FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TAG Heuer Monaco 50th Anniversary 80s Edition

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So the (second) cat is finally out of the bag and, well... what about this one then? It's pretty special I think, maybe too special to be limited to just 169 pieces? I guess there's nothing to stop them releasing another red Monaco (perhaps with the regular shaped sub-dials as a differentiator) in the future... it's certainly something I would consider as red watches are few and far between. Can you name three red dial TAG Heuers? I know there's the red dial S/EL, a Formula 1 and the Silverstone, and there may be some lesser known Heuers with red dials, but it's a bit of a rare breed to say the least!

Again I like that they've used the horizontal hour markers as opposed to the radial type, and those sub-dials are really different and interesting with their square but not square shape. I think they've made a good choice with the silver for the sub-dials as well, much better than white I think, especially if the red is as 'metallic' as it looks in the pictures.

I've seen some criticism that they should have given it a red or silver date wheel, but I think that might have looked a bit much to be honest. I think the white looks fine, and it makes the date very legible and complements the white text on the dial so no complaints from me there. And again, I'm so pleased they haven't used that dreadful aged lume on this piece, the white looks perfect as it is.

The pity is of course that most of us will probably never see one of these in the flesh, with only 169 pieces made and fifty of those reserved for box sets, surely TAG will make a regular red Monaco in the future? If not then I can see this becoming one of the most sought after Monacos ever produced, because while blue dial Monacos are nice, they don't look significantly different whether you have the 40th Anniversary or just a regular model. By contrast this one will stand out a mile from across a room to those who know... I just hope all the guys on the Calibre 11 forum who have put their deposits down for these can get hold of them and aren't left disappointed.