On its 150th anniversary, watchmaker TAG Heuer bids farewell to convention with the introduction of a concept mechanical watch which runs without the use of a hairspring.
Traditionally, mechanical movements rely on a coiled hairspring to provide the torque necessary for the balance wheel to oscillate at a regulated frequency.
In seeking to eliminate the hairspring from a watch's mechanical movement, TAG Heuer had to come up with an alternate energy source to regulate the balance wheel. The TAG Heuer Pendulum Concept is the result. The mechanism is based on physical magnetic properties, with the balance wheel connected to a rotating magnet that reacts with the fixed magnet surrounding it. Patents for this system have been filed.
The absence of the hairspring's mass means that the movement improves in both precision and performance. But the problem of temperature sensitivity still stands, and the brand is working on overcoming the difficulty so the concept watch can become reality.
The TAG Heuer Grand Carrera model is chosen to house this movement, and the dial aperture at nine o'clock allows for a clear view of the oscillating balance wheel.
TAG Heuer is also launching a new Carrera model in celebration of its anniversary. The Carrera 1887 Chronograph is fitted with an automatic chronograph movement that contains a re-engineered version of the brand's original 1887-patented oscillating pinion. The movement also has a High Efficiency Rewinding (Her) system, a bi-directional automatic structure that is 30 per cent more efficient than the inversor system used in most Swiss chronographs.