Following the launch of the Monaco V4 Concept Watch in 2004 at BaselWorld and the Carrera Calibre 360 Chronograph movement last year at BaselWorld, it really didn’t come as a surprise that the very latest TAG Heuer movement was presented for the first time at BaselWorld this year. What did come as a surprise though are the amazing features of the exciting new Link Calibre S.
Since its creation in 1860, the brand has been constantly involved in precision timing and no more so than in chronographs. Chronographs, since their first appearance in the early 1800s, have been used to measure elapsed time, and in more modern times usually via two or three small, often illegible counters on the dial, as well as, or in addition to, a central seconds hand. The Carrera Calibre 360 Chronograph is typical of the accepted layout of a mechanical chronograph, although its functions of measuring and displaying time to 1/100th of a second is atypical since it functions normally at 28,800 vibrations an hour (vph) for standard timing and then accelerates to an amazing 360,000 vph when it is in the chronograph mode.




Link Calibre S


A totally new concept
The Link Calibre S is particularly innovative, it is a new generation of ‘hybrid’ electro-mechanical movements that is neither quartz nor automatic. Put simply, it is the fusion of mechanical watchmaking sophistication and the ultimate in quartz precision. Comprising 230 highly complex mechanical components and five bi-directional micro-engines that are mechanically independent yet synchronized, the Calibre S is far more complicated than a traditional 30 to 40 component quartz movement. In short, the Calibre S is a mechanical movement with the precision of quartz.
The Link Calibre S displays both the standard time of hours, minutes and seconds and then, by pressure on the crown, changes to the chronograph function. Using the same central hands which revert to zero (the 12 o’clock position), timing is started and stopped by using the chronograph pushbuttons in the classical positions of 2 and 4 o’clock. Inspired by automotive dashboard counters, the Link Calibre S also features two retrograde semi-circular counters at 4.30 and 7.30 to display 1/10th and 1/100th of a second measurements whilst in the chronograph function. When the watch reverts to the standard time function by once again pressing the crown, those two particular displays become the perpetual retrograde calendar - valid through to 2099 without any date adjustment and the three central hands return to the standard timing function indicating the correct time and date.
The launch of this revolutionary Calibre S movement, with its 230 components and five high-performance bi-directional engines capable of twice the torque of conventional timepiece engines, is clearly a major event in Swiss watchmaking circles, comparable to the unique belt-driven mechanical movement now in production for the Monaco TAG Heuer V4.
The 42 mm stainless steel Link Calibre S watch has a very distinctive look with its instantly recognizable Link bracelet with its folding clasp and buckle, a curved scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflection treatment, hand applied curved and facetted indexes, facetted polished hands and luminescent markers. There is a fixed bezel with a black tachymetre scale and a caseback with the set-up instructions for hour and date initialization. The watch is water-resistant to 200 metres.




Link Calibre 5 Day-Date, Link Calibre 16 Automatic Chronograph Tachymetre, Link Calibre 5 (Turning Bezel)


Other new Link models
The Link Calibre 5 Day-Date (42 mm) is an elegant automatic watch with a hand-applied date window at 6 o’clock and an oversized day window at 12 o’clock. There is a black and silver dial along with a curved scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflection treatment, hand applied curved and facetted indexes, facetted polished hands and luminescent markers.
The Link Calibre 16 Automatic Chrono-graph Tachymetre (42 mm) has the same casing and bracelet as the Calibre S, but the chronographic functions are counters on the dial, which is available in black, silver, anth-racite or blue with 2 zones, the central zone being decorated with ‘streaks’. There is an oversized seconds counter at 9 o’clock, a date aperture at 3 o’clock, a screw-fitting sapphire crystal caseback and the watch is water-resistant to 200 metres.
The Link Calibre 5 (Turning Bezel) (42 mm) is another stylish automatic watch with most of the iconic Link features which include a screw-fitting sapphire crystal caseback and water-resistance to 200 metres. The dial of this model is available in four colours: black, silver, brown and blue with a spiral effect on the external zone and a diamond-angled hand-applied date window at 6 o’clock.

TAG Heuer’s Link watch collection was created twenty years ago in 1987 and has been a benchmark for Swiss sports watches combining outstanding timing features and elegance. Models can be found on people such as Tiger Woods, the world’s leading golfer, the late, great racing legend Ayrton Senna, Hollywood star Matt Damon and for the ladies, Uma Thurman.
Just a couple of years ago, TAG Heuer brought out a short film showing Tiger Woods driving a golf ball in Monaco and a Formula I car racing it. Tiger won and the slogan ‘Who can beat Tiger Woods’ appeared. With TAG Heuer’s constant attention to detail and the brand’s on-going development in watchmaking technology and techniques, perhaps the slogan should read ‘Who can beat TAG Heuer’!


Source: Europa Star August-September 2007 Magazine Issue