A Legendary Watch, a City of Glamour, and the Evolution of Formula 1 Come Together in TAG Heuer’s Boldest Monaco Yet

My mother had a saying when I was growing up—as a young man with three older sisters she would tell me, “real men wear pink.” This was her way of consoling me as I pedaled around on a pink hand-me-down bike, complete with flowing tassels on the handlebars. And like many adolescent boys in the early 2000s, I mocked the statement. But as with much in life, hindsight is 20/20. With the release of the new TAG Heuer Pink Monaco Chronograph, I can officially say: real men wear pink.

Following their limited edition Ayrton Senna Carrera Tourbillon earlier this month, TAG Heuer continues their F1-inspired releases with this vibrant newcomer.

Loud colors in watches walk a precarious line. When done right, subtle—or even bold—pops of color can be mesmerizing and enticing. I have to say, TAG Heuer knocked it out of the park (or off the track) with this latest piece celebrating F1’s second year returning to the Las Vegas Strip.

And what better color to honor Vegas than pink? The pink accents on the watch echo the iconic Las Vegas Strip and the unique sunsets of the American Southwest. If you’ve been fortunate enough to witness a desert sunset, you know exactly what TAG Heuer is capturing here. As someone who’s spent most of his life on the East Coast, I can attest that sunsets out west are something truly special.

The Monaco — A Square Legend That is Anything But Square

Before we dive into this watch I do feel it is important to take a quick trip down memory lane to re-acquaint ourselves with the Tag Heuer Monaco.

Launched in 1969, the TAG Heuer Monaco was introduced as part of Heuer’s race to create the world’s first automatic chronograph. Competing with Zenith’s El Primero and Seiko’s 6139, Heuer collaborated with Breitling, Buren-Hamilton, and Dubois-Dépraz to develop the groundbreaking Caliber 11. This movement featured a distinctive left-side crown, signaling it didn’t need manual winding.

The Monaco is contrarian by design and its square case was a radical departure from tradition. Partnering with case manufacturer Piquerez, Heuer developed the first square, water-resistant case. Paired with a striking metallic blue dial and bold 39mm size, the Monaco was unapologetically modern.

The watch was named after the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix, aligning it with the high-speed allure of motorsport, a core pillar of Heuer’s brand identity then and today.

And we can’t talk about Monaco without talking about the king of cool. The man who has made watches more popular by proxy than perhaps any other human. Steve McQueen.

The watch’s fame was cemented when Steve McQueen wore it in the 1971 film “Le Mans.” Portraying race car driver Michael Delaney, McQueen sought authenticity in his role. Swiss racing driver Joseph Siffert, who had a sponsorship deal with Heuer, influenced McQueen’s choice to wear the Monaco. The unconventional design perfectly matched McQueen’s iconoclastic persona. (These are just the cliffnotes. For a deep dive you can visit OnTheDash.com who naturally has a fantastic write up on this connection).

While the Monaco initially received mixed reviews, McQueen’s endorsement elevated it to iconic status, intertwining its legacy with motorsport, cinema, and style.

And here we are today. The Monaco has become one of the most recognizable watches in the world and has graced famed wrists from Tom Brady to Christiano Ronaldo.

A Brief Tale of Tag Heuer, F1, and Las Vegas

Image: Getty/Red Bull Content Pool

Now that we got the history of the Monaco out of the way, we need to dive into Tag Heuer’s new role as the primary sponsor of F1 and the return of F-1 to the City of Sin.

Rolex was the Official Timepiece of Formula 1 since 2013, marking a 12-year partnership which concluded at the end of the 2024 season.

In October 2024, Formula 1 announced a new 10-year global partnership with LVMH, the French luxury conglomerate, commencing in 2025. While exact financial terms haven’t been officially disclosed, reports suggest the deal is valued at over $100 million annually, totaling more than $1 billion over the decade. This partnership will involve several of LVMH’s iconic brands—including Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy, and TAG Heuer—with TAG Heuer set to replace Rolex as the sport’s official timekeeping partner.

Sponsorship changes are not all that is happening with F1. The 2020 acquisition of F1 by Liberty Media brought a strategic focus on expanding the American audience, making Vegas a prime target for a high-profile race. The sport has historically been a European one, however, viewership has continued to rise over the years as the sport has found a foothold in various new markets across the United States.

And last year marked the return of F1 to the storied city. And I say return, because this is not the first time those gas guzzling blurs of metal have graced the famed Strip.

F1’s first stint in Las Vegas involved a temporary street circuit in the parking lot of Caesars Palace. Despite looking good on paper, the races were marred by logistical challenges and just weren’t very popular. Even with Nelson Piquet winning his first championship here in 1981, the experiment ended one year later.

Fast forward to 2023, when F1 made a triumphant return to the Vegas Strip. A night race under the city’s historic lights solidifies Vegas as a marquee stop on the F1 calendar. The 6.12-kilometer (3.8-mile) track features 17 corners, blending long straights and sweeping turns designed to maximize overtaking opportunities. momentum of F1’s expansion in the U.S. following the successes of the Miami and Austin Grands Prix.

The Watch Specs

The watch follows the same general layout of most Limited Edition Monaco’s with a minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock, hour chronograph counter at 9 o’clock and what Heuer describes as the permanent seconds indicator, a phrasing I don’t believe I have ever heard of. It could be Heuer trying to make a play on the fact that seconds are what count in racing… either way, it’s essentially a running seconds. The running seconds hand is also black-gold plated unlike the other two counters which stand out in their pink lacquered state.

The black DLC grade-2 titanium sandblasted case comes in at 39mm (with a lug to lug of 47.4mm) — a very reasonable and wearable size for a square watch, which as we know can get out of hand these days. It is 15.2mm thick which I know can be a deal breaker for many, but since its titanium and black its lighter and looks smaller than you would think a 15mm thick watch would.

The crystal is beveled and domed, which is definitely a preference of mine for a watch with this much heritage to its name. With an exhibition caseback and 100 meters water resistance this watch doesn’t only look good it is a true tool chronograph.

The pink on this watch would not hit as well as it does if it wasn’t for two things. The thoughtful layout of the skeletonization of the watch. It is skeletonized enough that you would classify it as such but also reads clean, with only the running seconds at 6 o’clock sometimes disappearing into the ether of its gear-adorned backdrop. The second, its stunning Black DLC coating.

Black watches are generally either DLC or PVD. Both have advantages and disadvantages but if I had to choose, I would take the DLC everytime.

Black DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) is pretty fascinating and, in my opinion, “cooler” than Black PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition). PVD uses a vacuum to vaporize metals and bind them to a surface in layers. It offers a variety of colors, finishes, and levels of hardness. DLC involves blasting carbon onto a surface and cooling it rapidly. DLC coatings are extremely hard and durable, with a shiny, diamond-like appearance.

DLC coatings achieve higher hardness ratings than PVD, translating to better scratch resistance and longer lifespan. Plus, the dark, lusty (can I call it lusty? Maybe only for this Vegas inspired LE) finish of DLC perfectly complements the bold design and pink of the new Monaco.

Under the hood (pun intended) the engine running this machine (there goes that man again with his puns) is the Caliber 02. This caliber is Tag at its best as it can also be found in the Carrera, Monza and Autavia Chronometer Flyback. The standout feature for this movement has to be its 80-hour power reserve, something not many automatic chronographs can say.

My Take

We have a historical watch being used to celebrate the evolution of Formula 1 in the United States, tied to a city that epitomizes flash and panache. It’s the perfect pairing. The TAG Heuer Monaco has always been a staple in horological lore. When you first get into watches, the Monaco is one of the first models you’ll undoubtedly encounter. And when McQueen’s Daytona soared into the realm of the truly unattainable, many of us turned to the Monaco to see if we could wear a piece of the legend himself—metaphorically, of course. Literal would be weird, and most definitely illegal.

And while this may not leap off the screen as everyone’s cup of tea—whether you’re an F1 fan or not—this limited edition packs an undeniable punch. It combines a powerhouse movement with classic design cues while tying itself to the ongoing growth and evolution of both Formula 1 and the new era LVMH is navigating.

The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph is powered by the Calibre Heuer 02 (ref. TH20-00) movement, featuring hours, minutes, seconds, date, and chronograph functions. Its black sandblasted dial showcases three counters: a pink opaline minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock with a pink lacquered hand, a permanent second indicator at 6 o’clock with a black gold-plated hand, and a pink opaline hour chronograph counter at 9 o’clock with another pink lacquered hand. The black indexes and gold-plated faceted hands are illuminated with light blue Super-LumiNova®. The rhodium-plated TAG Heuer logo and a date window at 6 o’clock complete the dial, with “SWISS MADE MONACO” proudly displayed. Encased in a 39mm black DLC grade-2 titanium sandblasted case with a domed sapphire crystal and an exhibition caseback, and offers 100 meters of water resistance. Available November 2024 at an estimated price of 11,000 CHF. for more visit Tagheuer.com