ASTRONOMICAL AMBITIONS

TAG Heuer refuses to stand still and its latest horological innovation and slew of new releases show that unbridled ambition.

- FARHAN SHAH

IMAGINE SPENDING A DECADE on a single idea. TAG Heuer did—and a global pandemic, geopolitical tumult, and numerous financial crises didn't deter the watchmaker from its goal. Finally, during Geneva Watch Days 2025, it unveiled the TH-Carbonspring, 350 years after Dutch genius Christian Huygens first invented the modern oscillator by pairing the balance wheel with the TH-Carbonspring's predecessor, the hairspring.

The latter enables watchmakers to control the watch movement's oscillation. When the balance wheel rotates, the hairspring will pull it back in the opposite direction to ensure precise, consistent beats. Unfortunately, shocks, temperature changes, and magnetism would affect the accuracy of a hairspring since it was crafted from steel.

As the years passed, watchmakers experimented with different materials to reduce these effects. Eventually, most embraced silicon a few decades ago. It didn't need lubrication, was unaffected by magnetic fields, and was lighter than the metals that preceded it.

Unfortunately, as CEO Antoine Pin says in an interview with World Tempus, “TAG Heuer had no access to silicon” as it was covered by many patents. “So, our teams decided 10 years ago to find an alternative: carbon.”