Tag Heuer has underlined its long-standing association with the Principality of Monaco and its motor-racing history by partnering with the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) and its prestigious event, the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, one of the highlights of the classic-car racing calendar. The 12th edition of the event was due to take place last weekend (May 8-10) but was cancelled for obvious reasons.
The appointment of Tag Heuer as the Official Sponsor and Timekeeper of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique complements its current designation as the Official Watch of the Monaco Grand Prix and the Official Watch Partner of the Monaco Top Cars Collection Museum.
To commemorate the new partnership Tag Heuer will release a new version of its landmark Monaco watch. The chronograph will be available in a red and white colour combination – bringing to mind any number of classic sports cars – with the logo of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique at 1 o’clock.
Tag Heuer’s Monaco is up there with Rolex’s Oyster, Omega’s Speedmaster and Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak as an icon of horology. With its large square case (40mm x 38mm), blue dial and crown positioned on the left to signal that, as the world’s first automatic chronograph, it wouldn't need winding, it was immediately newsworthy when it appeared in 1969.
Steve McQueen gave the watch one of the luxury world’s most powerful associations when he wore it during the filing of La Mans, produced in 1970 and released the following year.
Production halted in 1975, before a ‘Re-Edition’ collection was launched in 1998. This series featured a number of watches inspired by the Sixties Monacos. As McQueen’s iconic status continued to rise, the watch was reintroduced again with entirely new mechanisms in 2003. Numerous styles and colour combinations have followed. For its 50th anniversary last year Tag Heuer release five limited edition Monacos, one for each of the five decades since 1969.
The Tag Heuer Monaco Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Limited Edition is limited to 1,000 watches, engraved ‘One of 1,000’ on each model and available from 27 July 2020. You can pre-order it now from tagheuer.com
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