Watches Only Watch 10th edition: inside the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph

Only Watch is a truly unique biennial event. Its mission? To raise funds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research by auctioning one-off watches. So when you’re crafting an Only Watch timepiece, you’ve got to make sure that you’re creating something memorable. Something unique. Something that will grab the eyeballs of every watch lover in the room. That’s why for Only Watch 2023, our avant-garde watchmakers have poured all of their know-how into the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph. The vision was simple: to add a never-before-seen version of one of our most iconic collections. So how did our team come together to bring the watch to life? What was the inspiration and the thinking behind our first-ever mechanical split-seconds wristwatch? Let’s find out.

It takes a one-of-a-kind team to produce a one-of-a-kind watch. That’s why our watchmakers assembled only the best to help create the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph. By tapping up Vaucher, a world-class movement manufacturer, the team was able to make the intricate split-seconds complication a reality. ‘We started from a pre-existing base movement from Vaucher, which we have completely transformed for this watch,’ explains Carole Kasapi, Movements Director at TAG Heuer. 

Our watchmakers also collaborated closely with Stéphane Maturel from Artime. ‘Stéphane is the best,’ says Kasapi. ‘He decorates movements for the most renowned [watchmakers]. That’s the reason why he is part of this team. I wanted to have the crème de la crème on all the aspects of this Only Watch.’

The watch case is made from a unique material we call texturised titanium. Developed by the TAG Heuer institute, it’s ultra-light, resistant and eye-catching. It took a lot of effort to find the right feel and texture. ‘Titanium doesn’t react like other materials,’ says Stéphane Maturel. ‘For example, when sandblasting or bead blasting we can’t hide machining marks [on the material], so to achieve a good, homogenous, soft look, we need to prepare very carefully. It requires a lot of precision to ensure that each part of the watch is perfect.’

‘We used a lot of different techniques while making this watch. It has some similarities to cooking. You just have to find the right tools, the right technique, the right process and the right balance.’ Stéphane Maturel, Artime

There are so many little details to admire on this timepiece. Like the clear sapphire glass that allows for markings and offers a glorious view of the bridges, the registers and the intricacies of the dial.  Several parts of this complex and head-turning piece were finished by hand. ‘To me, it’s within a mix of art, unique objects, and high-end watches that you find true know-how and skills amongst people who work together,’ says Stéphane. ‘What I like about the watch is the collaboration between every trade and specialty. That’s what drives me in watchmaking, not necessarily the watch itself but how you achieve a beautiful product by cooperating with various people and their specialties.’

I think it [Only Watch] is a good style exercise to be able to fight and defend your expertise. But also to find compromises between all of us to make the perfect object. And we put the best of ourselves, and we sweat a lot, but the result is there. – Stéphane Maturel, Artime

The TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph for Only Watch isn’t just an innovative timepiece. It seeks to reflect the uniqueness of an event that champions a great cause and creativity. 

If you’d like to find out more about the timepiece, visit here.