FEATURE: Definitely a Monaco, But Which One?

CAW211R.FC6401                          CAW211P.FC6356

We can't all afford everything we want (I know I can't!), but once in a blue moon, maybe only once in a lifetime we might just be fortunate enough to come into a goodly chunk of 'free' money that we feel we can spend as we like. Maybe you get a company car and you can sell your own, maybe you have a small premium bond or lottery win or perhaps a loved one passes away and leaves you an inheritance. Whatever the circumstances, having an unusually large amount of spending money can be an emotional rollercoaster, especially if you're looking to buy a luxury watch and I'd wager that many a time an underpaid TAG Heuer enthusiast with £5000 in his pocket has agonised over exactly which Monaco he wants to put on his wrist.

For the purposes of this post, let's assume we're only looking at current/new models. After all, it's fair to assume that someone who's spending outside of their normal comfort zone would want the reassurance of a manufacturer's warranty and the luxury of knowing that no one else has worn the watch but you. With that in mind, where better to start than the TAG Heuer website...

Click the picture to see the Monacos on the TAG Heuer website

The TAG Heuer website currently shows eight Monacos, plus a banner add inviting you to sign up for the 'Monaco Grand Prix Historique' model... I'm assuming it's a bit late for that though! Three of those watches are 37mm quartz unisex models, two of which are generally regarded as ladies pieces. They are also way under budget at £1795 and £2395 (for the diamond models) and as such we can disregard those here.

That leaves us with the limited edition grey dial 'final edition' Monaco Calibre 12 (£4895), the classic blue dial Calibre 12 (£4350) and the watch that replaces it, the new blue dial Heuer 02 (£5050). To be honest this would probably be my choice, because I really love that metallic blue dial, I much prefer my crown on the left and I'd rather have the modern logo... but I must admit I do much prefer the flat hour markers on the classic Calibre 11 dial over the 'radial' style markers of later editions.

Many people though, would pay no mind at all to these charlatans. If you've always dreamed of owning a Heuer Monaco then nothing less than a Calibre 11 piece will do - but even then there's still a choice to be made. Do you go for the classic blue dial 'Steve McQueen' Monaco (£5050), or do you go all out for the 'Gulf Racing' edition (£5195)? Both break the £5000 budget, but the difference is negligible in the scheme of things. To be honest if you can't afford another £195 for the Gulf then I question if you should be buying a Calibre 11 Monaco at all, after all a replacement strap will cost more than that and warranties don't last forever.

Both watches feature the previously mentioned 'flat' hour markers, white subdials and date windows, black sub-dial hands and red chronograph second hands. They feature the same red accented hour and minute hands as well and share the same 39mm case. The standard blue dial CAW211P comes on a black perforated calfskin leather strap with a special 'racetrack asphalt' finish, while the 'Gulf Racing' variant instead features a blue strap with orange stitching and backing... and of course those tantalising orange and blue stripes on the dark blue dial.

Purists might prefer the 'Gulf 50th Anniversary First Victory' limited edition (CAW211T.FC6440) as the stripes were more authentic to the racing colours of the Porsche sports cars it was inspired by, but sadly they are long gone and I can't find even one of the fifty pieces made currently for sale. Still, you can be sure the original price of £5195 is nothing but a memory now and we only have £5000 and a bit of wiggle room to play with today so that one is completely out of the question!

It's a tough one this, on the one hand the 'Gulf Racing' model is perhaps more 'exciting', but assuming this is to be a buyer's only Monaco, maybe even their only luxury watch, is it perhaps just a little too much? Personally I think it would be better suited to a person who has a collection of watches and can afford to wear it sparingly. As nice as it is, I can imagine how it could become a little tiresome after a while. Not too everyone, sure... and if you've always dreamed of a 'Gulf Racing' Monaco and nothing else, then you should probably go with your gut.

But if you are undecided, perhaps it's best to stick to the tried and tested blue dial, especially if you can't afford to chop and change or add the other model later. On balance, I suspect most 'Gulf Racing' pieces are owned by people who already own a standard blue dial model, just like I suspect most supercars with stripes down the middle are owned by people who have previously owned, or who also own other supercars. Would you really want your one and only Ferrari to be that obnoxious? Maybe... but probably not.

At the end of the day, there is no right and wrong, it's all a matter of personal taste... but ultimately it's something that requires a lot of thought and perhaps a lot of agonizing to get the answer right. Of course there will always be a tinge of regret now and again for the model that you spurned, that may be somewhat inevitable... but it's a lot easier to live with regret for a watch unbought than regret for a purchase made in haste.