CAW218B.FC6496
Before we get into this one, it seems only right that we address something rather peculiar about this watch... that being what exactly is it supposed to be for? Because on the TAG Heuer website it is called the 'Monaco Titan' Special Edition (due to the use of titanium in the case, a first for a Monaco), but equally some people who have bought it have been told it is made to celebrate 50 years since the making of the film 'Le Mans' (the 'Steve McQueen Le Mans Limited Edition), one person who has bought it said the inside of the box says 'Le Mans Limited Edition' (but it doesn't stipulate whether it means the race or the film) while others say their box doesn't have this inscription at all.
To confuse matters further, Max Verstappen was presented with a special (presumably) one-of-a-kind Monaco Titan, with his race number on the dial and a graphic of the Monaco circuit on the back of the watch - which seems a rather strange thing to do if it is indeed supposed to be celebrating the film 'Le Mans' or indeed the race itself...
Also, why a titanium case but a Calibre 11 movement and 'Heuer' on the dial? Wouldn't it make more sense for a titanium case to carry the in-house Heuer 02 movement?
Overall it seems TAG Heuer's use of 'Special Edition' and 'Limited Edition' is extremely confused. A logical explanation would be that 'Special Editions' aren't part of the on-going range, while 'Limited Editions' are physically numbered on the back plate. But my Senna Formula 1 has 'Limited Edition' printed on the box, but there is no numbering, nor do I know how many pieces it was 'limited' to. Frankly, it's a bit of a mess.
Leaving all that aside, this one kind of sneaked out without any major fanfare or explanation save a teaser on TAG Heuer's Instagram account. Which seems rather a shame as it has met with seemingly universal approval from the members of the Calibre 11 forum - in fact I don't think I've heard a bad word about it, except when it comes to the price.
Ah yes, the price. Brace yourself people, because this one is not for the paupers among you. While the basic blue dial Monaco Calibre 11 now costs a substantial £5250, this one attracts a £1300 premium, pushing up the retail price to a fairly eye-watering £6550... which, titanium case or not, is rather a lot of money for any watch with a Sellita movement!
But then the price is what it is, only the customer can decide if they think it's worth it or not if not then don't buy it. From a design perspective I think this one is pretty sharp and the silver dial looks very cool (not something you hear me say very often), the only thing I'm not massively keen on is the flash of red on the '12' marker.
People have commented that this is a kind of (reversed) cousin to the CAW211Z 'Phantom' Monaco from the 50th Anniversary collection, and I can see that. But while that black dial piece also had this red flash, to me it looked right there, but here for some reason it looks a bit unnecessary. I think the red chrono second hand alone is enough, I suppose the only plus here is that most of the time the red hand will be set at the '12' position so that bit of red paint will be largely obscured...
Other than that I can't really fault this one, I've always preferred the 'flat' hour indices of the older Monacos and they are of course present here and the black sub-dials go really well with the sparkling silver dial (the standout feature of this one for sure). Maybe they could have done away with the red stripe and given this one red subdial hands instead?
I read somewhere that the chrono pushers on this one are sand-blasted whereas on the CAW211Z they were polished. I'm not sure if that is a good idea or not, initially it probably looks better, but over time might they not 'become' polished as they are depressed and used? It could end up looking a bit of a mess, but then again, how often does anyone actually use them?
Finally, we come to the strap, a unique part made for this model. You may remember the tortoiseshell bezel Aquaracers released last year which had rubber straps that were patterned to look like leather... well, I'm told (by people who've witnessed this first hand) that this one has a leather strap that feels like rubber. Which seems more than a little odd to me. Why on Earth would you want a leather strap that feels like rubber (which is inherently a 'cheaper' material) but without its waterproof qualities? I have no idea...
Still, I know you're all dying to find out what the C.O.C.O. Council thinks of this one, so lets throw it into their enclosure and see how they respond...
CAW218B.FC6496: Monaco 'Titan' Calibre 11 - 8.1 / 10
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"I think the idea of a titanium Monaco is great as its quite a large and top heavy watch anyway so making it slightly lighter appeals to me. I do like it but I feel maybe it needs a bit more colour in there. The silver dial is nice but doesn't really contrast against the case or so it appears from the photos. I don't know... That said, I do like it and it reminds me very much of the 70's for some reason, which I suppose is a good thing as it's a retro watch anyway! I would give this Monaco a rating of 7/10. I like it but it just needs something else on the dial in my opinion but big plus for the titanium case!"
"It's an almost perfect combination of a traditional design with modern materials. I am happy, that the Calibre 11 movement is kept alive! I wonder if they considered combining this Titanium case with a light asphalt dial, like on the 1989-1999 Special Edition. This watch could pioneer more Titanium versions, e.g. in a colour-scheme like the new Titanium Aquaracers (green / Bamford). A Titanium version of the new Monaco bracelet might also work well."
"Based on looks this is a 9 for me, but movement and price drags it down to a 7."
"Really good edition, probably the best C11 after the McQueen and the grey LE for me. Saw the grey 02 on display yesterday and I think I would still prefer that one though. The thickness and weird case design of the modern Monaco still put me off though. The sandblasted finish even highlights these drawbacks so max a 7 for me."
"Love it. This is pretty much the first TAG Heuer in recent years that I have really liked and really would like to buy. Not surprisingly, the price is up there though, being titanium, so I'm not going to be an owner. There really isn't anything to not like so does it get a 10 out of 10? Yes it bloody well does!"
"I appreciate that it is a new case material for Monaco, but the dial is a bit boring. I have some doubts about this year's Monaco line-up. Even though it is the 50 year anniversary since the great movie "Le Mans", Limited edition Monaco does not come out. Why?"
"I'm a little conflicted about how I feel on this one. The silver sunburst dial is as compelling as the dial on the Silver 160th Carrera, plus the panda treatment on the Monaco makes it even more appealing. The sandblasted titanium case is cool, but not cool enough to make me spend the extra cash to buy one. Overall the watch has classic good looks and is a gorgeous piece. Having said that, for a Monaco, it's a little conservative and perhaps even a tad boring. The Blue McQueen is still the gold standard and this one falls short in comparison. Moreover, there are other Monaco LEs I'd rather own that cost a lot less. If TAG Heuer had made this the "Max 33 Monaco GP Titan", like the special one that Max Verstappen got, it would have made this watch much more desirable and worthy of its price. Furthermore, there's still a bit of mystery about whether this is a so called "Le Mans Edition". While it's printed on some boxes, there's absolutely no mention of this by TAG Heuer or the media."
"Pros: I like the look with the sandblasted titanium and I am sure it's weight will help with the top heavy feel on smaller wrists. The strap and clasp are well done. The contrast stitch and matte finish go well with the watch. The dial finish looks like it will have tons of character with the sunray and contrasting sub-dials. Colour choices for dial and sub-dials - perfect! Lastly the unconventional set up with using Calibre11 makes it a "Monaco".
"Solid 8 for me. Points deducted for CA compliant strap."
Cons: I don't like how the hands on the sub-dials seem to disappear. I feel they should either have been red to match the chrono hand or in some contrasting finish or color. As they are, I don't feel they are a useful feature. As it was a pro it is also a con. If Tag is going to charge this much for a watch it needs a replacement for the Calibre11. It is a defining feature of the watch but is an inexpensive machine finished movement making the 8k price a bit steep for me and taking off a point for me."
"Dear Tag Heuer, take the automatic rotor off the H02 and make a hand wound Monaco and Carrera. They will be a hit, feel thin, vintage and unique. I will then I feel you can charge 7k+."
"Too expensive for Calibre 11 movement. Strap feels cheap and like rubber."
"8/10 for me. Its nice, real nice but I Feel it might look a little wishy-washy in the metal, but the renders are nice. Cant wait to see some better photos of the box. I still tend to like my CAW211Z better. One thing they got right though with this one which I thought was missing on the Z is the Crown and pushers are sand blasted along with the case. They are polished on the Z which I thought was a bit of a design Faux pas."
"Nice watch, I like the case finish and the contrast of the face, my doubt would be the bonus/advantage to some, the weight, I like a hefty watch so this might counteract the visual attraction. Strap suits, but this might have been the the one for a bracelet of similar material to the case, in a bold design? Price is better than expected but that then means it will be snapped up quickly, some by enthusiasts others by scalpers hoping for a quick buck on the 500 piece run."
"I love it. The colour, sand blasted texture, red accents...It all comes together so nicely. The strap is great and suits the piece really well. If I had the cash I would definitely be going for this one. It is super photogenic as well, the photos of it on the wrist that I've seen are great! I want this... 9/10"
"I'm not a Monaco person, but this is definitely one of the nicer ones. If I was in the market for a Monaco, then I think this would be third on my list, behind the classic blue McQueen and the 1970s green Côtes de Genève dial. Limited to 500 means most collectors who want one should easily be able to get it. 8/10"
"8/10. Really like this one, it's rather captivating on the wrist. There are a couple of minor things I might have done differently that keep it from getting top marks, but overall it's a very fun watch. Don't love how much they're charging for the Calibre 11 models though. Still, it's one of the few modern Monaco models I could see myself hunting down in the years to come."
"9.5/10. And that's coming from a non-Monaco-desiring Heuer fan. I think the accent colour of the second hands of Heuer editions should be red as a signature design element as much as possible, and the Titan Monaco perfectly exemplifies how and why."
The CAW218B is limited to 500 pieces worldwide and is available from the TAG Heuer website now.
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