Let’s turn back the clock for a moment to March 2019 and the final Baselworld watch fair. It was there that I met creative–scientist–innovator Guy Sémon, then CEO of R&D at LVMH’s watch division, who carefully explained the Isograph technology — the nano-science and manufacturing process behind his innovative carbon-composite micro hairspring.
Around 5mm in diameter and almost weightless, it first appeared in the Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph earlier that year, and was then presented in the new Autavia Isograph at Baselworld.
Alas, TAG marketing appeared to have taken precedence over production issues and, like the fair, this technology was withdrawn from the Autavia and filed away — for good, or so I thought.
The hairspring has been the essential heart of all mechanical movements since 1675, when Christiaan Huygens first paired a balance wheel with a hair-like spiral at the heart of the regulating organ. This ensured that the oscillations of the balance wheel remained consistent while making timekeeping more precise and portable.
However, early steel versions were vulnerable to the effects of shock, temperature variation, and magnetism. The steel has subsequently been replaced with more resistant alloys and silicon was introduced at the turn of the millennium, providing greater performance and requiring less maintenance.
Now, a decade since it was seeded by Sémon and his team, the manufacture is touting its renamed TH-Carbonspring — a mere 5.8mm in diameter (100mm unrolled), with a height of 0.2mm and a width of 0.05mm — as “a new paradigm in mechanical watchmaking”. TAG has leveraged the lessons learned from earlier setbacks and is obviously confident about the results. Pairing the TH-Carbonspring with a high complication demonstrates this confidence and its capabilities.
The first two watches to feature the new oscillator are the forged carbon-fibre Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring and the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring, which combine iconic design codes with disruptive technology. Indexes are forged carbon, and hour and minute hands are plated in black gold, featuring white Super-LumiNova for legibility. The Carrera has a forged-carbon bezel with a tachymeter scale completing its stealthy appearance.
The 39mm Monaco is powered by the TH20-60 Calibre flyback chronograph with an 80-hour power reserve. The 44mm Carrera features the TH20-61 Calibre chronograph tourbillon with a 65-hour power reserve. In addition to the anti-magnetic and shock-resistant qualities of carbon, the material is also incredibly light-weighted, so beneficial to performance by reducing inertia in a hairspring.
Both automatic movements are in-house and COSC chronometer-certified. Models are limited to 50 numbered pieces each, presented on black rubber straps, and water resistant to 100m.
POA, tagheuer.com or Picot & Moss 011 669 0500
From the October edition of Wanted, 2025
