Written By: Teresa Greco
There are launches, and then there are turning points. TAG Heuer’s new TH-Carbonspring lands in the latter category—a next-generation carbon hairspring engineered to improve environmental resistance, day-to-day stability, and chronometric performance in real-world wear. After years of development and thousands of test hours, the component has been readied for production with a five-year warranty, signalling confidence in both its durability and its purpose: better behaviour on the wrist, every day.
The technology arrives industrialized, built in-house by the TAG Heuer LAB and produced within a vertically integrated network of Swiss manufacturing centres. Four patent applications support the programme (one granted, three pending), underscoring that this is a platform TAG Heuer intends to evolve.
Why carbon, and why now
Across five centuries of mechanical watchmaking, the oscillator has advanced through better materials: from steel to high-grade alloys and, more recently, silicon. Carbon now steps forward with a trio of practical benefits. First, the hairspring is amagnetic, helping preserve precision amid today’s magnetic fields. Second, it is resistant to shocks, countering the micro-impacts of daily life. Third, carbon’s lower inertia supports improved chronometry. In plain terms: the watch keeps its cool—on the subway, at the desk, during travel—wherever a discerning wearer actually lives.
The team refined the hairspring’s resistance and stability step by step, using each iteration—good and bad—to move forward until the LAB confirmed it was ready for serial watches. As Emmanuel Dupas, TAG Heuer’s Technical Director, puts it:
“Given the scale and complexity of the goal we set ourselves at the TAG Heuer LAB, the innovation process has involved countless steps and at least as many failures as successes… There are no short cuts. Only hard work, backed by a healthy level of scientific doubt and the competences of your team.”
A cohesive carbon story—outside and in
To debut the technology, TAG Heuer chose its two emblematic canvases, Monaco and Carrera—icons of motorsport pedigree and design audacity. Both present a unified carbon narrative: forged-carbon cases for lightness and rigidity; forged-carbon dials engraved with a snail-shaped spiral that echoes the geometry of a hairspring; and the TH-Carbonspring itself driving the movement within. Past and present meet in seamless harmony—material innovation you can see and feel, anchored by a change you can’t see but will certainly experience.
Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring
The Monaco reads like a stealth sculpture in 39 mm of forged carbon—crown and pushers to match—with a bevelled sapphire and 100 m water-resistance. Inside, the TH20-60 flyback (COSC; 80-hour reserve) drives a forged-carbon dial engraved in a hairspring spiral. Limited to 50 numbered pieces, the Monaco lands in December 2025 at US $17,900, a purposeful flagship for TAG Heuer’s new carbon heartbeat.
A black flange carries the 60-second/minute scale, while the tri-compax layout keeps timing intuitive—chronograph minutes at 3, hours at 9, running seconds at 6. Black-gold hour/minute hands with white Super-LumiNova®, carbon indexes, and a white luminous flyback central chronograph hand prioritize legibility without breaking the monochrome mood. A black rubber strap (textile-embossed) with a black DLC grade-2 titanium folding clasp completes the package. Through the square sapphire caseback, the movement’s architecture underlines that this Monaco is as serious inside as it looks from across a room.
Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring
The 44 mm Carrera takes a sport-forward stance in forged carbon with a matching tachymeter bezel, crown at 9, and 100 m water-resistance. A flying tourbillon at 6 shares the stage with the TH20-61 (COSC; 65-hour reserve). Limited to 50 pieces, the Carrera begins deliveries in Q1 2026 at US $42,100, positioning the tourbillon as the second wave of TAG Heuer’s carbon revolution.
Round forged-carbon pushers and a black sandblasted DLC grade-2 titanium caseback complete the build. The dial reprises the spiral-engraved forged carbon, with chronograph counters at 3 and 9 and the tourbillon framed by a black-gold ring. Carbon indexes with white Super-LumiNova® and facetted black-gold hands deliver high-contrast readability, while the white lacquered central chronograph hand keeps elapsed time crystal clear at a glance.
Together, Monaco and Carrera create a unified carbon narrative—case, dial, and oscillator working as one—so the design you see mirrors the engineering you don’t. It’s here that the human side of the project lands with weight. Dupas reflects:
“We’ve devoted nine years of our lives to opening a new chapter in the wonderful story of precision mechanical watchmaking… and of the everyday performance enhancements it will deliver to TAG Heuer owners.”
Purpose over novelty
The message is not “job done,” but “game on.” TH-Carbonspring marks the first step in a continuing programme to deliver high-performance mechanical watches with meaningful everyday gains. Antoine Pin, TAG Heuer’s CEO, captures the larger arc: “The TH-Carbonspring is a major watchmaking breakthrough and a milestone in the history of this endlessly innovative 165-year-old company… an epic, heroic achievement that only a brand Designed to Win could have pulled off… This is avant-garde watchmaking for the 21st century. This is TAG Heuer.”