FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera and Monaco TH-Carbonspring Limited Editions

Hello dear reader! As you can see from the blog header above we are about to celebrate nine years of the TAG Heuer Enthusiast. Quite an achievement you might think, but as the late, great Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister once said when asked how he managed to keep Motorhead going for forty years, the key to keeping going is simple - don't stop. Wise words indeed. And as it happens, I may well be paying homage to the great man as you read this as I intend to visit Stoke on Trent this week to see the statue they've erected there for him. Not that most of you are Motorhead fans I'm sure, but my very first gig ever was Motorhead in 1983, so Lemmy will always have a special place in my heart. 

Anyway, you didn't come here to read about my teenage exploits did you? So let's turn our attention to the matter in hand, namely carbon hairsprings. Now, I'm sure some of you will remember about seven years ago TAG Heuer launched the Carrera Nanograph, a funky looking thing that was covered in hexagons and topped with lime green accents... I loved it, but unfortunately at £26000 it was definitely out of my reach (currently there's one on Watchfinder though for about half that, if you're interested).

Oddly, because it makes zero sense, about a month later TAG Heuer released the Autavia Isograph which used the same technology in a watch costing about 15% of the price. I mean, why on Earth you would do that I do not know... at least give it a year or something! Well anyway, it turned out to be a terrible idea because the simple fact was that the carbon hairsprings just didn't work with the Calibre 5 movement and TAG Heuer ended up recalling the lot, then reissuing them with standard Calibre 5 movements. Rather embarrassing that, and if I'm honest, slightly worrying from a QA perspective!

It wasn't that the tech itself was fatally flawed, it seems the carbon hairspring in the Nanograph worked just fine, it just wasn't suitable for use with a slightly more 'agricultural' movement like a Calibre 5 and they struggled to make the parts work in large quantities. But anyway, TAG Heuer continued refining the tech and now they're back with these two new fancy carbon models to entice us!

Unfortunately they're still rather expensive, in fact in the case of the tourbillon even more expensive, but they do look rather spiffing, especially the Monaco which is surely in the running for C.O.C.O. Watch of the Year. I must admit these pictures left me a little lukewarm on it, but once I got to see it in a video I changed my mind pretty damned quick. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the slightly peculiar shape of the subdials (which really stood out in the video that I saw), but other than that it's a 'ding-dong' from me.

The Carrera Tourbillon is less exciting honestly, and this is reflected in the Council's scoring too - quite a significant difference in the totals as you'll see in a moment. But still it is quite nice and who doesn't love watches made with bits of forged carbon? A nice touch on both is the spiral design on the dial, meant to represent the carbon hairspring. At first you might imagine these are simply concentric circles but if you look closely you will see that in fact they are not.

Only fifty of each of these have been made and if what I've heard is correct if you haven't already got your Monaco secured then you're probably far too late. The Carrera, being twice the price, is probably a lot easier to acquire, which makes me wonder why they didn't perhaps make 100 Monacos and probably 25 Carreras?

But who am I to tell TAG Heuer how to run their business? I'm sure they know what they are doing and speaking of people who know what they're doing it's time to turn these over to the esteemed 'Council of Considered Opinion'. They love a Monaco, don't they.... but will they love this one?

Monaco 9.5/10, Carrera 8.5/10: "These carbon beauties are genuinely two of the best they've done this year, with the Monaco being my dead cert for WOTY!"

Monaco  7.5/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "Carrera Tourbillon; I love the stealth look from the carbon but very legible. Monaco; This really grew on me. I thought I preferred the Carrera but the Monaco just looks so much better. Love the carbon dials on both though."

Monaco 3/10, Carrera 3.0/10: "On drugs with their pricing, looks not for me."

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "I love an unreadable carbon dial."

Monaco 9.0/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "I'm not sure if I can actually purchase it, but I've reserved the Monaco. It's a limited edition of 50 pieces and extremely difficult to obtain. The Monaco's case back has been redesigned, now entirely covered in sapphire crystal – it looks absolutely splendid. As for the Carrera Tourbillon, I find the price rather steep. In any case, I must commend TAG Heuer for reviving the carbon hairspring."

Monaco 6.0/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "Not sure about the spiral detail on the dials tbh - maybe it looks better in real life?"

Monaco 5/10, Carrera 5.5/10: "I don't like those concentric circles on the dial at all... not to mention the prices. They're certainly not my favourite Monaco or Tourbillon..."

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 4.5/10: "Monaco - I like it. It reminds me of the 2021 OnlyWatch Carbon Monaco. While I would never consider buying one, the price isn't that horrendous considering the Carbon Monza is priced at $14,650 and doesn't have the carbon-hairspring tech in it. I also think the cheeky way they incorporated the concentric circles of the spring into the dial is kind of fun, along with housing it in carbon. Carrera Tourbillon - I've never been a fan of the Carrera Extreme Sport or Carrera Tourbillons, so this one misses the mark for me."

Monaco 5.0/10, Carrera 5.0/10: "Absolutely not my cup of tea but I can see how some people could be attracted to them. The price point is ludicrous, though… I’ll give them both a solid “meh” with a 5/10 each."

Monaco 4.0/10, Carrera 5.0/10: "‘Techniques & d'Avant Garde’ all over the place!"

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 6.0/10: "Like the high-tech hairsprings, but overall they both seem rather dull and monochromatic. And, you'll never convince me a rubber strap is "avant garde" or "haute horlogerie", especially for a watch at that price point."

Monaco 9.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "Those are two badass watches. The Monaco looks awesome."

Monaco 5.0/10, Carrera 1.0/10: "They look like black and white photos. Prefer a splash of colour myself, but the Monaco is pretty cool. Don't like the Carrera at all."

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 3.0/10: "Monaco looks clean, but a bit too stealth for my preference. Looks like the dial has some extra depth, and if so, cool touch. As for the Carrera I don't like the look of this one; it is too busy. Not a fan of tourbillons, either, so that doesn't help my score."

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 5/10: "I really like the look of the Monaco, not so much for the Carrera."

Monaco 7.0/10, Carrera 4.0/10: "The Monaco, even though it's still a decent bit too expensive for what it is, it's interesting to see the flyback movement positioned more realistically in the market... but the Carrera will languish in display cases..."

Monaco 9.0/10, Carrera 5.0/10: "2025 is a great fυcking year for the Monaco! 🤩But I hope they sell zero of this one though because the price is an absolute joke LOL"

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "I was tempted to pre-order the Monaco a few weeks ago, but the price was eye watering in the US."

Monaco 8.0/10, Carrera 7.0/10: "Love it. the Monaco is exceptionally very well done."

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carrera and Monaco TH-Carbonspring by Time & Tide Watches

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer Calibre 7 Limited Editions

Sure enough, and just as I predicted, the Carrera 'Astronomer' sent to the GPHG for appraisal wasn't a stand alone model and so now we have two more 'Astronomers' to add to the 2025 'Council of Considered Opinion: Watch of the Year' entry list. Unlike the initial piece though these two are limited editions (both made in runs of 500), but with one of them carrying quite a hefty price premium over the other... well, they don't call 'em precious metals for nothing you know!

First up we have the more affordable of the two, which is 'Inspired by TAG Heuer’s role in John Glenn’s historic Friendship 7 mission in 1962...' and which '...celebrates the brand’s pioneering spirit in space exploration'. This one most notably features Superluminova on the 'moons' and a grey leather strap. I must admit initially I wasn't too keen on this one but the more I've seen it (and the more real life photos I've come across) the more it's started to grow on me. 

The lumed moons may be gimmicky, I mean come on... but who doesn't love some crazy lume on their watch? Do you know how often I shine a torch on my carbon Solargraph? Honestly, it's embarrassing.... hahaha. Grey leather I'm not so sure about, in fact I can't help wishing they'd given this the full blackout treatment and then those moons would really shine. But okay, this is more of a stylish proposition I guess... and who knows, maybe they have that in mind for the future? 

Secondly we have this two tone version, which is quite nice, but again with the pricing.... it's just not viable is it, this tiny bit of gold with a £1700 premium? Okay it's not as obscene as the £3500 bracelet we saw on the Day/Date Carreras recently but it's still pretty hard to justify. A shame really as it looks quite nice, but at the same time it also looks like they 'forgot' to put the gold on the other two mid links and that really isn't a great look.

Actually the gold details on the dial look nice too, and they really seem to bring out the finer points and give the dial a bit more depth somehow, which is always good. I just can't help feeling that they should have either given it a gold crown and left the bracelet as plain steel, or bitten the bullet and done the three mid links and priced it at £8500. I mean there's only 500 to shift after all... 😂

Okay, well once again it's time to turn these over to the Council, lets find out if these are a hit or a miss with them...

Gold 5/10, Grey 7/10: "I find it unacceptable that only the centre of the two-tone bracelet is gold. I prefer the Grey one. Having seen the actual item, I thought this one was elegant and something I'd like to buy."

Gold 8/10, Grey 5.5/10: "I like the silver grey and green combination but the astronomer circle bit is too prominent and the cheap-looking strap brings it down to a 5.5. I much prefer the design on the silver / rose gold model and my score for that is 8."

Gold 3.5/10, Grey 5/10: "Lumed Astronomer; 5/10. The lume adds a nice aesthetic touch to this watch and makes a lot of sense. Two tone Astronomer; 3.5/10 It's ok but for the price difference it's just not worth it for the small amount of gold."

Gold 3/10, Grey 3/10: "TAG returns again to avant garde, innovative use of a cheap Sellita movement for twice the price of the many microbrands using the same thing. Seriously, just google SW288 and see."

Gold 6.5/10, Grey 6.5/10: "The Sellita comment made me regret my pre-order. So I switched and used the funds towards something else."

Gold 7.5/10, Grey 7.5/10: "Two tone doesn’t seem to do more for the watch to me, I do like the lume on the grey one."

Gold 5/10, Grey 3/10: "The two tone has something. Can think of nicer looking watches for the money though."

Gold 3/10, Grey 2/10: "That's generous for these shitters."

Gold 6/10, Grey 6/10: "They're both equally nice to me for different reasons. I'll give them all a 6/10, same score I gave the silver Astronomer. The Astronomer is a nice watch, but I prefer the clean & classic look of the standard Carrera. While the moon phase sub-dial might be a cool novelty, for me it just detracts and distracts from the overall look of the watch."

Gold 7/10, Grey 7/10: "The two-tone I like. Maybe better with a brown leather strap. The grey one looks interesting for me as well. Lume is cool! Need to see this in person."

Gold 7/10, Grey 9/10: "I’ve seen it in person and it’s gorgeous, it's just a disappointment that it's a limited edition. I'm not so keen on the gold version." 

Gold 7/10, Grey 7/10: "The colour variants are nice, but still have the same complaint about the crowded lunar subdial. Also a bit disappointed, but not surprised, that a such small amount of gold causes such a large increase in price."

Gold 5/10, Grey 7/10: "I gave 6.5/10 to the first one, so it’s a 7/10 for the grey (which is my favourite Astronomer version), and 5/10 for the two tone."

Gold 6/10, Grey 8/10: "The lume on the moons is nice. Two tone, mmmh..."

Gold 6/10, Grey 6.5/10: "Mmmm, 6/10 for the two tone and 6.5\10 for the white face due to maybe good lume for night use, not joining a queue to buy though. My desk diary tells the moon phase without spending that money."

Gold 6/10, Grey 8.5: "I’m not sure about that tone of rose gold, but I absolutely love the grey with that tone of green lume."

VIDEO: The Watch that Saved Heuer by Vintage Watch Service

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Monaco Limited Edition, Carrera Extreme Sports Chronograph & Aquaracer 'Beaverbrooks Exclusive' Solargraph

 

Beaverbrooks / Meadowhall, Sheffield 6th September 2025

TAG Heuer Boutique / Meadowhall, Sheffield, 6th September 2025

Well my last 'On the Wrist' post was a bit negative wasn't it? So let's redress the balance slightly with this one, which also focuses on watches I tried out on the same day in Sheffield.

First of all, my wife and I visited Beaverbrooks where she was eager to see the new 'Beaverbrooks Exclusive' Aquaracer in... turquoise (or Tiffany blue, if you prefer) and since I've already made my reservations about the new 34mm Aquaracers clear (mainly the ugly-ass bezel!) I decided to keep my mouth well and truly shut and let her make up her own mind. 

Well she certainly liked the colour (although it wasn't quite as striking as she'd hoped), we know she likes diamond hour markers, the bezel didn't seem to be an issue for her and she loves the idea of a 15 year battery (and speaking as the person who ends up changing all her batteries for her, so do I!) but in the end she concluded that £2700 was a lot of money that could buy her something more exciting from Watchfinder. 

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 by Random Rob

ON THE WRIST: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Senna' LE Tourbillon & F1 Solargraphs

 

6th September 2025 / TAG Heuer Boutique, Meadowhall, Sheffield

6th Septermber 2025 / Beaverbrooks, Meadowhall, Sheffield

Last November TAG Heuer released the long awaited 'special' Senna watch... the one that Julien Tornare spoke about in that interview with Wei Koh of Revolution Watches... the one that made us think that maybe TAG Heuer were actually about to do something crazy like a new S/EL. Oh how silly did we feel when that proved to be completely wide of the mark?

But our embarrassment turned to shock when we saw the price of this new (not limited) Senna tourbillon, priced as it was with a £12,000 premium over the rest of the range. Of course this was before 'The Great Tourbillon Repositioning' where TAG Heuer decided to increase the prices of all their tourbillon watches by about £10,000 overnight... (oh yes they did).

The logic seemingly being that they weren't selling at £20k so maybe they will sell at £30k. And that's not me being sarcastic, that's literally how the luxury industry operates - make a product more expensive and it appears more exclusive and thus more desirable. I know, crazy, right? But that's literally how it works sometimes... and anyway, any bragging rights TAG Heuer once enjoyed for selling the 'cheapest' Swiss made tourbillon have long since lost their impact, so why not?

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Carbon Monaco and Carrera Tourbillon by Revolution Watches

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Carrera 'Astronomer' Calibre 7 Watch

 

I've often wondered when, or indeed 'if' TAG Heuer would ever get around to making a watch with a 'moonphase' complication... after all, moonphases tend to be reserved for the kind of watches that have blued hands, white guilloche dials and Roman numerals - which is clearly not TAG Heuer's bag. But with the release of the Seafarer last year we were told it was a variation on the moonphase complication, so you might have expected a new moonphase to come in the shape of a modified calibre TH20-00, but it seems that isn't what this is. According to the GPHG website the movement is a Calibre 7 (so Selitta) which seems a bit odd, to submit a watch to GPHG without an in-house movement (unless this is one of those 'designed with Selitta, but not actually in-house so no 5 year warranty watches, maybe?). 

As far as I know this watch doesn't actually come out for a few weeks yet and normally I wouldn't post about a watch before it's released, but this one has been submitted to GPHG for appraisal so effectively it's 'out there' and fair game. You might remember this happened last year too with the Carrera Skeleton Extreme, and like that one I have a feeling this might not be a single watch release so it will be interesting to see what comes along.

VIDEO: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph by Brent Miller Time