At this year’s Geneva Watch Days, cheap TAG Heuer fake watches unveiled a major milestone in mechanical watchmaking: the TH-Carbonspring oscillator. Developed entirely in-house by the TAG Heuer LAB, this patented piece of kit comes bearing precision performance that’s set to define the next chapter in horology.

But for those of us yet unlearned in the science/art that is watchmaking, a brief explanation: the balance wheel, which sits right at the heart of replica TAG Heuer watches UK, regulates time using a hairspring that’s usually made from silicon or steel. ‘But why stop there?’ mused TAG. After 10 years of uncompromising trials, the result is a third option: carbon, which now forms the aforementioned patented TH-Carbonspring.

It’s a technical breakthrough that comes with three key advantages. First, it’s amagnetic, ensuring unaffected accuracy in an era dominated by devices emitting strong magnetic fields. Second, it’s exceptionally shock-resistant, countering the effects of everyday impacts. Third, carbon’s lightweight properties reduce inertia, enhancing chronometric performance. Essentially, this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it feature is represents a new standard in mechanical watchmaking.

The tech arrives in two limited-edition TAG Heuer: the Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring and the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring. Both Swiss replica watches feature forged carbon cases, carbon-fibre dials with spiral motifs echoing the hairspring, and bespoke detailing that combines high-tech materials with TAG Heuer’s avant-garde design.

The Monaco TH-Carbonspring measures 39mm and houses the Calibre TH20-60 automatic flyback chronograph movement, COSC-certified with an 80-hour power reserve. Its black-gold hands, Super-LumiNova indices, and black rubber strap provide legibility and comfort.

Elsewhere, the 44mm Carrera TH-Carbonspring features a flying tourbillon, forged carbon tachymeter bezel, and the TH20-61 automatic chronometer movement with a 65-hour power reserve. Both editions are limited to 50 pieces.

WatchPro spoke to CEO and Geneva Watch Days co-founder Antoine Pin to hear more about the technical achievement, the value of perseverance and how good product is the key to surviving the current economic landscape.

WatchPro: The TH-Carbonspring marks a major leap in oscillator technology. How will collectors actually feel the difference in everyday wear compared to silicon-based hairsprings?

That’s a very good question. It really depends on the level of understanding of the complexity you have. Brands very rarely address such a complex element of innovation in a launch, and this is probably the only new perfect copy TAG Heuer watches around that’s introducing an innovation rather than a product.

It’s really specialists, watchmakers and true watch fans that will measure the complexity and dimension of the leap, and collectors will want to be involved in that. Elsewhere, some people will want it because it’s new, not necessarily for the benefits, and then some people will not even notice it. But this is just the beginning. You’re going to see these hairsprings on all our innovative products in the future, and there will be many more milestones. That’s when the wider public will start understanding.

Is it that level of innovation that is really important to your brand storytelling?

Huge! That’s the mystery of the things that I would never tell! There are things that we know and we won’t tell you, and there are things that we still don’t know yet. Like mountain climbing, there’s always new summits to reach once you get to the top. The moment you master a new technology, is the moment you start thinking, what can we do with it beyond the existing achievement. Those are the very exciting moments.

Why did you choose these two flagship TAG Heuer – the Monaco and high quality replica TAG Heuer Carrera watches – to debut the technology?

We don’t need more flagship collections. It’s better to enrich our existing lines, and whatever we’ll be bringing out next will already exist in one shape or another. It’s better to continue to build the legend with creativity and innovation. If not, you’re missing an opportunity to highlight the next generation.

It’s the scientific side of things that’s driving our newness. At clone TAG Heuer watches for sale, we’re engineers, and we have a much more scientific approach to watchmaking than others. Most brands are looking to develop things like new alloys with specific techniques and characteristics – they’re building, constructing new calibres etc, but for performance to really change, you need to go beyond that.

Does that require a lot of investment in a more scientific facility?

Yes, exactly. We have the third biggest microscope of the whole of Switzerland – more precise than medical grade, and it’s because of investment that we’ve been able to do that.

The difficulty for us will be to explain to the public that this is a technology that nobody masters in our industry because it’s too complicated. We are building them, we are not just framing them or shaping them. Not just with carbon fibre, but pure carbon. And you’re talking about operations on a surface that is less than a micron. We are building something that is beyond imagination, and that’s why it’s expensive. It’s taken 10 years of our time to be mastered, and it’s fundamental research.

So cost efficiency wise, is this a trial run for how much you can expand?

Good question, I don’t want to answer that [laughs]. But we’re not looking at it that way, because otherwise we would never do anything. We’re lucky that we’re part of a group that understands the necessity to make those kinds of investments to eventually bring the essence of innovation in watchmaking.

With production and development of the TH Carbonspring fully in-house, how are you balancing the cost of innovation against the pressures from tariffs and supply chain disruptions?

You need to keep the big picture. There’s many directions in which you’re going; you’re maintaining the mainstream process while you’re developing exceptional elements, be it from an innovative perspective or from a creative perspective. You’re constantly balancing risks in this way anyway, regardless of any global economic situation.

The current situation is not challenging for us. We could have waited five, ten years to implement this technology, but it would have been a pity, as we are entrepreneurs who are very creative, and absolutely convinced that we are delivering the best products, but extremely prudent because it’s our own money.

There are always political questions we’re talking about anyway, and what you don’t necessarily look at right now is the evolution of the Swiss Franc – it’s going up.

Right now, brands may decide to stop everything and not be creative, but then you’re not disrupting, and you’re accelerating the risk of watchmaking becoming an endangered industry. Rather than being a rabbit in the headlights, we can always navigate away from the issue with creativity and innovation. It’s better that we try at least to take our fate in our hands and move forward, and I think having a good product is probably the solution to all of our issues.