What We Know So Far About TAG Heuer’s Latest Release:
Regardless of how the current generation’s tight road course and massive Formula 1 cars combine for the race, Monaco will always be the most iconic Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar, and you will not convince me differently. It’s the one race I want to attend someday, and it’s also the one that produced one of the most iconic watches in motorsport. So, for the first year of LVMH’s sponsorship of Formula One, TAG Heuer is introducing three new “Monacos” for the Monaco Grand Prix.
We’ll start with the TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Stopwatch, a 970-piece limited edition with a lightweight and robust DLC-coated titanium casing that measures 39mm by 15mm thick. The watch is inspired by Heuer’s cool antique split-second pocket watch, with a very legible black center area of the dial, black-gold facetted hour and minute hands with blue Super-LumiNova, and black-gold polished indexes. The silver opaline outer part has a red printed track that complements the red chronograph hand and red accents present on the older chronographs. The watch has a 42-hour power reserve and is powered by the Caliber 11 automatic movement, which includes hours, minutes, running seconds, a 30-minute chronograph counter, and a date. The price is CHF 9,600.
TAG Heuer’s new Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph features a texturized titanium casing known as TH-Titanium. The material was developed in-house at the TAG Heuer Lab and uses heat to generate an uneven, almost camouflage-like pattern in the titanium alloy utilized here. The movement is also made of titanium with a black DLC coating, and the skeletonized display is accented with neon lime green accents for a sporty appearance. The split-second chronograph movement operates at 36,000 mph and has a 65-hour power reserve. The watch weighs 86 grams, including the strap and buckle (the movement weighs 30 grams). The watch costs CHF 145,000.
Finally, for the petrolheads in the audience, TAG Heuer reintroduces the Gulf Oil livery that became so famous in the 1960s and 1970s when the firm sponsored racing teams. The connection with TAG Heuer is most likely strongest when “Gulf” graced the Porsche 917 piloted by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film Le Mans, when he also famously wore a Monaco.
The new TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf has the same dimensions and movement specifications as the Stopwatch version above, with a sandblasted grade two titanium case and a folding clasp on the bracelet. The hands and indexes are rhodium-plated, and the dial is a silver fine grain that seems white, with the Gulf emblem, blue and orange stripes. The sale price is CHF 9,300, restricted to 971 pieces (for the 1971 Le Mans edition).
What We Think
If I had to pick my favorite TAG Heuer model, it would be the Monaco. The “Dark Lord,” as it’s been termed by the community (not the brand’s preferred nickname, which is just “Black Monaco”), ref. 74033N is one of my top twenty favorite watches of all time – again, arbitrary rankings with a gun to my head. In recent years, the CBL2184 skeletonized Monaco and the CBL2180 (reissued Dark Lord) were two of the most artistically appealing watches in the brand’s collection. But the new TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Stopwatch drew my attention. If I were to go that route, I’d choose the ref. 11.401 split-second pocket watch listed below. What a looker.
The split-second Monaco casing seems wild in photos, and I’d like to see and experience it in person, as well as the total weight. I adore the digi-camo style; it’s extremely futuristic. That is my preferred method for using a modern split-second chronograph. The antique style has its place, but TAG Heuer has done a great job modernizing Monaco and reestablishing the brand’s link to Formula One and the season’s most historic race.
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