We sat down with Jean Laconte, Head of Innovation at TAG Heuer, to explore the thinking behind the piece. What emerged wasn’t just another technical exercise in precision. This Monaco represents a deeper shift. A change in how watches are imagined, engineered, and worn.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1 takes that shift further. Produced in a limited run of just 30 pieces, the watch combines mechanical complexity with a new approach to case design. This is not a reinterpretation of a classic. It is a new chapter built on the same foundation.
At its core is a case made from grade 5 titanium, produced through Selective Laser Melting. The process is a form of additive manufacturing, similar to 3D printing, where material is built up layer by layer instead of being milled away. This allows for hollow sections and intricate structures that would be impossible to machine using traditional methods. According to Laconte, it also opens the door to new innovations ahead. Lighter forms, new shapes, and construction techniques that rethink the limitations of conventional case architecture.
The result is unmistakably Monaco in shape, but different in feel. It wears light and precise. Every surface looks like it was shaped by airflow. A honeycomb panel made from solid 18K yellow gold sits along the case side, echoing the air intakes of a race car. From the back, the geometry feels automotive as well, with lines that bring to mind the symmetry of modern tail lights. The visual language is subtle but consistent.
The movement inside is TAG Heuer’s TH81-00. This is the brand’s most complex chronograph caliber, offering tenth-of-a-second precision, 30-minute and 12-hour counters, and a split-seconds function that allows for the timing of two simultaneous events. The split-seconds pusher at nine o’clock is finished in yellow gold. It stands apart by design and makes the complication instantly accessible.
The open sapphire dial reveals the structure of the movement beneath. It is a layout driven by function rather than display. Finishing is clean and intentional. There are no distractions. The movement does not need to prove anything through decoration. It speaks clearly through design.
The strap is made from black rubber and Alcantara leather. It is ergonomic, lightweight, and shaped to stay in place. A polished and brushed black DLC titanium clasp secures it. This part of the watch often goes unnoticed, but here it aligns with the overall balance of performance and restraint.
Only 30 watches will leave the TAG Heuer workshop with this configuration, but the technology and ideas behind it are designed to carry forward. The Air 1 feels like a quiet landmark. It shows how additive manufacturing can evolve traditional watchmaking without compromising its values. And it suggests that the most interesting developments ahead may not be about materials themselves, but the freedom to shape them in entirely new ways.
Read more about Dubai Watch Week here.
