The understated grey tone of sandblasted titanium combined with the lightweight yet resilient properties of this metal makes this watch a pleasure to wear on the wrist. However, the latest Monaco Titan retains its original 39 x 39mm case size and is made from grade 2 titanium with a raw sandblasted matte finish.

In 2004, TAG Heuer had embarked on an adventurous mission and produced a “concept” watch known as the Monaco V4 with an openworked dial and futuristic architecture that eventually materialised in a 41mm titanium case. It would be incorrect to state that this is the first Monaco in titanium. The fourth model was the 1999-2009 model with a panda-style black and white dial culminating with the fifth and final 50 th-anniversary edition with its minimalist dial and sandblasted case – but that was back then still executed in stainless steel. The second-anniversary model was the flamboyant fiery red Monaco 1979-1989 model, followed by the more industrial-inspired 1989-1999 edition. The first-anniversary edition to appear was the 1969-1979 edition with a green dial followed by an interview with TAG Heuer’s CEO Stéphane Bianchi and another with Patrick Dempsey during the 2019 edition of the F1 Grand Prix in Monaco. We covered all the 50th-anniversary editions of the Monaco, each model representing a different decade. The all-time classic Heuer Monaco 1133B… and the present example was one of the watches worn by McQueen himself in Le Mans Die-hard collectors of the Monaco will take heart from the recent news that one of the Monaco watches worn by Steve McQueen on the set of Le Mans recently sold for USD 2,208,000 at an auction organised by Phillips in 2020 – the highest price ever achieved for a Heuer watch.

Without reviewing the genesis of Jack Heuer’s 1969 square-shaped chronograph that was named after the legendary F1 Grand Prix de Monaco and worn by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film Le Mans, we can assure you that the 50 th anniversary of the Monaco in 2019 was celebrated in grand style at TAG Heuer and at MONOCHROME. On Sunday, May 23, the F1 cars will rev up their engines to cover the 78 laps of the dangerous, narrow course and tight corners of the streets of Monaco. After the suspension of the Monaco GP last year, the F1 cars competing in the 2021 edition will undergo the qualifying rounds on Saturday, May 22. This special edition of 500 pieces of TAG’s iconic Monaco is sheathed in sandblasted titanium and fitted with a modern version of the famous Calibre 11 automatic chronograph that made its debut inside the first Monaco. Designed to mark the return of the Monaco Grand Prix in 2021 after a one-year hiatus provoked by the pandemic, here is the new TAG Heuer Monaco Titan Special Edition, that you can discover live!

However, when it comes to golden oldies like the Monaco, the new buzzwords are a real treat for fans. Today, they have been replaced with ‘special/limited edition’ and ‘titanium’. There was a time in the watchmaking world when ‘innovation’ and ‘imagination’ were the keywords. Few watches in the world can compete with Jack Heuer’s brilliant branding coup of his 1969 square-shaped Monaco chronograph with the world’s most glamorous F1 race.

Tag heuer monaco titan limited edition