Hands-On: The TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton Chronograph Is A Not-So-Subtle Flex
I am in my new era of (mildly) appreciating motorsport because if you write about watches for a living, chances are you will have to engage in car talk at some point. I know my strengths, and feigning interest in anything is not one of them. So please believe me when I say that watching Formula One in Monaco wearing a TAG Heuer Monaco was maybe the most fun I’ve had for the better part of the last decade.
TAG Heuer has been the Official Watch Partner of the Monaco Grand Prix since 2011, and a partner of the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team since 2016. TAG Heuer (read: vintage Heuer) are obviously the motorsport-watch-crossover enthusiasts’ brand of reference.
The TAG Heuer Monaco watch has been a staple in the “watches that are iconic as decided by watch guys pantheon” since its inception – actually probably more like since it was worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans. Then again, even I am obsessed with Steve McQueen in Le Mans.
The Monaco isn’t exactly an easy watch to pull off. It’s square, it’s large and maybe a little on the loud side (this is not a diss, bold design is what keeps aesthetic evolution from dying) and now, in this new open work dial configuration, it’s even more of a statement than it’s slightly more legible predecessors.
Technically this isn’t the first time TAG Heuer has made a skeletonized Monaco. In 2021, for Only Watch, the brand made the first ever open-dial in the history of the watch. But this is the first openwork dial made for public consumption.
My skeleton chronograph of choice was the black sandblasted dial with black DLC sandblasted titanium and turquoise accents. I’m not going to pretend this is the kind of watch I would normally go for. I’ll keep it real; a black openwork square seems like the furthest thing from any watch on my radar, but then again, I have an affinity for unusual design and Richard Mille so I owe it to myself and to the watch to lean in and enjoy.
The 39mm case is a true black, or what Maybelline would call its darkest shade of mascara, “Blackest Black.” The hands, indeces and date window are treated with Super-LumiNova, which looks especially cool on the black and turquoise colorway and amps up that futuristic feel that TAG is clearly going for with the skeletonization. There is a lot happening on the dial of this watch, but the contrast of the colored subdials and hands make it all weirdly legible; a modern Monaco with its DLC black-coated crown and pushers on the right, the casing feels very sleek and compact. I think of it as a zen sort of border for the chaos happening inside.
The watch also features an open caseback that displays the movement with a rotor that resembles an alloy racing wheel. Extra points for the rubber and leather hybrid strap which feels like a necessary update to the traditional leather.
The new Monaco chronograph comes equipped with Caliber HEUER 02 Automatic – visible through the caseback – which means a healthy 80 hours of power reserve and 100 meters of water-resistance. It will set you back $11,250.
I got really comfortable wearing this Monaco in Monaco. Somehow it seemed at home on my wrist – a worthy counterpart to my right arm, which is always covered in bracelets. It fits with my more-is-more wardrobe mantra.
Wearing a Monaco in Monaco was like being part of some secret society. In fact it was a bit like having a golden ticket, because the real insanity and high-life adjacent festivities at the Monaco Grand Prix are just not an option for mere mortals. Unless you are rolling deep, wearing Loro Piana and tipping in hundred dollar bills only, this is a closed-circuit event.
But I enjoy nothing more than purveying from the sidelines. Like Jane Goodall observing animals in the wild, I went to Monaco to see what really happens on the track, in the paddock and at Jimmy’z (if you know, you know). Who wouldn’t say yes to staying on a boat and waking up to the sounds of practice laps, knowing that you are just meters away from Max Verstappen?
On day one, I strapped on my very square black DLC coated Monaco, which, by the way, totally grew on me over time. The square shape was jarring at first but my eyes adjusted and eventually calibrated and then I almost found myself becoming fond of the black square with its little turquoise accents that felt very mediterranean-futurism. I set out for a hot lap around the racetrack, a track which is widely regarded as the planet’s most demanding circuit due to it being very narrow and full of sharp turns. I made the very grave error of eating breakfast that morning.
I innocently hopped into a 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS which was assigned to me, pre-nausea, and buckled up next to my relatively middle aged and very innocent looking French co-pilot. How naive I was, because this man drove me faster than I knew was physically possible in a fully concealed vehicle. What a way to see the municipality! The marker of something actually being fun is not taking a video on your phone. So I have no evidence but I’ll always have the memory of the thrill and my tightly gripped white knuckles.
Rattled and loose-limbed, I proceeded with the day’s activities of watching the qualifying, taking tenders to people’s boats, and drinking champagne. Obviously, all in the name of research.
Then came TAG Heuer’s Saturday night soirée where I was not mentally prepared to see Connor Mcgreggor show up unannounced on the boat (wearing a Monaco) whilst watching Kylie Minogue perform on a very dreamy dancefloor lit up by giant TAG Heuer balloons and reflections from people’s very sweaty faces (surely the best sign of a good time being had). I took a video (of Kylie) for my mother.
Race day came sooner than anticipated. It also came after a night at what I am hereby calling my favorite nightclub on earth, the aforementioned Jimmy’z. The interior is co-designed by Phillipp Plein (not sure the people who frequent Jimmy’z fully understand the irony here but I very much enjoyed it), with a water feature and mural designed by Alec Monopoly (I’m sorry but lol). It’s the perfect and maybe only venue suitable for light-up bottles of Dom Perignon. I wore my Monaco proudly and took countless pictures with it in front of the mural. Pictures that you will be glad to know shall never see the light of day.
Wearing the Monaco in Monaco! Image Courtesy of Pierre Mouton.
I grew up to the not-so-dulcet-tones of my stepfather watching F1 on television. Very common for somebody raised in Europe before Drive to Survive and Kris Jenner parading down the paddock was a thing. Watching the race in real life though is sort of anticlimactic, at least until the last few laps. You can’t see the whole track like you can on TV. But the vibes are in the air and we all know it’s more fun when you are genuinely rooting for the winning team or when Tom Holland is standing next to you in the TAG Heuer lodge.
After 72 hours in Monaco wearing a Monaco, I understood that this watch is a pure emblem of the thrill of the race and car culture. In the same way Margiela Tabi shoes are for people who truly love and understand fashion, you aren’t really wearing this unless you’re into the car thing, which in my view makes it cooler.
The new skeleton is maybe a relatively long stray from the original design, but innovate and move forward I say. Playing it safe is for losers – on and off the track.
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The HODINKEE Shop is an authorized retailer of TAG Heuer. To view our collection of Monacos, click here. For more information about TAG Heuer, visit the brand’s website.
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