TAG Heuer continued its 50th anniversary celebrations for the iconic square-cased Monaco made famous by Steve McQueen with a lavish soirée in New York City the other night. At the event, hosted by former Miss Universe and “friend of the brand” Paulina Vega, TAG unveiled the latest in its series of special 50th Anniversary TAG Heuer Monaco watches, this one based on the 1990s.
A Tribute to the 1990s for the FIA Formula E Championship
An odd time to pay tribute to it might seem, but TAG has decided that each of the five new watches will honor a decade of its watchmaking history. Also at the event were two of its brand ambassadors, race car driver and 2017/2018 Formula E Champion Jean-Éric Vergne, and actor/racing driver Patrick Dempsey, whom some say is the modern-day McQueen.
The event was timed to lead up to the 2019 New York City E-Prix Formula E Championship race, which took place on 13 and 14 July in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where Vergne will defend his title. TAG is Official Time Keeper and Founding Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship. The brand staged a heritage exhibition showing off its ties to the world of motor racing – guests had to walk through the exhibit before entering the event, which was held at Cipriani Downtown.
TAG Heuer Monaco 1989-1999 Special Edition
The new watch was unveiled with a light and video show. The “1989-1999 Special Edition” watch (as it is rather awkwardly called) will be limited to just 169 pieces. It’s designed to have a “steely industrial appearance” with a bit of a street style vibe, finished in blue and silver, with red highlights.
It features a grained rhodium-plated dial with sandblasted sub-dials, and it comes on a blue perforated rally-style calfskin strap with red contrast stitching. The caseback, featuring vertical and circular brushed finishing, is engraved with the “Monaco Heuer” logo as well as “1989-1999 Special Edition” and “One of 169”.
Inside the watch lies TAG’s Calibre 11, a modern (although fundamentally different from a design standpoint) version of the automatic-winding chronograph movement that made its debut inside the original Monaco in 1969 – hence the number of pieces. The Monaco isn’t for everyone, and the 1990s don’t raise much sentimentality among watch collectors unless we’re talking pre-Vendome Panerai, so we’ll see how much interest TAG’s Monaco 1989-1999 Special Edition manages to stir up.
*All images courtesy of TAG Heuer
