TAG Heuer
Motor sport watches don’t get much more evocative than TAG Heuer’s new Monaco edition, which brings together a classic chronograph and an iconic livery.
Whether your mind leaps to Steve McQueen, the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans or a Porsche 917, the limited-edition timepiece well and truly recalls a golden age of racing — and watch design.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf is the latest edition of the Monaco watch, which made its debut in 1969; its release timed to coincide with this year’s Monaco Grand Prix which has a title sponsor for the first time, in the form of TAG Heuer.
So far, so neat for the marketing messaging, which then lurches to northern France thanks to the Gulf livery that can only evoke Steve McQueen in the Le Mans film. He famously wore an original Monaco on screen, playing racing driver Michael Delaney, while wearing a Gulf-striped race suit and competing in a blue and orange Porsche 917.
The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf draws directly from that rich history,” says the company. “Reimagined in a striking new edition, it celebrates the spirit of racing, the cool of cinema, and the daring style that made the TAG Heuer Monaco an icon.”
Monaco Gulf edition references two ‘crown jewel’ races
TAG Heuer
Two straps are offered
Gulf edition is limited to 971 watches
Featuring the same innovative Calibre 11 self-winding mechanism that made its debut in the original Monaco, the new Gulf edition features the same striking design with left-positioned crown.
The dial is grained silver and below the vintage Heuer branding, which is reserved for models that “revisit” the watchmaker’s heritage, sits the Gulf logo, with the famous three stripes to the right.
An ultra-rare Heuer Monaco watch worn by Steve McQueen throughout the making of his iconic film Le Mans has sold for an unprecedented $2.2 million (£1.61m), raising more than ten…
Twin black opaline counters offer a stark contrast on either side of the hands.
Two straps are included to complement the sandblasted grade 2 titanium case: a white textile strap made from the same fire-resistant Nomex that’s used in racing suits — sourced from the same American manufacturer that made McQueen’s suits for Le Mans — and a blue calfskin option.
McQueen’s Monaco watch, as worn during filming, sold for a record $2.2 million (£1.61m) in 2021.
Each of the 971 Gulf editions (commemorating the 1971 release date of Le Mans) carries a recommended price of £8,360.
