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Tag Heuer Monaco V4 Watch In Rose Gold Ruthenium And Ceramic

It was such a success they needed to make more. Tag Heuer's ultra luxury Monaco V4 didn't appeal to everyone, but it still delighted them. Based on the Monaco watch case, the V4 was a tour de force of watch design and technology. The movement used small belts rather than gear trains for much of the movement. The first watch was done in platinum in a limited edition of 150 pieces. I wrote about the original Tag Heuer Monaco V4 watch here, and here.

Now Tag Heuer is bringing the Monaco V4 back, in a slightly larger case (41mm wide versus 39mm wide) and in rose gold ruthenium and ceramic. The dial is almost black with various colors as well as rose gold elements. This time it will be limited to just 60 pieces. While I was a fan of the original, I like this one even more. The new contrast on the dial is great, and the larger size will suit the design - which needed the size to match its boldness. Why just 60 pieces? Not sure, but sources seem to indicate that Tag Heuer has some other exciting things in store for 2011. Not sure about price, the original was $80,000 and each sold out. This one could be a bit less as it is not in platinum.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, 2011, ceramic, gold, limited edition, monaco, tag heuer, v4, watch

Motus Motorcycles Details New MTS-01 Sport Tourer and V4 Powerplant

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Motus MTS-01 – Click above for image gallery

When you think of American motorcycles, what comes to mind? We'd bet that 99-plus percent of you instantly thought of Harley-Davidson – and with good reason. The Motor Company has long occupied the fantasies of a very large portion of the United States population at large. There's a growing (and generally younger) group of cyclists, though, that want something considerably more sporty than what HD has to offer.

Motus Motorcycles, a new startup motorcycle manufacturer based here in the United States, has some grand plans in the works to change the perception – right or wrong as the sentiment may be – that American motorcycles are slow, rumbly, V-twin powered behemoths. The first salvo fired by Motus will be a new sport touring motorcycle called the MTS-01, which will be powered by an all-American V4 engine. Much of the architecture of that powerplant will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the classic American V8.

Katech, a Michigan-based firm that supplies engines to General Motors and its Pratt and Miller Corvette racers, designed and engineered the cam-in-block (pushrods instead of overhead cams), two valve per cylinder, 1650cc engine, which is expected to put out around 140 horsepower and possibly as much as 120 pound-feet of torque. Modern updates to the tried-and-true design are capped off by gasoline direct injection technology for improved performance and cleaner emissions. We look forward to finding out more on Motus' new powerplant and motorcycle in the coming months.

Gallery: Motus MTS-01 V4

[Source: The Kneeslider]

Source

Tags: katech, Katech engines, katech v4, KatechEngines, KatechV4, motus, motus katech, motus mts-01, motus v4, MotusKatech, MotusMts-01, MotusV4, mts-01, v4

Tag Heuer Monaco V4 Limited Edition Watch - $80,000

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

It is the timepiece that you never thought Tag Heuer would make - but they did. As a limited edition of just 150 watches the Monaco V4 is a great looking watch that is as fun to watch in operation as it is to show off. Plus, it is the only Tag Heuer watch I know of made from platinum (170 grams of it). Aside from the unique look of the watch and the modern styling, there are two major points of interest in the watch.

First, the watch movement uses a series of transmission belts instead of pinions. The belts are the smallest made anywhere and still have a thin steel wire in them for strength. Basically, instead of smaller gears connecting some of the larger gears, there are the belts that do it. Second is the use of a liner weight for the automatic movement. The idea is meant to resemble a piston in a engine. Instead of an oscillating weight moving around in a circle, the linear weight moves up and down to power the movement. Power is stored in four barrels that are seen in the rear of the watch (hence the V4 name). The power reserve is 52 hours, and the watch is actually very accurate at about plus or minus 4 seconds a day.

The watch also uses mini ball bearings instead of "rubies" that are commonly used in watches for low friction between gears and palettes. Tag Heuer says that the ball bearings provide even less friction than the commonly used synthetic rubies. The watch functions include the time and a power reserve indicator. It is a new style of skeletonized watch, and very Tag Heuer in character. Price is $80,000 for each piece in the limited edition (save for the first piece that is being auctioned off for charity).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Tag Heuer Monaco V4 Limited Edition Watch