Technical Perspective: A Look At The Carrera – Heuer 01 Chronograph With TAG Heuer’s Head Of Products

By Nicholas Manousos

Last month in New York City, TAG Heuer celebrated the launch of their Carrera – Heuer 01 chronograph with a spectacular event featuring new brand ambassador Tom Brady. The Carrera – Heuer 01 is a milestone watch for TAG Heuer. Besides being a manufacture automatic chronograph at a very attractive price, it is a major product launch for the brand’s new CEO, Jean-Claude Biver. Recently, HODINKEE caught up with TAG Heuer’s Head of Products, Marc Walti, for a technical discussion about the movement in the Carrera – Heuer 01.

HODINKEE: How does the Calibre Heuer 01 differ from Calibre 1887? (Note: the TAG Heuer caliber 1887 is manufactured by TAG Heuer, and is derived from a basic design from Seiko Instruments, which uses a tilting pinion design – the latter having been invented by Edouard Heuer in 1887 as an alternative to the lateral clutch system.)

TAG HEUER: The base movement for the new Calibre Heuer 01 is the Calibre 1887. We have the same dimensions, same features (50 hours power reserve, column wheel, oscillating pinion, chronograph functions…) but the esthetic has been completely reworked:

On the dial side, we can see a skeleton date disc and a skeleton “quantième” plate with black PVD treatment on fine-brushed finishing as we are now able to see the movement when it is (fitted) into the new CARRERA Heuer 01 Chronograph.

On the other side, we have a new oscillating weight shape which could remind (you of a) car’s (steering) wheel, which is now 360° with “côtes de Genêve” finishing and black PVD treatment. The main bridges are more open than on the Calibre 1887 and the column wheel is red, fitting better with TAG Heuer spirit and DNA.

HODINKEE: What was the most challenging aspect in the development of Calibre Heuer 01?

TAG HEUER: Mainly, it was the timing, as we have to go very fast to be able to present the first pieces in Basel 2015, knowing the decision of doing this new movement happened in January 2015. Even if the base movement is existing since now (a) few years, it is still difficult to do esthetical changes because it could still influence the functional part. One of the biggest …read more