TAG Heuer has revealed its second collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara – a one-of-a-kind design equipped with a manufacture movement, the Calibre Heuer 02.
Building on the resounding success of its first creation with the Japanese designer and his Fragment Design label in 2018, the latest collaboration has resulted in a bold yet minimalistic limited-edition novelty – a pure reflection of TAG Heuer’s motor-racing heritage and bold design principles, with high-end finishes, a ceramic bezel and a fiery red sapphire case back.
The latest collaboration between the two brands has created a daring reinterpretation of TAG Heuer’s signature motor-racing-inspired C-case models from the 1960s and 1970s, a case shape also found in TAG Heuer’s present-day collections.
Echoing his superbly proportioned and minimalistic style, Fujiwara strips the watch’s architecture down to its bare essentials, emphasising the iconic tachymeter scale on the bezel and clearing the dial of all extraneous embellishment. The black opaline dial has two black embossed subcounters at 3 and 9 O’clock. The black contrasts with white lettering and logos – including “FRAGMENT” between 4 and 5 O’clock – and a simple date window at 6 o’clock. The only counterpoints to the high-contrast composition are the red indexes and the red lacquered central hand, which give the dial an extra pop.
The result is a bold and elegantly sparse 44 mm timepiece that is effortlessly easy to read at top speeds. On the case back, the two-counter architecture of the in-house Heuer 02 movement is partially obscured and made even more eye-catching thanks to a circular red sapphire crystal window.
The automatic column-wheel chronograph movement is a worthy centrepiece; exceptionally precise and boasting an 80-hour power reserve, it demonstrates TAG Heuer’s continued mastery of watchmaking design and engineering. The red sapphire case back features the unmistakable logo of Fragment Design, and each piece is engraved with a unique limited- edition number from 1 to 500.
The Fujiwara design also includes an exclusive new feature: a five-row steel bracelet with a butterfly folding clasp. It is finely polished and brushed to catch the light with every movement of the wrist.
The watch will be available to pre-order from www.tagheuer.com and in select TAG Heuer boutiques before going on sale on 27 July 2020.
