Two fresh Aquaracer watches in the orange and black color combination that divers love are likely to be the most commercially significant of the launches from TAG Heuer at Watches & Wonders, but the creation of a solar-charged quartz watch and the use of lab grown diamonds for a TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma timepiece show a pivot towards issues that younger customers value.
These developments, and the investment into luxury smartwatches, could be signs of the long term outlook of TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault as his reign at the helm gathers pace.
The Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph is the first time TAG Heuer has made a solar-powered watch.
It has a semi-transparent dial with Eco-Drive solar cells underneath powering a quartz-based TH50-00 movement.
The watch comes in a 40mm black DLC-coated steel case. Its black slatted dial is circled by a unidirectional carbon bezel that lights up in the dark or depths of the ocean.
It doesn’t hit stores until October, but will come with a new 5 year warranty and is water resistant to 200 meters.
TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma
Even more eye catching is the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma chronograph.
It had the feel of a concept watch, or at least a limited edition, when launched at Watches & Wonders, but will be rare only because of the time it takes to make each one.
It comes in a 44mm anodised aluminium case, black ceramic bezel and pave diamond-crusted dial with a tourbillon at 6 o’clock.
The pave diamonds are all grown in a lab rather than dug out of the ground by teenagers, as are larger diamonds set into the case and used for hour markers and a 2.5ct crown.
“By using lab-grown diamonds in such an avant-guard manner, we want to make things in a different, new and exciting way. This is an innovation that has long been planned and introduces just our opening chapter for a long story to be created. It is also a truly defining moment for us and the Swiss luxury watchmaking sector. We feel that luxury watches should always be exciting and surprising and in tune with the times, and this new watch demonstrates exactly that,” says TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault.
Under the sparkling dial of the Carrera Plasma is a COSC-certified HEUER02 Tourbillon Nanograph movement.
It is sold on a black leather strap.
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