Can Someone Reach Out To Tag Heuer and Tell Them To Chill? This All-New Carerra Plasma is Freakin' Wild.

Watch enthusiasts collectively slammed our heads against a desk the minute we heard the announcement that Frédéric Arnault was taking over as Tag Heuer CEO. And I’m not going to lie when I said I had my apprehensions about someone so young running such a storied brand. But you know what? Maybe that’s EXACTLY what was needed to shake things up over at Tag, and I can’t help but stand and clap for literally one of the wildest watch’s I’ve ever seen come out of Tag Heuer. Introducing the Tag Heuer Carrera “Plasma” Tourbillon - And I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of the coolest watches I’ve ever seen.

THE BASICS:

Brand: Tag Heuer

Model: Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph (ref. XCBN5A90.FC8315)

Case Material: Diamond Set Aluminum

Case Size: 44mm

Water Resistance: Unspecified, but likely 50m

Movement: In-House Heuer 02 - Tourbillon

Movement Specs: Automatic chronograph, Tourbillon, 4-Hz, 65-Hour Reserve

Strap Options: Black Leather

THE JUICE:

I honestly don’t know where to start. I guess let’s start with the fact that a large part of the case construction is literally diamonds. And unlike the sapphire cases you seen from brands like Richard Mille or Jacob & Co, the case itself is made out of a hardened Aluminum with diamonds specifically grown, cut, and crafted to construct the case itself. Tag Heuer calls this “Diamant d'Avant-garde technology”. The essential logic behind it, is that because the diamonds are lab grown, the brand can craft the diamonds to fit into any size, case, dial, or yes, even crown. I didn’t stutter, the crown is entirely crafted out of a lab grown diamond.

Additionally, the dial is it’s own piece of uniqueness. The dial is layered entirely with a “Polycrystalline Diamond Plate”, which acts as a single sheet of diamond grown in almost a sandblasted texture. The style is almost animorphous, and differes from, say a Pave’ dial in that it can be a much more minimally impacted texted because you aren’t setting the diamonds individually, it’s more like setting a sheet on the dial plate. This allows for even the diamond indices to pop against the dial, making it very legible despite everything literally being lab-grown diamonds.

I don’t even know how I’m about to say this, but the movement is amongst the most utilitarian aspects of the watch. The 02-Tourbillon is Tag’s tried and true tourbillon chronograph. It’s fairly standard specs except for the brand’s signature carbon used for the hairspring and the brands Tourbillon at 6 o’ clock. The watch beats at 28,800 VpH and features a criminally underrated 65-Hour Power Reserve - which is more than generous for a chronograph with a tourbillon.

I don’t really know what else to say from a watchmaking perspective. There truly is nothing like this watch that I’ve seen on the market. It’s beyond unique, and even some of the most ridiculously diamond studded pieces don’t quite have the same kind of swag we see with the Carrera Plasma. Calling it “unique” feels unfair because it doesn’t have a lot of competition. So instead, I’ll just say Bravo - This watch truly blew my mind.

So how much is the Tag Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon?

The watch is limited, but the price and amount haven’t been announced yet. But the reports coming back from Watches & Wonders seem to consistently put this watch around the $500,000 USD mark.

Read more about this watch at tagheuer.com