TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 12 Grey (1133G)

WORLDTEMPUS - 20 January 2011

How far will TAG Heuer take its "space odyssey"? Last year, the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based brand ventured outside of Baselworld to host its own exhibition during the SIHH "semaine horlogere" - thus making a hefty statement about the brand's aspirations of gaining haute horlogerie status not only by being present in the preferred habitat of so many high-end manufactures but also by introducing the Mikrograph, the first mechanical wristwatch to measure 1/100th of a second using a central chronograph hand. This was possible due to a frequency of 360,000 vph (50 Hertz). 

A couple of months later, that feat was eclipsed by the Mikrotimer, capable of a 1/1,000th of a second accuracy (3.6 million beats per hour measuring 500 Hertz) in a move compared to going from the moon to Mars. One year down the road, TAG Heuer claims to have reached Saturn: going from ultra-high to meta-mechanical frequencies with the Mikrogirder, which beats at an unimaginable 7.2 million semi-oscillations per hour.

Neither balance wheel nor hairspring
The Mikrogirder was introduced this week with a bang: during yet another press conference also transmitted live through the brand's official Facebook page. Officially christened Mikrogirder 2000 Concept Watch, the new star in TAG Heuer's portfolio can time events to 1/2,000th of a second thanks to a flying central chronograph hand that revolves around its dial 20 times per second and is catapulted by an astonishing frequency of 7.2 million vph (1000 Hertz) within a caliber that redefines mechanical movements, since it has neither balance wheel (like the Mikrotimer) nor hairspring (like the Pendulum). "We've reinvented Christiaan Huygens' regulating system," says CEO Jean-Christophe Babin. "It was invented in 1675 and is still today the only mechanical system used by the entire watchmaking industry; it was improved but never re-invented…until today."

The secret of the radical new regulating system used in the Mikrogirder consists of three small metal beams (or girders, hence the name) working with a linear oscillator that isochronously swings at a very small angle - as opposed to a traditional watch, which oscillates at an angle of up to 320 degrees. Once again, hiring rocket scientist and problem solver Guy Semon (a top-notch engineer who was brought in from the aeronautical industry to transform the V4 Concept Watch into a commercial reality) was behind TAG Heuer's new speed and high-frequency record. Babin, prouder than ever, enthusiastically asked his vice president of research and development to join him on stage to introduce the Mikrogirder.
Heritage and avant-garde
The Mikrogirder's case is quite interesting and transposes the classic stopwatch with hands, crown and pushers into modern asymmetrical architecture with the top of the timepiece raised to provide a better view. The designer team led by Christoph Behling stuck to the spirit of vintage Heuer stopwatches and used iconic Carrera features to create an impressive wristwatch that is a successful fusion of heritage and avant-garde.

The dial of the Mikrogirder is also different from the Mikrograph or the Mikrotimer, with a linear opening that displays parts of the beams and the oscillator and subdials: the subdial at 12 o'clock measures seconds, with each marker representing three seconds while the 3 o'clock subdial shows seconds plus 1/10th of a second. The "flying" central hand shows time in 1/100th, 1/1000th and 5/10,000th (or 1/2000th) of a second. To read the timed event, one has to add together the readings of both subdials (x.y seconds) as well as the central flying hand. 
TAG Heuer managed to release the Mikrotimer in a small series by the end of 2011. How much time will Semon's team need to turn the Mikrogirder concept into a commercial asset? That seems to be the next step, but expect TAG Heuer to come up with something special at Baselworld in two months time. The solar system is beginning to appear too small for this brand's ambition.