#Tag heuer monaco titan limited edition drivers

The producers had hired two professional racing car drivers to coach McQueen. In reality, it was probably a mix of both. Others say it was Jack Heuer’s business savvy. His character would be driving the high-powered Porsche 917. In 1971, he was cast as the lead in the epic motor racing movie, “ Le Mans”. Most people know the Heuer Monaco because of one man. It was by no means an immediate success though.

#Tag heuer monaco titan limited edition driver

The following year, it made its track debut on the wrist of the Swiss driver Jo Siffert. It was the first self-winding chronograph watch with a water-proof square case. Jack Heuer named it after the Monaco Grand Prix. On the 3 rd of March, 1969, the Heuer Monaco was launched simultaneously in Geneva and New York. A not so subtle reminder that the watch did not need winding. And of course, the crown positioned on the left. The Monaco represents a complete break from the aesthetic codes of traditional watchmaking. The starting point was throwing out the rulebook. Now that they had the case, it was time to design a watch to match. The original Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 1133B. Being the shrewd and clever businessman that he was, he negotiated exclusive rights to the case. That’s why the shape was reserved for dress watches. Up until this point it had not been possible to make a square case waterproof. Its patented waterproof design was the first of its kind. He pitched Jack a novel square case that his company had developed. And a man destined to help change history at Heuer. Something “ out-of-the-box” as he would later say. But he needed to find a way to broaden its appeal beyond the automotive crowd. Jack Heuer knew that he had a winner on his hands with this new movement. The decision was taken therefore to debut the new movement in not one watch. Heuer needed to maximise the return on its investment. It was a costly development process though.

Beating at 19,800 vibrations per hour, it generated a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. Dubois-Depraz’s Chronomatic module was attached to a Buren base movement. The original Calibre 11, one of the world’s first self-winding chronograph movements.Īfter several years of development, the covert collaborators achieved their goal. Not to mention complex and time-consuming. Such an undertaking was expensive though. Jack thought that it should be the first to introduce an automatic chronograph. In fact, the company’s reputation had been built on its reliable and robust chronographs. But there was no such thing as an automatic chronograph movement. Automatic movements were already very popular. The company his great-grandfather had founded 100 years earlier. In the 1960’s, Jack Heuer was the Managing Director of Heuer. But the story is a more interesting than that. It becomes even easier when you take into account TAG Heuer’s rich history with motorsport. Looking at the name, it’s not hard to guess the origin of the Heuer Monaco. A (Very) Brief History Of The Tag Heuer Monaco Even at 50 years old, the Monaco still has what it takes to get our motors running. That and the endorsement of the King of Cool himself, Steve McQueen. And that’s what makes the Monaco so damn iconic. You could make the argument that it shouldn’t. (Spoiler alert: you do, you’re awesome.) The distinctive square case. Like so cool you’re not even sure if you have what it takes to pull off wearing one. The TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 automatic chronograph is a cool watch.