TAG Heuer - Monaco Grand Prix F1 NEW
The 2012 new official watches of the Monaco Grand Prix
The quest for excellence and performance.
TAG Heuer partners with the Monaco Grand Prix and the Automobile Club de Monaco for the same reasons it is ineluctably linked to the other two “Triple Crown” races of motorsports, the Indy 500 and the 24 hours of Le Mans — because of a wealth of shared values and history. Motor racing and sports timing have been in TAG Heuer’s blood since it invented “Time of Trip”, the world’s first dashboard chronograph in 1911. Today, it calls the winners of the world’s fastest races with an unrivalled precision of 1/10,000th of a second.Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...
The role TAG Heuer plays in the prestige and glamour of Monaco is unparalleled in the Swiss watchmaking world. Official Partner of the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM), the organizer of the Grand Prix, TAG Heuer is also Official Partner of Monaco’s most winning team — Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (15 victories), and sponsor of more first-place Monaco drivers than any brand in history. TAG Heuer ambassadors who have crossed the checkered flag first at Monaco include Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. And on the wrists of every one of these driving legends, another legend – a TAG Heuer watch.
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The iconic timepieces of modern motorsports
TAG Heuer’s first Grand Prix Ambassador was the Swiss driver Jo Siffert, whose maiden F1 voyage was the Monaco Grand Prix in 1962. The Swiss driver, a close friend of Jack Heuer and the first F1 driver to sign an endorsement deal with a watch brand, was the go-to man for another TAG Heuer icon, the American actor and driver Steve McQueen. When McQueen starred behind the wheel of Porsche 917K in the 1970 film “Le Mans”, he drove Jo Siffert’s car and wore his complete driving suit, with a red “Chronograph Heuer” crest on his chest and a blue Heuer Monaco chronograph on his wrist. Before the shoot, Jack Heuer had a case of Heuer watches sent to McQueen to choose from. The actor took one look at the unusual square shape and colors of the Monaco — nothing short of radical for the time — and made his choice. Watch and racing fans have been making the same one ever since.
When in 1969 Tag Heuer launched the Monaco which had an innovative design and was technically ahead of its time, it would turn out to be a commercial failure for the company, this even despite Steve McQueen wearing it in the famous movie Le Mans. At that time Tag Heuer already had 2 models with this new movement, the Carrera and the Autavia. But Jack Heuer wanted a 3rd model which looked as innovative as the new movement technology itself. There was a patent on square cases that were waterproof but Jack managed to negotiate exclusive use of this case for his new model, so the Monaco was born. This shape of a watch was too radical for most watch buyers but what also didn’t help was that Japanese manufacturers started to compete with the Swiss watchmakers at very low prices. Also the US dollar was losing alot of value which caused the prizes of Swiss timepieces to basically double in the US. Tag Heuer tried to fight back by making a lower cost Caliber 15 in 1972 but with no luck. In 1975 the Monaco dissapeared from the market and it is estimated that there were only 4000 to 4500 sold of them.
More then 20 years later, in 1997 the Monaco was relaunched by TagHeuer when they decided to issue some of its famous models from the past. The relaunch of the Monaco made it one of the most wanted models by collecters today.
Today we continue to tell you about the history of Tag Heuer, we left off in 1969 last time so that’s where we pick it up again. In that year Tag Heuer released two wrist chronographs fitted with automatic self winding movement available through a micro rotor. They were called the Carrera and the Autavia. In 1970 Steve McQueen wore the Monaco watch in the movie Le Mans and made it famous. Also in that year the Hollywood movie directors started using the Film Master model when making their movies. After sponsoring Formula 1 driver Jacky Ickx in 1970 they went on and sponsored the whole team of Ferrari from 1971 to 1979. In the year 1975 Tag Heuer invented the world’s first LCD pocketsize stopwatch which was accurate up to 1/100th of a second. In 1976 they came with another new thing, the transponder technology for race cars which allowed them to record laptimes of cars easily. In 1980 they were introduced as the offical timekeepers of the Olympic Games of Moscow.
TAG Heuer - Monaco - Twenty Four McQueen Calibre 36
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A super-charged and super-tough reinterpretation of the square-faced Monaco first seen on Steve McQueen’s wrist. The blue dial is a combination of the traditional McQueen template with racing suit white stripes. The award-winning construction, tubular design and extreme shock-protected components are directly inspired by F1 racecar technology. The manifold arms, visible through the crystal caseback, collect vibrations and direct them away from the movement and into the composite filter, which absorbs and dissipates their energy. This is a chronograph is for ultimate precision, with unmatchable Steve McQueen-vintage flair.
TAG Heuer - Monaco – Steve McQueen Calibre 11
A glamorous redesign faithfully based on the watch McQueen chose for “Le Mans” — one of the most sought after pieces on the international vintage market. The first watch with a waterproof square case, the first automatic self-winding chronograph, the blue dialed “McQueen Monaco” completely broke with tradition inside and out. The New Monaco Heuer Calibre 11 Chronograph is perfectly in line with the series’ iconic heritage. Standout features include a dark blue perforated leather strap, a stylish blue dial with vertical white stripes inspired by the stripes on Steve McQueen’s racing suit, red hands, the HEUER logo at 12, and the famous crown at 9 o’clock.
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TAG Heuer - Monaco Automobile Club Monaco Calibre 12 Limited Edition
Tag Heuer introduced the first square-cased watch on the market in 1969, breaking a long tradition of watchmaking. It was in honor of the Monaco Grand Prix and they called it the Monaco.
The original timepiece runs on a Calibre 11 heart and was the very first automatic watch in the world.
In 1971, actor Steve McQueen made the watch famous when he wore it in the movie Le Mans. It became an icon for watch collecters after that. On June 11, 2009 the original watch he wore was sold at an auction for $87,600!
Although This model was discontinued in the mid-70s, the Monaco was relaunched with a new design in 1998 and with an entirely new mechanisms in 2003. The latest model we can see in the above picture. Gorgeous!
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A limited edition Monaco of 1,200 pieces honoring TAG Heuer’s ongoing partnership with the Automobile Club de Monaco. Founded in 1890, ACM is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious motoring clubs and the organizer of the Grand Prix de Monaco F1 and the equally glamorous Rallye de Monte Carlo. This luxury-level tribute watch has silver sub-counters with exquisite scratch-brushed finishing and a black “soft touch” alligator strap with orange stitching.
The MONACO and TAG Heuer logo appear at 12 o’clock, balanced by the iconic ACM crest at 6. The orange sub-counter and second hands complete the authentic motor-racing allure.
TAG Heuer - Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Day Date Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition
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Based on the 1964 Jack Heuer tribute to the grueling Carrera Panamericana Mexico road race of the 50’s, his 3,000 numbered and engraved limited edition CARRERA has Monaco Grand Prix red lettering on the bezel and tachymetre scale, a vintage F1 rubber tire strap, inspired by Carrera Panamericana car, red touch on the hands and pusher, a large 43mm case, and a Monaco Grand Prix logo on its scratch-resistant sapphire caseback. It pays Carrera-inspired homage to Monaco — modern motor sports’ most exciting, prestigious, dangerous and glamorous race.
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