Tag Heuer Monaco Calibre 360 LS
Tag Heuer has plenty to celebrate. Last month it opened a new flagship store in Tsim Sha Tsui, and its Monaco Calibre 360LS watch won the iF (International Forum Design) product design award 2007. The watch, which was unveiled at BaselWorld last year, is a concept chronograph with a mechanical movement capable of timing to one-hundredth of a second, the first watch with that capability, according to the brand. The key functions of the square-faced chronograph - an oversized 1/100th second chronograph counter, a 15-minute counter, a 100-minute power reserve indicator, and a linear second indicator - are revealed through engine bridges on the watch face. The brand's attention to detail is demonstrated in a faceted polished steel case and a curved sapphire crystal glass top whose sides integrate with the case.
Tag Heuer Monaco V4
The engineering of performance watches is a profession for those with patience and attention to detail, as Tag Heuer demonstrates with its Monaco V4. With its architectural construction, prototypes of the watch debuted at BaselWorld 2004. But there is still some way to go before the final product is launched on the market. The watch has caused a stir for its innovative V-shaped movement, which was inspired by the cylinders of sports cars. The movement uses toothed belts instead of the traditional gear transmission component. Tag Heuer chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin said it had reviewed its procedures for the V4 and, rather than rush into construction using modern technology, had taken a gradual approach. 'We wanted above all to break down a watch movement into sub-assemblies and to simulate and validate each of them theoretically before thinking of making prototypes.'
