TAG Heuer Introduces the Microtimer: The First Watch Precise to 1/1000th of a Second

In 1966, Heuer (before it was TAG Heuer) patented the first miniaturized electronic timekeeping instrument accurate to 1/1000th of a second. Now, 38 years later, TAG Heuer releases the first wristwatch capable of the same level of precision: the Microtimer.

Features of the Tag Heuer Microtimer

• F1 racing timer. Measurements precise to 1/1000th of a second.
  • Time each lap individually, and quickly recover the fastest lap in Best Lap mode. (Maximum lap time of 59 minutes, 59 seconds, and 999 thousandths of a second.)
  • Lap indicator. While in F1 racing mode, the watch displays the number of the current lap. (Maximum of 80 laps.)
  • Total race time. In addition to the time of the current lap, watch the total time of the race.
• Alarm (sounds for 60 seconds).
• Chronograph (stopwatch) with split times. (Measures to 1/1000th of a second, maximum time of 99 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds, and 999 thousandths of a second.)
• Date.
• Dual time zone display.
• Quartz movement.
• Water-resistant to 100 meters (10 ATM, 10 BAR, or 330 feet).
• Scratch-proof, anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
• Water-resistant, vulcanized, anti-UV treated rubber strap.
• Backlight (illuminates for six seconds).
• Low battery indicator (battery life between 2 and 3 years, depending on use).
• “Screen saver.” Turns the watch display off when not in use.

The TAG Heuer Microtimer is a very unique looking, very sophisticated watch designed for timing sporting events with unprecedented accuracy. The fact that TAG Heuer was the first to achieve this level of precision is a testament to its reputation in the world of racing.

The Microtimer sells for roughly $1,300.

Additional resources

• The Microtimer product page.
• The Microtimer Diamonds.
• Microtimer product card (PDF).
• Microtimer user manual (PDF).

Update (4/15/2005): From Watch Report reader Victor Shiff, “The 1/1000 timer from TAG Heuer is not the first such watch. Some 12+ years ago (from fallible memory), Casio had several watches with 1/1000 second (1 ms) chronograph functions, cheaper than $1300 too!. There is an unstated problem with these 1 ms chronographs and that is the contact bounce of the button contacts that the watch circuitry has to ignore. This bounce can be from 5 ms to as much as 15 ms and is not necessarily repeatable. What this means to me is the 1 ms is marketing hype.”

Thanks, Victor. I noticed shortly after publishing this article that the Seiko Sportura World Time (SNJ005) quietly launched with a millisecond timer. Maybe what TAG meant is that they had the most expensive such watch, or perhaps the coolest looking. I’ll give them that.