TAG Heuer’s New Monaco V4 Features First-Ever Tourbillon Driven by Belts

TAG Heuer’s New Monaco V4 Features First-Ever Tourbillon Driven by Belts

Adrienne Faurote
By Adrienne Faurote April 3, 2014

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TAG Heuer made headlines at Baselworld this week with the unveiling of its latest V4 concept watch. The Monaco V4 Tourbillon is the world’s first belt-driven tourbillon.

This fully patented timepiece, which was created in-house at TAG Heuer’s La Chaux-de-Fonds workshop, uses a micro-belt to drive the tourbillon. It is equipped with an automatic linear rewinding system, and the mass is guided by a linear railroad instead of a traditional rotating system. The four notched micro-thin transmission belts (the design of which have been kept secret) create an efficient shock-absorbing system. In another first, the barrels are held and rotated on ball bearings. The 214-component movement boasts a 40-hour power reserve.

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Housed in a 41mm x 41mm case of space-grade black titanium, this timepiece features an openworked dial with hours and minutes, as well as small seconds on the second wheel at 6 o’clock. The belt-driven tourbillon is visible at 9 o’clock, while an engraving of the TAG heuer logo is visible at 5 o’clock and a “V4” engraving is visible at 7 o’clock.

Photos courtesy TAG Heuer.