The TAG Heuer Institute comprises almost 30 mathematicians, engineers and physicists – none with a background in watchmaking. And although it only officially started in September 2018, this band of scientists is fast finding themselves at the forefront of contemporary watchmaking. Here, Semon gives an insight into the birth of the TAG Heuer Institute and shares how the carbon composite hairspring is just the first of many game-changing horological inventions to come.
(Oct 2): An entirely new-to-market and revolutionary invention, TAG proprietary carbon composite hairspring hopes to replace traditional steel and metal alloy-based hairsprings, which has been used for decades in mechanical watches. The state-of-the-art component was introduced in the Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon in late-2018, and rolled out in series production this year in the revitalised Autavia collection.
According to Guy Semon, CEO of the TAG Heuer Institute, the research facility behind the invention, the carbon composite hairspring register better performance than modern-day silicon hairsprings. It is fully anti-magnetic, lightweight, impervious to shocks, and is highly robust, having been tested to up to 5G forces. (Fitted into TAG Heuer’s Calibre 5, a chronometer-certified movement, the technology is collectively known as ‘Isograph’.)
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