TAG Heuer reinterprets the legendary "Dark Lord" at Only Watch 2021. Swiss luxury watch brand TAG Heuer will be presenting a one-off, high-end carbon fiber case model based on the unprecedented square-case chronograph "Dark Lord" at the Only Watch 2021 auction.
Swiss luxury watch brand TAG Heuer is pleased to announce its return to Only Watch with the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco, a one-off, high-end, hand-finished version of the iconic square-case automatic chronograph, which will never be reproduced.
This one-of-a-kind watch will be auctioned at Only Watch 2021, a biennial charity watch auction. This year's Only Watch is scheduled to take place in Geneva on November 6th.
Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer, said:
The carbon-cased model is a true watchmaking feat, drawing on more than half a century of TAG Heuer heritage while incorporating the best of TAG Heuer's 21st-century savoir-faire and innovation. The result is a very special timepiece that pays homage to the past and symbolizes TAG Heuer's insatiable commitment to avant-garde Swiss watchmaking.
Only Watch
Only Watch was founded by Luc Pettavino and first took place in 2005. Now in its ninth year, the event, patronized by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, features the world's leading luxury watch brands, who donate stunning, one-of-a-kind timepieces to the auction. To date, Only Watch has raised over 70 million euros to support Duchenne muscular dystrophy research projects, with 99 percent of profits going directly to funding the projects.
Frédéric Arnault continued, "We wanted to support this great initiative with a memorable, one-of-a-kind timepiece that pays tribute to the legends of the past and simultaneously expresses our passion for fine watchmaking, innovation, aesthetics and avant-garde design. The TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is that watch."
Carbon Case
Aimed at TAG Heuer enthusiasts, the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is a reproduction of the legendary Monaco Reference 74033N with its black PVD case, known to collectors as the "Dark Lord." This model was produced in limited quantities in the mid-1970s and never featured in Heuer catalogs or advertisements. Today, it is extremely rare and highly sought after.
The case of the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco utilizes cutting-edge manufacturing techniques to tell the story of this exceptional watch. Crafted from black carbon fiber, it lends this watch a truly mystical appearance.
While TAG Heuer previously used carbon fiber for the Monaco case with the Monaco Bamford in 2018, this one-of-a-kind case is designed to accommodate the Monaco's largest sapphire crystal caseback to date. TAG Heuer's engineers wanted to offer the watch's future owner an unobstructed view of its bespoke movement, while maintaining the watch's water resistance.
Skeleton Dial
The striking skeleton dial, a key attraction of this watch, is also made from carbon. Developed in collaboration with ArteCad, a long-standing TAG Heuer partner and esteemed dial-making specialist, it is crafted from a single piece of carbon fibre.
The dial's architectural design relies on basic shapes milled and drilled to create striking structural forms that extend across the entire face of the watch, like the struts on a racing car. The design pays tribute to the integral role TAG Heuer has played in the evolution of modern motorsport for over 60 years.
Here we see the first example of the hand craftsmanship that goes into this watchmaking. Each of the dial's intricate skeletonized facets has been hand-chamfered using fine watchmaking techniques, giving the dial an impression of depth and multifacetedness.
Beneath, the date wheel and the top surface of the movement are visible. Normally, the top surface of a calibre is hidden by the solid dial and therefore remains untouched. But this time, TAG Heuer has chosen to hand-finish every element, even if it is partially hidden, to make it as special as possible. A decision that epitomizes the watch's meticulous attention to detail.
The Movement Adds the Finish
The TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is equipped with TAG Heuer's Swiss-made Heuer 02 automatic chronograph movement, which offers an 80-hour power reserve.
But this is a one-of-a-kind Heuer 02, created especially for this occasion. Not only is the movement beautifully hand-decorated, it also features TAG Heuer's groundbreaking, in-house carbon balance spring, developed by the TAG Heuer Institute. Used for the first time in a Heuer 02, and therefore a first for a Monaco, the carbon balance spring offers exceptional anti-magnetic and shock resistance across a wide temperature range, as well as stability and precise geometry, ensuring superior timekeeping performance.
The movement also features a unique rotor shaped like the TAG Heuer shield. The rotor is entirely hand-finished and finely lined in the Only Watch 2021's orange-to-yellow gradient color. Incredibly, the smooth transition from orange to yellow was hand-painted by master dial artist and micro-painter André Martinez, who is based in Le Locle, just a few kilometers from TAG Heuer's headquarters in the Swiss watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds.
In keeping with the Only Watch spirit, TAG Heuer has collaborated with Artime SA, a leading watchmaker in the art of finishing and decoration of movements. This further expands the bespoke story of this watch and demonstrates TAG Heuer's ongoing pursuit of traditional watchmaking savoir-faire.
This model features no fewer than 10 different hand-finishing techniques, the most obvious being the unusual latticework. This hand-applied decoration creates a checkered flag motif on and around the specially engraved bridges. To create even more depth, the movement's other hand-finishing techniques include beveling, black polishing, circular graining, straight graining, circular graining, snailed, sandblasting, chevron engraving and sunburst finishing.
Achieving this stunning effect and telling the story of fine watchmaking worthy of Only Watch requires 25 hours of additional hand-finishing.
Leather Strap Instead of Metal
To complete this captivating timepiece, TAG Heuer developed a novel leather strap that looks like a metal bracelet. The link-like effect is achieved through an advanced process that takes several months to complete. First, silicone is injected into the base of the leather. It is then heat-pressed into a mold shaped like a metal link bracelet to create the three-dimensional effect. This is the first time TAG Heuer has used this technique on a watch strap.
A story worthy of an Only Watch
The TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is the result of several months of development. The heart and soul of TAG Heuer's designers, engineers and partners have been poured into creating this exceptional timepiece, the culmination of more than 50 years of watchmaking heritage, a tradition of fine watchmaking passed down through generations and the cutting edge of today's watchmaking.
Frédéric Arnault said:
www.tagheuer.com
Twitter: @TAGHeuerJapan , Facebook: ＠TAGHeuer , LINE: @tagheuer
https://tag.hr/pr
Click here for company press release details
Swiss luxury watch brand TAG Heuer is pleased to announce its return to Only Watch with the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco, a one-off, high-end, hand-finished version of the iconic square-case automatic chronograph, which will never be reproduced.
This one-of-a-kind watch will be auctioned at Only Watch 2021, a biennial charity watch auction. This year's Only Watch is scheduled to take place in Geneva on November 6th.
Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer, said:
"Only Watch has become a major watch industry event, and we are thrilled to once again participate in the auction and support research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We are also excited to offer the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco, one of the most incredible and original watches we have ever created."
The carbon-cased model is a true watchmaking feat, drawing on more than half a century of TAG Heuer heritage while incorporating the best of TAG Heuer's 21st-century savoir-faire and innovation. The result is a very special timepiece that pays homage to the past and symbolizes TAG Heuer's insatiable commitment to avant-garde Swiss watchmaking.
Only Watch
Only Watch was founded by Luc Pettavino and first took place in 2005. Now in its ninth year, the event, patronized by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, features the world's leading luxury watch brands, who donate stunning, one-of-a-kind timepieces to the auction. To date, Only Watch has raised over 70 million euros to support Duchenne muscular dystrophy research projects, with 99 percent of profits going directly to funding the projects.
Frédéric Arnault continued, "We wanted to support this great initiative with a memorable, one-of-a-kind timepiece that pays tribute to the legends of the past and simultaneously expresses our passion for fine watchmaking, innovation, aesthetics and avant-garde design. The TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is that watch."
Carbon Case
Aimed at TAG Heuer enthusiasts, the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is a reproduction of the legendary Monaco Reference 74033N with its black PVD case, known to collectors as the "Dark Lord." This model was produced in limited quantities in the mid-1970s and never featured in Heuer catalogs or advertisements. Today, it is extremely rare and highly sought after.
The case of the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco utilizes cutting-edge manufacturing techniques to tell the story of this exceptional watch. Crafted from black carbon fiber, it lends this watch a truly mystical appearance.
While TAG Heuer previously used carbon fiber for the Monaco case with the Monaco Bamford in 2018, this one-of-a-kind case is designed to accommodate the Monaco's largest sapphire crystal caseback to date. TAG Heuer's engineers wanted to offer the watch's future owner an unobstructed view of its bespoke movement, while maintaining the watch's water resistance.
Skeleton Dial
The striking skeleton dial, a key attraction of this watch, is also made from carbon. Developed in collaboration with ArteCad, a long-standing TAG Heuer partner and esteemed dial-making specialist, it is crafted from a single piece of carbon fibre.
The dial's architectural design relies on basic shapes milled and drilled to create striking structural forms that extend across the entire face of the watch, like the struts on a racing car. The design pays tribute to the integral role TAG Heuer has played in the evolution of modern motorsport for over 60 years.
Here we see the first example of the hand craftsmanship that goes into this watchmaking. Each of the dial's intricate skeletonized facets has been hand-chamfered using fine watchmaking techniques, giving the dial an impression of depth and multifacetedness.
Beneath, the date wheel and the top surface of the movement are visible. Normally, the top surface of a calibre is hidden by the solid dial and therefore remains untouched. But this time, TAG Heuer has chosen to hand-finish every element, even if it is partially hidden, to make it as special as possible. A decision that epitomizes the watch's meticulous attention to detail.
The Movement Adds the Finish
The TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is equipped with TAG Heuer's Swiss-made Heuer 02 automatic chronograph movement, which offers an 80-hour power reserve.
But this is a one-of-a-kind Heuer 02, created especially for this occasion. Not only is the movement beautifully hand-decorated, it also features TAG Heuer's groundbreaking, in-house carbon balance spring, developed by the TAG Heuer Institute. Used for the first time in a Heuer 02, and therefore a first for a Monaco, the carbon balance spring offers exceptional anti-magnetic and shock resistance across a wide temperature range, as well as stability and precise geometry, ensuring superior timekeeping performance.
The movement also features a unique rotor shaped like the TAG Heuer shield. The rotor is entirely hand-finished and finely lined in the Only Watch 2021's orange-to-yellow gradient color. Incredibly, the smooth transition from orange to yellow was hand-painted by master dial artist and micro-painter André Martinez, who is based in Le Locle, just a few kilometers from TAG Heuer's headquarters in the Swiss watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds.
In keeping with the Only Watch spirit, TAG Heuer has collaborated with Artime SA, a leading watchmaker in the art of finishing and decoration of movements. This further expands the bespoke story of this watch and demonstrates TAG Heuer's ongoing pursuit of traditional watchmaking savoir-faire.
This model features no fewer than 10 different hand-finishing techniques, the most obvious being the unusual latticework. This hand-applied decoration creates a checkered flag motif on and around the specially engraved bridges. To create even more depth, the movement's other hand-finishing techniques include beveling, black polishing, circular graining, straight graining, circular graining, snailed, sandblasting, chevron engraving and sunburst finishing.
Achieving this stunning effect and telling the story of fine watchmaking worthy of Only Watch requires 25 hours of additional hand-finishing.
Leather Strap Instead of Metal
To complete this captivating timepiece, TAG Heuer developed a novel leather strap that looks like a metal bracelet. The link-like effect is achieved through an advanced process that takes several months to complete. First, silicone is injected into the base of the leather. It is then heat-pressed into a mold shaped like a metal link bracelet to create the three-dimensional effect. This is the first time TAG Heuer has used this technique on a watch strap.
A story worthy of an Only Watch
The TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco is the result of several months of development. The heart and soul of TAG Heuer's designers, engineers and partners have been poured into creating this exceptional timepiece, the culmination of more than 50 years of watchmaking heritage, a tradition of fine watchmaking passed down through generations and the cutting edge of today's watchmaking.
Frédéric Arnault said:
"I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the team at TAG Heuer for creating a timepiece that pushes the boundaries of watchmaking. I also wish His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Luc Pettavino, Christie's, and the Only Watch team every success with this year's auction. See you in Geneva."
www.tagheuer.com
Twitter: @TAGHeuerJapan , Facebook: ＠TAGHeuer , LINE: @tagheuer
https://tag.hr/pr
Click here for company press release details
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