The tourbillon inside the Heuer-02T was inspired by the Monaco V4’s tourbillon (hands-on here), which has central sections made from titanium and a carbon top section. TAG Heuer takes it seriously to emphasize that all the fitting, assembly, and adjustment work is performed by hand, and that the main components are manufactured in the workshops of the TAG Heuer Manufacture, while the balance spring is from Atokalpa – one of Parmigiani’s subsidiaries that we visited here.

It’s easy to imagine that TAG Heuer could have slapped a tourbillon into this watch, made it sort of work, and still seen it run off the shelves and onto people’s wrists. And this is exactly why it’s all the more impressive that they bothered making it accurate, boasting a respectable power reserve, and looking decent enough that you don’t feel you are making too much (or any) aesthetic compromise. The CH80 movement was 32 millimeters wide, so the 45-millimeter-wide case looks and feels, if not overkill, then at least something that makes me want a smaller version, something that looks a bit more, well, restrained.

Thanks to its modular case construction that allows sort of a mix-and-match combination of different design elements, the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-02T will be available in a number of various color and material combinations. The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-02T reference CAR5A8Y.FC6377 is non-limited-edition priced at $15,950, the reference CAR5A8Z.FC6377 “Black Phantom” will be a limited edition of 250 numbered pieces for $21,300, and expect to see partially and completely gold alternatives to come later on in the year. tagheuer.com