An independent international jury of watch experts, journalists, retailers and historians named TAG Heuer’s Carrera Calibre 360 the “2006 Sports Watch of the Year” at the sixth annual Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix. This fourth award for TAG Heuer in just six years (“Design” in 2002 and 2004, “Ladies watch” in 2005) definitely positions TAG Heuer amongst the most innovative, knowledgeable, versatile and desirable luxury Swiss watch brands.

The Carrera Calibre 360 chronograph — the world’s most accurate mechanical chronograph beating at 360,000 vibrations/hour — was selected over 10 other nominees drawn from the world’s most prestigious watch making workshops and manufactures. It is the fourth time in six years that a TAG Heuer watch has won a coveted Grand Prix, which is considered the most important honor that can be conferred in the world of luxury watchmaking. In 2002, the Grand Prix jury bestowed the Design Watch award on the Microtimer F1, the first Swiss wrist chronograph accurate to 1/1000th of a second. In 2004, the Design prize was awarded to the TAG Heuer Monaco 69, a reversible model combining a manual-winding mechanical movement with a digital movement. In 2005, the “Haute Couture” Diamond Fiction, a stunning blend of designer jewelry and avant-garde watch making, won the Ladies watch category.

This 2006 award pays a tribute to the genius of Charles-Auguste Heuer who, back in the year 1914, challenged his watch masters to develop a stopwatch capable of measuring the 1/10th of a second. This fraction of time was urgently needed by the International Olympic Committee to ensure the integrity of results after the 1/5th of a second had shown its limits at the 1896 Olympic Games 100 meters race. Two years later, on October 2nd 1916, Charles-Auguste Heuer filed with the Federal Office for Intellectual Property a patent for a stopwatch precise to within one hundredth of a second, i.e. beating at 360,000 vibrations/hour, the absolute record for a mechanical stopwatch and 10 times more accurate than the goal he had set for his watchmakers! A few weeks later, the Mikrograph measuring 1/100ths of a second and the Split-Mikrograph accurate to within 1/50th of a second were added to the Heuer Catalog at 100 and 90 Swiss Francs respectively. They would continue to be manufactured until 1969 when 1/1000th of a second electronic timekeeping, again pioneered by Heuer, would supersede mechanical timing. They would also allow the Company to be selected by the International Olympic Committee as the Official Timekeeper of the 1920s Olympic Games. Only such know-how and heritage could have enabled TAG Heuer contemporary watch masters to invent and develop today’s award-winning Carrera Calibre 360.



Launched in a limited edition of 360 at BaselWorld 2006, the Carrera Calibre 360 Steel Limited Edition is a high-prestige incarnation of 2005’s Calibre 360 Concept Chronograph, the first mechanical wrist chronograph to measure and display time to 1/100th of a second — ten times faster than any other mechanical wristwatch movement on the market today.




This incredible triple-patented movement has more than 230 components and sports a drastically lightened and miniaturized hairspring and escapement mechanism, along with two sets of escapement mechanisms representing an engineering first and allowing it to cruise at regular speed (28,800 vibrations/hour) under normal conditions, then accelerate to immense speed (360,000 vibrations/hour) in chronograph mode. 360,000 vibrations/hour in a watch has to be compared to a car engine which would reach an unbelievable 75,000 rpms instead of the current 7,500 rpms achieved by the greatest sports cars from Porsche or Ferrari….!

The Carrera Calibre 360 Steel Limited Edition proposes a polished steel case, elegant black “guilloché” dial with silver-ringed 1/100th of a second counter, and hand-sewn black alligator strap. Its engraved oscillating weight, decorated with Côtes de Genève waves, is visible through the sapphire crystal case back. Its understated, easy-to-read-and-use details are inspired by TAG Heuer’s vintage stopwatches. These include an oversized Start/Stop push button, enhanced fluted crown, 100-minute power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, and an oversized 1/100th-of-a-second counter at 6 o’clock. A sporting look conveying timeless elegance!




The Carrera Calibre 360 is also available in two alternative editions:

Calibre 360 Rose Gold Limited Edition (500):
chocolate-brown “guilloché” dial with hand-applied 18ct rose gold hands and hour-markers, 18ct rose gold watch case, and chocolate-brown hand-sewn alligator strap.

Carrera Calibre 360 White Gold Limited Edition (100):
18ct white gold case, silver “guilloché” dial with blue-ringed 1/100th of a second counter and dark blue hand-sewn alligator strap.

These three exclusive Carrera Calibre 360 Editions pay homage to the peerless timekeeping heritage and longstanding links to motor racing of TAG Heuer’s formidable Carrera series, while celebrating an outstanding technical innovation.

Source: TAG Heuer

www.tagheuer.com

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