Review: TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Carbon

0 0 Tuesday 31 January 2023 Edit this post

Few weeks ago, TAG Heuer unveiled the new Monza Flyback Chronometer Carbon, a modern reinterpretation of a classic model of the Swiss brand.

After our introductory article, we had the possibility to wear and test this new model for a few days and we are now delighted to share our impressions and pictures.

The original Monza was launched in 1976 when Heuer was the official timekeeper of the Ferrari Team (the company name was changed to TAG Heuer only ten years later in 1986). Niki Lauda had just won his first F1 world championship title with Ferrari in 1975 and the watch was a celebration of such victory. The name Monza was chosen to pay homage to the fastest F1 track in the world.

The Heuer Monza launched in 1976

The coussin case of the watch was inspired by a 1925 model. Proposed in black, the chronograph was equipped with a pulsometer and a tachymeter scale with red hands and counters to reflect its racing heritage.

The Heuer model of the 1920s which inspired the coussin case of the 1976 Monza

The new Monza Flyback Carbon offers an even bolder look with its 42 mm cushion-shaped case crafted from ultra-lightweight and resistant carbon and completed by black DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) steel pump-style pushers.

The high-tech composite material is lightweight yet extremely durable. It plays with light and reveals a unique visual effect caused by the alternating layers of carbon fibres that are randomly arranged, making each case essentially unique.

The screw-down case back is made in black PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) Grade 5 titanium with a sapphire crystal to display the manufacture chronograph movement that we will describe later. Water resistance is guaranteed up to a pressure of 10 bar (approximately 100 metres / 330 feet).

Protected by a domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, the skeletonized dial features a two-register layout with translucent fumé blue sapphire crystal counters, for the chronograph 30 minutes at 3 o'clock and for the running seconds at 6 o’clock.

At 9 o’clock, the date window is in blue luminescent, a first for TAG Heuer. The blue lacquered indexes and black and white lacquered hours and minutes hands are generously treated with Super-LumiNova for optimal legibility in low light (you can also check this short clip from our Instagram channel).

The dynamic sporting spirit of the Monza Flyback Carbon is emphasised by red details such as the sub-counter hands and the framing of the date window

Wearability is excellent thanks to short lugs and a comfortable black textile strap with stitching in the same blue tone used for the indexes and the central chronograph seconds hand. A black folding clasp with double safety push buttons secures the watch to the wrist.

The flyback function offers the possibility to reset the chronograph without having to first stop it, thus allowing an even faster and more accurate measurement of events.

This model also offers a tachymeter scale which indicates average speed for a 1-kilometer or 1-mile distance, measured using the indicator on the black flange, as well as a pulsometer, which helps determine one’s heart rate per minute.

This latter scale is displayed in the top right quadrant of the dial and is recognisable for a blue line calibrated to 15 heartbeats per minute offering a range of 60 to 200 beats per minute. To use it, just start the chronograph and count 15 heartbeats, then read the heart rate where the central chronograph hand has stopped.

When you turn the watch, you can admire the automatic Heuer 02 Flyback Calibre and its openworked oscillating weight.

Entirely Swiss-made in TAG Heuer's Chevenez manufacture, this advanced movement comprises 168 components, including a vertical clutch and a column wheel. Easily recognizable through the sapphire crystal case-back for its red colour, the column wheel controls the chronograph levers and contributes to more accurate and precise functionality – noticeable through the smooth impulse when manipulating the pushers.

Certified by Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) as a chronometer, the Heuer 02 Flyback Calibre beats at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and offers a remarkable power reserve of 80 hours.

Combining an eye-catching and dynamic look to excellent technical contents with its flyback chronograph movement and carbon case, the new TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronometer Carbon ref. CR5090.FN6001 has a price of CHF 13,500 / Euro 13,350 / US$ 13,850, in line with the exclusivity of this special edition. tagheuer.com