Tag heuer monaco chronograph10/8/2023 ![]() The very first Monacos also bore the name “Chronomatic” on the dial, which it soon lost when Heuer sold the name to Breitling.įrom 1969 to 1975, the Monaco went through various iterations – the Calibre 11 was replaced by the 12 and then 15, with its strange continuous-seconds counter at 10 o’clock. The name was a nod to the F1 Monaco race and the racy chronograph counters emphasised that automotive influence. It was available in two dial colours, blue and grey, with a crown on the left to indicate it didn’t need winding and “Tool 033” engraved on the back to denote the only tool able to open the case. On March 3 1969, in Geneva and New York simultaneously, the Monaco was launched. Heuer was sold on the idea and even got Piquerez to sign over exclusive rights to the design – more to scupper Breitling’s chances of getting its hands on the tech than for any altruistic reasons. ![]() Step forward Erwin Piquerez, owner of a Swiss casemaking business and recent filer of a patent on the world’s first water-resistant square case. The first watch to use it was the Autavia, however, Heuer was after something more unusual to house this achievement. Project 99, as it was known, resulted in Chronomatic Calibre 11 – an automatic chronograph with a base by Buren and chronograph module by Dubois Depraz. He partnered with Buren, a leading manufacturer of thin automatic movements chronograph specialist Dubois Depraz and Breitling, because it could share costs and knew its way around a chronograph. Very little of the Monaco’s design has changed, the biggest difference is that when it first launched, it was a flop.īack in the 1960s, Jack Heuer, great-grandson of founder Edouard and then managing director, was intent on making the world’s first automatic chronograph. It is also the watch that launched the world’s first self-winding chronograph. The TAG Heuer Monaco has become one of the most iconic watch designs of the last century, up there with Rolex’s Submariner, Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Omega’s Speedmaster. ![]() Its square case is instantly recognisable, its name will forever be associated with one of the Kings of Cool – Steve McQueen – and it certainly doesn’t look 50 years old. ![]()
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