Watches & Wonders 2026: TAG Heuer has set a new standard with the release of the Monaco Evergraph and the innovative TH-80 movement
The watch industry can, at times, move slowly. Innovation takes time, and when it comes to mechanical watches, where movements and the methods of putting them together have been around for hundreds of years, it is hard to make leaps and improvements that are actually meaningful. But sometimes, it happens. And when it does, it is usually very meaningful. TAG Heuer has done just this: Introducing the new TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph.
TAG Heuer has taken the iconic watch, gone back to the drawing board and re-invented both the watch and the chronograph movement inside. Over 5 years of research and development have gone into this piece, from the case design and ergonomics, through to the newly developed TH-80 movement that re-defines what a chronograph calibre can be.
And, I can say, TAG Heuer has done a fantastic job with the watch, and it is another step on TAG Heuer’s journey towards elevating the brand as a serious chronograph manufacture once again. Talking with Carole Forestier-Kasapi, TAG Heuer Haute Horlogerie and Movement Strategy Director, she sums up perfectly and succinctly what the Evergraph means for TAG Heuer:
“I’m confident more and more, even before Watches & Wonders, what we have achieved today with the Evergraph is huge! And because we started from zero for for this project, we had the possibility to rethink everything. So for me, it is exciting to put everything on the table and to look at what we can change!”
Carole Forestier-Kasapi, TAG Heuer Haute Horlogerie and Movement Strategy Director
The Monaco Reimagined
TAG Heuer has taken one of its most iconic case designs and made it more wearable, thanks to the better proportions and design work done by Julien Delcambre’s team, TAG Heuer’s Lead Designer, who headed up the project on the new Monaco.
The 40 mm case is made from grade 5 titanium, and with two models presented in either a black DLC or the natural colour, and has a more tapered case profile, redesigned lugs and a lower centre of gravity for greater balance on the wrist. Adding to this, the caseback has a centre section that is domed, which, counterintuitively, makes the watch sit better on the wrist.
The other thing you may notice is the styling on the new Monaco Evergraph. TAG Heuer has taken some inspiration from the Monaco Rattrapante launched in 2024, with an openworked dial to showcase parts of the TH-80 calibre underneath. The black DLC model features black gold-coated hands for the main timing hands as well as the sub-dials. On the titanium and blue model, these are rhodium-plated.
The caseback showcases the rest of the TH-80 movement, and again, inspiration from the Monaco Rattrapante shows through with the checkered flag pattern on the bridge of the movement, as well as the skeleton rotor. When we spoke to the team at TAG Heuer, we likened it to the Monaco Skeleton having a baby with the Rattrapante, and the Evergraph is the result.
A Leap In Movement Technology
While the case and design of the new Monaco Evergraph have been well thought through, the real magic is inside the newly developed TH-80 chronograph movement. And this isn’t a round movement in a square watch, like the TH-20. TAG Heuer has developed this purely for the square Monaco case as a square movement.
The TH-80 chronograph is a team effort from TAG Heuer, under the guidance of Carole Forestier-Kasapi and the TAG Heuer LAB alongside the team over at Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. The TH-80 has the TH-Carbonspring inside, which TAG Heuer launched last year at Geneva Watch Days. This new technology from the TAG Heuer LAB is TAG Heuer’s first step to produce their very own hair springs for the balance wheel.
The material is “amagnetic’, which means that it’s greatly resistant to magnetism, an issue that many conventional movements face with daily use that ends up in the long-term affecting the precision. It is also resistant to shocks, and being made from carbon nanotubes, the hairspring is extremely lightweight, which reduces the inertia on the hairspring, ultimately increasing chronometric performance.
But, this is not the story with the Monaco Evergraph. The TH-80 features a one-of-a-kind compliant chronograph mechanism built with flexible components, fully developed by the TAG Heuer LAB.
The compliant chronograph mechanism removes virtually all of the levers and springs traditionally associated with the start, stop, and reset functions and bears no resemblance to current chronograph mechanisms featuring column wheels, cams and clutches. Instead, there are two flexible bistable components: one governing start and stop, the other reset.
Produced using high-precision LIGA technology, these flexible bistable components enable fast, crisp transitions between positions. Thanks to the tuning of the chronograph mechanism and the precision of its manufacturing, there is no change or deviation over time in its performance. Whether on the first press of the pushers or the ten-thousandth, the chronograph always delivers the same sensation and accuracy. Talking to Carole, she says that the feeling, or tactility, when using the pushers is like no other currently on the market. Having tested it myself, I can attest to this!
The TH-80 calibre ensures magnetic resistance and precision, thanks to the TH-Carnonspring, and operates at a 5-Hz / 36,000 VpH frequency. It also has a very class-leading 70-hour power reserve, rare with movements operating at 5Hz due to the power output needed for a higher beat rate and has COSC certification. TAG Heuer also offers a 5-year warranty on the movement as well, so the brand is backing its products up.
Initial Thoughts
It is genuinely exciting to see a brand like TAG Heuer starting to innovate and bring forward watches and movements that are breaking the mould. Innovation does take time and money, and from extensive experience talking to brands, visiting the manufactures and seeing the operations first-hand, I can say making changes is not as simple as just deciding and implementing it.
This new movement has been 5 years in the making. Redesigning the chronograph with a whole new mechanism is no easy feat, especially so when you are going back to the drawing board and creating an entirely new start/stop and reset mechanism – one with very little friction at that. Couple this with the TH-Carbonspring, and the fact TAG Heuer has developed this specifically for the square Monaco shape, and you’ve got something special here.
References: CEW5180.FT8122 (Black DLC) / CEW5181.FT8123
Specifications:
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 40mm |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium black DLC coated / Grade 5 titanium |
| Case Back | Sapphire Case back, domed for comfort |
| Dial | Transparent acrylic glass with white and red markings, Super-LumiNova hands & indices. Black gold-coated / rhodium-plated open-worked hour and minute hands with red lacquered tips |
| Crystal | Bevelled, domed sapphire crystal |
| Movement | Calibre TH-80 automatic movement with a TH-Carbonspring and new compliant chronograph mechanism – beating at 5Hz / 36,000 VpH |
| Power Reserve | 70-hours |
| Water Resistance | 10 bar (100 metres) |
| Strap | Black rubber strap with textile embossing and red stitching / Blue rubber strap with textile embossing and grey stitching |