TAG Heuer Unveils Watchmaking 'Breakthrough' 10 Years in the Making

By Nick Hall - News

Published: 7 Sep 2025

Readtime: 6 min

Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.

In the grand bastion of watchmaking, the words TAG Heuer and innovation are rarely far apart. For more than 160 years, the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based luxury watchmaker has built a reputation for pushing the boundaries of design, technology and craftsmanship. From the oscillating pinion mechanism on which the brand’s philosophy is built to the groundbreaking Calibre 11 self-winding chronograph unveiled in 1969, TAG Heuer’s legacy is defined by pioneering achievements. At Geneva Watch Days 2025, the Swiss maison added another notch to its illustrious belt.

In a landmark move described as a “technical breakthrough that will shape the future of mechanical watchmaking,” TAG Heuer unveiled the TH-Carbonspring oscillator. Announced alongside two limited-edition timepieces, this innovation brings Christian Huygens’ 17th-century invention into the modern age.

Conceived over 350 years ago by the Dutch polymath, oscillator mechanisms traditionally include a hairspring that allows watchmakers to control the oscillation of the balance wheel. This improves both timekeeping precision and portability. In recent years, watchmakers have shifted to silicon balance springs due to their low maintenance and high resistance properties, but with the TH-Carbonspring oscillator, TAG Heuer is taking things in an entirely new direction.

TH-Carbonspring Oscillator

Developed by TAG Heuer’s in-house watchmakers, engineers and technicians, the TH-Carbonspring oscillator reportedly took a decade of research and development. The mechanism features an amagnetic hairspring resistant to magnetism and shocks, produced from ultra-lightweight carbon. Aside from improving ergonomics, the weight reduction enhances chronometric performance, boosts environmental resistance and provides long-term stability.

According to TAG Heuer technical director Emmanuel Dupas, conceptualising the TH-Carbonspring Oscillator involved countless steps and “at least as many failures as successes.” The result, however, is a hairspring that works reliably and consistently for thousands of hours, delivering exceptional mechanical timekeeping precision.

Technicians at the TAG Heuer LAB | Image: TAG Hruer

“Given the scale and complexity of the goal we set ourselves at the TAG Heuer LAB, the innovation process has involved countless steps and at least as many failures as successes,” Dupas said. “It starts with intuition, then a hypothesis, then development, and then testing. Each result carries weight. Sometimes a result gives you confidence in your hypothesis. Other times, it goes against it, and your hypothesis breaks down. There are no shortcuts. Only hard work, backed by a healthy level of scientific doubt and the competencies of your team.”

A feat of mechanical engineering, the TH-Carbonspring represents one of TAG Heuer’s most significant innovations to date, and the brand isn’t shy about making it known. The maison has filed four patents for the technology, one of which has already been approved.

TAG Heuer Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring | Image: TAG Heuer

New Designs for the Carbon Age

Naturally, no movement breakthrough is complete without an accompanying timepiece, and TAG Heuer has delivered two. At Geneva Watch Days, the brand turned to its most emblematic designs, unveiling a Monaco and a Carrera, each fitted with the TH-Carbonspring.

Both watches feature a case forged from a lightweight, highly resistant carbon fibre, a nod to TAG Heuer’s motorsport pedigree and bespoke carbon fibre detailing. The forged carbon dials are decorated with a spiral that mirrors the hairspring’s snail shape. Both new watches will be limited to just 50 numbered pieces and presented in bespoke packaging.

The Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring maintains the traditional 39mm case but with a bold carbon fibre reinterpretation. The unique timepiece features black-gold-plated hour and minute hands with white Super-LumiNova and high-contrast white lacquered hands. Additionally, you’ll find a small black-gold seconds hand, black-forged carbon indexes, crown, and chronograph pushers, which add to the watch’s stealthy, refined aesthetic.

The thematic black and gold layout continues on the chapter rings around the two subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock, with the classic rhodium-plated TAG Heuer, Monaco, Flyback, and Swiss Made applied logos finishing off the dial. As mentioned, the Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring is powered by the in-house TH20-60 Calibre, a chronometer-certified automatic flyback chronograph with an 80-hour power reserve, and fitted on a rubber strap with a fabric-like pattern.

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring

Brand: TAG Heuer
Model: Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring
Reference: Ref. CBU5091.FT6305
Diameter: 44mm
Thickness: 15.4mm
Case Material: Black forged carbon case
Movement: Calibre TH20-61
Power Reserve: 65 hours
Water-Resistance: 100 metres
Price: CHF 40,000
Availability: Q1 2026

Taking a more avant-garde approach to the classic TAG Heuer design language, the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring exudes an undeniable sense of modern, sleek performance. The core components we saw on the Monaco remain; however, this edition swells the size and structure to better accommodate the additional features.

The limited-edition timepiece features a 44mm black forged carbon case paired with a black forged carbon tachymeter bezel. The monochrome aesthetic also flows through to the flange, with the 60-second/minute scale capped in a familiar dark-hued pattern. This time around, TAG Heuer has fitted the watch with the in-house TH20-61 Calibre, an automatic chronometer-certified chronograph tourbillon
movement featuring a 65-hour power reserve.

As Antoine Pin, CEO of TAG Heuer explained, the Carrera and Monaco designs were the perfect vehicle to demonstrate the latest innovation, having played a pivotal role in telling TAG Heuer’s avant-garde story for more than half a century.

“The TH-Carbonspring is a major watchmaking breakthrough and a milestone in the history of this endlessly innovative 165-year-old company,” Pin said. “But it’s also a story of towering mental strength and resilience. Imagine spending a decade on realising a single idea. It’s incredible. An epic, heroic achievement that only a brand Designed to Win could have pulled off. And this is just the beginning. There are many complementary technologies in the pipeline, and, in time, these will trickle down through our collections of high-performance, highly precise mechanical watches. This is avant-garde watchmaking for the 21st century. This is TAG Heuer.”

View at TAG Heuer