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."
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