In 2004 when the brand presented a concept watch which, as a world first, utilized ultra-thin transmission belts in its movement. Called the replica Tag Heuer Monaco V4, it was nothing short of a shocking concept which, somewhat embarrassingly, was a long way away from functioning without problems.
The watch is still operated by four barrels, mounted on a unique, V-shaped main plate, reminiscent of the V-configuration of engines found in sports cars and some bikes as well. From our perspective the truly interesting bit is that these barrels are mounted on ball-bearings (those tiny little "dots" that you see above, by the center of the four barrels are in fact the bearings) and that they are connected by incredibly small and yet rather strong transmission belts. Actually, Tag Heuer spent most of those five years between the 2004 concept and the 2009 "commercialized" version looking for a way of manufacturing these tiny little belts.
The problem was that these have to be incredibly precisely manufactured–to give you an idea on the scale of these things the thinnest belt is a mere 0.07 millimeter "thick"–so that they would reliably drive the wheels and pinions under all circumstances. Other major sources of issues included the variations in heat and other external factors, as well as the mid-to-long term durability of these truly microscopic components. Tag Heuer eventually found the answers to all these issues and treats them extremely confidentially. What is clearly visible though through the sapphire front and back of the V4 Tourbillon's titanium case is that these transmission belts, as their name implies, serve as the vehicle that transfers drive from one wheel to another, and hence also to the pinion of the tourbillon.
Related blog
2015 TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Phantom WAW2091.FC6369 Review
The problem was that these have to be incredibly precisely manufactured–to give you an idea on the scale of these things the thinnest belt is a mere 0.07 millimeter "thick"–so that they would reliably drive the wheels and pinions under all circumstances. Other major sources of issues included the variations in heat and other external factors, as well as the mid-to-long term durability of these truly microscopic components. Tag Heuer eventually found the answers to all these issues and treats them extremely confidentially. What is clearly visible though through the sapphire front and back of the V4 Tourbillon's titanium case is that these transmission belts, as their name implies, serve as the vehicle that transfers drive from one wheel to another, and hence also to the pinion of the tourbillon.
Related blog
2015 TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Phantom WAW2091.FC6369 Review
No comments:
Post a Comment