Image credit: Sothebys
Look to the wrist of any F1 driver and you’ll hastily see them adjusting the strap of whichever watch the sponsors have provided. Watches and motor racing are long term companions. You only have to look at the Rolex Daytona or Chopard Mille Miglia to see the racing pedigree. LVMH’s recent eye watering title sponsorship of Formula 1 further highlights that the duo’s companionship will long continue. And perhaps the most synonymous watch with high octane racing is the Tag Heuer Monaco.
The Monaco Heuer 02 is the first Monaco with an in-house calibre
The Monaco was released in 1969 a couple of years prior to the infamous Le Mans film and was the result of an unusual alliance between Tag Heuer, Breitling, Hamilton and chronograph specialist Dépraz & Co. In the 1960s the height of watchmaking was to create an automatic chronograph movement and this alliance joined forces to create the Calibre 11. At around the same time Zenith were working on their own automatic chronograph: the famous El Primero.
With the completion of the Calibre 11 the question became where to use it. Heuer (before the Tag) were already producing successful collections with the Autavia and Carrera, both notably round case watches. To commemorate the new calibre Jack Heuer wanted to make a statement, so he turned to a Swiss case manufacturer to develop the world’s first water resistance square case. And the rest as they say is history – history we shall continue to delve into.
Steve McQueen wearing the first Tag Heuer Monaco on the set of Le Mans
We mustn’t forget that Breitling’s Chrono-Matic with the Calibre 11 was released at the exact same time as the Monaco, yet this watch hasn’t hit the same icon status. You can argue this is because Breitling didn’t have Jack Heuer’s marketing genius or the Steve McQueen effect. Previously, Heuer had appointed his friend and F1 driver Jo Stiffert as the brand’s first ambassador. It just so happened that Stiffert was working on the Le Mans film where he met McQueen.
Whether it was Jo Stiffert’s influence or the work of the films prop master, Don Nunley, the ‘King of Cool’ ultimately chose the Monaco as his weapon of choice and instantly elevated the Monaco to icon status. Just last year one of the six Monaco’s worn by McQueen in the film was sent to auction where it fetched a handsome $1.4 million.
The Monaco Gulf Edition 2022, an example of the tri-compax chronograph layout
Over the years the Monaco has evolved with few major updates along the way. The first big change came in the early 1970s when reference 73633 introduced a tri-compax subdial layout. At the same time this updated configuration moved the crown to the more conventional 3 o’clock position. This updated reference was more aligned to what we would perceive as a conventional chronograph.
As new releases came and went most of the changes introduced were new dial colours or coloured accents with some improvements to the movement. In 1999 when LVMH acquired Heuer it began a period of innovation and investment.
Tag Heuer Monaco V4
When the Monaco V4 was launched in 2004 it created a lot of noise in the industry. The V4 concept was the first watch to use a belt dive and ball bearings instead of the usual wheels and gears. A hyper modern interpretation of the Monaco, the V4 case was redesigned and the dial open worked.
Despite the innovations to elevate Tag Heuer as a major horological power house they still paid homage to their past. In 2005, on what would have been McQueen’s 75th birthday, Tag released the Monaco CW2118. A 4,000 piece limited edition white dial variant with blue and red stripes to replicate the race suit McQueen wore in Le Mans.
Fast forward to 2015 and Tag released the Monaco Calibre 11. A faithful reissue of the original Monaco from 1969 with the crown switched back to the 9 o’clock position and ‘TAG’ text removed from the dial. This was the last celebration as on the 50th Anniversary (2019) of the Monaco, Tag Heuer retired the Calibre 11 in favour of their first in-house movement, the Heuer 02.
Tag Heuer Monaco Split Seconds
The new movement continues Tag Heuer’s commitment to innovation and development. Up to this point there has been a fine line between honouring the history and heritage of the Monaco and modernising it for the current day. The recent introduction of a Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph with skeletonised dial suggests the latter is now the brand’s priority. The Split-Seconds Chronograph is crafted from titanium and will empty your wallet to the tune of just under £145,000. Are we now seeing the Monaco take on a new direction involving high complications and setting a new standard for a modern ‘King of Cool’?
More details at Tag Heuer.
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