We say the Monaco was ‘one of the earliest’ because Heuer-Leonidas had teamed-up with Buren, Dubois-Depraz and Breitling to develop Project 99, enabling Breitling to use the movement equally quickly in its Chrono-Matic.
But while the Chrono-Matic and the Monaco could easily be identified by the left-hand winding crowns that were a signature of the Calibre 11, the Monaco was more likely to draw a second glance because of its unique and distinctive case that made it the first square, water resistant chronograph ever to come to market.
Heuer only produced chronograph wrist watches and stop watches at the time, a fact that helped it to forge close ties with the automotive world. But while the Monaco was certainly a chronograph, there were hopes that its unusual shape might broaden the brand’s reach by enhancing its appeal to creative types such as architects, designers and so-on.
A Revolutionary Beginning with Delayed Success
In the event, it didn’t – and proved such a flop that it was removed from the catalogue after just five years of initial production, despite getting a marketing boost when Hollywood star Steve McQueen chose to wear one as the fictitious racing driver Michael Delaney in the 1971 movie Le Mans.
But marketing in the 1970s was a very different science to what it had become by the late 1990s when LVMH acquired TAG Heuer, at which point a sharp-eyed publicist recognised the promotional gold contained within the images of McQueen wearing a Monaco against the cuff of his Heuer-branded race suit – and suddenly the watch experienced a phoenix-like rise from the ashes to become one of the central pillars of the TAG Heuer brand.
A Modern Revival Blending Innovation and Comfort
It has remained in that position ever since, with its still-distinctive case architecture regularly being called up to showcase ‘concept’ movements ranging from the somewhat gimmicky, belt-driven V4 of 2004 to the truly game-changing Evergraph revealed at Watches & Wonders.
But while that remarkable new take on the chronograph mechanism is soaking-up most of the Monaco limelight, be careful not to overlook the all-new version of the ‘regular’ chronograph.
Yes, it’s got the signature left-hand winding crown of the original Calibre 11 version (hence its in house movement being labelled TH20 -11) but – and at last – someone has taken a serious look at the ergonomics of that large and lumpy square case that, while it has always made the Monaco stand out, has never made it especially enjoyable to wear.
It is said to have taken two years for TAG Heuer’s designers to knock the Monaco into a comfortable shape while maintaining its characteristically angular features, with the masterstrokes being the use of lightweight titanium and the addition of a curved case back that finally means a Monaco sits around the wrist rather than simply being perched on top.
The dial has been cleaned-up and made more legible, too (while still being unmistakably ‘Monaco’) , with colours in classic ‘McQueen blue’, brushed ‘racing green’ and an elegant black.
The latter is especially interesting, because its paired with the first ever two-tone, bi-metal case to appear on a Monaco – an aesthetic that makes the watch seem almost more ‘70s than the original Reference 1133 of 1969.
Combining 18k rose gold with titanium lends the watch a hint of the exotic while maintaining its essential, tool watch vibe. And , with today’s giddy gold prices,it might even open-up the precious metal to those for whom full gold would be out of reach…….
The new TAG Heuer Monaco Caliber TH20 – 11 in titanium and rose gold costs CHF12,300/Euro13,000/USD13,050/GBP 11,000. All titanium version with blue or green dials cost CHF 8,800/Euro 9,300/USD 9,350/ GBP 7,900.
*** Sotheby's has consigned what has been described as the 'definitive' Steve McQueen worn Monaco used on the set of Le Mans. The watch was one of four acquired after filming by property master Don Nunley and is the last one he parted with due to the fact that it was worn by McQueen more extensively during filming than any of the other watches supplied by Heuer. The vendor acquired the watch direct from Nunley, who died in 2021, complete with a substantial 'lock box' containing 416 documents relating to the making of the film, including extensive correspondence about the watches from Jack Heuer. The watch, the box and its contents are tipped to fetch more than $1m at Sotheby's New York on June 15.
