Of course the 'Gulf' Monaco wasn't the only Monaco TAG Heuer launched at the (somewhat anachronistic) Monaco Grand Prix, in fact it was only one of three. There was also a new colour variation on the eye-wateringly expensive 41mm rattrapante that literally no one paid any attention to, and then there was this black DLC coated titanium cased Calibre 11 'Heuer' Monaco that seems to have garnered almost as much attention as the Gulf. Which kinda makes you wonder why they released them both at the same time honestly, given that they are probably aimed at a similar buyer. Oh well, I'm sure TAG Heuer know what they are doing... perhaps the cache of launching it at the Monaco GP outweighs the conflict and perhaps some well heeled harbour-dwellers will take both?
This particular Monaco recalls the designs of emblematic Heuer stopwatches from the 1960s and 1970s (so it says on the website), which is fine if you like that sort of thing. Personally I care less about the inspiration and more about the visual appeal and in this instance I'd say they did rather a nice job. This is certainly one of the more appealing Calibre 11 Monacos we've seen of late and I'm not remotely surprised by the positive reaction issuing forth from the THF Forum.
Those who've seen the watch in person have mentioned that the dial has a surprising depth to it, and I must admit the 'cut out' effect is quite appealing. Different photos give different impressions of the colouring, sometimes the surround looks grey, sometimes it looks silver, but I'm told it is actually an off-white that again recalls vintage stopwatches. Overall it certainly has kerb appeal, but I don't quite think it has quite the impact of the white dialed Gulf Monaco somehow.
Like the Gulf (almost) this one is limited to 970 pieces (again rather pointlessly 'inspired' by 1970...) and like the Gulf I imagine this will be available relatively easily; it certainly seems like the days of limited editions selling out in a week or so are long gone. Remember those purple and green LE Monacos? I remember being offered one of those but I had to put down a deposit without even seeing it! Ha, as if...!
And look at the limited edition TAG Heuer X Hodinkee Seafarer, limited to 968 and yet still available on the TAG Heuer website ten months down the line... and that's with the might of Hodinkee behind it! Clearly the times have changed. Thankfully. The only people to benefit from that was flippers and who really wants to commit to buy a watch costing this much money (£8600, in case you were wondering... that 'grade 2' titanium case is expensive hey) without the chance to see it and think it over? No thanks.
But anyway, it's nice to see TAG Heuer breaking out a 'new' take on the Monaco Calibre 11 rather than giving us the same watch as last year in a different colour, though it did somewhat bring to mind the fourth of the five 50th Anniversary Monacos at first glance. I think it's safe to assume the Council will look favourably on this one, let's find out.
8/10: "It's a cool watch. Although I miss the seconds-numbers."
8/10: "Not my colourway but it is still good looking."
8/10: "This is a nice release but the Gulf edges it out."
8.5/10: "Nice watch, clean dial. Probably one of the best "modern recreation" watches released in a long time."
7/10: "I'm surprised by how highly everyone rates this watch, but I think there are too many of them available. I think TAG should reduce the number and make it more exclusive."
5/10: "Another Monaco - yay!"
9/10: "I’m glad to see TAG doing what people really want."
10/10: "This one really impressed me a lot more than I thought it would when I saw it in person. For me, it's the best all new Monaco dial design in the last 7 years. Which means I like it more than any of the five Monaco 50th Anniversary editions. It's a worthy candidate for WOTY, even though the new Gulf is the one I'd rather buy if spending this kind of money."
9/10: "I like the new C11 Gulf a little bit more, so half a point less for this one."
8/10: "I prefer the new white Gulf over this one, but this is another well executed Monaco (price remains a negative as with all TAG Heuer releases these days)."
5/10: "Uninspiring and boring."
8/10: "Stunning piece with the subdials adding a welcome 3D depth to the dial. Looses a couple of points due to pricing, I’d own this if it was a couple of K cheaper. As it is, I’m still tempted."
6/10: "Quite nice, but there are nicer Monacos."
7/10: "Not for me personally but I think they did a good job. Still, pushing $10k is just a non-starter."
9.5/10: "I'm still considering buying one."
7.5/10: "As I mark in relation to each other, without factoring price, this gets a 7.5 from me…but…the Monaco’s are so ridiculously positioned now that I would NEVER BUY."
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