The newly developed carbon-composite hairspring is based on carbon nanotubes and their incredible structural stability and lightness. TAG Heuer designer Guy Bove holding the Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph There have been a couple attempts historically at using carbon (specifically carbon fiber) for hairsprings, but nothing has taken off due to the lack of solving common problems and/or functioning consistently enough.īut the new carbon-composite from TAG Heuer takes a different direction, it utilizes the best features of silicon fabrication and carbon materials and combines them to manufacture a hairspring that not only improves stability, but can be manufactured at a scale that makes it plausible as a replacement to the other hairspring technology. If it was only due to the fact that engineering a new hairspring that is as reliable as what is currently in use (Elinvar alloy and silicon) is extremely difficult, this would still be a noteworthy achievement. Why exactly is this new hairspring such big news? TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph: engineering a technical achievement
The changes necessitated by the carbon-composite hairspring are significant, and the introduction of said hairspring is undoubtedly going to be one of the highlights of 2019. The largest technical differences are in the balance spring and balance assembly. The Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph is the younger sibling of the original Carrera Heuer 02T from 2016, remaining somewhat similar in details and very similar when it comes to the base movement. The dial, case, movement, and strap also have bright neon-green highlights, visually tying everything together and adding a highlight color that has been popular with the brand in the past. The exact formation of the carbon is key to the performance of the hairspring, which I detail below. The case of the Tourbillon Nanograph is a combination of PVD titanium and forged carbon in the familiar Carrera style, but many of the small details have been modified to highlight the hexagon, the base the carbon atoms are arranged in at the atomic scale. The movement is a C.O.S.C.-certified manufacture automatic chronograph with a tourbillon, and it features a patented carbon-composite hairspring that TAG Heuer feels has proven itself better than silicon or the more traditional Elinvar alloy found in nearly every watch made today. The Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph is based on the Carrera Heuer 02T launched in 2016, the first sub-15,000 CHF Swiss-made tourbillon on the market. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph: the basics The new tech is a patented carbon composite of carbon nanotubes and amorphous carbon, and it can be found in the balance spring of the brand-new Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph, an incredible (and incredibly priced) piece of high-tech horology. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph The day after the end of SIHH 2019, I visited a brand outside the show, LVMH darling TAG Heuer, and discovered that it had quietly released something new during the preceding Richemont fanfare that represented a significant technological advance for material science. I felt this recently, and it proved to be a memorable experience as I was truly surprised by what I saw. Then surprise makes an appearance along with the giddy delight of awe! Thanks to their connections journalists may be aware of what’s coming, but sometimes the only people who know something is coming are the very people who have created it.
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However, not every technological advance can be predicted, even by those keeping a professional eye on an industry. The products are impressive, and the function seems like magic if you didn’t know it was technologically possible before now.īut tech enthusiasts have been seeing foldable and flexible screens for years, with new prototypes showing up at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) every January for a while now. Samsung is coming out with the Galaxy Fold and Chinese manufacturer Huawei is soon to release the Mate X, two different designs that see the very first commercially available folding screens. ”Ī great example of this is the foldable smartphone, once a pipedream of futurists now it becomes a reality in 2019.
Usually the precursors and stepping stones along the way to a “breakthrough” have been on your radar for months or years, so when something comes along that is touted as the next big thing, you usually think to yourself, “I was wondering when that was going to be ready for the market. When you pay attention to science and technology (and nerd out about the latest inventions), it isn’t every day that you are surprised by a new tech release.
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