The legendary TAG Heuer Monaco celebrates its 50th anniversary! Legendary watch launched simultaneously in Geneva and New York on March 3, 1969, its atypical design was able to divide the opinion of the time. Perceived as strange by the radicality of his choices: his metallic blue dial, the red and light blue hands, his square case and the position of the crown on the left side, it took him years to find his audience.
During this period, only dressed watches were equipped with a square case, impossible to make waterproof, and it was incongruous to imagine it on a chronograph watch.
However, it was in a disruptive spirit and with the conviction that radical innovations needed an attention-grabbing design that Jack HEUER, honorary chairman of Heuer, decided to launch his new model: the first watertight square case with gauge 11, a microrotor movement equipped with a chronograph module. Difficult to manufacture, the latter is the culmination of a 3-year collaboration between the brands of Heuer, Breitling and Hamilton watches.
Convinced that motorsports are an excellent promotional tool, Jack Heuer wanted to associate each watch produced by his company with sites known for famous races. Just like the eponymous city and the famous Formula 1 Grand Prix, Monaco is the epitome of elegance and prestige. After the release in the mid-1970s of the Monaco «Dark Lord», whose identity is strongly marked by its black PVD, then fashionable color, the production of the Monaco is stopped.
It was not until 1971 that the Monaco was projected into the limelight. It is in the film "Le Mans" that the so-called watch finds a privileged place on the wrist of Steeve McQueen at the wheel of his Porsche 917 in Gulf colours, thus creating his legend. Wanting to be closer to reality for the film, the actor asked to wear the exact outfit of Jo Siffert, the only car driver sponsored by a watch brand, hence the white Gulf/Heuer suit. The McQueen Monaco (model 1133B) becomes one of the most coveted watches by sophisticated collectors, with only a few coins in circulation.
Monaco’s history recovers in 1998 and saw sales go up when the Swiss group, now named TAG Heuer by buying shares of the TAG group in 1985, decided to reissue its iconic model. Over time, the watch is equipped with a sapphire glass to replace the original plexiglass, its movement is still perfected and the historic Calibre 11 is replaced by its elders. While the original model offered the crown on the left, unlike the push-button, Tag Heuer has long marketed reeditions with the crown on the right, inserted between the push-button. In 2015 Tag Heuer renewed with its origins and presented a version very close to the original model, caliber 11, taking the crown to the left which then meant that the watch did not need to be reassembled.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the TAG Heuer Monaco, the Swiss watchmaker released a book entitled Paradoxical Superstar, which traces the history and spirit of this improbable icon. It will be available from May 2019 in TAG Heuer stores and on the brand’s website. To celebrate this timepiece with dignity, events will be organized throughout 2019 during which the brand will present new limited edition models.
Stay ready to rediscover this timeless icon of Haute Horlogerie that has conquered the whole world.
