Interview Carole Forestier on TAG Heuer Carbon Nanotube Hairsprings

For the 2021 version of Solely Watch, the charity public sale the place distinctive one-off watches are donated to boost funds within the battle in opposition to Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, TAG Heuer offered a powerful Full Carbon Monaco. Channelling the spirit of the enduring Darkish Lord, using carbon goes nicely past the case and deep down contained in the motion with its carbon nanotube hairspring. Certainly, TAG Heuer has been cooking up a technique to develop this revolutionary hairspring over the previous years. An ideal second to meet up with Carole Forestier, Motion Director of the model, and discover out extra about this superior know-how.

Carole Forestier-Kasapi has watchmaking in her blood. Born in Paris in a household of watchmakers, Carole Forestier graduated as a watchmaker in La Chaux-de-Fonds earlier than beginning her profession with Conseil Rey, a motion improvement workplace, after which with Renaud & Papi. In 1997, she obtained the Abraham-Louis Breguet prize for her central carrousel tourbillon (whose idea was used to create the Ulysse Nardin Freak). She then joined Richemont and Cartier, the place she was accountable for motion creation. Since 2020, she is TAG Heuer’s Motion Director. In September 2021, she was saluted by the Prix Gaia, the honorary award in watchmaking offered by the Worldwide Museum of Horology (“MIH”).

Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – You might be presenting this full carbon Monaco for Solely Watch 2021. Are you able to inform us concerning the know-how used to craft its carbon nanotube hairspring?

Carole Forestier, Motion Director at TAG Heuer – We’re coping with a quality-based innovation. Probably the most pervasive issues affecting mechanical watch chronometry is magnetism. Magnetic fields are all over the place in our trendy world, and their most pernicious results are felt by the hairspring. The motivation behind the carbon nanotube hairspring is to deal with the problem of magnetism by crafting an a-magnetic motion. The precept is to develop carbon nanotube hairsprings utilizing a Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) methodology, throughout which the spirals consisting of carbon nanotubes are infiltrated with amorphous carbon. 

On this respect, silicon can also be anti-magnetic and has been used for years by the trade. Though the manufacturing of silicon hairsprings has lengthy been restricted to sure gamers, issues are about to vary as a result of the patent expires in 2021. What’s your tackle the state of affairs?

Effectively, certainly, we began to develop this know-how due to the patent on the manufacturing of silicon hairsprings, however there are different technical causes. If we evaluate silicon and carbon nanotubes, the latter supply totally different benefits, above all regarding the density of the fabric. A carbon hairspring is lighter than a silicon hairspring; that is necessary as a result of the load of the hairspring impacts its enlargement, particularly in a vertical place. Gravity impacts the enlargement of the spiral spring, inflicting it to deform. This modifies its centre of gravity and impacts the chronometry. Due to this fact, the lighter the fabric, the higher. On this perspective, carbon will supply higher outcomes than silicon and, clearly, higher outcomes than metallic alloys. It additionally improves the isochronism of the hairspring.

How was this know-how developed and did it make it to manufacturing? There was an announcement that it might be used to equip the most recent Autavia technology earlier than transferring again to traditional hairsprings.

One factor we have to perceive is that we’re dealing right here with the essence of watchmaking, the oscillator, which is essentially the most advanced or delicate a part of a mechanical motion. We have now been engaged on the applying of cutting-edge know-how to fabricate hairsprings in a brand new materials. That is terribly advanced, and there’s no equal within the watch trade as we speak. We have now this know-how, and we all know learn how to manufacture hairsprings in our institute. We have now machines and a staff producing hairsprings each day. Effectively, certainly, we began to develop this know-how. The following step is to maneuver to industrial, serial manufacturing of those hairsprings in giant portions; that is what we’re engaged on as we speak. 

It’s also the explanation why we’re utilizing carbon nanotube hairsprings for high-end watches or extra unique productions in the meanwhile. Immediately, we’re manufacturing shock-resistant carbon hairsprings that ship wonderful chronometry and tick all of the bins. The final step is to maneuver to industrial manufacturing with the suitable high quality, repetitively and on the proper price. It’s within the curiosity of business manufacturing to increase the use and the advantages of this exceptional resolution to a bigger vary of merchandise.

Would you think about providing this know-how to different firms?

There aren’t any definitive choices on this respect, so we are going to see. The event of this know-how is sensible for TAG Heuer; it is a crucial challenge for the model itself, in step with our imaginative and prescient. 

In addition to this know-how, are you able to inform us what you’ve in retailer for the following main fields of motion improvement?

As you possibly can think about, I can’t disclose a lot at this stage. What’s necessary is the imaginative and prescient and the technique of the model. As you’ll anticipate, our improvement plan is in step with this imaginative and prescient. The ambition and the expectations are nice. We’re engaged on issues which can be fairly totally different from something you’ve seen from the model over the previous few years. In fact, we’ve strong pillars in our assortment, however subsequent to those, there’s a need to supply putting new merchandise. Innovation is within the blood of TAG Heuer. We wish to give attention to quality-based innovation. The “TAG” (Editor’s observe: Method d’Avant Garde) aspect of the model is clearly within the works!

For extra info, please go to www.tagheuer.com.