If you’re into vintage watches at all the year 1969 will probably ring a few bells. Some would call it a formative year for watches thanks in large part to the commercial introduction of the automatic chronograph movement. No less than 3 different brands brought their respective watches, each housing their own take on the automatic chronograph, to the 1969 Baselworld fair: Seiko (6139), Zenith (A386 El Primero), and Heuer (1133B Monaco). TAG Heuer is celebrating the 50th anniversary by releasing 5 Monaco watches, each an homage to the decades that have come and gone in the lead up to the anniversary.
Heuer revealed the first LE 50th Anniversary Monaco (pictured above) at, well, the Monacao Grand Prix, naturally. The watch is dubbed the Monaco 1969 – 1979, and features a dial design fitting the decade, with shades of brown and green beset with yellow and orange details. It’s as funky as shag carpet, and feels right at home in the square case. Small details like the vertical Geneva striping on the dial offer a sense of sophistication here, and the accent colors are used sparingly, as they could easily venture into gaudy territory in this setting.
The second watch of the set, the Monaco 1979 – 1989 was released just this past week, heading into the 24 hour race of Le Mans, in France. It features a Fiery Red dial with sunburst texture alongside rhodium plated registers and black accents around the perimeter. It’s a subtle but fitting take on the generation that saw the birth (and death) of Group B racing and the overall modernization of watches with things like sapphire crystals.
Each of the watches are being offered on leather racing straps, and each are fitted with a Caliber 11 movement in the correct ‘crown on the left, pushers on the right’ configuration. Just 169 examples of each will be built, offered at $6,550, and there are three left to be revealed throughout the year. Shop existing Monaco watches on StockX right here and keep an eye out for these Limited Editions on the site as they trickle into the market.
