Introducing: The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Racing Green Limited Edition
What We Know
Last year, TAG Heuer paid homage to the livery colors of France with the Monaco Chronograph Racing Blue Limited Edition; this year, the paint job is swapped for Britain’s signature racing green. A quick recap on the usage of livery colors: from the early 20th century to the 1960s, racing drivers competed with country-specific liveries – the Italians of course had red, Germany using white and silver, and France with blue. British use of green comes from the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup, where Selwyn Edge won the race for England and green became the shade of choice to differentiate the country’s cars. Green continues to be associated with British racing, despite the actual shade used changing over time. Regardless, the idea of “British racing green” is certainly iconic – I can think of countless industries that use this term to evoke specific shades of green in their designs. Long overdue, this year TAG Heuer introduces a new colorway of the Monaco, inspired by this color and the white and yellow accents that have accompanied historical British racing cars.
On the silver sunray brushed dial, the subdials sport what the brand calls vibrant “green opaline” subdials. Light green Super-Luminova adorns the hour track, and yellow lacquer coats the chronograph seconds hand as well as sits in the baton marker at 12 o’clock. A date window is seen at six o’clock, and polished silvered hour markers fill out the rest of the dial.
Just like last year’s France Racing Blue edition, this version comes in a fully sandblasted 39mm grade-2 titanium case, with a beveled domed sapphire crystal as well as a sapphire caseback. With a lug-to-lug of 47.4mm and a thickness of 14.35mm, it’s a large square case, but it’s the same as any other Monaco. The watch has a water resistance of 100 meters, and comes on a green calfskin strap with racing perforations as well as a titanium deployant buckle.
The case also features the crown on the nine o’clock side, as an homage to the original 1969 version. Inside the watch is the tried-and-true TAG Heuer Calibre 11, a Sellita SW-300 base with a Dubois-Depraz module for the chronograph functions.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Racing Green is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, with a caseback engraved with “One of 1000.” Available now, the watch is priced at $9,300.
What We Think
The Monaco may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s certainly impossible to deny that this watch has a lot of history and cultural significance in watches. I’m glad to see TAG Heuer continue to produce watches in the Monaco line that seem to pay close homage to its history, while not necessarily being 1:1 historical reissues. The sandblasted titanium case is a nice differentiator for these limited editions, as is the fact that this colorway doesn’t contain any bit of red, which you’ll find in most other Monacos in the lineup. The colors, in my opinion, work really well together, even more than the juxtaposition of blue and yellow for last year’s French edition. There’s something about green and yellow that just works, and when paired together gives this dial a funky mid-20th-century neon light signage vibe. It’s fun, while still being subtle enough with the green contained in the subdials.
While the watch is in titanium, it will be up to the customer whether or not the value of the watch resonates at $9,300. I’m a big fan of the new Glassbox Carrera line, and when that chronograph comes in essentially $3,000 cheaper, with an in-house chronograph movement versus the Sellita-based movement in this Monaco, I would be hard-pressed to recommend the Monaco unless you’re approaching the watch purely from the standpoint of the story as well as the iconic case shape. But, I have to say that this version of the Monaco certainly looks great, and as a fan of green, it would be the Monaco I’d wear out of everything else in the line. Sure, it’s just a colorway change, but it’s certainly a well-executed one.
The Basics
Brand: TAG Heuer
Model: Monaco
Reference Number: CAW218E.FC6565
Diameter: 39mm (47.4mm lug-to-lug)
Thickness: 14.35mm
Case Material: Grade-2 titanium (sandblasted)
Dial Color: Silver sunray with green subdials and yellow accents
Indexes: Polished and applied
Lume: Super-LumiNova
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap/Bracelet: Green perforated calfskin with titanium folding clasp
The Movement
Caliber: TAG Heuer Caliber 11
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour
Jewels: 59
Pricing & Availability
Price: $9,300
Availability: September 2024
Limited Edition: Yes, 1,000 pieces
For more, visit TAG Heuer.
Hodinkee