In 1965, Oris launched a divers’ watch that was ultramodern for its time. It had a case that remained water resistant to a depth of 100 meters, a unidirectional rotatable bezel and large luminous numerals. Reissued 50 years later as the Divers Sixty-Five, it proves to be one of this manufacturer’s most successful new models – thanks in part to the still-unflagging popularity of the retro trend.

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph is based on a watch from 1965.

Based on Oris’s First Divers’ Watch
The high-fidelity reissue of the three-handed watch from the 1960s was followed by a retro-modern facelift, various special models – also with innovative wristbands made of recycled plastic – and finally a chronograph. This model too was first released in 2018 as a limited special edition and, after a three-handed watch, was the second Divers Sixty-Five model to be dedicated to Carl Brashear, who became the U.S. Navy’s first amputee diver in 1948 and the first African-American seaman to earn certification as a master diver.

It’s well known that Oris honors noteworthy people with special timepieces and that this brand is committed to environmental protection, to saving the world’s oceans and to other philanthropic causes. What could be more appropriate to Carl Brashear’s biography than a divers’ watch that reflects the style of his era?

The special edition consists almost entirely of bronze, a material that’s currently in vogue in various timepieces, but bronze is used only for the unidirectional rotatable diver’s bezel of this 43-mm serially manufactured chronograph, our test watch. The outfit of the rotatable bezel has changed too. The former massive component with raised numerals has morphed into a blackened aluminum inlay with a flush minutes scale. The bezel clicks into place in 120 individual settings, which makes it difficult to adjust the bezel so it corresponds to the nearest minute with the scale along the dial’s periphery. The difficulty is further exacerbated because the highly domed curvature along the rim of the sapphire crystal tends to distort the view of the rose-gold markings on the black dial.

The black dial is dominated by broad hands and prominent hour markers.

The strongly curved contours of the crystal allude to the past and contribute to the timepiece’s retro charm. The original crystal was made of plastic in the 1960s, but nowadays the glass above the dial is crafted from scratch-resistant sapphire and given an anti-reflective coating on its underside.

The case’s diameter has grown from 36 to 43 mm over the years and is now made of stainless steel rather than the original chrome-plated brass. But with a water resistance of 100 meters, it isn’t quite as watertight as the cases of most other contemporary divers’ watches. Pressure resistance to 200 and even 300 meters are more in keeping with the current state of the art.

Of course, Oris doesn’t need to prove that this brand can build contemporary divers’ watches. Any doubts are immediately dispelled, for example, by the Oris Aquis or Prodiver model lines, both of which are professional devices with high resistance to pressure and diverse innovations within the collection. The fact that the Divers Sixty-Five can only withstand pressure of 100 meters should be interpreted as an homage to history and is acceptable in this line, even if the name “Divers” would initially suggest a more pressure-resistant case. Bathing, swimming, snorkeling and diving at shallow depths pose no problem at all for the Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph.

This model is an equally pleasant companion on terra firma. Its black dial is dominated by the broad hands and prominent applied indexes that characterize this line. All of the displays are generously filled with yellow Super-LumiNova “Old Radium.” This luminous material underscores the watch’s retro style by day and glows bright green in the dark. Also luminous at night are the hand on the subdial for the continuously running seconds, which shows at a glance that the movement is still running; the chronograph’s elapsed-minutes hand; and, of course, the orientation dot on the unidirectional rotatable divers’ bezel. Only the chronograph’s elapsed seconds remains dark, but every diver knows that the smallest unit of time isn’t very important in this sport, where minutes count most.

“Old Radium” luminous material accentuates the watch’s retro character and ensures good legibility.

Bronze, Retro and Bicompax Reflect Current Trends
When measuring an elapsing interval, the current number of elapsed minutes can be read on the black counter at 3 o’clock. This subdial is slightly recessed and bears anthracite-colored calibrations. The subdial for the continually running seconds is identically styled. It’s positioned diametrically across the dial at 9 o’clock.

Together with its counterpart at 3 o’clock, this results in the so-called bicompax chronograph arrangement, which is just as trendy as retro design nowadays. Retro and bicompax go together perfectly because a chronograph dial with only two counters similarly recalls the past. A bicompax arrangement also gives a dial the clarity and tidiness that are likewise increasingly in demand these days. This fidelity to the past is further accentuated by the absence of a date display and the presence of both a screw-down crown modeled after its original counterpart and little capped push-buttons to operate the chronograph.

The chronograph’s functions can be triggered by pressing the corresponding buttons. The crown can be screwed and unscrewed very conveniently and protrudes quite far from the case in its hand-setting position. The buttons and crown operate Oris’s self-winding Caliber 771, which is based on the Sellita SW510 in its reduced version without date display and without a 12-hour chronograph counter. It runs with only average accuracy and, in some positions, showed even larger deviations of more than 10 seconds per day. Although the mostly unadorned caliber remains hidden behind a massive, opaque, fully threaded back, it is, of course, equipped with Oris’s typical red rotor.

The 43-mm case, domed sapphire crystal, and bronze-and-aluminum bezel blend retro and modern elements.

The Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph can be worn with either a leather strap a or stainless-steel bracelet: the leather strap reaffirms the retro style with its stitching and buckle, while the stainless-steel bracelet radiates a sporty, modern charm. The connecting pieces firmly attach the case to the metal wristband, which is supple, soft and culminates in a one-sided folding clasp. Only the process of shortening the bracelet proves somewhat cumbersome because the wristband’s links are pinned rather than screwed together.

Two Expressive Outfits
The bottom line: anyone who is looking for an expressive retro watch will find it in the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph. This model is convincing thanks to authentic details, which it realizes in a modern way. We would suggest that Oris make some improvements in the fine adjustment of the movement and a simple system to switch from one wristband to another would also be welcome – because even if you wear it with the stainless-steel bracelet, this watch always makes a strong impression.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: Oris SA, Ribigasse 1, 4434 Hölstein, Switzerland
Reference number: 771 7744 4354 8 21 18
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chonograph (central elapsed- seconds hand, 30-minute counter), bezel is rotatable in one direction only
Movement: Oris 771 based on Sellita SW 510, automatic, 28,800 vph, 27 jewels, gold-plated nickle balance, Nivarox hairspring, bipartite index fine adjustment, Incabloc shock absorber, 48-hour power reserve, diameter = 30.0 mm, height = 7.90 mm
Case: Stainless steel/bronze, domed sapphire crystal anti-reflectively treated on its underside, water resistant to 100 meters
Bracelet and cla­­sp: Stainless steel with one-sided stainless-steel folding clasp
Rate results (Deviation in seconds per 24 hours, fully wound/after 24 hours):
On the wrist +7.2
Dial up +5.3 / +8.4
Dial down +6.1 / +8.7
Crown up +10.2 / +11.6
Crown down +7.5 / +12.3
Crown left +3.7 / +7.3
Greatest deviation 6.5 / 5.0
Average deviation +6.6 / +9.7
Average amplitude:
Flat positions 314° / 298°
Hanging positions 292° / 270°
Dimensions: Diameter = 43.19 mm, height = 16.44 mm, weight = 162.0 grams
Variations: With leather strap: $4,000
Price: $4,250

The Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra Thin

The Maestro 2.0 Ultra Thin showcases the brilliance of Gerald Charles’ craftsmanship. Its 39mm rose gold case, based on Mr. Gerald Charles Genta’s original drawing, is a marvel of engineering in its conception and production. Comprising 35 meticulously crafted components, CNC machined to perfection, the case showcases the brand’s commitment to detail in seamlessly bringing them together. The screw-down crown, bespoke gasket, and the flat sapphire crystal ensure not only a stunning facade but also a robust, 100m water resistant timepiece.

Beneath a domed sapphire crystal, the watch reveals its chocolate brown sunburst dial. The play of light and shadow on the display’s rich hues quickly engages the eye, with an outer minute track following the lines of the case and adding to the watch’s focus on form. Applied circular and baton-shaped hour markers and matching hands with Super-LumiNova accents adds to its function, while a subtle date window at the 6 o’clock reinforces the watch’s daily utility— altogether creating a harmonious interplay of elegance and functionality.

Powering the Maestro 2.0 Ultra Thin is the caliber Ref. GCA 3002 Manufacture, an ultra-thin automatic movement measuring just 3.7mm thick and capable of a 50-hour power reserve. The movement was developed in partnership with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, with its finely decorated surfaces featuring colimaçon, côtes de Genève, and perlage finishes all visible alongside an oscillating mass via a sapphire exhibition caseback.

The Gerald Charles Maestro 3.0 Chronograph

Like the Maestro 2.0 Ultra Thin, the 39mm Maestro 3.0 Chronograph is as much an exercise in form meeting function, but now with an additional complication. Meticulously assembled by hand, the chronograph’s warm, rose gold case boasts a 39-component construction, with its 100m water resistance ensured via a screw-down crown marked with a Clous de Paris texture. Pushers on either side of the crown match the style of the style, enhancing both aesthetics and functionality.

Beneath its sapphire crystal, the Maestro 3.0 Chronograph features a mesmerizing chocolate brown sunburst dial, with rose gold accents throughout—especially as accents for the three sub-dials—adding an incredible depth to the design. Like the Maestro 2.0 Ultra Thin, circular and baton-shaped applied indices with matching hands with Super-LumiNova detailing adds to both beauty and functionality, with the sub-dials displaying running seconds, a 30-minute chronograph counter, and a 12-hour counter.

At the heart of the Maestro 3.0 Chronograph is the caliber Ref. GCA 3022/12, an automatic chronograph movement derived from the GCA 3002 that’s also been developed with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. The movement is incredibly thin at just 6.07mm, and it naturally features the incredible finishing Gerald Charles has in-part built its reputation upon, inclusive of colimaçon, côtes de Genève and perlage touches all visible through an exhibition sapphire caseback.

Pricing and Availability

And as autumn paints the world in warm hues, these watches invite you to embrace the season with sophistication and style. Both the Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra Thin and the Maestro 3.0 Chronograph are available now directly through the brand and via authorized boutiques. Pricing for the Maestro 2.0 Ultra Thin is marked at $36,200 USD, while the Maestro 3.0 Chronograph is marked at $44,100.

To learn more, visit Gerald Charles, here.

Tudor is one of the few brands whose desirability has increased significantly in recent years. This is mainly due to the attractiveness of its models, most certainly including the Black Bay and the smaller version, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, launched in 2018. The version we tested here came on the market in 2021 in a silver case with a taupe-colored dial and bezel.

The name Fifty-Eight refers to 1958, the year in which Tudor introduced its first dive watch. French Navy divers turned to the brand to develop an ideal dive watch, designed especially for their needs, and Tudor consequently became the outfitter for French combat divers. The 39-mm case size is the same as its historical predecessor. The rotating bezel and smaller dial give the watch an understated look that is in line with current trends.

The vintage appearance is heightened by a domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, which replaces the original acrylic glass. The dial also has a slight retro-style curve. The narrow lugs and the typography on the rotating bezel also cite Tudor’s history. Even the date was omitted for a more historically accurate impression. The traditional “snowflake” hands have been in use at Tudor since the late 1960s.

In contrast to previous models, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 that was introduced in 2021 has a taupe-colored bezel and dial. The color, which could also be viewed as a faded black, goes well with the vintage design. While on the other hand, the gray-brown tone is also a modern trend color, especially in current interior design.

A Secret Silver Alloy
The taupe color harmonizes well with the warm tones of the 925 silver case. The designation “925” means the case is made of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent other materials. Conventional sterling silver also contains this amount of pure silver with the rest being primarily copper, which gives the metal a reddish hue. However, sterling silver has a tendency to tarnish, as anyone owning sterling silver flatware can attest to. It is the result of a chemical reaction between the silver and sulfur-containing substances in the air, darkening the silver over time. To prevent this, Tudor has used a different alloy that is touted as being non-tarnishing. Although Tudor has not revealed the other materials, there are known alloys containing palladium and germanium that prevent tarnishing and can even be hardened. This material’s hardness is still more comparable to gold than to steel. The Tudor case shines with a bright luster and is warmer in color than stainless steel or platinum.

While the aluminum scale on the diving bezel is not as resistant to scratches as a ceramic alternative, its matte surface goes better with the watch’s vintage look. All in all, our test watch impresses, with an attractive design and very harmonious colors.

Happily, functionality did not fall victim to design here. Large luminous markers and a generous application of luminous material on the hands provide excellent legibility both day and night. The screw-down crown is easy to grasp; it decouples itself from the winding mechanism to reduce wear. The inclusion of a hack mechanism, plus no date display and no pulled-out crown position for that function, make time setting simple. The unidirectional rotating bezel ratchets in one-minute increments and is easy to grasp and turn thanks to its coined edge. Its clicking operation feels almost as rich as that of a Rolex timepiece. A luminous marker shows dive time, even in the dark. Thanks to the case, which is waterproof to a depth of 200 meters, the Black Bay is truly suitable for diving, at least when you wear the NATO textile strap.

Strap Options
Our test watch came with an attractively textured dark-brown leather strap with contrast stitching and a rubber lining, which extends the life of the strap. A very well-constructed, practical pin buckle is made of brushed silver, which matches the case. Visually, we liked the taupe textile strap with a silver central stripe better than the leather strap because it doesn’t taper toward the buckle as much. However, the textile strap obscures the caseback, which is especially unfortunate here since this is the first Black Bay model in regular production with a transparent window that permits a view of automatic Caliber MT5400. The caliber is produced by the movement manufacturer Kenissi, which is also a supplier to Chanel, Breitling, Fortis, and other watch brands.

A Robust Caliber
The movement boasts both sturdiness and precision. Its considerable height of 4.99 mm makes it robust to avoid functional disturbances, even in the case of the smallest tolerance fluctuations that may have occurred in production. In addition, the balance is secured by a full bridge rather than on just one side. The silicon hairspring maintains centricity, as it is resistant to deformation caused by impact or other disturbances. Other high-quality features of this in-house movement include the extended 70-hour power reserve and free-sprung balance wheel with four regulating screws — so the rate is not adjusted by changing the active length of the hairspring, as is usually the case with most ETA calibers. Decorations to the movement are modest but the rotor is skeletonized and has a sunburst finish and a Tudor engraving.

Rate precision is certified by COSC, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, where Tudor sends a majority of its movements to be checked (the MT5602-1U used in the new Black Bay Ceramic comes with a Master Chronometer certificate from METAS). In addition to other criteria, the rate results are guaranteed to remain within a range of -4 and +6 seconds per day. Results shown on the electronic timing machine confirm this level of accuracy: the values in different positions remain quite close, while the average deviation was almost perfect: only +1 second per day. On the wrist, we saw a gain of 2 seconds per day, which was likely due to the fact that the watch was placed “dial-up” overnight, the position that showed the greatest gain of +5 seconds.

The technical features of the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 put it on the cutting edge, and its execution and finishing make it a standout. The design mix of retro elements and warm gray tones knows how to inspire, and the additional cost of $950 above the base price for the silver version feels moderate and appropriate.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: Tudor, Rue François-Dussaud 3-5, 1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland
Reference number: M79010SG-0001
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Movement: Caliber MT5400, automatic, COSC-certified chronometer, 28,800 vph, 27 jewels, stop- seconds mechanism, silicon hairspring, free-sprung balance with four regulating screws, Incabloc shock absorber, 70-hour power reserve, diameter = 26 mm, height = 4.99 mm
Case: 925 silver, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, screw-down crown, threaded caseback with sapphire crystal viewing window; water resistant to 200 meters
Strap and clasp: Calfskin strap with rubber lining and silver pin buckle
Rate results (deviations in seconds per 24 hours):
Dial up +5
Dial down +1
Crown up +1
Crown down −1
Crown left −1
Crown right +1
Greatest deviation 6
Average deviation +1
Average amplitude:
Flat positions 291°
Hanging positions 255°
Dimensions: Diameter = 39 mm, height = 12 mm, weight = 90 grams
Variations: With textile strap (Ref. M79010SG-0002, $4,300)
Price: $4,300

SCORES:
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points): The calfskin strap with rubber lining is well made, as is the practical silver pin buckle. 8
Case (10): Excellent finishing of the case made of a special silver alloy 8
Dial and hands (10): Domed dial, applied markers and cleanly polished hands give the watch a high-quality overall impression. 9
Design (15): An attractive retro design with well-matched warm gray tones 14
Legibility (5): The generous application of luminous material on the displays and the high contrast between the hands and the dial make for excellent legibility, both day and night. 5
Operation (5): The screw-down crown is easy to use, a stop-seconds mechanism facilitates accurate time setting, and the grooved rotating bezel turns easily. 5
Wearing comfort (5): The watch sits comfortably on the wrist with a supple leather strap 5
Movement (20): The movement is robustly constructed and has a long power reserve. Decorations are modest. 15
Rate results (10): Low average deviation and no excessively high beat error in the various positions. 8
Overall value (10): Moderate additional cost for a silver case at an appropriate price; good overall value 8
Total: 85 POINTS

This article originally appeared in the September-October 2021 issue of WatchTime.

Thanks to sunburst polishing, the galvanized dials with grooved subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock reflect the vibrancy of fall colors. As is de rigieur for sports watches, the hour numerals and markers, as well as the hands, are deeply coated with Superluminova and emit an intense blue glow in the dark.

With a height of just 8.4mm, the stainless steel cases which are water resistant to 200 meters, remain very slim for a sports watch, highlighting the elegant aspect of the Club Sport neomatik. They are attached to the brand’s finely polished three-link stainless steel bracelet featuring quick-change spring bars and a lug width of 20mm.

While the case size and the colors are new, the caliber DUW 3001 remains the same. This genuine self-winding movement is equipped with the in-house developed Nomos swing system and beautifully finished in accordance with Glashütte fine watchmaking traditions.

Pricing for the updated Nomos Glashütte Club Sport neomatik trio starts at $3,310.

To learn more, visit NOMOS Glashütte, here.

The official partnership between the TAG Heuer watch brand and the Porsche sports car manufacturer was a natural choice. These two companies have been linked by a strong friendship with common history, stories and, above all, values for years. Yet the news came as a shock. Reason enough for the watch manufacturer to launch a special model and for us to test it straight away.

Compared to other current TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 models, the new Porsche Chronograph is impressive thanks to its closed dial, to which the admiring eye inevitably remains glued like a hot tire to asphalt. The seemingly ordinary anthracite-colored dial is not pierced, but nonetheless is very special. Roughened like an asphalt racetrack, this unique texture was given to this special Carrera model, our test watch, to symbolize TAG Heuer’s affinity to motor sports and the new partnership between TAG Heuer and Porsche.

For the same reason, the glossy black and scratch-resistant ceramic bezel, which would otherwise bear the word “tachymetre,” is engraved with the name “Porsche” in red letters patterned after the original typeface. Numerous details of the stopwatch function are also in red: the tips of all chronographic hands, certain areas within the elapsed-minutes and elapsed-hours counters, and the 15-second markings of the elapsed-second scale along the edge of the dial. Like red brake calipers on a car, here they symbolize sportiness and highlight the stopwatch function.

Carrera Brought Heuer and Porsche Together
In addition to the characteristic color scheme of red, black and gray, the numbers on the watch’s dial also refer to the Porsche design code and recall the instrument panels on high-end racing cars. The fact that these appliqués mark the minutes and seconds rather than the hours, as they do on other Carrera models, is only logical for this special edition, which is conceived as a tribute to motorsports. The numerals glow bright green in the dark, as do other triangular indexes and the bar-shaped hands that indicate the main time. But when the lights go out, the continually running seconds at 6 and the chronograph’s elapsed-time indicators are unreadable.

The Carrera name is relatively inconspicuous below the 12, or rather below the 60, which indicates the 60-second position at the full minute. Carrera is the connective element between these two brands, whose paths have crossed again and again in fascinating ways for decades. Carrera means “race” in Spanish, and it was auto racing that first brought Porsche and Heuer together. Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, known as “Ferry,” joined his father’s design business in 1931 at the age of 22. In 1948, he launched the 356 No. 1 Roadster sports car, the first vehicle built under the Porsche name and the foundation for the car brand named for the family. Porsche quickly made a name for itself in motorsports, including a class victory in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana. In honor of its successful participation in this race, Porsche gave the name “Carrera” to the most powerful engine in its fleet.

Edouard Heuer’s great-grandson Jack also used the Carrera name for a chronograph that he developed in 1963, which enabled racing drivers to tell the time at a glance in the heat of the action. Jack Heuer also led the development of the Heuer Monaco, the first waterproof automatic chronograph with a square case. Its name paid tribute to the Mon-aco Grand Prix and the famous Monte Carlo Rally, which Porsche’s legendary 911 model won three years in a row from 1968 to 1970.

Later there were further connections between Porsche and Heuer, or TAG Heuer, as the Swiss watchmaker has been known since it was sold to the TAG Group in the mid-1980s. The two brands collaboratively developed and produced the TAG Porsche engine, which powered the McLaren team to three consecutive Formula 1 world championships, with Niki Lauda behind the wheel in 1984 and with Alain Prost in the driver’s seat in 1985 and 1986. Since 1999, the relationship between the two companies has grown even closer , thanks to their cooperation in motor sports events, such as the Porsche Carrera Cup, the Supercup and the Endurance World Championship. TAG Heuer was one of the founders of the Formula E championship, for which Porsche set up its own Formula E team in 2019, with TAG Heuer as the namesake and official timekeeping partner. Two years later, this became the official brand partnership, which seems as though it has existed for years. Joint projects are planned under the motto, “Porsche and TAG Heuer: Two histories — one passion.”

The new chronograph is worn either with a black calfskin strap with handmade decorative stitching that recalls both the interior of a Porsche sports car and a Carrera racetrack or with a stainless-steel bracelet made of H-shaped links, which forms an integrated connection with the angular case via fixed connectors. Both wristbands are equipped with a robust, high quality, folding clasp.

A fully threaded screw-in caseback with a window of sapphire seals the underside of the polished stainless-steel case, which resists pressure to 10 bar. The transparent crystal offers an unobstructed view of still-young, automatic manufacture Calibre Heuer 02. The colors red, black and gray come into play once again in a color scheme that’s reminiscent not only of Porsche, but also of earlier Heuer models. The newly designed winding rotor in black pays homage to the Porsche steering wheel. It winds the mainspring in only one direction of rotation; when it turns in the other direction, it makes a quiet idling sound that some connoisseurs find unpleasant. But TAG Heuer consciously opted for a unidirectional automatic winding mechanism with a ratchet wheel because it reduces both the total number of components and, more importantly, the overall height of the movement. The comparatively small red column wheel stands out at the very edge, accompanied by the caliber’s steel (gray) bridges, wheels, levers and springs. Together with vertical coupling, the column wheel ensures that elapsing intervals are measured with precision and reliability.

A Powerful Engine for a Sports Watch
The development of Calibre Heuer 02 began in 2011. It debuted under the name Calibre 1969 in 2013, but was soon renamed CH-80, after its remarkably lengthy 80-hour power reserve, which it achieves with only one barrel.

In the following years, however, TAG Heuer had to optimize the movement. The goal was to create a robust and reliable chronograph caliber that could be manufactured as cost effectively as possible. The caliber’s dimensions of 31 mm in diameter and 6.5 mm in height are identical to those of the El Primero, which is produced by Zenith, one of TAG Heuer’s sister brands in the LVMH Group. However, the slim design of Calibre 1969 resulted in some problems. In addition to the unidirectional self-winding mechanism, it also required a thin chronograph bridge. The winding mechanism was adequately efficient, but the slender bridge couldn’t cope with the force of the chronograph’s switching operations and became deformed. The new and sturdier design adds 0.4 mm to the movement’s height for an overall thickness of 6.9 mm.

In addition to the column wheel, the chronograph bridge is one of the few components that are screwed to the base plate. Other components, such as stamped levers to start, stop, block and zero the chronograph, as well as springs to hold components in place or exert pressure, are either plugged or hooked into place. The elimination of screws shortens the assembly time and reduces the total number of parts to only 233. The gearing in the winding and hand-setting system also called for improvement because clicking noises were caused by gears that did not mesh deeply enough. The semi-jumping date mechanism likewise underwent optimization. The current version is so secure that it cannot be damaged if its user mistakenly tries to manually reset the date while the mechanism is in the midst of its automatic switching process. To protect the mechanism, the system locks, and the date must be manually advanced by turning the crown after having pulled it to its center position. When the watch is running, the rather small date display at the 6 begins to advance about 30 to 40 minutes before midnight.

TAG Heuer cooperates with the specialist Atokalpa for the oscillating and escapement system, which is paced at 4 Hz. The Isograph hairspring, which premiered two years ago, is not yet deployed. TAG Heuer’s CEO Frédéric Arnault explains that the Isograph is still very expensive to manufacture and is therefore currently only used in high-end products. However, the conventional system also achieves good, well-balanced rates in the chronometer range, which is not the only thing our test proved.

Heuer Calibre 02 debuted in 2016 as the chronometer-certified Heuer Calibre 02-T inside the Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon. In 2017, the new manufacture movement without a tourbillon appeared in the retro model Autavia Calibre Heuer 02. In 2018, it was integrated into the Carrera and finally in 2019, into the Monaco. It has established itself as an excellent high-performance engine for timepieces inspired by motor sports.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: TAG Heuer SA, Rue Louis-Joseph Chevrolet 6a, 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
Reference number: CBN2A1F.BA0643
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date display, chronograph (central elapsed-seconds hand, counters for 30 elapsed minutes and 12 elapsed hours), tachymeter scale
Movement: Calibre Heuer 02, automatic, 28,800 vph, 33 jewels, Glucydur balance, Nivarox hairspring, index and eccentric screw fine adjustment, Kif shock absorption, 80-hour power reserve, diameter = 31.0 mm, height = 6.90 mm
Case: Stainless-steel case, curved sapphire crystal, doubly anti-reflective (above dial), sapphire crystal in caseback, water resistant to 100 m
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless-steel bracelet, folding clasp opens on one side only
Rate results (deviations in seconds per 24 hours, fully wound/after 24 hours):
On the wrist +1.5
Dial up +0.3 / +0.1
Dial down +0.9 / +0.8
Crown up −2.7 / −1.7
Crown down +7.5 / +8.2
Crown left +2.1 / +3.4
Greatest deviation 10.2 / 9.9
Average deviation +1.6 / +2.2
Average amplitude:
Flat positions 309° / 292°
Hanging positions 267° / 246°
Dimensions: Diameter = 43.25 mm, lug width = 21 mm integrated, height =
15.25 mm, weight = 192.0 grams
Variations: With calfskin strap (Ref. CBN2A1F.FC6492, $5,850)
Price: $6,050

SCORES:
Wristband and clasp (max. 10 points): Handsome wristband, comfortable clasp 9
Case (10): High quality case with facets, two sapphire crystals, threaded caseback, ceramic bezel, matching push-pieces and crown 8
Dial (10): The design features elements from the Porsche racing world, exclusive “asphalt” dial, special appliqués. 9
Design (15): Successful translation of Porsche racing design codes with red, gray and black, special numerals and optional leather strap 13
Legibility (5): The time display dominates, even at night; the chronograph function is not legible in the dark but is easy to read during the day; date display is small and difficult to read. 4
Operation (5): Crown is easy to use, chronograph pushers have firm and secure pressure points, but the steel parts of the bracelet are pinned. 4
Wearing comfort (5): The case is quite tall and the watch is heavy, especially when worn with the stainless-steel bracelet; massive clasp. 4
Movement (20): The optimized manufacture caliber has proven its mettle in everyday use; secure basic construction with reliable switching for the chronograph and the date; long- lasting power reserve; special rotor. 17
Rate results (10): Although this is not a certified chronometer, it keeps time with very good, balanced rate values in the chronometer-worthy range; the amplitudes remain stable, also when the chronograph is running. 9
Overall value (10): The special design celebrates the partner-ship with Porsche, it implements Porsche’s design codes; the price is fair. 8
Total: 85 POINTS