TAG Heuer’s TH-Carbonspring is a proprietary carbon-composite hairspring and oscillator developed at the TAG Heuer LAB. After nine years of development, it entered limited production in 2025 in two watches: the Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring and the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring. The component is designed to reduce mass, resist magnetism and tolerate shocks while retaining a mechanical balance-and-spring regulator.
What the TH-Carbonspring actually is
A mechanical watch’s hairspring works with its balance wheel as the movement’s regulating oscillator. The spring controls how quickly the balance swings, and therefore helps determine the watch’s rate. TAG Heuer’s TH-Carbonspring replaces a conventional metallic spring with a carbon-composite design developed and tested in-house at the TAG Heuer LAB.
From laboratory project to limited production
TAG Heuer says the oscillator took nine years to develop. The company presented the 2025 launch as a technological milestone roughly 350 years after Christiaan Huygens’s 1675 invention of the hairspring. In TAG Heuer’s own description, “At the heart of its performance is the unique nature of carbon-composite.”
What carbon changes
TAG Heuer describes the TH-Carbonspring as lighter, amagnetic and substantially more shock-resistant than traditional alloys. Lower mass can be useful in a fast-moving regulator; amagnetic behavior avoids the rate effects associated with magnetized ferrous components; and greater shock resistance is intended to help the oscillator cope with impacts. These are the manufacturer’s engineering claims, not a promise that every owner will see a specific accuracy gain in daily wear.
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How TAG Heuer manufactures and compensates it
Chemical-vapor deposition
The carbon-composite spring is formed by chemical-vapor deposition (CVD). TAG Heuer’s technical account gives a process temperature of 600–850°C. Each tailor-made CVD cycle can last up to eight hours, after which the part receives visual inspection and mechanical testing at the TAG Heuer LAB.
Balance-wheel pairing
The spring is paired with an aluminum balance wheel carrying gold inserts. TAG Heuer uses that combination for temperature compensation, addressing the way thermal changes can alter a regulator’s dimensions and rate. The TH-Carbonspring is therefore an oscillator system rather than an isolated novelty component.
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- Oblong(square) Case White Dial with Stripes
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Monaco and Carrera compared
The two watches share the TH-Carbonspring concept but apply it to different case formats and complications. The figures below are announced specifications; production quantities and prices are limited-edition announcements rather than guarantees of current stock.
| Model | Case and dial | Movement and complication | Power reserve | Water resistance | Edition and release information | Announced price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring CBL5190.FT6313 |
39 mm forged-carbon case, pushers and crown; spiral-engraved carbon dial | COSC TH20-60 automatic flyback chronograph; 28,800 vibrations per hour | 80 hours | 100 m | 50 pieces; availability announced for December 2025 | CHF 17,000, announced by Monochrome Watches in 2025 |
| Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring CBU5091.FT6305 |
44 mm forged-carbon case with tachymeter bezel; spiral-engraved dial | COSC TH20-61 automatic chronograph with flying tourbillon | 65 hours | 100 m | 50 pieces; early-2026 availability announced through selected boutiques | CHF 40,000, announced by Monochrome Watches in 2025 |
What is distinctive about the Monaco
Compact forged-carbon construction
The Monaco uses a 39 mm forged-carbon case, with the same lightweight material extending to its pushers and crown. Its carbon dial carries a spiral engraving that echoes the oscillator theme without turning the dial into a technical diagram.
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- 100M Water Resistant and 3 Year Limited Warranty
Flyback chronograph architecture
The COSC-certified TH20-60 is an automatic flyback chronograph. A flyback function lets the wearer reset and immediately restart a running timing sequence with one operation, rather than stopping, resetting and starting the chronograph separately. The Monaco is consequently the more compact and functionally direct of the two TH-Carbonspring applications.
Current buying status
TAG Heuer’s product listing for reference CBL5190.FT6313 currently labels the watch discontinued. Because the announced edition is only 50 pieces, buyers should confirm stock, serial documentation, warranty coverage and seller authorization directly with TAG Heuer or an authorized retailer before paying a premium for a remaining example.
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What is distinctive about the Carrera
Larger extreme-sport case
The Carrera expands the format to 44 mm and uses a forged-carbon case with a tachymeter bezel. Its spiral-engraved dial gives the watch a visual link to the Monaco while the larger case provides the more forceful, instrument-oriented presentation implied by the Extreme Sport name.
Chronograph with flying tourbillon
Its COSC-certified TH20-61 combines an automatic chronograph with a flying tourbillon. A tourbillon places the regulating assembly in a rotating carriage; here it is paired with the TH-Carbonspring oscillator and presented without an upper bridge over the carriage. The tourbillon is a mechanical complication, not an independently established guarantee of better real-world accuracy.
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Release channel
TAG Heuer announced early-2026 availability through selected boutiques. That channel is narrower than ordinary catalog distribution, so prospective owners should treat boutique confirmation as essential rather than assuming that the announced quantity remains available.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the two watches share—and where they diverge
Shared engineering
- Both use TAG Heuer’s carbon-composite TH-Carbonspring oscillator, developed and tested at the TAG Heuer LAB.
- Both use forged carbon in the case and a spiral-engraved dial treatment.
- Both movements carry COSC certification and offer 100 m water resistance.
- Each is announced as a 50-piece limited edition.
Different priorities
- The Monaco emphasizes a smaller 39 mm case and flyback timing function.
- The Carrera emphasizes a 44 mm case, tachymeter bezel and flying tourbillon.
- The Monaco’s announced reserve is longer, while the Carrera allocates more of its architecture to the tourbillon complication.
- The Carrera’s announced price is more than twice the Monaco’s, reflecting its larger case and additional complication as well as the limited production.
Which model makes sense for a buyer?
Choose the Monaco when
- You prefer the 39 mm format over a 44 mm sports case.
- A flyback chronograph is more useful to you than a tourbillon display.
- The lower announced price is decisive, subject to the watch’s discontinued listing and actual market premium.
Choose the Carrera when
- You specifically want a flying tourbillon combined with the TH-Carbonspring oscillator.
- You prefer the larger case and tachymeter-bezel layout.
- You are prepared to buy through a selected-boutique channel at the higher announced price.
How to evaluate availability and authenticity
- Identify the exact reference: CBL5190.FT6313 for the Monaco or CBU5091.FT6305 for the Carrera.
- Ask TAG Heuer or an authorized retailer whether the piece is available, allocated, discontinued or previously sold; limited-edition announcements do not establish current inventory.
- Match the watch, movement and paperwork to the stated reference, and request a written warranty and service history for any pre-owned example.
- Compare the seller’s price with the announced CHF 17,000 Monaco price or CHF 40,000 Carrera price, remembering that secondary-market premiums, taxes and currency conversion are separate from those announcements.
- Have an independent watchmaker or the brand’s service network inspect a high-value pre-owned example before the transaction is irreversible.
Bottom line
The TH-Carbonspring is more than a carbon-colored case treatment: it is a proprietary carbon-composite regulating spring paired with a compensated balance wheel and subjected to a specialized CVD and testing process. The Monaco applies it to a compact flyback chronograph at an announced CHF 17,000, while the Carrera combines it with a larger case and flying tourbillon at an announced CHF 40,000. Their 50-piece quantities and restricted release channels make verified provenance and live availability as important as the technical specification.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
