The wait is almost over. The Tag Heuer Monaco V4 debuts in November marking the 150-year anniversary of TAG Heuer, and will and will be produced in a symbolic limited edition of just 150 pieces. But not all will be available at once, seventy-five pieces of the Monaco V4 will be delivered in November 2009, and the remaining seventy-five will be released the in June 2010. Tag Heuer's Monaco V4 was first introduced as a concept watch with no mention of when or if it would become available, but at last, it has made a debut. The Tag Heuer Monaco V4 is priced at $80,000 a piece, the first of which will be auctioned off for charity.
This platinum beauty has an ingenious concept in timekeeping, in fact it is completely reinventing the mechanical movement principle. Getting inspiration from car engines, Tag Heuer replaces the rotating oscillating weight for automatic winding with a platinum ingot, weighing just 4.25 grams which acts as a cylinder of sorts, in a linear movement. This linear movement then transforms power, not to a set of wheels, but to a drive-belt transmission. 13 belts in all with a gauge measure of 0.5 x 0.45mm. Traditional Mechanical Watches utilize rubies to reduce friction, the Tag Heuer V4 uses 2.2 mm diameter bearings with 0.25mm balls rotating inside. In other words the traditional pinions and gear systems have been replaced with belts, and the rubies with ball races. The idea is one of a kind as it combines a unique transmission chain made of belts with a linear ingot to rewind the barrels. The truly amazing thing about this watch is its four barrels and bridges of sapphire that act as energy generators.
The presentation of this watch is the result of months and months of research and craftmanship. The result is a seriously cool watch with a cool design which will definitely make waves in the horological community.
