TAG Heuer’s Flagship Watch Gets Its Most Powerful Automatic Movement to Date

TAG Heuer’s automatic split seconds chronograph movement finally arrives in a Carrera.

Close-up of a silver chronograph watch with black and red details and a black fabric strap with red stitching on a pink background.TAG Heuer

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In 2024, TAG Heuer reached a new milestone in its esteemed history of mechanical timekeeping with the Calibre TH81-00 split-seconds automatic chronograph movement.

The rare and astoundingly intricate complication — which tracks two events that begin simultaneously but end separately, such as competing lap times — debuted in the Monaco collection, with multiple iterations following in 2025.

TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph watch with skeleton dial, red accents, and black textured strap with red stitching.
The Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph places TAG Heuer’s most advanced mechanical chronograph in its flagship watch.
TAG Heuer

In what feels like a homecoming, TAG Heuer’s most impressive mechanical chronograph movement to date finally lands in its flagship watch: the Carrera. The Swiss watchmaker pulled out all the stops for what is undoubtedly the new pinnacle of this storied collection.

Of course, the beloved Glassbox variation was chosen as the foundation for the Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph. But the 42mm titanium case allows for a slight alteration to the curvature of the sapphire crystal, which now slopes seamlessly into the case.

The curvature of the Glassbox’s signature raised flange, composed in anthracite for this reference, matches that of the crystal to eliminate parallax distortion when viewing the tachymeter scale.

Side view of a stainless steel chronograph watch with black and red woven strap and a tachymeter bezel.
The curvature of TAG Heuer’s domed Glassbox crystal is slightly altered, sloping right into the titanium case.
TAG Heuer

The dial follows the same blueprint used for the Monaco that launched the automatic split-seconds movement, even mirroring the black, red and white color scheme. It is composed mostly of sapphire crystal, allowing for a clear top-down view of the mechanical wonder ticking away below.

Lickety split

TAG Heuer’s Calibre TH81-01 movement, a slight variation of the one used in Monaco, is the star of the show. Rather than a typically busy skeletonized dial, which can be hard to read, the sapphire crystal dial plate and fitted sapphire crystal subdials create the illusion of floating tracks.

Close-up of a TAG Heuer Carrera watch face with red and white hands, black subdials, and visible mechanical gears.
The subdials are made of sapphire crystal and fitted to the sapphire crystal dial plate.
TAG Heuer

The 30-minute counter track at 3:00 and the 12-hour counter track at 9:00 are printed on crystal fitted directly into the dial plate. The small seconds dial at 6:00 is differentiated with an athracite ring framing a crystal center, matching the 60-second track printed on the inner wall of the flange.

Skeletonized rhodium-plated baton hour and minute hands match the rhodium-plated concave-sloped baton hour markers, all filled with white Super-LumiNova.

TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph watch with black textured strap, red stitching, and skeleton dial showing gears.
The dual chronograph seconds hands track two events that begin at the same time and end separately.
TAG Heuer

The split-seconds function, otherwise known as a rattrapante complication, is executed with the red skeletonized chronograph seconds hand placed atop the additional solid white hand. Both hands are triggered with the pusher at 2:00, per usual, but a third pusher at 9:00 stops only the white hand, tracking a second finishing time.

Additionally, if the 9:00 pusher is pressed while the chronograph is still running, the white hand will resynchronize with the primary red hand. The entire mechanism is reset with the pusher at 4:00.

A sapphire club

One of my favorite unofficial watch terms is “sapphire sandwich,” referring to the combination of a sapphire crystal and sapphire caseback. Since the Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph contains a third layer of crystal with the dial, it is only fitting to call it a “sapphire club.”

Back view of a TAG Heuer watch showing the intricate silver mechanical movement with red accents and a black strap with red stitching.
The Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph contains a third layer of crystal with the exhibition caseback.
TAG Heuer

The expansive sapphire crystal caseback — which TAG calls a “Double Glassbox” design — is held by a titanium frame secured with four screws and provides an unobstructed view of the Calibre TH81-01 automatic movement, produced in collaboration with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier.

Crafted from Grade 5 titanium, the bridges are hand beveled, the screws are coated in black lacquer and TAG Heuer’s checkered flag motif is impressively etched by hand. The high-beat movement beats at 5Hz and provides a 65-hour power reserve.

Availability and price

TAG Heuer’s Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph, which now sits atop the brand’s most admired collection, will be available in June 2026 from TAG Heuer for $110,000.

It comes on a quick-release black rubber strap with an embossed textile pattern and red stitching, secured with a signed titanium folding clasp.

TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph watch with a black textured strap featuring red stitching and a skeleton dial with red and white accents.TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph

Specs

Case Size 42mm
Movement TAG Heuer Calibre TH81-01 automatic
Water Resistance 30m

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