TAG Heuer’s New Monaco V4 Features First-Ever Tourbillon Driven by Belts

TAG Heuer made headlines at Baselworld this week with the unveiling of its latest V4 concept watch. The Monaco V4 Tourbillon is the world’s first belt-driven tourbillon.

This fully patented timepiece, which was created in-house at TAG Heuer’s La Chaux-de-Fonds workshop, uses a micro-belt to drive the tourbillon. It is equipped with an automatic linear rewinding system, and the mass is guided by a linear railroad instead of a traditional rotating system. The four notched micro-thin transmission belts (the design of which have been kept secret) create an efficient shock-absorbing system. In another first, the barrels are held and rotated on ball bearings. The 214-component movement boasts a 40-hour power reserve.

Housed in a 41mm x 41mm case of space-grade black titanium, this timepiece features an openworked dial with hours and minutes, as well as small seconds on the second wheel at 6 o’clock. The belt-driven tourbillon is visible at 9 o’clock, while an engraving of the TAG heuer logo is visible at 5 o’clock and a “V4” engraving is visible at 7 o’clock.

Photos courtesy TAG Heuer.