TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue
The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue has just been unveiled in the French Riviera on the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. Featuring a skeleton dial, lashings of lume, a black DLC Grade 2 titanium case and a fully integrated chronograph movement, it seems the Swiss avant-garde brand has another winner on its hands.
Heuer Monaco
Every year, the glitterati abandon the red carpets of the Cannes Film Festival and migrate north to Monaco, keen to see the greatest race on the Formula One calendar. For just a few days each year, the principality’s roads morph into a race track and the great and good rub shoulders on the grid.
As the cars navigate the street circuit, the cacophony of ear-splitting revs bounces off Monaco’s many apartment buildings, further heightening the sense of excitement. Winning the race is often likened to ‘winning half a World Championship’, such is the cachet of coming first at Monaco.
Safely navigating the straights is an arduous task, especially in the wet, and involves dodging grids, random undulations and slippery kerbs. However, most of all, mastering the circuit’s 18 corners is essential to achieving race success. Indeed, it’s the corners that differentiate the few historical race champions from the many back markers.
In 1969, Jack Heuer unveiled the Monaco, a watch with a then-revolutionary square case. In a marketplace dominated by round watches, the Monaco stood out from the crowd with its four corners. Yes, square watches pre-dated the Monaco, but these were not water-resistant, a self-imposed prerequisite common to all Heuer watches. Working with its case supplier, Piquerez, Heuer created a winner; a 55 year-old racing legend that has never aged and still knows how to corner.
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue – dial
Over the years, the Swiss avant-garde brand has not rested on its laurels, releasing new expressions of its square classic. To coincide with this weekend’s race, TAG Heuer has unveiled a new reference, the Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue.
The dial colour is said to have been inspired by the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to the principality. Endowed with a skeleton dial, numerous apertures reveal a plethora of components usually hidden from view. However, unlike some skeleton dials which can be difficult to read, this Monaco masterfully uses colour, bestowing a dial that proves eminently legible.
Baton-style hour and minute hands converse with white indexes and a circular track, while symmetry is provided by two black counters, a 30-minute register and a 12-hour register. The hands employed on the counters and the central chronograph seconds hand are dressed in an eye-popping shade of yellow, augmenting readability.
The prevailing date is shown at 6 o’clock, set against a white backdrop. Tantalising glimpses of the openworked date disc are visible between the indexes and a small seconds display is positioned just above the date aperture.
The dial’s pièce de résistance is the light blue glow it emits in dim light, made possible with the liberal application of Super-LumiNova. This nocturnal emission extends to the hour and minute hands, the indexes and the date aperture.
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue – other highlights
The case is formed of lightweight Grade 2 titanium, dressed in black DLC and executed in a sandblasted finish. Unlike the inaugural Monaco of 1969, the crown is located on the right flank of the case, nestling between two angled pushers.
To the rear of the case, a pane of sapphire crystal grants sight of the Calibre Heuer 02 (ref. TH20-00). This superb calibre is crafted in the brand’s specialist movement facility in Chevenez. Fully integrated with a column-wheel and vertical coupling, the movement delivers stutter-free starts and a smooth pushpiece feel. Furthermore, it will run autonomously for 80 hours. In this instance, the brand has executed the column-wheel in bright yellow and engraved the oscillating mass with text in a matching shade. Note, I’ve discussed the merits of this movement in my recent review of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox Panda.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue is fitted with a blue embossed calfskin and rubber strap, paired with a sandblasted black DLC Grade 2 titanium folding clasp with double safety push-buttons.
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue – closing remarks
TAG Heuer could have chosen to lie back and simply enjoy the spoils of what is undoubtedly a ‘cash cow’; however, it has never ceased pushing the performance envelope. Indeed, since 1969, the iconic watch has sired many children, each blessed with its own character but all sharing the same square torso.
Monaco; six letters that evoke thoughts of ‘beauty’, ‘glamour’, ‘speed’ and ‘wealth’. It’s a fascinating place that inspired the creation of not just one reference, but a fabulous horological dynasty. With the advent of the TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue, the legend lives on!
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Dark Blue
- Reference: CBL2188.FT6261
- Case: black DLC Grade 2 titanium, diameter 39 mm, water resistance 10 ATM (100 metres); sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition caseback
- Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
- Movement: Calibre Heuer 02 (ref. TH20-00), automatic, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), power reserve 80 hours
- Strap: embossed blue calf skin & rubber strap with black DLC Grade 2 titanium folding clasp with double safety pushbuttons
- Estimated price Price – CHF 11,000 (RRP as of 24.5.2024)