I will admit that the trend of putting a tourbillon on just about anything that is considered capable of fetching six-figure prices is something I feel I need some strong medication for… and yet, I really enjoy the technological and temporal contrast this creates in the V4. Speaking of which, let’s cut to the point that makes this year’s V4 a true novelty, and also a more important advancement over any of its predecessors: it’s single-axis, one minute tourbillon. What is clearly visible though through the sapphire front and back of the V4 Tourbillon’s titanium case is that these transmission belts, as their name implies, serve as the vehicle that transfers drive from one wheel to another, and hence also to the pinion of the tourbillon. Tag Heuer eventually found the answers to all these issues and treats them extremely confidentially. Other major sources of issues included the variations in heat and other external factors, as well as the mid-to-long term durability of these truly microscopic components. ![]() The problem was that these have to be incredibly precisely manufactured–to give you an idea on the scale of these things the thinnest belt is a mere 0.07 millimeter “thick”–so that they would reliably drive the wheels and pinions under all circumstances. Actually, Tag Heuer spent most of those five years between the 2004 concept and the 2009 “commercialized” version looking for a way of manufacturing these tiny little belts. From our perspective the truly interesting bit is that these barrels are mounted on ball-bearings (those tiny little “dots” that you see above, by the center of the four barrels are in fact the bearings) and that they are connected by incredibly small and yet rather strong transmission belts. ![]() The watch is still operated by four barrels, mounted on a unique, V-shaped main plate, reminiscent of the V-configuration of engines found in sports cars and some bikes as well. Talk about coming a long way from a problematic concept to a most impressive horological achievement! For further details about one of the latest non-tourbillon V4’s, check out Ariel’s hands-on article here. And when I said “non-tourbillon,” you might have guessed just how exactly Tag Heuer will celebrate the 10th anniversary of this piece: that’s right, by revealing a new and further enhanced version, called the Monaco V4 Tourbillon, the world’s first micro-belt driven one-minute tourbillon. And although it is a rare phenomenon to be equally as shocked by something that you have already seen (although I could think of a few exceptions which I will not elaborate on), Tag Heuer surprised us all in 2009, when they announced that the Monaco V4 would be commercially available – even if in very limited quantities and at a rather steep price of around $100,000. Called the V4, it was nothing short of a shocking concept which, somewhat embarrassingly, was a long way away from functioning without problems.įor quite some time–for 5 years, to be exact–it remained just that, a concept. Today, we are looking at the piece with which the brand celebrates the tenth anniversary of what is one of the most technically impressive watches it has ever produced. The story goes that it was in 2004 when the brand presented a concept watch which, as a world first, utilized ultra-thin transmission belts in its movement. It is mind-boggling to think that one of Tag Heuer‘s most extraordinary creations, the Monaco V4 is already a bold ten years old.
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