The TAG Heuer Monaco 1969 reissued. Back to our roots.
Launched simultaneously in Geneva and New York on 3rd March 1969, the Heuer Monaco was the first square, water-resistant automatic chronograph watch in the history of Swiss watchmaking. Named by Jack Heuer following the Monaco Grand Prix (for which TAG Heuer is still a partner), the watch represented a complete break from the aesthetic codes of traditional watchmaking, with its large square case, metallic blue dial, bright red minute hand, domed plastic crystal and, most notably, its crown positioned on the left which, at the time, meant that the watch did not need winding.
Just as innovative at the time, its technology offered perfect water resistance – a first for a square watch. However, the origins of the revolution lay inside the watch: the famous Chronomatic Calibre 11, which was the first automatic chronograph movement offered for sale in the history of watchmaking.
With its track début in 1970, on the wrist of the Swiss driver Jo Siffert (the first racing driver to be sponsored by a watch brand – Heuer), the following year it shared the cinematic limelight with Steve McQueen, who insisted on wearing it during filming for Le Mans in 1971.
Instantly recognisable and often copied, the “McQueen Monaco” (1133B model) has since become a much coveted watch on the auction and collectors’ circuit.
2015: the Monaco Calibre 11 Chronograph is a direct descendant of the 1969 original.
Connoisseurs will be under no illusion.
