Sometimes in the watch industry, it can feel like everything useful that could be invented has been. We have been making watches and clocks for centuries now, and so if something that could legitimately move the needle on functionality and usability of a watch must have already been invented. Well, that’s what I thought until I travelled to TAG Heuer to find out what they have been cooking up for the last five years. The result? The TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph and its new compliant system for its pushers. This new system gives the pushers of this new avant-garde Monaco a completely new tactile feeling, while also increasing the simplicity of their construction.
The movement
We normally start these reviews by breaking down the case or the dial as the two most visual or tactile elements of a watch, but here we can only start with the movement. This newly developed calibre TH80-00 is a product of collaboration between the team at TAG Heuer, led by Carol Kasapi, and Vaucher, one of the leading suppliers of movements in the world. Vaucher provided the base movement with its automatic winding, and TAG developed the new compliant system to work the pushers and the carbon hairspring, a new addition we first saw at LVMH Watch Week this year.
The compliant system that TAG Heuer has invented for this watch replaces the standard levers and springs that are required to operate a chronograph pusher with just one flexible piece, which has two stable positions. As you depress the pusher, you flick this piece from one stable position to the other and that then activates the rest of the chronograph movement to either start, stop, or reset the chronograph. With fewer components, there are fewer points of failure, making this new system more reliable than the one we have all been using this whole time.
What I will say about the feeling that this creates when you action a pusher is that it feels so much smoother than we are used to. While some chronographs can come with a very satisfying clunk, there are just as many that are not tuned quite right and using them can feel like you’re about to break them as the stiffness in the spring is way too high. That is not a problem of the past. The smooth action in this watch feels far more natural than anything I’ve ever used before in a watch. There is enough resistance that you know you are not going to press it by accident, but you are not going to strain at all, and there is no critical bite point, but rather one smooth, continuous motion. It may take some getting used to for some, but I see this as being a new beginning for chronographs.
Of course, you still get 70 hours of power reserve thanks to that Vaucher base, with your standard time and chronograph functions plus a date with everything on display, as is the hose style of the TAG Heuer avant-garde line. While there was some fair criticism levelled at TAG for the pricing of the earlier pieces in this line, the level of R&D that has gone into this piece, paired with the fact that it has the lowest price point of the collection, makes its price tag make perfect sense to me.
The case
This is still very much a Monaco in its construction. A sharp squared case that measures 40mm across with those two smooth-action pushers on the right and the crown on the left. Very much as god intended for a Monaco. You have two options when it comes to the case finish: either your standard brushed grade 5 titanium or a black DLC-coated grade 5 titanium. This piece is not sized conservatively as it needs to hold this new chronograph movement, and at 40mm square, you certainly know this is on your wrist, but I would argue if you are wearing this watch, you are not doing so to be subtle. This watch is a statement, saying a lot about you as the owner and TAG Heuer as a brand that knows exactly what they are doing when it comes to chronographs.
The dial
There isn’t really much dial to talk about here. To align it with the rest of the avant-garde collection, the movement is completely visible with just two bridges spanning from left to right at the top and bottom, while the two square sub-dials. sit prominently above this complex movement. You still get a printed minute scale in white with red and white hour markers, all feeling fairly minimal yet still functional when working alongside the lume-filled sword hands.
The strap
With both examples of this watch, you get a textured rubber strap that is closed by a folding titanium clasp. This is a nice, modern option for this watch that could still work on a traditional fabric strap, but given the ultra-modern look and theme of this watch, rubber fits the concept better in my mind.
The verdict
This is not the watch I was expecting to see from TAG Heuer. A chronograph was expected to some degree. But to see them invent a new system for inside their chronographs has caught me entirely off guard, and I am incredibly impressed with what they have achieved. The Monaco Evergraph shows me that there is still room for innovation in this industry, and it is thanks to the big thinkers like Carol who make it possible.
This is not going to be a watch for everyone, and that is ok. I don’t think you can or should aim to please everyone, but there is no denying the impressive nature of what TAG has done here. The watch is both modern in its concept and execution, and from the murmurings I heard around their manufacture, we may be seeing more of this system soon.
TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph price and availability
The new TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph is available now and is limited only by production. Price: US$28,500.Â
Brand
TAG Heuer
Model
Monaco Evergraph
Reference
CEW5180.FT8122 – Black DLC
CEW5181.FT8123 – Titanium
Case Dimensions
40mm (D)
Case Material
Titanium
Black DLC coated titanium
Water Resistance
100 metres
Crystal(s)
Beveled domed sapphire front, anti-reflective coating on both sides
Dial
Transparent acrylic glass
Strap
Rubber strap with textile embossing, with folding titanium folding clasp
Movement
Calibre TH80-00, automatic
Power Reserve
70 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Availability
Now
Price
US$28,500