TAG Heuer answered collector requests for a new black-dialed Monaco last week when it debuted the Monaco Chronograph 39 Caliber Heuer 02 Automatic, the first new black-dialed Monaco in a decade. And to enhance the offering, which also includes a new blue-dialed model, the watchmaker builds the newest Monaco with its in-house Caliber Heuer 02 automatic movement and pairs both with an all-new steel bracelet.
The newest Monaco, the TAG HeuerMonaco Chronograph 39 Caliber Heuer 02 Automatic.
These two new Monacos, with the same black-dialed model also matched to a new black alligator leather strap, are meant to continue the brand’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Monaco, which began in 2019.
The new blue and black watches feature dials that have been sunray brushed and configured with a familiar three-register layout with square, silvered hour and minute chronograph subdials. On both models, the running seconds indicator is marked by a simple crosshair pattern.
New bracelet
For many, the new bracelet will likely be as welcomed as the new black dial. Monaco hasn’t seen a fully new steel bracelet update in two decades. The new bracelet, which echoes the design of the H-shaped bracelet Heuer used on the Monaco in the early 1970s, features wider lugs than the earlier models and tapers a bit more around the wrist. It’s held with a new butterfly clasp.
“The bracelet is particularly important for any wristwatch – without a good bracelet, the timepiece lacks desirability,” says TAG Heuer’s Heritage Director, Catherine Eberlé-Devaux. “For the new Monaco timepieces, we have alluded to its brilliant past with a familiar design and color while reinforcing that the collection is moving forward with innovative new technology.”
TAG Heuer fits all three new editions with the excellent in-house manufacture Caliber Heuer 02, an automatic movement with a vertical clutch, column wheel and an impressive eighty-hour power reserve.
With a few exceptions, regular collection Monaco chronographs in recent years had been set with ETA-based Caliber 12 or Sellita-based Caliber 11.
Prices: $6,750 (on steel bracelet) and $6,350 (on leather strap).
(Reference CBL2113.BA0644 and reference CBL2111.BA0644, blue dial available January 2021)
Movement: Caliber Heuer 02 Automatic with vertical clutch, column wheel, 80-hour power reserve.
Case: 39 mm polished and fine-brushed stainless-steel, bevelled, domed sapphire crystal
Sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 100 meters.
Dial: Blue or Black sunray brushed, rhodium-plated indexes, rhodium-plated hour and minute hands with white SuperLuminova, red lacquered central hand, white TAG HEUER printed logo, angled date display at 6 o’clock
–3 counters:
– 3 o’clock: silver minute chronograph counter
– 6 o’clock: black or blue permanent second indicator
– 9 o’clock: silver hour chronograph counter. Bracelet: Alternating, three-row stainless steel with stainless-steel butterfly folding clasp with double safety push button.
Price: $6,750.00
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph 39 mm Caliber Heuer 02 Automatic (alligator leather strap)(Reference CBL2113.FC6177)
Movement: Caliber Heuer 02 Automatic with vertical clutch, column wheel, 80-hour power reserve.
Case: 39 mm polished and fine-brushed stainless-steel, bevelled, domed sapphire crystal
Sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 100 meters.
Dial: Black Sunray-brushed, rhodium-plated indexes, rhodium-plated hour and minute hands with white SuperLuminova, red lacquered central hand, white TAG HEUER printed logo, angled date display at 6 o’clock
Three counters:
– 3 o’clock: silver minute chronograph counter
– 6 o’clock: black permanent second indicator
– 9 o’clock: silver hour chronograph counter Strap: Black alligator leather, stainless-steel folding clasp with double safety push buttons
TAG Heuer added four dressy chronographs to its bedrock Carrera collection a few weeks ago, in part to balance the sporty line with sleek, tachymeter-free options.
One of four new TAG Heuer Carrera Elegant Chronographs.
Along with the new aesthetic choice, however, TAG Heuer powers all these new Carrera Elegant Chronographs with its in-house Caliber Heuer 02, the brand’s highly efficient column-wheel chronograph with vertical clutch that delivers an impressive eighty-hour power reserve.
TAG Heuer emphasizes its use of the top-line caliber with “Heuer 02 80 Hours” capitalized on the dial just below the date.
Thin bezel, slim bracelet
The dressier profile here doesn’t simply rely on the generally unencumbered chronograph dial. The steel bezel itself, while reminiscent of the original Carrera from 1963, frames a simple one-fifth seconds track and connects the ends of a thin steel bracelet with rounded inner and outer links, or to a classic brown alligator strap. The result creates a subdued case and bracelet (or strap) that slides nicely under any shirt cuff.
The four dial hues extend TAG Heuer’s message of elegance-focused sport. The Le Locle manufacturer is making the Carrera Elegant Chronograph with dials of opaline black or sunray brushed blue, anthracite and silver (with rose-gold-plated hands). The recognizable TAG Heuer “azurage” subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock and the polished hands echo many other TAG Heuer offerings.
TAG Heuer is offering the watches with black and blue dials initially on the steel bracelet while pairing the bicolored version with a silver-colored dial and rose- gold-plated hands and the model with the anthracite dial are paired with the brown alligator leather strap.
From the back, you’ll view the Caliber Heuer 02, which features an also-dressy rose-gold-colored oscillating mass.
Prices: $5,350 and $5,550 (for model with silver-colored dial and rose-gold-plated hands).
TAG Heuer this week honors the 104th Indianapolis 500, scheduled for August 23, with a new Formula 1 watch that references the race’s “The Brickyard” nickname. Red bricks appear to line the right side of the dial on the new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy 500 2020 Special Edition, which also features the Indy 500 logo at the 6 o’clock subdial and “Indy 500” engraved in red on the ceramic bezel.
The new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Indy 500 2020 Special Edition.
With the new watch TAG Heuer is also celebrating sixteen years as the Official Timekeeper of the NTT Indycar Series, the premier league of open-wheel racing in North America. The watch was designed in collaboration with the Indycar team, and features a black dial with a 3 o’clock permanent second indicator, an hour chronograph counter and the 1/10th second chronograph counter set with the Indy 500 logo.
TAG Heuer has equipped the quartz-powered chronograph with a black rubber strap so a racer can size and fit the watch over a racing suit. The watch is a limited edition of 1,500 units and will be seen on the wrist of TAG Heuer friend Indycar driver Alexander Rossi at this year’s Indy 500 race.
Brickyard Background
For those unaware of the origin of The Brickyard nickname for the racetrack, TAG Heuer explains: “When the race-course first opened in August 1909, the track surface was made of gravel and tar which caused a number of accidents. After many concerns and complaints over safety, the track was subsequently repaved with 3.2 million 10-pound bricks and a final brick laid by the governor of Indiana. Over time, the bricks were paved over with asphalt except for a one-yard strip of bricks at the start / finish line that remains exposed, but its fabled history as “The Brickyard” endures. Victorious drivers also continue the tradition of kneeling and “kissing the bricks.”
The 2020 Indycar season, which runs from June to October, consists of fourteen races in the United States. The August 23 race at the Indianapolis 500 is the season’s highlight.
We know Jeff Stein as a leading collector of vintage Heuer chronographs, who occasionally dabbles in the newer TAG Heuer models.It caught our eye when, twelve hours after he received his Fragment Design Heuer 02 chronograph in July, Jeff posted on Instagram that this watch was his “favorite TAG Heuer chronograph, ever . . . and even though you won’t see the name on the watch, the best looking Autavia-inspired chronograph, ever.”
Below, Jeff tells us more about his infatuation with this very interesting watch.
The new TAG Heuer Fragment Design Heuer 02 chronograph.
Can you give us the “elevator version” of the Fragment Design Heuer 02 chronograph?
The watch was designed by Hiroshi Fujiwara, a god in the world of streetwear and the creator of Fragment Design. Fujiwara has designed all sorts of interesting things such as guitars for Eric Clapton, sneakers for Nike and Converse, and headphones for Beats. In the watch world, he has designed watches for Rolex and Zenith, as well as a Carrera for TAG Heuer, in November 2018.
On the Heuer 02 chronograph, Fujiwara incorporated the design language of a 1970s Heuer Autavia into a TAG Heuer Formula 1 chronograph case, with the watch powered by the Heuer 02 movement.
Why has the Fragment Design Formula 1 chronograph been controversial among the vintage Heuer enthusiasts?
Much of the controversy probably arises from the fact that the watch was inspired by the 1970s Autavias, but resides in the modern case that TAG Heuer uses for its Formula 1 chronographs.There is no model name on the dial, neither “Autavia” nor “Formula 1,” so some traditionalists might see the watch as something of a Franken, which may be lacking the pure pedigree of either model.
Hiroshi Fujiwara
So how do you come to terms with these issues?
For years, I have listened to the debates about what is and is not properly identified as an Autavia, a Carrera or a Formula 1.Some traditionalists say that an Autavia has to be a chronograph, rather than a three-handed watch, or that a Carrera cannot have an outer bezel, because these were the rules when the models were launched in the 1960s.
I have pretty well gotten over these hard-and-fast rules.If Jack Heuer had felt constrained by such rules in the 1960s, the Autavia would have never made it from a dashboard timer to a chronograph and we might never have seen Heuer’s automatic chronographs.Right now, I am more impressed with a brand making great looking, high quality watches and less concerned about the model name on the dial.
Perhaps there is no requirement for watch models to be binary, so that the brands can incorporate elements of one model into another one.We saw this recently when TAG Heuer incorporated the colors and style of the 1970s Montreal chronograph into a 1960s-based Carrera, and people liked the result.
The Successor – The last version of the Autavia produced by Heuer in the mid-1980s (Reference 11063, at left) and the Fragment Design Heuer 02 Limited Edition, introduced by TAG Heuer in June 2020.
As a physical object, what are your favorite elements of the Fragment Formula 1 chronograph?
I am a big fan of minimalist design, in general, and like the matte black and charcoal gray tones.This is a great look in cars and Fujiwara has followed a similar approach with the new Formula 1, using a matte black dial.
The hands and bezel are taken directly from the 1970s Autavias, but Fujiwara has deleted the elements that made those watches busier — the contrasting white registers, the concentric ridges in the registers and the frame around the date window.
This is like deleting the chrome on a blacked-out car, and it makes the expanses of black more dramatic.The red and white accents on the dial are the final touches that give the watch its pop. For several years, the Formula 1 chronographs have been housed in a case with geometry that is very close to the c-shape cases of the 1970s Autavias, so this Autavia color scheme from the 1970s looks right in the Formula 1 case.
And what are the intangibles that you enjoy with the new Fragment Design Formula 1 chronograph?
The Autavias of the 1960s and 1970s were the chronographs worn by the top drivers in motorsports.We see them on the wrists of Mario Andretti, Jo Siffert, Graham Hill, Derek Bell and many other racers.Beyond the top professionals, Autavias were popular among the amateurs and club racers, particularly with the Viceroy promotion, which offered a $200 Autavia for $88 with proof of purchase of ten packs of Viceroy cigarettes.
The tachymeter bezel is the symbol of a racing watch, whether on the Autavia, or the Rolex Daytona or the Omega Speedmaster.TAG Heuer is positioning the Formula 1 collection as the brand’s racing watches, and there is no better flagship for that collection than a watch that incorporates the design elements of the Autavia, the ultimate racing watch of the 1960s and 1970s.
People in the watch world may think of the Formula 1 as TAG Heuer’s “entry level” model. How do you reconcile that with the $6,150 price tag on this model?
Essentially, this watch, and a couple of other Formula 1 models recently released by TAG Heuer, serve as a clear statement that the TAG Heuer collections will no longer follow a price hierarchy.There is no entry-level collection or high-end collection.Instead, the collections are defined by their aesthetics and purposes.
The Formula 1 is TAG Heuer’s racing watch and the Autavia will be positioned as the watch for adventure.To me, this is a much more sensible way to position the collections than just based on their price ranges.TAG Heuer now offers its in-house Heuer 02 movement in four of its six collections, confirming that no model is relegated to “entry-level” status.
How do you compare the new Fragment Formula 1 with the other Autavias that have been re-issued by TAG Heuer?
With the arrival of this Fragment Design chronograph, there are basically three series of Autavia re-issues.
The TAG Heuer Fragment Design Heuer 02 Limited Edition flanked by the first of the automatic Autavias, Reference 1163 (circa 1970), and the last one produced by Heuer, Reference 11063 (circa 1983).
In 2003, TAG Heuer offered two versions of a cushion-cased Autavia, one with the black / orange colors and the other with the white / black / blue Siffert colors.
In 2017, TAG Heuer offered a new Autavia, modeled after the Rindt model from the late 1960s.After the initial model with the black dial and white registers, we have seen several limited editions, incorporating other color schemes into this same case.
I like these watches, but the case lacks the real connection to either the manual wind models of the 1960s or the automatic models of the 1970s.
Every collector will have their own favorite, but to my eye, the Fragment Formula 1 captures the spirit of the 1970s Autavias, with the color scheme, the hands and bezel, and the case geometry. There’s no “Autavia” on the dial, but there’s no doubt about the origins of this watch.
How is the watch on your wrist?
It’s a big watch at 44 millimeters, and I have a small wrist, but it’s a great fit.The more important measurement might be the thickness, and TAG Heuer has shaved the case to 14.4 millimeters.That’s not exactly thin, but it makes the 44 millimeter case very wearable.The bracelet is entirely new, and is relatively thin with a butterfly clasp, which also makes the watch wear smaller.
TAG Heuer has created a new style bracelet for the Fragment Formula 1 chronograph. It’s a five-row stainless steel bracelet, with a folding butterfly clasp.
Why does this watch have the TAG Heuer logo on the dial rather than the Heuer shield?
I believe that TAG Heuer is reserving the “Heuer” shield for re-issues of the heritage models, like the Carrera 160 Years models that we saw earlier in the year.This Formula 1 is not a re-issue of a heritage model, but a new creation for TAG Heuer.So it gets the TAG Heuer shield rather than the Heuer shield.What are your personal preferences, as far as the re-issues that so many brands seem to be offering in the year 2020?
In recent years, there has probably been more hand-to-hand combat in the vintage community on the subject of re-issues, re-editions, homages, tributes and the like than on any other single topic.We see everything from one-to-one recreations of some of the classics, like Breitling and Omega have done with great success, to watches that carry the name, but bear no resemblance to the original models.
I really like the approach of the two Fragment Design models: take an iconic model, boil it down to find the essence of the design, then punch up the elements that provide the style and feel of the original period.
Echoing the TAG Heuer Fragment Carrera, Fujiwara also places thunderbolts at the center of the case back and the word “Fragment” between 4 and 5 o’clock.
On the Fragment Carrera, we see the power of the oversized registers; on the Fragment Formula 1, we see the dramatic black paint and the red accents, with the distinctive hands and bezel.These elements defined the racers chronograph in 1970 and, fifty years later they continue to capture the excitement of racing.To me, capturing this timelessness is the ultimate success of a re-edition.
Other than the Fragment Design models, which are your favorite of TAG Heuer’s heritage-inspired models?
The Skipper captured the colors and spirit of one of the Heuer grails, the original Skipper from 1967, but took some liberties (for example, having a 30-minute register rather than the 15-minute count-down register).
The Carrera Montreal took even more liberties, incorporating the colors and vibe of a wild-looking 1972 Montreal chronograph into a Carrera case. Once again, the traditionalists may frown, but if you like the look of these watches and enjoy the connection with the Heuer heritage, these are fun watches.
If you could only have one of the Fragment models, the Carrera or the Formula 1, which would it be?
My first instinct is to dodge the question. The same way that the 1960s Carreras were different from the 1970s Autavias, the choice between the two Fragment models comes down to a matter of the mood and look that you want on a given day.
Fragment Design has developed two limited edition chronographs for TAG Heuer, the new Heuer 02, which draws from the Formula 1 and Autavia models, and the Carrera Heuer 02, from November 2018.
The quiet elegance of the Carrera is very different from the loud excitement of the 1970s Autavias.Looking at my collection of vintage Heuers, I probably have four times as many 1970s Autavias as 1960s Carreras, so the Fragment probably gets the nod.
If there will be a third Fragment Design chronograph for TAG Heuer, what are you hoping for?
Fujiwara has done a Carrera and an Autavia, so his third model will have to be a Monaco.It would be fantastic to see what he would do with the extra-large canvas of the Monaco.
(Click here to read Jeff Stein’s “On the Dash” post about the TAG Heuer Fragment Design Heuer 02 Limited Edition.)
TAG Heuer has updated its sea-focused Aquaracer collection with two colorful automatic models sporting a so-called tortoise-shell-pattern bezel. In addition, look for new Khaki-colored quartz Aquaracer model with an olive-green aluminum bezel and a matching fabric strap.
The new Aquaracer 43mm Tortoise Shell Effect Special Edition.
The new Aquaracer 43mm Tortoise Shell Effect Special Edition and the new Aquaracer 43 mm Khaki Special Edition watches enhance Aquaracer, TAG Heuer’s dive watch collection known for its 300-meter water resistance rating, unidirectional rotating bezel, luminous markers and hands and easy-to-read dials, as befits an ocean-centric sports watch.
All three of these debuts also feature a 43mm stainless-steel screw-down caseback engraved with the image of a vintage divers’ helmet.
Tortoise-pattern
To set these new models apart from earlier Aquaracers, TAG Heuer has subtly decorated the bezels with blue or brown resin that has been modified to create an interesting pattern that, according to TAG Heuer, mimic the sun’s reflection on the ocean.
Often seen on sunglasses, the tortoise-shell effect is rarely used to decorate watches, and represents TAG Heuer’s first attempt beyond variations in dial patterns to inject a bit of style into the generally sober Aquaracer line.
TAG Heuer even enhances the blue or brown bezels on these two debuts with blue or black sunray-pattern brushed dials with horizontal lines. Like the bezels, the dials can catch and reflect light, effectively doubling the ‘summertime’ focus of the new design.
TAG Heuer adds another novelty here with a rubber strap that features the exterior pattern of another reptile: the alligator.
The unidirectional bezels on both Aquaracer 43 mm Tortoise Shell Effect Special Edition models retain the Aqua-racer’s sixty-minute scale as well as the familiar angled magnifying lens over the date window at 3 o’clock.
The strap is held tight with a folding steel clasp with double safety push buttons. Inside is TAG Heuer’s Caliber 5, the brand’s reliable ETA-based or Sellita-based automatic movement. Price: $2,600 (Available in August).
New quartz Khaki
TAG Heuer’s new quartz-powered Aquaracer 43 mm Khaki Special Edition combines a sturdy olive-hued fabric strap and sharp-looking anthracite sunray brushed dial. And rather than a sun-dappled steel bezel, the watch’s aluminum unidirectional rotating bezel is tinted with a down-to-earth olive hue.
Like the new models above, this quartz debut features a polished and fine-brushed steel case, rhodium-plated and luminous hour, minute and seconds hands and the same angled date window.
Likewise, the back of the watch echoes the Aquaracer standard with a solid caseback engraved with an image of a vintage divers’ helmet. Price: $1,600.
With a few exceptions, regular collection Monaco chronographs in recent years had been set with ETA-based Caliber 12 or Sellita-based Caliber 11. 
From the back, you’ll view the Caliber Heuer 02, which features an also-dressy rose-gold-colored oscillating mass.
What are your personal preferences, as far as the re-issues that so many brands seem to be offering in the year 2020?
TAG Heuer adds another novelty here with a rubber strap that features the exterior pattern of another reptile: the alligator.
