TAG Heuer Calibre Heuer 02 Review
For a long time, it felt odd that a brand such as TAG Heuer was not manufacturing their own movements. That all changed when the TAG Heuer Calibre Heuer 02 was released in 2020. For the first time TAG had an in-house movement that they could showcase to the world and fit within their most iconic collections, the Carrera and Monaco.
The Heuer 02 movement features a 12-hour chronograph and date complication. For TAG to manufacture the Heuer 02 movement to fit some of their most iconic watches was an extremely intelligent decision. This innovation allowed TAG to make strides in their watchmaking abilities and to compete against other established brands.
To prepare for our review, we were fortunate to get hands on with a Carrera, ref. CBN2A10.BA0643 that had the Heuer 02 movement to power it. If you’re interested in that model, check out our video review.
My first impression of the movement was very impressive. Obviously at this point we couldn’t yet judge the accuracy, but we could evaluate it’s beauty and design. What initially stood out from the design was the black rotor and the Côtes de Genève machine finish. At first glance, the Calibre Heuer 02 movement definitely looked the part.
Over the next few days, we got to experience first-hand how accurate the Heuer 02 movement was and the performance of the chronograph function. The accuracy of the Heuer 02 movement was excellent. There was not a moment that I noticed any signals of poor timekeeping while I was personally experiencing the watch. The accuracy appeared to be similar to other notable brands that cost twice as much. All of the Heuer 02 movements are inspected and meet COSC certification standards, which is a measurement of timekeeping accuracy.
I was no different than anyone else who gets hands on with a new chronograph, the function definitely got some use. The pushers allow for a clean and easy user experience, but I could not tell a noticeable difference in the chronograph accuracy compared to other similar modals. Maybe that is a good thing since I typically only get hands on with well made Swiss chronograph watches.
One aspect of the watch that we didn’t get to experience, which the Heuer 02 movement excels at, is how convenient it’s power reserve is. In recent years watchmaking technology innovated with regards to power reserve. What used to be the standard of 40 hour power reserve is no longer acceptable. Brands like Rolex and Omega have improved to 55 hours to 70 hours. TAG Heuer took it one step further and engineered the Heuer 02 movement to have an impressive 80 hour power reserve.
Calibre Heuer 02 Accuracy
The Heuer 02 accuracy rating is -3/+5 seconds per day, which is extremely accurate and within COSC certifications. All Heuer 02 movements are officially COSC certified to provide proof of their accuracy.
Specs
- Movement: Automatic
- Power Reserve: 80 Hours
- Frequency: 28,800 (4Hz)
- Certification: COSC
- Accuracy: -3/+5 Seconds Per Day
- Functions: Automatic
- Jewels: 33
- Rotor: Bi-Directional
- Diameter: 31mm
Why The Heuer 02 Movement Is What TAG Needed
TAG was behind other manufactures in innovation. For years other lesser brands were developing in-house movements that surpassed the ETA movements that TAG was still relying on for their flagship watches. There was a time that buyers, including myself, were wondering why should we pay TAG Heuer prices when other watch brands are providing more value.
It was refreshing to watch TAG Heuer innovate themselves with the release of the Heuer 01 and eventually the Heuer 02 movements. This signaled that TAG is taking R&D seriously and are making strides to provide high quality timepieces that deliver exceptional value.
TAG Heuer Watches That House The Calibre Heuer 02 Movement
Currently the following TAG Heuer collections have the Heuer 02 movement fitted for their chronographs: Carrera, Monaco, and Autavia.
Summary
Overall, after our hands on experience with the Heuer 02 movement I am very impressed. On specs alone this in-house movement is one of the best on the market, especially when you consider it’s price point. With the Heuer 02 movement you get 80 hours of power reserve, precision accuracy (COSC Certified), and a quality chronograph function.
Heuer 02 FAQ
Is Heuer 02 Movement Good?
The in-house Heuer 02 movement developed by TAG is an exceptional calibre that is COSC certified, has an 80 hour power reserve, bi-directional rotor, chronograph function, date function, and a highly sought after Côtes de Genève finish.
Is Heuer 02 An In-House Movement?
The Heuer 02 was developed and is manufactured by TAG Heuer. The launch date of this movement was in 2020.
Is The Calibre Heuer 02 COSC Certified?
Each and every Heuer 02 movement has been COSC certified to signal the precision of accuracy of this movement.
