One need not desire or even find a watch attractive, to find it worthy of interest. At least that’s the way I feel, after having been exposed to more than my fair share of the ticking delights. Diamond and other gem set watches really, really aren’t my thing, and never have been, although…the more I’ve learned about truly masterfully created gem-set pieces (such as the Rolex “Rainbow” series) the more I do appreciate their subtle, and even the decidedly not-so-subtle charms. Then, there are some watches, such as the sublime Patek Philippe Ref. 5170P, or the glacier blue-dialed Rolex Daytona in platinum, in which the twinkle of a few crucially-set baguette diamonds at the hours simple adds pure magic to an already delicious piece of mechanical artistry. Too, there’s a lot of art involved, from the jeweler, or jewelers, who cut and set the stones, to the exacting gemologists who painstakingly choose them for color and clarity prior to the long tedium of creating the piece even starts. But I digress. What if we had before a us a watch which challenges and even changes the very way we perceive diamonds themselves; that is, from coveted precious stones wrenched from the ground in war-torn lands…which somehow become then a synonym for devotion in love, to high-tech laboratory created wonders that push manufacturing capabilities and offer exciting new materials for who knows how many applications in and outside of horology? I know the diamond industry of decades past might not appreciate the advances in laboratory produced diamonds, and maybe the stones don’t have the romance, however controversial, of the “real thing”, but the achievement is impressive. Moreover, the diamonds are real…even if they weren’t made like Mother Earth intended. (Heck, even De Beers itself has their own line of synthetics, so that should tell you all you need to know.) Marry those technological advances to a complicated mechanical watch, and sprinkle in some bold styling and dynamic material choices, and you have the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma, a daring and unquestionably unique introduction for 2022. Nor is its name–Plasma–just some futuristic sounding marketing mumbo jumbo; instead, it makes reference to the exacting process by which the laboratory-produced diamonds in this most unusual complicated watch come into existence.
The fundamental combination which leads to carbon becoming the cherished form of the diamond as we generally know it–Time and Pressure–now comes from a quiet laboratory rather than the raging bowels of the earth. There, the processes are far less haphazard, and somewhat different in the way the “recipe” comes out, even if the chemical makeup and optical properties are ultimately identical. TAG Heuer has invested heavily into the production of laboratory-produced diamonds, which somewhat like modern laboratory-made corundum (sapphire), begins with a seed or seed of diamond material. Then the controlled magic begins, in a process called chemical vapor deposition whereby these diamond seeds are superheated in a gaseous plasma of hydrogen and carbon to the point that a chemical transformation mutates them into larger examples of diamond, identical in makeup and crystalline structure to traditionally mined ones.
These carefully cultivated stones, of which TAG Heuer has emblazoned this watch with many, completely circumvent the controversy of naturally harvested diamonds, which may or may not be a selling point depending on the customer. That said, there’s little doubt that diamond is a fascinating material quite aside from its sparkling attributes, and makes a fascinating addition when joined to a no-holds-barred design such as this. While jarring, the seemingly random setting patterns of the 48 diamonds into the blackened aluminum case of 44mm diameter creates a fascinating total effect that really makes one contemplate the union of artistic creativity and science on a different level. It’s very cool, and decidedly unlike anything else out there! And indeed, the TAG Heuer Plasma Nanograph is the premiere debut of laboratory made diamonds in watchmaking.
Impressively, the theme of high tech carbon doesn’t stop at the case level, but continues on through the dial, and into the complicated movement. The dial, far from simply being textured or paved with diamonds, is actually in pure nanocrystalline diamond—also lab produced, naturally–which is then carefully affixed to an underlying brass layer. Visible through the caseback, the self-winding Heuer 02 Nanograph mechanism also holds carbon-based secrets of its own. The tourbillon cage, which completes a revolution every 60 seconds, as well as the hairspring its balance wheel holds is made of featherweight carbon composite, materials which are as notable for their amagnetic capabilities as they are an exceptionally low mass. Those attributes are not just a talking point, but a real boon to the performance, both in terms of reducing the parasitic energy loss the tourbillon extracts from the movement as it operates (thanks to less weight to push around) and essential invulnerability to magnetic fields via a material that isn’t fazed in the slightest by them. Seen from the dial side, this space-age looking tourbillon cage combines with the two-counter, column-wheel controlled chronograph complication to present a facade that is highly technical and redolent of engineering virtuosity. It also looks quite fantastic and aggressive against the wild looks of the case. Topping it all off, quite literally, is a regal 2.5 carat diamond crown created in the labs of Capsoul, a firm with significant expertise in the field of creating synthetic diamond.
TAG Heuer’s Carrera Plasma is a bold and unique super watch, that should herald some interesting moves from the brand–and likely its competitors–as time moves forward. While I don’t adore the Plasma’s aesthetic signatures, I certainly don’t hate them either, as it really looks like no other watch in existence, leaving my compass with no real signpost for reference. It certainly is a memorable, charismatic showpiece of materials and technology with a bold character, as well as a watch with a lot of thought and effort put into its creation. (As you might hope, given the nearly $375,000 price tag) It seems a instance in which bling serves a vastly more interesting purpose than mere status, and hence certainly isn’t for the average devotee of flashy timepieces. TAG Heuer has pushed boundaries in a bold way with the Plasma, and in a world of far too many “me too” homages and attractive but sometimes passe vintage re-issues, there’s a lot to be said for that.
