately, silicon is like glass and, as such, it can readily break.
The TAG Heuer Institute, a subsidiary of the watch brand, is staffed by various scientists and watchmakers. It has developed an in-house carbon hairspring. A few years ago, I interviewed Guy Sémon, then CEO of the TAG Heuer Institute, and discussed this groundbreaking technology in detail should you wish to learn more.
Carbon hairsprings replicate the benefits of silicon hairsprings, but are less fragile. They are shock-resistant, very smooth, flat and can be made with optimised geometry, delivering superior chronometry. Unlike silicon, the frequency of the balance can be controlled with a raquette (index adjuster) which is easier to regulate than a variable inertia balance.
When a watchmaker uses a conventional hairspring, they need to affix the hairspring to the balance staff using a collet. This is a very time-consuming process and can introduce a degree of variance that can impair precision. However, the carbon hairspring has the collet already attached, hence it makes production simpler and it also enhances accuracy. Speaking of accuracy, the Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph is a COSC-certified chronometer, providing independent assurance that the watch delivers high precision under a range of conditions eg various positions and different temperatures.
Closing remarks
Aesthetically speaking, the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph is large and bold. It’s festooned with diamonds in various sizes which appear positioned at random. Dressed in a brooding shade of black, the overall composition looks fabulous.
This watch demonstrates what is possible. It reminds me of a concept car (albeit this watch is on sale with an asking price of CHF 350,0000) that exhibits new technology and provides the public with a glimpse of the future. Indeed, the Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph showcases ideas that can enrich the aesthetic appearance of a watch while simultaneously delivering superior chronometry. I suspect this know-how will be applied to more affordable watches in the future, which sounds like a mouthwatering prospect.
TAG Heuer has always been innovative ever since Edouard Heuer patented the oscillating pinion in 1887. With the Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph, the brand maintains its reputation for being both inventive and avant-garde.
As for the Carrera, a story that began in 1962, it would appear there are many more chapters yet to be written.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph
- References: XCBN5A90.FC8315
- Case: Sandblasted black anodised aluminium case set with 48 lab-grown diamonds (4.2 ct in total); diameter 44 mm; sapphire crystal to the front and solid case back.
- Functions: Hours; minutes; chronograph
- Movement: HEUER02 Tourbillon Nanograph, COSC-certified
- Strap: Rolled-up strap in black calfskin with black lining with black sandblasted ardillon clasp in titanium grade 2 with ADLC treatment
- Price: CHF 350,000 (RRP as at 22.4.2022)