A few weeks after the unveiling of the all-new Seafarer and Carrera Extreme Sport watches, Tag Heuer today unveils a brand new variant of Steve McQueen’s famous watch.
This is a watch that, in full philosophy with the Swiss maison’s vision, celebrates the ongoing connection with the automotive world, this time paying homage to iconic British racing cars and liveries.
Dear friends of IWS, we welcome the new Tag Heuer Monaco Racing Green, a watch with a vintage flavor that embodies innovation and tradition at its core.
The New Tag Heuer Monaco Racing Green
Wow… that’s what comes to mind, as a good lover of watches and the world of motorsport, holding the new Monaco Racing Green in my hands. I must say that with this unprecedented variant of an undisputed watchmaking icon, the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based maison has really nailed it.
And it is precisely from the historic chronograph worn by Hollywood star Steve McQueen that Tag Heuer set out to create its new “British” timepiece.
Like the first Monaco watches in history, above the new Racing Green, we find in fact the iconic crown positioned at 9 o’clock on the sandblasted grade 2 titanium case, contrasted with the chronograph buttons found at 13 and 16 o’clock. Matching perfectly with the gray hue of the case is the British green color that takes center stage in Tag Heuer’s new in-house watch.
A color that from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1960s distinguished Britain in motor sports. During that period, in fact, racing drivers from every nation competed in motorsports liveries specific to their country.
The first British racing car to wear this emblematic color was a Napier 50 that won the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1902 with Selwyn Edge at the wheel. Even today, more than 100 years after the iconic green color was introduced into the world of British motorsport, several British racing teams and supercar manufacturers still use the special green.
Above Tag’s new in-house Racing Green Chronograph, you can find the famous British racing color on the chronograph counters of the brushed steel silver dial, with a sunburst finish. At 9 o’clock is the chronograph’s 30-minute counter, contrasted with the continuous seconds counter at 3 o’clock. At 6 o’clock, however, finds space for the date window.
Matching the green color perfectly, we find the yellow of the central chronograph seconds sphere and index at 12 o’clock; a color that has always been matched with the famous racing green above British racing cars.
Reminiscent of the earliest Monaco in history, when Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG) had not yet acquired Heuer, we find at 12 o’clock the inscription “Monaco Heuer”; a detail that, for someone like me who is a vintage lover, cannot but appreciate.
In this regard, in fact, it should be specified that following the merger between Heuer and TAG, above the Monaco and other watches of the maison, the full name of the house, namely “Tag Heuer,” began to appear on the dial.
The Heuer word alone, also appears on the grade 2 titanium deployant clasp of the green perforated strap, coated yellow on the inside.
By turning the watch around, it is possible to admire, thanks to the presence of the sapphire crystal case back, the iconic self-winding Caliber 11, which brings the new Monaco to life at full speed. Also on the case back, it is also possible to read the words “ONE OF 1000,” meaning one of 1000 watches that will be produced.
Complementing the racing look of Tag Heuer’s in-house timepiece is a custom black box with completely unique details.
Price and availability
As already anticipated, the new Tag Heuer Monaco Racing Green will be limited to only 1,000 units worldwide and will be sold at a list price of CHF 9,100, corresponding to approximately EUR 9,600.
What do we think
With this new edition of one of its iconic watches, Tag Heuer has fully hit the mark. I have to say that, as a lover of the brand and especially of vintage, I find these editions inspired by the past and reinterpreted in a modern key, a really smart move on the part of the brand, as they allow young collectors to get in touch with what made watchmaking history.
Whether you are a lover of the world of hands, of cars, or, better yet, of both, the new Monaco Racing Green represents an opportunity to own a watch that pays homage to both fields. Two worlds that, ever since chronographs have existed, have always been connected by traveling hand in hand in terms of innovation.
Visit our Youtube channel to experience the best of the world of watchmaking firsthand.
For all real-time updates follow us on Instagram.
