TAG Heuer announced a good-looking pair of vintage-inspired Monaco chronographs ahead of the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix.
As the official partner of F1 — underscored by a connection historically tied to Heuer’s racing roots — the Swiss-based watchmaker fittingly announced two limited edition retro-style racing-inspired Monaco timepieces. Both limited edition Monacos are presented in lightweight unalloyed (pure) grade 2 titanium cases measuring 39 mm x 15 mm and 47.4 mm lug-to-lug.
The Monaco Chronograph x Gulf (Ref. CAW218G.EB0393) is presented in a raw sandblasted titanium and retails for $9,550. This watch features both a dark blue with orange contrast stitching, perforated calfskin leather racing strap, and a white and orange strap that’s made out of the same material as the racing suit Steve McQueen wore in the 1971 film Le Mans. The Gulf logo and blue and orange stripes are printed on the dial, also a nod to the McQueens’ original racing jacket, giving off the nostalgia vibe that TAG Heuer is betting will sell the 971 limited editions.
The Monaco Chronograph Stopwatch (Ref. CAW218F.FC6356) is presented in a black DLC-plated titanium finish and retails for $9,850. This limited edition Monaco comes on a black perforated calfskin leather racing strap, and the dial pays homage to a vintage split-second stopwatch that Heuer produced in its heyday, seen below. TAG Heuer is limiting the production of this reference to 970 pieces, which, like the Gulf version, is appealing to the nostalgia of Heuer’s historic association with racing.
Both limited editions are crafted from premium lightweight titanium, with the ideal small Monaco case dimensions, attractive sporty throwback racing dials, and covered by luxurious box-shaped sapphire crystals. However, the so-called modern TAG Heuer “caliber 11” is an outsourced Sellita SW300-1A movement, equipped with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module, not something made in-house as you would expect at this price point. While it does have the proper left-hand crown position of the original caliber 11, the movement is a bit of a letdown, especially considering the price is upwards of ten thousand dollars. With tickets to the 2025 Grand Prix costing that or more, perhaps TAG Heuer knows exactly who their customer is with these niche limited edition Monaco racing chronographs.
Photos by TAG Heuer.
