TAG Heuer’s Carrera Plasma, their most expensive watch to date

by Joshua Hendren

TAG Heuer has entered the realm of lab-grown diamonds with the launch of the new Carrera Plasma watch.

Unveiled at the Watches and Wonders show in Geneva, the model is the Swiss watchmaker’s most expensive timepiece to date, with 12kt of Diamant d’Avant-Garde lab-grown diamonds set in its case, dial and crown. 

“Innovation and redefining frontiers is in our DNA,” says TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault. “With the introduction of the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma, we want to expand the possible palette and designs for diamond watches and diamonds in general, and create a new and breathtaking vision of mastering carbon and diamond design, as well as cutting-edge light effects.”

The TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma is powered by the H02 Tourbillon Nanograph movement, which features a hairspring made of carbon nanotubes and comes housed in a 44mm sandblasted anodized aluminium case.

The polycrystalline dial features multiple diamond crystals grown as one for a glittering, textured effect and is punctuated by 11 indexes in white gold, each set with a diamond. Rounding up the sparkling dial is polished, rhodium-plated hour and minute hands formed in matte black lacquer and topped with white Super- LumiNova®. 

The H02 Tourbillon Nanograph movement’s carbon hairspring – which is impervious to variation caused by magnetic fields and doesn’t require lubrication – is manufactured using the same chemical vapour deposition method used to grow the diamonds. The movement – which has been hand-finished for the special edition – features a 65-hour power reserve and a TAG Heuer shield-shaped winding rotor, all presented on an elegant black leather strap.

“At TAG Heuer, we are driven by innovation. By using lab-grown diamonds in such an avant-guard manner; we want to make things in a different, new and exciting way,” adds Arnault.

“This is an innovation that has long been planned and introduces just our opening chapter for a long story to be created. It is also a truly defining moment for us and the Swiss luxury watchmaking sector. We feel that luxury watches should always be exciting and surprising and in tune with the times, and this new watch demonstrates exactly that.”

See our shoot of the latest diamond watches