TAG Heuer Bolsters Monaco F1 Partnership With Three New Watches
Luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer is continuing its partnership with the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), the group which organizes the prestigious Monaco F1 Grand Prix. TAG Heuer originally teamed up with the ACM in 2011 when they signed an historic agreement making the Swiss brand the ACM’s Official Watch.
TAG Heuer has deep ties to the world of F1, having sponsored more first-place Monaco drivers than any brand in history. TAG Heuer ambassadors who have won in Monaco include Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Now, the manufacture is celebrating that tie with three new timepieces. Here’s your look:
Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Day-Date Grand Prix de Monaco Limited Edition
The Carrera (named for the famously intense Carrera Panamericana Mexico Road Race) was the original chronograph designed specifically for professional drivers. When the Carrera was created in 1963, it became the standard issue for Ferrari drivers. (Fun fact: in 1970, every member of Scuderia Ferrari, from Jackie Ickx to Clay Regazzoni, Mario Andretti, Carlos Reutemann and Jody Scheckter, wore a solid gold Carrera engraved with his name and blood type.) This addition to the Carrera family, which pays tribute to the Monaco Grand Prix, is the new standard issue for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers. The Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph Day-Date 43MM Grand Prix de Monaco Limited Edition features the race’s name in red letters on its bezel and tachymetre scale, while the race’s logo is engraved on the sapphire caseback, along with the edition number (x/4,000). The black rubber strap features a unique tire design embossing inspired by the F1 tires of 1963. The anthracite gray dial features luminescent black hand-applied indexes and three counters (a chronograph minute at 12, chronograph hour at 6 and running second at 9).
Monaco Calibre 12 Chronograph Automobile Club de Monaco Black Edition
This timepiece feature the iconic square-shaped case which first appeared on Steve McQueen’s wrist at Le Mans. The Monaco Calibre 12 Chronograph 39MM Automobile Club de Monaco Black Edition was created from F1-grade black titanium carbide, and features white luminescent markers on the facetted minute and hour hands. The all-black dial features the word Monaco above the TAG Heuer logo at 12 o’clock, as well as on the sapphire crystal caseback. The chronograph second hand also features a flash of orange on its tip. The black, orange-lined leather strap is made from the same perforated that covers race car steering wheels.
Monaco Twenty Four Calibre 26 Chronograph Black Dial
This timepiece features a two-part dial in black opaline, with an oversized number 24 at 12 o’clock (a nod to the 24 Hours of Le Mans). Inside the steel case is a COSC-certified Calibre 36 movement which works at 36,000 vibrations (corresponding to a frequency of 5 Hertz). The movement’s unique annular oscillating mass can be glimpsed via the sapphire crystal caseback. The Monaco Twenty Four Calibre 26 Chronograph 40.5MM Black Dial also features an “Advanced Dynamic Absorber System”, which protects the movement by suspending it inside the case with 4 shock-absorbing arms. The manifold arms, also visible through the crystal caseback, collect vibrations and direct them away from the movement and into the composite filter, which absorbs and dissipates their energy.
Photos courtesy TAG Heuer.
