SAVOIR FAIRE A new era for an iconic calibre: the Heuer 02 movement evolves

It displays all the qualities of its predecessor, but reveals how we can always surpass earlier achievements. Its code? TH20-00. In an exclusive interview, Carole Forestier-Kasapi, Movements Director of TAG Heuer, invites us to discover the inner workings of the Calibre Heuer 02.

In order to explore this upgrade, we need to return to the beginning of the Calibre Heuer 02. Launched in 2016, it is our house’s signature movement: developed entirely in-house and produced at our movements manufacturer in Chevenez. The key element of the Heuer 02 is its chronograph, the beating heart of TAG Heuer watchmaking, designed to measure performance and sports records. Designed with passion and flair, the Heuer 02 movement is renowned for being the driver of iconic collections such as Carrera, Monaco, and more recently Monza or Autavia Chronometer Flyback.

The finest example that exists of automatic watch-making, the Heuer 02 movement stands out thanks to its impressive power reserve. Most watches on the market can keep going for between 40 and 50 hours without being worn, but the Heuer 02 movement lasts 80 hours. We are talking about the freedom to leave your watch at home on Friday, come back on Sunday evening and find it still running. This is “weekend autonomy”, making the Heuer 02 movement the calibre of choice for all adventurers.

“The Heuer 02 movement is an extremely well-made calibre, it’s flawless. Our mission was to take it to the future as well as possible.“
Carole Forestier-Kasapi, Movement Director of TAG Heuer

How can one improve a movement that’s already extremely well-made? For nearly 6 months, the Calibre Heuer 02 was analysed down to its smallest workings and observed in the field, in order to identify as precisely as possible any areas that could be improved. These invaluable observations led to strict development specifications.

After two years designing it, three key developments emerged.

• An extended warranty of 5 years

The Calibre Heuer 02 warranty has more than doubled, from 2 to 5 years. An impressive leap in durability, which required painstaking work on the automatic mechanism and every one of its over 70 interlocking parts.

“To go from 2 to 5 years of warranty, the mechanics behind the watch have to keep up. This is a major challenge for any watchmaker. ”
Carole Forestier-Kasapi

• A very discreet movement

The winding direction of the calibre is no longer mono- but bi-directional. So what’s changed? Previously the rotor could be heard occasionally, but now the high quality of the new gear train and the bearing reduces that noise considerably. However the winding speed remains unchanged: it’s still among the fastest on the market.

• A new look 

The oscillating weight, visible on the back of watches equipped with the TH20-00, is now sculpted in the shape of a coat of arms, a graphic element borrowed from the famous TAG Heuer logo. This new look will be found on all upcoming collections, a nod to our most faithful watchlovers. 

The changes made to the Calibre Heuer 02 follow the new nomenclature, or way of codifying the different movements of the house. So all the calibres of the Heuer 02 family can be easily identified thanks to the code that begins with “TH20”. The next two digits indicate the variants within the family: TH20-00 designates the three-counter chronograph movement and date of the Heuer 02 family, TH20-09 the tourbillon movement, and so on.

The evolution of the Calibre Heuer 02 into the TH20-00 is part of our perpetual quest for excellence. This year, we added two new movements to our catalogue: the Calibre TH30-00 Automatic and the Calibre TH50-00 known as “Solargraph”. All the new calibres coming in 2023 and 2024 will be designed with these new innovations in quality and durability.