Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New and Innovative TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1
The Monaco gets redefined again, merging additive manufacturing, titanium architecture, and split-second precision into a chronograph engineered like a supercar.
The TAG Heuer Monaco, along with the Carrera, has long been a platform for technical bravura, and the new Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1 takes the idea into the next decade by marrying a rattrapante calibre with radically rethought case architecture and additive-manufacturing technology. Let’s have a look at what surely is one of the most cutting-edge Monaco watches ever.
The Air 1 is the latest iteration of TAG Heuer’s TH81-00 split-seconds chrono, the movement that was first introduced in the 2023 Only Watch piece and entered the permanent catalogue in 2024. Yet it’s now housed in a carbon-light, skeletonised, supercar-inspired package developed at the TAG Heuer LAB. It is a statement about process as much as product. By deploying Selective Laser Melting (SLM) at scale and integrating titanium components into the movement, TAG Heuer has translated motorsport engineering methods to change what a case can be. It’s a technical exercise with practical outcomes: significant mass reduction, reduced structural complexity, and a new aesthetic vocabulary for the brand´s high-end chronographs. Let´s take a look.
The case is 41mm in width and 15.2mm in thickness, and executed in grade 5 titanium produced via Selective Laser Melting (SLM). SLM lets TAG Heuer build the case as an integrated lattice/exoskeleton with internal hollows and honeycomb meshes that would be impossible with subtractive CNC alone. The result is a visible, three-dimensional structure: sandblasted titanium lattices flank the movement, while the bezel lattices are laser-cut from solid 2N yellow gold, a deliberate material mix that pairs performance metal with a precious detail. A black DLC treatment on the grade 5 titanium bezel and chamfered finishing on the lattice edges complete the technical look with a total weight of 85 g. Water-resistance is a nominal 30m, in line with the earlier Monaco Split-Seconds executions.
A translucent sapphire dial opens the movement to view and is designed to carry practical legibility cues: white Super-LumiNova blocks, gold-tipped hour and minute hands and three subcounters (minutes at 3, hours at 9, running seconds at 6). The rattrapante central hand is gold lacquered; the primary chronograph central hand is white lacquered. The split-seconds pusher at 9 o’clock is solid 2N gold.
The new Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1 uses the already familiar calibre TH81-00, a high-frequency automatic rattrapante developed with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier and adapted with TAG Heuer-specific titanium components. The TH81-00 follows the lineage of the VMF 6710 family (PF361/PF361-derived split seconds) but is reworked for TAG Heuer’s performance targets. It operates at 36,000 vibrations/hour, has a 65-hour power reserve (55-hour with chrono engaged), column-wheel control and a split-seconds module. Major components are executed in grade 5 titanium to reduce inertia; the movement weighs about 30g. Finishing includes hand bevelling and a honeycomb-patterned oscillating weight filled with golden lacquer.
The Air 1 is worn on a black rubber strap topped with Alcantara inserts, closed with a black DLC titanium butterfly clasp. The watch is a limited edition of 30 pieces, available in December 2025, priced at CHF 150,000. For more details, please visit TAGHeuer.com.
