TAG Heuer Debuts Three Watches Commemorating The Monaco Grand Prix

This year, sport and glamour once again collide at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, held May 26 to May 28. Organized by the Automobile Club de Monaco since 1929, the event is one of the most prestigious in the world, and it, along with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, forms the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

Renowned Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer is once again playing the role it does so well, introducing new watches—three new Monaco chronographs—each with a skeleton dial. Not so incidentally, this is the brand’s first use of a skeleton dial within its Monaco collection.

A Brief Primer

The TAG Heuer Monaco was introduced in 1969 and soon garnered a reputation for its innovative square case and thoughtful chronograph function. The avant-garde timepiece gained a following among watch lovers and racing enthusiasts alike and was notably seen on the wrists such icons as Joe Siffert, Jochen Rindt, and Steve McQueen, who famously wore a Monaco in the 1971 film “Le Mans.”

The Monaco collection has comprised a variety of models over the years, and in 1998, it was reissued as part of TAG Heuer’s Vintage series. It was again updated in 2003, fitted with the Caliber 360, which could measure time with accuracy up to 1/100th of a second.

What’s New

The new skeleton-dial model comes in three colorways, “Original Blue,” “Racing Red,” and “Turquoise,” each with a tale to tell. The blue model is inspired by the first-ever TAG Heuer Monaco, which featured a blue dial. The two remaining pieces feature black sandblasted dials with either red or turquoise accents. The red-accented piece is an homage to the racing sparks often made on the tracks, while the turquoise-accented watch references the Monaco coastline, according to TAG Heuer.

The dials have machined white lacquered indexes with Super-LumiNova®, faceted hour and minute hands—also treated with Super-LumiNova®—and a red lacquered central hand. Counters are at 4 and 9 o’clock, while the date window is visible at 6 o’clock.

What’s Inside

The in-house automatic Heuer 02 movement employs a conventional column wheel to activate the chronograph. Its fine finishing is visible through the sapphire case back, and its functions include hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph. It offers 80 hours of power reserve.

The Case

The 39mm cases vary somewhat, but each features a sapphire caseback, a domed sapphire crystal, and water resistance to 100 meters. The blue model has a sandblasted titanium case, as does the red-accented model. The turquoise-trimmed watch has a black DLC sandblasted titanium case.

The Strap

The Original Blue has a complementary embossed blue calfskin and rubber strap, fitted with a sandblasted titanium folding clasp with double safety pushbuttons and the TAG Heuer shield. The Racing Red model has an embossed black calfskin and rubber strap, while the Turquoise watch has a black strap with a black DLC titanium folding clasp.

The just-introduced watches range in price from $10,750 to $11,250. The trio is available now at Tag Heuer.com.