The 60s of the 20th century was the golden age of the development of automatic chronographs, and countless classic models were born in this historical period, and the same is true of the TAG Heuer Carrera series. With its elegant appearance and reliable performance, the Carrera series has been popular since its introduction in 1963 and is loved by many professional racing drivers. 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the Carrera collection, which marks the occasion of a number of commemorative creations, as well as a new in-house calibre TH20-00. The improved performance of this movement is expected to replace the Heuer 02 calibre, which is widely used today, and become the main force of the brand's chronographs in the future. In fact, looking at the development of TAG Heuer's in-house chronograph movements, I prefer to call this process a "three-step process".
Caliber 11
Historical works with Cal.11 calibre (source onthedash.com)
As early as the 60s, TAG Heuer (before joining the TAG Group) began to develop chronograph movements. The first hand-wound calibre, Cal.11, with a frequency of 19,800 VPH and a power reserve of 42 hours, was installed in Carrera, Monaco and Autavia. The movement was then undergoing minor modifications, such as the use of a barrel with less torque, and the change of the sliding pinion to steel.
Caliber 12
In 1971, the Cal.12 calibre was released, optimized with stronger barrel springs, gear train and balance. Cal.12 calibre oscillates at a frequency of 21600VPH and has been improved with a chronograph hammer for enhanced shock resistance. This was followed by the Cal.14 and Cal.15 variants, which were the first stage of the Maison's in-house chronograph movements.
Calibre 1887
搭载Cal.1887机芯的腕表（型号：CAR2A11.BA0799）
After the "quartz crisis" in the 70s of the 20th century, TAG Heuer chronographs mostly used purchased movement solutions based on ETA/Valjoux 7750, until the introduction of the Cal.1887 calibre in 2009, which broke this situation. The 1887 calibre has a column wheel and a horizontal clutch, with a diameter of 29.3 mm, a frequency of 28800 VPH and a dynamic reserve of 50 hours. The movement's functional disc is located at 12-9-6 o'clock, with the visual centre of gravity shifted to the left. Structurally, it has certain structural origins with Seiko's Cal.6S37 calibre, such as the use of the "magic bar" automatic winding system (which TAG Heuer calls a "double locking lever").
Calibre Heuer 01
Released in 2015, the Heuer 01 calibre is considered to be the stable and final form of Cal.1887. These two movements can be regarded as the "second stage" of TAG Heuer's path to in-house production of chronograph movements.
Calibre 1969
In fact, two years before the launch of the Heuer 01 calibre, the brand began its "third phase": the Cal.1969 calibre, launched in 2013, marked the beginning of the third phase.
搭载Cal.1969机芯的腕表（型号：CAR2A50.FC6340）
Cal.1969 calibre with vertical clutch of column wheels, 28800 VPH and 70 hours of power reserve. Each functional small plate is distributed at 3-6-9 points, which is more in line with the mainstream aesthetics. Compared to the Cal.1887 (Heuer 01), the calibre has an increased diameter of 32 mm, but the thickness has been reduced to 6.5 mm, which makes it easier to fit into a thinner case. Perhaps influenced by the previous questioning of the "degree of autonomy" of the Cal.1887 calibre, Cal.1969 did not follow the "magic bar" winding system derived from Seiko, meaning that its rotor only supported one-way winding.
搭载CH-80型机芯的腕表（型号：CBA2111.BA0723）
Calibre CH-80
In 2014, the CH-80 calibre was unveiled, succeeding the Cal.1969 calibre. The structure of the two movements is identical, with the main lifting point being a slight increase in the power reserve to 80 hours, which is where the name "80" comes from. Otherwise, the CH-80 movement still uses a column wheel with a vertical clutch, and the oscillating weight only supports one-way winding.
Heuer calibre 02
However, Cal.1969 and CH-80 movements are more conceptual models and have not been used on a large scale. After several modifications, the calibre was finally named Heuer 02. With its stable performance, it has become the main force of TAG Heuer chronographs.
搭载Heuer 02T陀飞轮机芯的腕表（型号：CAR5A8C.BF0707）
The strength of the Heuer 02 calibre is also that it supports the addition of various complications: complications such as tourbillon, flyback, GMT and many more are based on it.
TH20-00 calibre
Launched in 2023, the TH20-00 calibre is based on the Heuer 02 with some further improvements, such as a change in the shape of the gears and, above all, an oscillating weight that supports bidirectional winding.
搭载TH20-00型机芯的腕表（型号：CBS2240.FC8319）
In a nutshell, the "three steps" of TAG Heuer's in-house chronograph movements: in the 1960s and 1970s, the brand established its position in the industry with Cal.11 and Cal.12 movements, and in 2009, Cal.1887 was the first in-house automatic chronograph movement in the "modern sense", and its final version was named Heuer 01. From 2013 to the present, the Cal.1969, CH-80, Heuer 02 and TH20-00 calibres have been continuously improved in terms of functionality and performance, which is the "third phase". (Photo/text Watch Home Xiao Feng)