FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer 02 Chronograph

CBL2111.FC6453

A few years ago there was a thread on the Calibre 11 forum which asked for suggestions of what the members wanted to see at Baselworld that year. By way of response I photo-shopped a Heuer 02T skeleton dial into the case of a Monaco 24, not really ever thinking such a thing was likely or even if it was technically feasible. Fast forward to 2019 and well, maybe it wasn't such a crazy idea after all.

Now I'm not seriously suggesting we're going to see a skeleton dialed Heuer 02 tourbillon anytime soon, but it's not so big a jump to that from this, the new Heuer 02 powered CBL2111 Monaco. As we saw yesterday with the release of the CAW211J limited edition Monaco, the long standing Calibre 12 movement used in the 'TAG Heuer' branded Monacos (as opposed to the left hand crown Calibre 11 movement used in the 'Heuer' branded pieces) has been retired in favour of the brands' new(ish) in-house motor.

Opinion seems to be divided about whether that's a good thing, at least as far as that 'phantom' running seconds subdial at the 6 position. I must admit I am conflicted about that myself, I'd rather have a running seconds than not have one at all, but I'd prefer it if it didn't conflict with the date window. I don't know why that is because if there was a proper subdial there (as we see on the Autavia Heuer 02) I wouldn't have a problem with it. Hmm... picky, me?

It looks kind of odd to see a Heuer 02 in the back of a Monaco, but I'm sure we'll get used to it. It's interesting that now the choice for prospective buyers is between a Sellita SW-300 powered 'Heuer' Monaco and a properly in-house designed movement in the 'TAG Heuer' version. The new Monaco sees a price hike of £500 over the old Calibre 12 powered CAW2111, which also makes it £100 more expensive than the classic Calibre 11 Monaco. That seems reasonable given that it's a superior movement, but I wonder how the market will react to that; is the cache of the 'Heuer' name worth more than the cache of an in-house movement, or is it the other way around? It's a curious conundrum, but I think dyed in the wool 'Heuer' buyers will stick with the Calibre 11 and younger buyers who care less about Steve McQueen will want the in house movement.

What I'd really like to see now is a diversification in the Monaco range; it seems rather unnecessary to have two 'traditional' Monacos with only slight differences in design, why not make the 'TAG Heuer' version a modern incarnation of the model, perhaps even including a skeleton or tourbillon in a PVD case, now that would really be something. At the very least I would like to see the 'TAG Heuer' Monaco expand it's range of dial colours, obvious moves would be the bright green of the Aquaracer and the red of the 80s Anniversary model, even if they had to be limited editions.

Could that actually happen? Well, TAG Heuer are supposed to be the 'Avant Garde' watchmaker who break all the rules, but... the Monaco is their link to history, so it remains to be seen how far they want to go at the mass market level, they've certainly pushed the envelope in the past with the Monaco V4, so I hope so. Maybe we could have a coloured Carrera-style perforated rubber strap while we're at it?

Maybe not... :)