TAG HEUER CARRERA “TÊTE DE VIPÈRE†CHRONOGRAPH TOURBILLON CHRONOMETER
TAG Heuer seems to have found a way to elevate the two stars of watchmaking functions – the chronograph and tourbillion – in the Carrera “Tête de Vipère†Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer. The watchmaker’s state-of-the-art Calibre Heuer-02 chronograph movement is now paired with a tourbillion, and the resulting Calibre Heuer-02T is certified by the Besançon Observatory with the “Tête de Vipère†or Viper’s Head stamp of excellence. While the Swiss Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) immediately comes to mind when it comes to chronometer certification, there are actually several institutions that issue said certificates for watch movements that pass exacting accuracy tests, one of which is the Besançon Observatory in France. In the past, the French institution participated in assessing and rating Swiss timepiece movements for accuracy, applying the “Tête de Vipère†to a chronometer for the first time in 1897. However, the advent of quartz movements in the 1970s saw the observatory ceasing chronometer certifications until 2006. Since then, only 500 watches have received this rigorous certification – which involves testing a cased movement for 16 days in five positions at three varying temperatures – making it one of the rarest certifications in horology. For TAG Heuer, it’s a proud moment as the Carrera collection celebrates its 55th anniversary this year and the presence of the serpentine stamp on the automatic movement’s bridge makes it especially profound. At 45mm, the TAG Heuer Carrera “Tête de Vipère†Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer is authoritative and quite a looker in midnight blue ceramic that extends to the bezel and lugs. This handsome hue is also interspersed on the black PVD-treated skeletonised dial at the tourbillon bridges, weight and movement barrel, as well as the indices. Rounding up the shadowy colour scheme of the sporty timepiece is a matte black alligator strap sewn onto black rubber with blue stitching. Alluding to Carrera’s milestone as well as the constrained number of chronometer testing at the Besançon Observatory, the TAG Heuer Carrera “Tête de Vipère†Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer is limited to only 155 pieces.
